Photo Credit: Spotify
Just a year after shadowbanning him from its platform, Spotify is promoting a concert at Morgan Wallen’s high school.
The country singer visited his high school to play a concert for the locals to celebrate his new album, One Thing At A Time. Guests for the Spotify-promoted Morgan Wallen show included the high school faculty, 2023 senior class, the baseball team, and many more locals.
“You cannot deny that his music has connected with listeners at a core level and is among the most popular with Spotify users — particularly in the U.S.,” says Brittany Schaffer, Spotify’s Head of Nashville Label Partnerships and Music Strategy. “Morgan is introducing a new generation of listeners to country music, which makes this album release an even more exciting moment for the visibility of the genre. We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate the release of this new album with him.”
“Morgan wears his heart on his sleeve as an artist and songwriter, and he brings fans into his world through his lyrics,” adds Miller Guth, Artist & Label Partnerships Manager for Nashville. “We wanted to do just that—bring fans to an influential location of his past where they’ll get to know him even more and witness an unforgettable performance.”
In March 2021, Spotify began reinstating Morgan Wallen tracks into high-ranked country playlists. They stopped short of returning the singer to the Hot Country charts—but perhaps that reticence is now gone. Hot Country is the Rap Caviar of its genre, boasting around 7.2 million monthly followers. Country music slotted into the Hot Country chart is destined to do well and it looks like Spotify is finally ready to put Morgan Wallen front and center with his latest album release.
Wallen was the best-selling artist of 2021 and has managed to break all-time sales records in the country music genre. Spotify may have benefited from a large amount of local fans ditching their local country radio stations over the Morgan Wallen ban—with them turning to streaming platforms for their Wallen fix.