Walker Hayes. Photo: Robert Chavers.

Arguably one of the biggest country music commercial successes of 2021, Walker Hayes‘ “Fancy Like” ended the year in the top spot on the country streaming songs chart. Last week (ending on Dec. 30), the single earned 7.3 million streams, pushing the track to 296 million streams RTD.

“All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” (Taylor Swift) falls to No. 2, adding 7.3 million streams, while “Thinking ‘Bout You” (Dustin Lynch & Mackenzie Porter) rises to third with 5.7 million streams and “Buy Dirt” (Jordan Davis & Luke Bryan) fall to fourth with 5.5 million. Ending the year on a high note, Kane Brown‘s “One Mississippi” jumps into the top five, garnering 4.8 million streams.

Swift ends the year at the top of the country albums chart with Red (Taylor’s Version) adding 47,000 in total consumption (21,000 album only/32 million song streams). Morgan Wallen‘s Dangerous: The Double Album follows in second, gaining 43,000 in total consumption (2,400 album only/50 million song streams). Burl Ives‘ Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer follows in third with 26,000 in total consumption, Brenda Lee‘s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree comes in fourth with 23,000, and Bobby Helms‘ The Classic Years 1956-1962 seals the top five with 21,000.

Cledus T. Judd. Photo: Bruce Royal

Cledus T. Judd has added new representation in management, booking and publishing coming into the new year. He has signed with Charles Dorris‘ DR Artist Management, Wasserman Music for booking, and Jay DeMarcus‘ Red Street Publishing.

Judd burst on the scene in the late ‘90s with a series of parodies of the biggest names in country. He translated his comedy success to radio, selling over two million records and scoring numerous accolades and video hits in the process. He starred on CMT’s Most Wanted Live for two years, co-hosted USA’s Nashville Star with Leann Rimes, and starred on VH1’s hit reality show Celebrity Fit Club. He has toured with Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Toby Keith and others, and had songs cut by Montgomery Gentry, Rascal Flatts, Brantley Gilbert and more.

“I have been friends with Cledus for many years and I’m super excited to call him an official [Red Street Publishing] writer! For every funny parody Cledus has written there are some of the most insightful, deep, honest lyrics I’ve ever heard,” shares DeMarcus. “I’m excited to be a part of this next chapter in his songwriting career.”

“With a name that is known literally to millions because of a talent that is truly unique, it was an easy decision to sign Cledus for management,” adds Dorris, partner of DR Artist Management. “There is an exciting ‘organic resurgence’ occurring that we are helping to bolster. We are seeing his original fans and their children, now grown, gravitate to a ‘trusted friend’ in Cledus for entertainment.”

“I grew up watching ‘T’ on CMT over my morning pre-bus stop bowl of Frosted Flakes, so to welcome him to our roster brings it very much full circle,” comments Nate Ritches, VP/Agent, Wasserman Music. “We are excited to see what is next for Cledus’ career, as his catalog resurges with an entirely new audience.”

Judd will release his new comedy song and companion video, “Old Man Rap,” in the coming weeks, and will be going on the road this year on his “This Judd’s 4 U” tour.

Independent music distributor and technology platform Symphonic Distribution announced that it received a $37M Series B investment led by NewSpring and Ballast Point Ventures. The new investment comes on the heels of funding announcements by other industry participants, further solidifying investor interest in music technology and distribution.

“We are so excited to announce this fund-raise as the effects of it will be greatly felt in Nashville,” says Randall Foster, VP Business Development/Nashville GM, Symphonic. “Since founding this office in 2019 we have doubled the headcount year over year and now have an impressive team heading up Client Marketing, YouTube/UGC Monetization, and Business Affairs along with fantastic support staff therein. This coupled with our recent move to the Orbison Building means we are here to stay and we will be growing in the coming months.”

The financial milestone follows a string of announcements for Symphonic, including partnerships with TIDAL and Joyner Lucas’ music start-up, Tully, as well as expansions into Africa and Mexico. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida with offices in Nashville and Brooklyn, and with international presence in Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Spain and more, Symphonic remains a 100% independent distribution and music technology company that continues to work with some of today’s most unique and innovative artists.

“On behalf of all of the team members of Symphonic, I can’t put into words how excited we are about the next chapter. The partnership with NewSpring, along with our existing investor, Ballast Point Ventures, will help position Symphonic as a strong market leader in independent music technology, services and distribution. This investment will enable us to invest more in our clients, our technology platform, strategic initiatives, intellectual property and other acquisitions,” says Jorge Brea, CEO, Symphonic.

“Watching Jorge and Taylor scale a homegrown Tampa technology company in the fast-growing music industry has been very impressive. We are excited to continue as their partner for this next leg of growth, and we are further excited to welcome NewSpring to the investor group as Symphonic prepares for its future growth,” says Robert Faber, Partner, Ballast Point Ventures.

“As the global trend toward streaming continues to guide the future of the music industry, Symphonic’s distribution platform offers independent artists the tools needed to supercharge their careers and expand their reach. We’ve been impressed for a long time with what Jorge and the team are building at Symphonic, everything from their patented technology to their incessant focus on putting the independent artist first. We look forward to working closely with Jorge and Ballast Point Ventures to broaden its offering and help Symphonic reach even higher levels of growth,” says Brian Kim, Partner, NewSpring.

Founded in 2006 by Brea, a music producer, Symphonic provides global digital music and video distribution through a comprehensive and best-in-class technology platform, marketing planning and strategy, including playlist support, and a comprehensive suite of services for artists, record labels, managers, and distributors. Symphonic has worked with clients such as Maggie Rose, Erin Enderlin, Blackberry Smoke, Leah Turner, Scotty McCreery, Isaia Huron, Andy Velo, Jess Moskaluke, Tim Hicks, The Hunter Brothers, Tyler Joe Miller, David James, Surf Mesa, Stick Figure, CloZee, Laura Marano, Rachel Bradshaw, El Alfa, Juan Luis Guerra, Pi’erre Bourne, DJ Nu-Mark, Doechii, Nick Murphy aka Chet Faker, and La Ross Maria among many others across a wide variety of genres worldwide.

Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) has announced details surrounding this year’s research presentation for Country Radio Seminar (CRS). In partnership with research and marketing partner NuVoodoo Media Services, this project will explore behaviors, trends, and tastes of country music consumers spanning Generation Z to Generation X.

Results from the study will be presented on Thursday, Feb. 24 during the in-person CRS 2022 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

“For years, a lot of people have said ‘Country music is for anyone 8 to 80,’” CRS Research Committee Chairman and Big Machine Records GM Clay Hunnicutt explains. “This year, we’ll find out for sure, as we look at the multi-generational audiences across country’s past, present, and future, looking at characteristics and day-to-day habits of our listeners-from early adopters to late bloomers. This research presentation will be a must-see for anyone trying to win now, while also working towards what lies ahead.”

NuVoodoo Media Services President/Founder Carolyn Gilbert adds: “It’s especially important that we all begin to think in new ways and zero base much of what’s ‘always been done.’ It’s time to recognize what we don’t know about what we do every day. Facing the world as it is and dealing with it is our way to truly get better and thrive.”

“We had conversations with dozens of country music fans one on one during December via Zoom. We’re using their first-person insights to guide the development of a massive study of nearly 3,000 country music fans we’ll be fielding in January,” shares Leigh Jacobs, NuVoodoo Media Services EVP/Research Analysis. “We’ll use it all to show how they use radio and other media; the things they love, the things that have changed–and those that haven’t. We’ll employ video segments from the Zoom interviews to underscore our findings about their deep relationships with country music. We look forward to sharing it at CRS.”

In 2021, during CRS: The Virtual Experience, NuVoodoo Media Services probed country music consumption habits during the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine.

CRS will be held Wednesday, Feb. 23-25. Registration for CRS 2022 is open now.

Justin Moore. Photo: Courtesy of 103.7 The Buzz

Country artist Justin Moore is jumping into the sports world, starting a gig at Arkansas’ 103.7 The Buzz Sports Radio’s Morning Mayhem where he serves as the station’s newest co-host.

Moore, an Arkansas native, will talk all things Arkansas Razorbacks alongside co-hosts David Bazzel, Roger Scott and R.J. Hawk.

For his first show, the “Small Town USA” singer joined his co-hosts in Tampa, Florida, prior to Arkansas’ matchup against Penn State at the 2022 Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Moore, being an avid sports fan, has appeared on ESPN, the SEC Network, MLB Network, and the Golf Channel.

To catch Moore on the air and learn more about Morning Mayhem, which airs weekdays from 6-10 a.m. CT, visit 1037thebuzz.com/shows.