iHeartRadio's 'On The Verge' Opens Door To Success

Iggy Azalea

“Fancy” by Iggy Azalea is the biggest hit of the summer. The song has dominated Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and it broke the record for the longest running Number 1 single by a female rap artist. According to a report by the Washington Post, “Fancy” got a some help from the largest radio group in America.

Clear Channel started a program called “On The Verge.” The initiative was designed to help rising acts get more exposure on many of their 840 stations. Program directors from across the country vote on a song and the winning tune is committed to get at least 150 spins on all the stations for about six weeks.

Azalea was selected as an “On The Verge” artist, and her chart smashing single benefited from access to Clear Channel’s 245 million monthly listeners via radio and its iHeartRadio streaming app.

“On The Verge” does not guarantee an artist will have the level of success of Azalea, but it does give the chosen singles a huge push out the gate, according to allhiphop.com.

Tom Poleman

“I think it’s good for everybody when we can break more artists,” said Clear Channel Radio’s president for national programming platforms Tom Poleman.

“The listeners win; we win as a company that relies on music as our lifeblood; and our artists certainly win as well.”

Poleman added “On The Verge” is not meant to give certain artists or labels an unfair advantage.

He insists the acts picked to participate are based completely on the quality of the music and not on label pressure.