Yearly Hot 100 market breakdown: Warner Music Australia

Warner has plenty to write home about in 2017. While the main storyline remains with Ed Sheeran, it was by no means a one-man show. WMA achieved one of the label’s best results of the past few years on the Hot 40 thanks to old favourites and some new kids on the commercial block.

The label captured 60% of the Top 5 with Sheeran’s ‘Castle On The Hill’ (#2), ‘Shape Of You’ (#3) and Bruno Mars’ ‘That’s What I Like’ ft. Gucci Mane (#5). This enabled Warner to improve on 2016’s Hot 40 market share by 12%, as well as making marginal gains on the Hot 100.

Rita Ora achieved her personal best at Australian commercial radio with ‘Your Song’. The track peaked at #5 in August after a slow rise up the chart since June. Charlie Puth and Clean Bandit had singles at #22 and #27, respectively, with ‘Attention’ and ‘Symphony’ ft. Zara Larsson.

Kaleo’s hit ‘Way Down We Go’ is just one example of Warner’s commercial “crossing-over” during these last 12 months. Claiming #11 on the year-end chart, the group stand alongside country music artist Morgan Evans (#93) and indie act Portugal. The Man (#67) as acts who successfully managed to make an impact outside of their natural genre habitats this year.     

While the Hot 40 result will no doubt bring a smile to Warner’s face, it’s the young local roster that also caught our attention at the tailend of the year. E^ST and Kita Alexander, a pair of fresh artists hailing from NSW’s north coast, are already impacting at radio and the Hot 100, and are firmly on our watchlists heading into 2018. 

View the full 2017 year-end report here