NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Big Machine Records) - Big Machine country singing sensation Taylor Swift, who recently achieved the rare milestone of spending 8 weeks atop the Billboard 200 top albums chart (only 5 other albums have done so since 2000) for her smash sophomore album Fearless, is now rewriting the record books at pop radio. The 19 year old country prodigy's first single from her new album, 'Love Story,' became the first ever country crossover recording to hit No 1 on the Nielsen BDS CHR/Top 40 chart, which appears in industry leading trade publications
Radio & Records and Billboard, in the 16-year history of list, as well as No 1 on the Mediabase Top 40 Chart, which appears in the national newspaper, USA Today.
Launched by innovative independent label, Big Machine, with Universal Republic taking on the non-country radio and video reins for Ms. Swift at the end of 2007, the multi-tiered radio strategy has seen the prolific country star continue on a trajectory of record-smashing proportions.
'Taylor's success is a testament to her artistry, Big Machine laying a great foundation, and pop radio's willingness to embrace a dynamic artist like her with open arms,' stated Joel Klaiman, Senior Vice President of Promotion and Artist Development. 'Our success with Taylor at radio sends a message that an authentic star who writes her own songs can open the door for great music finding a willing audience at all formats.'
Monte Lipman, President and CEO of Universal Republic Records also commented: 'Taylor's accomplishments continue to reshape the musical landscape. Pop radio embracing her music is emblematic of the belief Big Machine had from the outset that her music would appeal to all music lovers. We look forward to continuing our alliance with Big Machine well into the future.'
'There was incredible belief from day one from Monte, Joel and the great Universal Republic staff that Taylor's music could spillover into multiple formats. They have been instrumental in helping Taylor connect with new listeners hungry for great music,' stated Scott Borchetta, President & CEO of Big Machine. 'I salute them in this history-making moment and I look forward to many more success with our unique business relationship.'
'It really is a testament to the popularity of this young woman and the music she creates,' stated Silvio Pietroluongo, Director of Charts, R&R and Billboard. 'History has shown that top 40 radio is accepting of country music and its artists when programmers are bold enough to expand their musical boundaries, though this level of success is unprecedented over the past two decades. Taylor Swift has certainly earned her place as the first country act to top R&R and Billboard's Nielsen BDS-based CHR/Top 40 chart as she is the epitome of a multi-format, multi-talented artist.'
Mediabase President, Rich Meyer commented, "to call this event extraordinary would be an understatement. With the diverse nature of radio formats in today's landscape, this is truly an amazing accomplishment. Taylor Swift is a rock star. This is the first time a Country artist of any kind (male, female, or group) has had a No 1 song at Top 40 - dating back to the 90's when we began monitoring airplay. If you look at this decade, only a few dozen songs of any kind have achieved 9000 spins in a week at Top 40 and Taylor has one of those."
The crossover superstar is currently preparing for her first major headlining tour, which will span 52 cities in seven months. Taylor just set a venue record for the quickest sellout in the history of Los Angeles' Staples Center for her May 22 date, clearing every ticket in just two minutes.
Taylor's Fearless, released in November, 2008 has soared past 2.5 million in sales in the U.S. alone and the 'Love Story' single has sold over 2.5 million digital singles, powered by the joint efforts of Big Machine and Universal Republic's radio promotion staff.
Taylor's self-titled debut was released in fall 2006 and is rapidly approaching four million in total sales. It featured the smash hits 'Teardrops On My Guitar', 'Our Song', 'Tim McGraw' and the show stopping 'Should've Said No'. The acclaimed CD was the best-selling indie release of 2007 and powered a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Taylor was also awarded the coveted Country Music Association's Horizon Award for Best New Artist, the Academy of Country Music's Top New Female Artist, CMT's Video of the Year and the American Music Association's Favorite Female Country Vocalist.
At 17, Taylor became the youngest person to single-handedly write and sing a number-one country single entirely on her own and she is the first female solo artist in country music history to write or co-write every song on a platinum-selling debut CD. At 14, she signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music, and in 2006 released her self-titled debut CD on Big Machine Records. Taylor Swift has surpassed triple-platinum (three million sales) status and spent more than 20 weeks in the No 1 position atop Billboard's Country CD Sales Chart. Taylor was named 2008's Favorite Female Country Artist at the American Music Awards, Top New Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music and won 2008 CMT Music Awards for Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year. In 2007, she received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and won the CMA Horizon Award. Taylor plans to headline a tour in 2009 and has toured in the past with Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill and Brad Paisley.
