Oliver Anthony performing the newly released ‘I Want To Go Home,’ which already has millions of streams to its credit. Photo Credit: Oliver Anthony Music
A new song from Oliver Anthony, the viral country star who burst onto the scene with “Rich Men North of Richmond,” has racked up millions of streams in a matter of hours.
Oliver Anthony (real name Christopher Anthony Lunsford) released this follow-up effort, entitled “I Want To Go Home,” to major streaming platforms including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal. Distributed via DistroKid, the track boasted approximately two million overall YouTube views (on the official Oliver Anthony Music channel and his “topic” channel) and 1.4 million Spotify streams at the time of this writing.
Additionally, “Rich Men North of Richmond” has topped the Billboard Hot 100 – making Anthony the first artist to secure the number-one spot without any prior chart history – and nabbed third place on Spotify’s “Top 50 – USA” as well as the 39th place on the playlist’s global counterpart.
Needless to say, strong support from a growing collection of dedicated followers (many of whom attended the free live shows Anthony delivered) is driving the commercial prominence – and an estimated $40,000 in daily revenue from streaming and downloads.
But wall-to-wall media coverage, and in particular a tidal wave of hastily penned opinion pieces published via all manner of stateside outlets, is undoubtedly contributing to the Virginia-based act’s meteoric rise. (Gucci Mane is among those looking to sign the singer-songwriter, who’s claimed to have turned down multimillion-dollar offers.)
Meanwhile, besides establishing a presence on digital platforms, Anthony is taking continued steps to capitalize upon his newfound fanbase.
A bolstered website is set to arrive this week, per Anthony, who’s partnered with a local company called Mountain Creek Signs & Graphics to create merch. The business just recently disclosed in a Facebook post that the site will offer “a few items for sale” out of the gate and “add a few more items per week” thereafter.
Plus, Anthony is utilizing his reach (and adjacent potential to spur revenue) in different ways yet – including drawing attention to and encouraging his fans to support various companies. A platform called RadioWV, for instance, uploaded the rendition of “Rich Men North of Richmond” that went viral and Anthony’s outdoor performance of “Virginia.”
Designed to showcase the “vast array of talent within our region,” and especially those who make “soulful and real music,” RadioWV has been plugged on Anthony’s Instagram account, which currently has north of 930,000 followers. Bigger picture, Oliver Anthony could turn to collaborations, multi-act concerts (or even festivals), and more to help shine the spotlight upon associated country acts.