文/ Zack O'Malley Greenburg
On November 13, 2019, local time, Reba McKentel (left), Kelly Underwood (center) and Dolly Parton (right) hosted the 53rd National Country Music Association Awards ceremony in Tennessee, USA. Image source: Visual China
The Country Music Awards (CMA) ceremony is Nashville's biggest night. But this year's awards ceremony buried country music's most significant breakthrough in the past 12 months — 20-year-old Lil Nasser. X's single "Old Town Road" topped the singles chart for 19 weeks, setting a record, but the Country Music Awards gave him only one nomination.
However, Lil Nas X's results helped him win another honor: This year, he debuted on Forbes' highest-paid country music singer chart with an estimated pre-tax income of about $14 million. Thanks to the catchy country-rap single "Old Town Road," the singer from Atlanta was ranked 18th. Released in December 2018 through indie music service Amuse, the song has been played 1.8 billion times this summer — though it was removed from Billboard's country music charts because of its ambiguous genre. This snubbed vignette, and a series of subsequent mixed versions, helped "Old Town Road" expand its country music audience to a scale that no single has matched in recent years.
Diego Farias, co-founder of Amuse, said: "The song appeared on the hit charts of countries where country music has never had a place, from Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe. I mean, I'm talking about places where you don't usually associate it with cowboy hats and cowboy boots. ”
Lil Nas X (right) and Billy Ray Cyrus attend the 53rd American Country Music Association Awards. Image source: Visual China
Lil Nas X isn't the only high-grossing singer frustrated at the CMA: Luke Brian topped the charts for the second year in a row with $42.5 million, but not a single nomination. That's largely because the Georgia-based singer, who doesn't love cowboy hats and loves baseball caps, hasn't released a new studio album since 2017. Instead, he spent his time touring, earning more than $1 million per stop and serving on the American Idol jury.
No. 2 was stylistically challenging the traditional Zach Brown band, with their 50 live performances and new album Owl performing strongly, earning $38.5 million. Owl reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (Billboard 200 Albums Chart). Other cross-genre entrants include Canadian singer and actress Shania Downe (ranked #7 with $29 million) and duo Florida Georgia Line with hip-hop elements (#8 with $26 million in revenue).
Brian Kelley, the group's founding member, told Forbes in 2015: "The countryside is more like a way of life. This kind of music is always going to evolve and change. ”
There are also a number of CMA stars on this list, including performers Eric Church (ranked 6th, earning $30 million) and Miranda Lambert (ranked 20th, earning $13 million), as well as two hosts: Dolly Parton (no. 15, earning $17 million) and Kelly Underwood (ranked 16th, earning $16 million). Another host, Reba McEntire, missed the list with a small margin.
Miranda Lambert performed live at the 53rd American Country Music Association Awards. Image source: Visual China
Overall, the top 10 country singers in terms of revenue this year grossed $311.5 million, up 2 percent from $304.5 million last year. Our list counts pretax income valuations for the period 1 June 2018 to 1 June 2019, with no deductions for broker, manager and attorney fees. We also got the data through Nielsen Music, PollstarPro, and interviews with industry insiders to get the final numbers.
While our rankings often reflect a serious lack of diversity at the top of the country music scene, this year's charts are at least a glimmer of light, showing that things are changing. Six of this year's top 20 women are the most balanced ratio of men and women in the 7 years since Forbes released the list; Lil Nass. X was the first person to come out publicly, and the first singer of color to appear on the list.
Although Lil Nas X declined requests for comment through a representative, but no matter how many CMA accolades he can bring home, he clearly values his Blazer role, as he told the BBC earlier this year: "I feel like I'm opening doors for more people." ”
1. Luke Bryan $42.5 million
2. Zach Brown Band $38.5 million
3. Keith Urban $35 million
4. Blake Shelton $32 million
5. Kenny Chesney $31 million
6. Eric Church $30 million
7. Shania Downe $29 million
8. Florida Georgia Line $26 million
9. Garth Brooks $24 million
10. Jason Alding $23.5 million
Toby Keith $21 million
11. Dix Bentley $20 million
13. Tim McGraw $18 million
14. George Street $17.5 million
15. Dolly Parton $17 million
16. Kelly Underwood $16 million
17. Faith Hill $15 million
18. Lil Nas X $14 million
19. Rogue Vlad Band $13.5 million
20. Lady Antebellum (Nostalgia Girl) $13 million (tied)
20. Miranda Lambert $13 million (tied)
Translated by Xiaxun
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