'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,' from Swift's forthcoming album, 'Red,' appears headed for the upper reaches of next week's Hot 100.

 

Big Machine and Universal Republic have teamed with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment to help instantly ingrain "Never" among listeners, as the largest radio chain in the U.S. is spotlighting it with top-of-the-hour airplay on many stations until 11 p.m. tonight (14) among its 308 country, mainstream top 40, adult top 40, adult contemporary and rhythmic outlets.

 

(Clear Channel has similarly premiered new songs by Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, Madonna and Rihanna with hourly airplay in recent months.)

 

With Billboard's Nielsen BDS-based genre airplay charts on a Monday-through-Sunday cycle, "Never" is off to a fast start at numerous formats as of this afternoon. On the building charts as of 4 p.m. ET today, the song ranked at No. 4 on Country Songs, No. 10 on Adult Contemporary, No. 16 on Pop Songs, No. 18 on Adult Pop Songs and No. 37 on Rhythmic.

 

As the end of Clear Channel's intense airplay of the song after tonight could level off its airplay throughout the week, a top 20 debut for "Never" on the Country chart seems more probable than a top five or top 10 start. (Highlights of Billboard's genre airplay charts will be released Monday (20) on Billboard.com.)

 

Both country and pop programmers are happy that, with "Never," Swift has gotten back together with radio. (Not that they've had that much time to miss her. "Ours" became her sixth Country No. 1 in March, while B.o.B's "Both of Us," featuring Swift, currently ranks at No. 32 on Mainstream Top 40, where she's placed 12 entries.)

 

"I like the record. I heard it a couple of weeks ago and, about 30 seconds in, thought it was a multi-format hit," CBS Radio Houston VP of programming Mark Adams says. (The company's Houston cluster includes country KILT and mainstream top 40 KKHH.)

 

Fortsätt att läsa...