It’s without a doubt that 2018 was a big year for The Orchard, and every once in a while we get to toot our own horn. As the year comes to a close, let’s look at 2018’s end of year highlights from some of our digital retailers.
APPLE MUSIC
The Apple Music Best of 2018 Editor’s Pick Playlist featured songs from The Orchard distributed labels and partners, including Tyler Childers’ song “Feathered Indians” via Thirty Tigers. This American country singer-songwriter’s 2017 album Purgatory was produced by Sturgill Simpson and Johnny Cash engineer David Ferguson.
Jamaican recording artist Mortimer via MRI Records dances between traditional reggae and contemporary Jamaican music. His song “Careful” labeled “a cautionary tale” is about Mortimer drawing on personal experiences of trust and betrayal; the song includes elements of heavy drum and bass, fuzzy distorted guitars, dark instrumentals, and strong lyrics.
It’s no doubt that “Te Boté Remix” made Apple Music’s Best of 2018. “Te Boté Remix”(Casper Magico, Nio García, Darell, Nicky Jam, Ozuna, Bad Bunny) is the sensual Reggaeton meets dancehall 7-minute track, entirely in Spanish, that, according to Rolling Stone, “defied music industry and radio conventions.”
Reggaeton Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and Billboard’s Top Latin Artist of the Year, Ozuna (VP Records), brought this year “La Modelo (feat Cardi B)” to fans of both artists worldwide.
Lastly, Skee Mask (Ilian Tape), listed on Pitchfork’s 50 Best Albums of 2018, earned his spot with “Session Add.” A combination of rolling rhythms, electronic soundscapes, and deep vibes, Skee Mask’s music is influenced by older techno labels.
PANDORA
Pandora’s Top Thumb Hundred is a compilation of the platform’s 100 most thumbed-up songs of the year. The following songs made the list:
– AJR “Burn the House Down”
– Ozuna “La Modelo (ft. Cardi B)”
– Nio Garcia, Casper Magico & Bad Bunny “Te Boté Remix” (ft. Darell, Nicky Jam & Ozuna)
– Ozuna & Romeo Santos “El Farsante (Remix)”
– Ozuna, Mambo Kingz & DJ Luian “Solita (ft. Bad Bunny, Wisin & Almighty)”
In addition to the Top Thumb Hundred list, Pandora released their Artists To Watch in 2019. Kentucky’s Dillon Carmichael, labeled one of Pandora’s 2019 Country Artists To Watch, has a distinct baritone voice, coming from a list of legendary musical acts in his family, including Eddie Montgomery and John Michael Montgomery. His album Hell on an Angel via Riser House Entertainment earned strong reviews from New York Times, NPR, The FADER, and more.
The Orchard saw five artists top Pandora’s 2019 Latin Artists to Watch. It’s no surprise that Nio García made the list, being that he co-wrote “Te Boté.”
2019 Pandora Latin Artists to Watch
– Lupita Infante (Azteca Records)
– Fiera de Ojinaga (Azteca Records)
– Nio García (Get Low Records)
– Alex Rose (Get Low Records)
– Rauw Alejandro (Duars Entertainment)
SPOTIFY
The 2018 Spotify Wrapped Campaign featured “Te Boté – Remix” ranked #2 Top Latin Tracks of 2018, #25 Top Latin Artists, and #22 Top Tracks.
Ozuna landed on the list of Top 10 most streamed artists. Last year El Cartel Records’ Daddy Yankee was the only Spanish-speaking artist to reach the top 10, so it’s great to see others share this accolade.
Spotify’s #2018Wrapped Ad Campaign — their worldwide ad campaign that hilariously shouts out user data — included Pinkfong’s Baby Shark. Kelsea Ballerini’s (Black River Entertainment) Top Fans received puzzles in the mail featuring the artist.
The Artists 2018 Wrapped via Spotify for Artists allowed artists to see their top stats of 2018. Jorja Smith (FAMM) shared her Spotify for Artists on Instagram.
Want to find your top songs of 2018? To get yours, go here.
YOUTUBE
YouTube’s Rewind list features Ozuna as the #1 most viewed globally, with 10.4 billion views in 2018 and 21.1 million Lifetime Subscribers.
Daddy Yankee is #9 most viewed globally, with 4.7 Billion views in 2018 and 17.6 Million Lifetime Subscribers.
YouTube’s Top 10 Music Videos of 2018 are dominated by Spanish Language tracks, with Ozuna in 4 of the 10. The number one music video with 1.45 billion views to date is “Te Boté Remix.”
Daddy Yankee’s “Dura” slots in at number 4, with 1.19 billion views.
AMAZON
This December Amazon launched 16 US Genre-Based Best of 2018 playlists and 2 Global playlists- Most Requested on Alexa and Most Played Global Songs of 2018.
Bad Wolves secured great placement on Most Requested on Alexa and Most Played Global Songs of 2018 with their cover of The Cranberries track “Zombie.” They also are the playlist faceout artist for Best Rock of 2018 with their track “Hear Me Now feat. Diamante.”
Many of our labels and partners worked alongside Amazon’s Original Content Team this year and created exclusive tracks for Amazon. The Orchard has 13 tracks featured on the Best of Amazon Originals including Al Green’s “Before The Next Teardrop Falls.”
On the Best Folk of 2018 playlist, John Prine is the playlist faceout artists for his track “Summer’s End.” The Orchard is also well represented on this playlist with 8 additional tracks on the list.
Latin and Jazz are two other genres where The Orchard artists dominated this year. We had 9 tracks featured on the Best of Latin 2018 list including Ozuna, Anuela Aa and Alex Anwandter. Additionally, 9 tracks were included in the Best of Jazz 2018 list and featured Joey Alexander, Cecile McLorin Salvant and Christian McBride.
“Te Bote (Remix)” secured placement on the Best Songs of 2018. Additional artists featured are Soccer Mommy, Jorja Smith and John Mayer.
Here at The Orchard we’re lucky to work with some incredible labels and partners. Cheers to the new year ahead filled with opportunity and even more great music!
