Get the latest gossip

Today’s Hits Are Born, Not Made: Why ‘Every Song Has to Prove Itself’ Upon Release or Risk Being Abandoned


Top 10 hits used to build over months after they were released. Now most big singles debut in the top 10, and pre-release marketing is crucial

In April, rising pop singer-songwriter Chappell Roan released “Good Luck, Babe!”, a sleek, synthy single with nonchalant verses and an emphatically dismissive chorus. Her album Midwest Princess had failed to crack the Billboard 200 when it came out the year before, but “Good Luck, Babe!” immediately showed signs of commercial promise, handily out-streaming previous tracks. They made more than two dozen remixes of the single as well – picking collaborators that would expand the song's geographical reach – then booked JVKE an appearance on The Tonight Show, and paid to push the track to radio.

Get the Android app

Or read this on Billboard