Interest in “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which was streamed 17.5 million times on services like Spotify and Apple Music in its first week of release, partly grew in the manner of a typical viral track, according to the service Luminate, whose data fuels the Billboard charts.
Much of the consumer activity that drove the track to No.
1 came via 99-cent digital downloads from outlets like the iTunes Store — an outdated format that is declining in popularity faster than CDs.
Despite streaming now accounting for more than 80 percent of music consumption overall, paid downloads are weighted more on the charts, a quirk exploited regularly by pop superfans devoted to acts like Ms.
In often coordinated efforts, they use downloads to show support and earn chart milestones that are celebrated like wins in sports or political elections.
Persons:
Jason Aldean, “, Anthony, Christopher Anthony Lunsford, —, Oliver Anthony, ”, Mr, Walsh —, superfans, Swift
Organizations:
Country Music Television, North, Apple Music, Daily, Korean, BTS
Locations:
Tennessee, Rich, Richmond, ”