In its weekly promotional blast, Columbia Records indicated that it was digitally delivering the entirety of Beyonce’s “Lemonade” to radio.
Given that strategy — and the sheer amount of buzz surrounding the project — most tracks appear to have received at least some attention from rhythmic programmers.
Some, however, received more attention than others.
Insofar as it was already in rotation at rhythmic, “Formation” obviously ranked as the format’s most played “Lemonade” song for the seven days ending April 25.
Among new tracks, “Sorry” is thus far leading the way at rhythmic. Mediabase data indicates the song had received over 60 spins through April 25, with New York’s Hot 97, San Francisco’s 106 KMEL, and Indianapolis’ Hot 96.3 each contributing 8 plays. Houston’s 97.9 The Box and Columbus’ Power 107.5 played the song 7 times, while Hartford’s Hot 93.7 offered 5 spins. A handful of stations have given the song two or three plays.
“Freedom” has also received a notable level of airplay at the rhythmic format. The song had garnered over 50 rhythmic spins through April 25; Los Angeles’ Power 106, which contributed 11, was the top supporter. “Freedom” also received 9 spins from Sirius XM’s The Heat, 8 from Columbus’ Power 107.5, 5 from Indy’s Hot 96.3 and 2 or 3 from several others.
“Hold Up,” which also received over 50 rhythmic spins through April 25, ranks as the format’s third-most played new “Lemonade” track. Indy’s Hot 96.3 provided 10 spins, while San Francisco’s 106 KMEL provided 5. Several others had played the song 4, 3 or 2 times through Monday.
The aforementioned breakdowns reveal some commonality of support; Indy’s Hot 96.3, for instance, has thus far proven particularly enthusiastic about “Lemonade.” In addition to providing notable attention to the aforementioned four songs, the station provided “Don’t Hurt Yourself” with 8 plays.
Sirius XM’s The Heat, which is one of the leaders for the aforementioned “Freedom,” additionally provided 8 spins to “Love Drought.”
It will be interesting to see how the airplay dynamic progresses in the coming days. It will also be interesting to see if and when Columbia names an official rhythmic single.