Radiowv

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Radiowv (sometimes styled radiowv [1] or RadioWV [2] ) is an American YouTube and TikTok music channel founded in 2018 [3] to promote artists from Appalachia and surroundings [4] that became more widely known in 2023 for videos by the country music artist Oliver Anthony. [5] Radiowv features unsigned Americana and country musicians with videos of them playing unplugged in country settings, [6] [7] [5] and is credited with “jumpstarting” some of its musicians' careers with the assistance of a so-called "Oliver Anthony Effect”. [8]

Contents

Radiowv was mired in lawsuits for most of 2023.

History

Radiowv claimed foundation by "two broke college students," later unveiled as Draven Riffe and John Price, who began posting videos in 2019. [9] [7] Radiowv solicited [1] Anthony to record the latter's first song ever to not be recorded on Anthony's mobile phone, "Rich Men North of Richmond", which Riffe of Radiowv recorded on Anthony's land. [10] Radiowv’s recording equipment was described as “very basic.” [11] Radiowv posted this first song in early August 2023 and in less than two weeks it had generated more than 24 million views. [6] Radiowv has published other Anthony material, [1] and Riffe eventually became Oliver Anthony’s manager. [6]

Radiowv was the subject of disputes between its owner and a former partner which began in earnest in April 2023, when, according to Radiowv, the former partner locked the owner out of the Radiowv social media accounts, [12] leading to a lawsuit by Radiowv ownership in May of that year and a settlement in June which dissolved the partnership, among other agreements. In October, Radiowv sued the former partner, alleging, among others, the poaching of music recordings of the artist Jake Kohn. The former partner countersued in November, alleging royalty disputes, among other issues. [3]

As of August 2023 Radiowv had also signed with Logan Halstead from West Virginia, Drayton Farley from Alabama, and Nolan Taylor from Ohio; [13] by the end of the year, it had in addition posted videos by performers Charles Wesley Godwin, Cole Chaney, and Sydney Adams. [14] Radiowv is credited with helping drive millions of views to Halstead and Taylor, leading to them touring as performing artists, [15] and signing with recording labels. [4]

In late 2023, Taylor said Radiowv had “put a spotlight” on Appalachian musicians generally, promoting their careers. [16] In 2024, Anthony indicated that the most-listened-to songs of his were those recorded by Radiowv. [17]

Critical reception

The Tennessean described Radiowv as "an independent country tastemaker" in August 2023. [13] Drew Magary wrote that generally "the channel has no discernible political bent". [7] At the end of the same year, Radiowv was declared “obscure”, prior to its 2023 hits. [18]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Benitez-Eves, Tina (August 15, 2023). "Jamey Johnson Joins Viral Singer Oliver Anthony for Surprise Rendition of "In Color"". American Songwriter . radiowv, a YouTube channel [...] asked him if he would record "Rich Men North Of Richmond" [...] Several days after releasing his now-viral hit, Anthony also shared a performance of his song "Virginia" on the radiowv channel
  2. ↑ Friedersdorf, Conor. "The Misguided Debate Over "Rich Men North of Richmond"". The Atlantic . Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023. Oliver Anthony / RadioWV [from photo caption]
  3. 1 2 Chris Dickerson (13 December 2023). "Defendant files counterclaim in 'Rich Men North of Richmond' case". West Virginia Record . Retrieved 16 May 2024. In 2018, he says he began an online sponsorship-marketing effort to create video for West Virginia musicians. He decided to create YouTube, Instagram and Facebook pages for this project he called radiowv […] a contract on June 6, 2023, to resolve their prior dispute that included granting Riffe exclusive right, title and ownership of RadioWV […]
  4. 1 2 DAVID BROWNE (17 November 2023). "Oliver Anthony Became a Symbol of Populist Rage. The Truth Is More Complex". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 16 May 2024. RadioWV, a YouTube channel devoted to off-the-grid country and folk singers in and around Appalachia […] RadioWV alumni, like Nolan Taylor, who recently signed a deal with Atlantic Records
  5. 1 2 Andrew, Scottie. "This little-known country song became a chart-topping anthem for conservatives almost overnight". CNN . Retrieved 17 August 2023. RadioWV, which films and shares outdoor performances by musicians in Appalachia [...] RadioWV shared the video on its YouTube and TikTok accounts
  6. 1 2 3 Nicholson, Jessica; Newman, Melinda (20 August 2023). "Oliver Anthony's Manager on the Viral Success of 'Rich Men North of Richmond' and Bigger Mission: 'God has Chosen to Speak Through Oliver': Exclusive". Billboard . Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Magary, Drew (16 August 2023). "Was 'Rich Men North of Richmond' planted by conservative media? Probably not". SFGATE . Retrieved 20 August 2023. radiowv, a music channel on YouTube that was, according to its bio, "created by two broke college students [...] Radiowv has been posting videos since 2019, and virtually all of the people they've showcased are similar to Anthony: talented young artists playing unplugged in a rustic setting [...] most every other song featured on the channel has no discernible political bent
  8. ↑ ( Wickstrom 2023 ): "countless artists featured on the channel […] massive leaps in the view counts on their respective videos, streaming pages and more in what's affectionately been dubbed the "Oliver Anthony Effect" […] has netted over 7 million views helping to jumpstart the young artist's career"
  9. ↑ ( Wickstrom 2023 ): " RadioWV, a video platform launched by Draven Riffe and John Price"
  10. ↑ Blair, Alex (18 August 2023). "Overnight sensation Oliver Anthony reveals why he turned down $12.5 million deal". News Corp Australia . Retrieved 20 August 2023. Draven from RadioWv and I filmed these tunes on my land
  11. ↑ Melinda Newman (14 November 2023). "Oliver Anthony Music on 2024 World Tour, If He's Endorsing a Presidential Candidate & Why He's 'Never Going to be in Nashville Co-Writing'". Billboard . Retrieved 16 May 2024. "the radiowv videos used very basic equipment, so I had never had anything recorded with studio-quality equipment"
  12. ↑ Amber Baker (24 November 2023). ""Rich Men" singer Oliver Anthony's success a key factor in West Virginia civil lawsuit". WTRF-TV (ABC-7). Retrieved 16 May 2024. […] Riffe says that Price changed the passwords to radiowv's social media accounts and email and removed his account credentials […]
  13. 1 2 Dowling, Marcus K. (21 August 2023). "Inside Oliver Anthony's 'Rich Men North of Richmond' and its path to Billboard's Hot 100 chart". The Tennessean . Retrieved 21 August 2023– via MSN. Radio WV YouTube channel has become an independent country tastemaker in recent months, co-signing the work of Charleston, West Virginia's Logan Halstead, Alabama native Drayton Farley and Cincinnati, Ohio's Nolan Taylor
  14. ↑ ( Wickstrom 2023 ): "RadioWV has posted dozens of videos that include performances by everyone from Charles Wesley Godwin to Drayton Farley, Cole Chaney, Sydney Adams and Logan Halstead"
  15. ↑ ( Wickstrom 2023 ): "Halstead told Wide Open Country […] "I was a nobody until that video popped off […] I left my house and began traveling around playing music […] Nolan Taylor […] Another artist grateful for the exposure provided by Radiowv is Southwest Ohio's Nolan Taylor […] 3 million views […] The Grand Ole Opry, where he made his debut on Nov. 25"
  16. ↑ ( Wickstrom 2023 ): ""RadioWV has put such a spotlight on our region in a way that hasn't been spotlighted before," says Taylor. "A lot of artists are coming out of Appalachia right now"
  17. ↑ Chris Willman (29 March 2024). "Oliver Anthony to Release Dave Cobb-Produced Debut Album on Easter Sunday". Variety . Retrieved 16 May 2024. nearly all the songs that my fans listen to outside of the RadioWv session from August of 2023" — i.e., the outdoor "Rich Men" session seen on video — "are those Android recordings I recorded
  18. ↑ Michael Schwarz (21 December 2023). "Video: Oliver Anthony Shares Powerful Bible Verse Before Grand Ole Opry Debut". MSN . Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024. appeared on the obscure radiowv YouTube channel on Aug. 8. Within days, it became a mega-hit

Bibliography

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