Take a charismatic singer-songwriter. Release one of his catchiest, most radio-friendly efforts. Arm it with the support of the iHeartRadio/Clear Channel “On the Verge” program. Watch it race up the charts.
That simple formula is playing out perfectly for Sam Hunt’s “Leave the Night On,” which this weekend ascended into the Top 40 at Country Radio.
According to Mediabase, “Leave the Night On” was the 37th-most-played track for the seven days ending June 21. Rapidly on the rise, it should soon leapfrog Jon Pardi’s “What I Can’t Put Down,” Cassadee Pope’s “I Wish I Could Break Your Heart,” Kacey Musgraves’ “Keep it To Yourself” and Easton Corbin’s “Clockwork” to charge towards the Top 30.
The Sam Hunt track’s greatest airplay support is coming from Nashville’s The Big 98; that station played “Leave the Night On” 44 times this past week. It is reaching its largest audience, however, on Minnesota’s K102; that station’s 23 spins garnered 340,000 impressions.
Its week-over-week gain of 921 spins ranks as the format’s second-largest. Only Kenny Chesney’s new “American Kids,” which has scored 1219 spins since its debut late this past week, is climbing at a more rapid rate. That song is already #32 at country radio.
Thanks to the strong early exposure, Sam Hunt’s “Leave the Night On” is already #85 on the iTunes Overall Single Sales chart. Once again making the bigger mark, the veteran Chesney’s new track is currently #10.