Morgan Wallen just released I’m The Problem, and ironically, the problem might actually be Country Radio.
In just four days since its release, this album is already poised to break records. I’m predicting that 21 of the top 25 most-streamed songs in America this week will come from this album, with at least seven tracks clearing 10-20 million streams. That’s not fan interest, that’s fan demand. However, if you looked at the radio airplay charts, you wouldn’t know it.
While there was a small burst of early airplay over the weekend, radio has largely underplayed the significance of this release. This isn’t just a missed opportunity, it’s a pattern. Too often, these major moments don’t align with the pre-determined Nashville narrative. As a format, Country Radio denies, delays and deflects, they’d make a great insurance company.
The performance of I’m The Problem shows that country music’s most influential artist doesn’t need the traditional airplay, release schedule, impact or push week to validate his relevance. Wallen has disrupted the system, and fans are joining him during his famous walkouts, he’s developed quite the cume.
The problem: Country Radio is busy serving Country Radio.
Wallen’s album includes genre-blending collaborations with artists like Tate McRae and Post Malone, an extension of his past work with Lil Durk and other genre-fluid creatives. It’s not new for him, but it might be too new for Country Radio. “Tate’s too pop,” or “It doesn’t sound different enough, sonically,” “it’s just a bunch of trap beats,” “37 songs is too much.”
Too much for who?
Fans are breaking streaming records across platforms, meanwhile, Country Radio risks editorializing itself into irrelevance.
It’s not just Morgan. Other artists like Shaboozey, Bailey Zimmerman, Zach Bryan, Brandon Lake, Tyler Childers, Sam Barber, Zach Bryan,and Tucker Wetmore are all over-indexing in digital engagement compared to their terrestrial airplay.
In today’s data ecosystem, radio programmers have an edge we’ve never had before: we get the answers to the test in advance of the Monday “add board.” DSP data, stream counts, skip rates, plus audience retention, and all of it is telling us what people love. When we ignore those signals out of fear or format rigidity, we fail, in spite of having the answers to an open book test.
This isn’t a new – pun intended – problem. Let’s not forget when radio turned its back on:
- Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” – Despite becoming a viral hit and eventually topping the Billboard Hot 100 for a record-breaking 19 weeks, Billboard controversially removed the song from the country chart, claiming it didn’t fit the format. Many Country Radio stations followed suit, missing the chance to ride one of the biggest crossover hits of the decade.
- Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” – Initially met with resistance by several country stations who argued she wasn’t a country artist. Fan backlash was swift, and the song soared to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, making Beyoncé the first Black woman to ever achieve the feat, then she went ahead and won the Grammy.
- Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow” – A critically acclaimed, fan-favorite song that addressed LGBTQ+ acceptance and marijuana use. Country Radio hesitated to give it spins, yet it went on to win CMA Song of the Year, proving audiences were more ready for change than the format.
- The Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl” – Tackling domestic violence through dark humor, the song drew criticism and censorship from some country stations. Yet the tune resonated deeply with listeners and became a career defining hit.
- Loretta Lynn’s “The Pill” – A bold song about birth control in 1975 that was deemed too edgy for many Country Radio stations but still became one of Lynn’s most talked about and commercially successful singles, perfectly showcasing how Lynn was ahead of her time.
Each of these moments featured fans pushing forward while some at Country Radio pumped the brakes. Each artist proved one thing: when the audience moves and Country Radio does not, we don’t just fall behind—we get left behind.
What if this time we get it right?
What if we march alongside Morgan’s momentum?
What if we trust that fan behavior isn’t a threat to the format, but a roadmap to where they want to be?
Look at Apple Music’s Country chart where Morgan holds 37 of the top 38 songs in the genre as well as occupies 46 of the Top 50. Additionally, he set single day streaming records on both Spotify and Amazon. Radio’s digital disruptors are not guessing where the puck is going—they know the puck already went there. And if Country Radio wants to stay in the game, and have “hockey stick style growth” now is our chance.
Wallen’s antics may make you want to throw a chair, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen when his audience is asking for directions to God’s Country.
By: Phil Becker