In a week’s time, Jason Aldean has become the poster boy for the power of “silencing” through one’s own voice – and his bank account shows it.
The popular country music singer made headlines last week when the Very Online Left launched an effort to “cancel” him over his video for his song “Try That in a Small Town.” But instead of backing away from the backlash, Aldean’s fanbase responded with an overwhelming show of support – helping to buoy both his streaming sales and chart rankings.
According to Luminate, which tracks music sales and streams, Aldean’s on-demand audio and video streams have increased by 999 percent – from 987,000 to 11.7 million – in the week after the chatter about the song exploded online. His song sales also increased, with 228,000 units sold over the course of the past week- compared to just 1000 units sold before the controversy erupted.
The increased attention pushed Aldean to number two on the Hot 100 chart, surpassing current hits by Olivia Rodrigo and Morgan Wallen. On the Hot Country Songs chart, he skyrocketed back to the summit after just one week on the chart. In addition to that, “Try That in a Small Town” now holds the distinction of having the biggest sales week for a country song in over 10 years, according to Billboard.
As for CMT, the network pulled his video from rotation just a few days after it was released. However, by that point, the song was already skyrocketing to the top spot on the iTunes charts, where it remains as of this writing – and Aldean has gotten the last laugh from the ordeal.
“The controversy led to a rush on Aldean’s song,” Billboard’s Gary Trust writes, “with both streams and downloads exploding over the course of last week.”
For his part, Aldean has been both thankful and amused by his fans’ support.
“Your incredible response to ‘Try That In a Small Town’ literally made me laugh out loud,” the singer wrote on Instagram. “Thank you country radio for added too and embracing it. I’m honored to get y’all out of this current situation that we’re in with a little fun and some great music.”
Jason Aldean’s story is a lesson to all those who advocate for the canceling of popular figures – sometimes, speaking out can do more to help someone than it does to harm them. And in Aldean’s case, he’s gone from being the victim of cancel culture to a symbol of power in the face of it.
Jason Aldean just released an absolutely epic music video for the song “Try That In a Small Town” that rips into the left-wing riots, soft on crime governance in cities, gun control, and other leftist degradation. pic.twitter.com/dUYzGbnvc6
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 17, 2023