Spotify Confirms Beyoncé's ‘COWBOY CARTER’ Brought Over 36 Million First-Time Listeners to Country Music in 2024

As various publications’ 2024 End-of-Year Lists roll out, Beyoncé's blockbuster debut country album, COWBOY CARTER, has been ubiquitous, with the trailblazing project being championed by many as a pivotal moment for the genre as a whole.

Unfortunately, though, as was the case when COWBOY CARTER first arrived in March, the inclusion of Beyoncé's latest record in an array of country music's ‘Best of the Year’ rankings has caused a stir amongst the more traditional-leaning factions of the genre.

Some commentators - and indeed the CMA - point to the global phenom's quip that “This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album” when arguing that COWBOY CARTER shouldn't be considered for certain country-specific awards and recognition.

However, the unveiling of Spotify Wrapped this week has highlighted that, even if pockets of the country music world are reluctant to embrace COWBOY CARTER, whether they like it or not, Beyoncé's momentous project has had a colossal impact on the genre.

Spotify's newly shared data shows that COWBOY CARTER introduced over 36 million listeners to country music, marking the first time these users had ever pressed play on a country song.

What's more, Beyoncé's decision to use COWBOY CARTER as a means of spotlighting up-and-coming black artists in country music, such as Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Willie Jones and Reyna Roberts, brought a slew of listeners to their solo material.

According to Spotify, COWBOY CARTER has instigated a 5,650% increase in first-time discoveries and streams for Willie Jones, a 3,200% increase for Tanner Adell, a 1,350% increase for Shaboozey and a whopping 16,000% increase for Reyna Roberts.

As a result, it's evident that Beyoncé's decision to venture into country was not, as some have suggested, a mere attempt to jump on the bandwagon and capitalise on the genre's explosion in popularity. Rather, Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER has helped to fuel that ascent, and has actively altered the country music landscape in the process, as these eye-opening Spotify Wrapped statistics demonstrate.

In addition, the release of Spotify Wrapped revealed Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan were in the Top Five most streamed artists in the US, with Morgan sitting at No. 4 and Zach at No. 3.

The most streamed artist on the planet was Taylor Swift, with the record-breaking singer-songwriter's lauded 2024 project, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, also the year's most streamed album - both globally and in the US.

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