BTS Is Quickly Becoming A Staple Of American Pop Radio - Forbes

In a day or so, Billboard will update its weekly lists, and BTS is expected to dominate a number of important charts with their latest single “Butter.” Now that the tune has enjoyed a full seven days in which to rack up streams, sales and radio play, the English-language effort will almost surely open at No. 1 on the Hot 100, the Digital Song Sales roster, and it will probably improve significantly on at least one radio-focused tally, one which they already appear on.

“Butter” currently sits at No. 26 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, a weekly ranking of the tracks that reach the largest audience on pop radio across America. That’s actually a very impressive debut, as most songs start lower on the 40-rung list and have to slowly work their way up. BTS’s lofty launch (it’s one of the highest of the year) shows that not only do they have another hit on their hands, but that they are quickly becoming a go-to source for the kind of smashes that programmers and DJs are always hunting for.

It must be mentioned that “Butter” makes it to the Pop Airplay chart before any other major Billboard rankings due to a different tracking period. While most of the company’s weekly rankings run on a Friday through Thursday track, radio charts end on Sunday. That means that BTS’s latest only had three days in which to rack up plays on pop radio, and it was still able to open at No. 26, earning the loftiest start of the frame.

BTS are now receiving the kind of immediate love that is reserved for only the biggest and most trusted pop stars in the world. Radio programmers and DJs, those who make the playlists and try out new releases, are notoriously picky and nervous when it comes to untested tracks. Nobody wants to be the one to include a tune and have it be the thing that causes those tuning in while driving or listening at work to switch the station. Those who keep the dial on their local pop station are also often finicky, so it usually takes several weeks for newly-dropped cuts to begin rising on the list, as more and more stations take a chance on something the public might not know very well.

The fact that “Butter” was welcomed so immediately and warmly by so many stations shows that their label put some serious resources behind promoting the track and that those working at radio stations were open to hearing it and choosing it. A new single opening at No. 26 shows immense faith is being placed in “Butter,” as that kind of debut is reserved for only those acts which have already scored a number of hueg wins before, like Maroon 5, Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande.

This newfound allegiance to BTS will surely help “Butter” become a massive radio hit, and possibly even the song of the summer. If the tune holds on and performs well throughout the coming months, which seems highly likely, the septet will be in an even better position next time they have a song to promote, and they may be able to enjoy an even more astounding start.

In just a few years, BTS have gone from social phenomenons that were still seen as a fad and as outsiders to a new favorite of pop radio in America.

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