Much like the legendary Edmund Fitzgerald, the gales of November brought a significant shift to the CC50. The Zach Top-alypse roared into first place, leaving a lasting mark. After a year of brewing, Top's climb to the top 5 seemed inevitable, but leapfrogging ZB, Wallen, CoJo, and Combs in just one month was a dramatic feat. Sitting just under 3 points above second-place Riley Green, Top now holds the distinction of having the largest lead among any frontrunner in the history of the CC50.

Biggest Risers and Fallers

November was a remarkable month for 2024's breakout artists on the CC50. Top and Ella Langley continued to dominate this section, while recent wildcards Sam Barber and Dylan Gossett also made substantial gains. Langley's deluxe album is still having an impact, and Barber's "Restless Mind" will provide more music for audiences to consider in December's voting. On the other hand, Top achieved this surge in popularity with only one single released in the past 7 months. It's interesting to see how CC50 results often lag behind actual audience perception.For 2024's earlier CC50 darlings, Post Malone and George Strait, we speculated last month about whether their slipping was due to album fatigue. This month, Strait stopped the decline and even gained a little ground, remaining one of the few artists with over 50% Interest. Unfortunately for Post Malone, he not only reappeared in this section but led it with a six-point drop in Interest. Many other big names struggled in November, making it a slow year for the top artists.

Zach Bryan's Journey

It's too early to write off Zach Bryan. He still holds the #6 position, with 65% of listeners interested in his new music. However, over the past 6 months, he has lost almost 15 points and gone from being the undisputed #1 to a faltering top dog and now outside the top 5. His "The Great American Bar Scene" didn't connect with audiences as well as his previous albums, and some external dramas have shifted public interest. It will be fascinating to see where his music career goes from here.

The Coastal Plain's Impact

The Coastal Plain has played a crucial role in revitalizing Muscadine Bloodline's standing on the CC50. Last month, we noticed their remarkable bounce back from the brink of demotion at #45, and this trend continued. They have now risen 10 points and 12 places since September. This is a great story for a duo that has been creating excellent music but has received relatively little recognition.

Overall Listener Interest

Overall listener interest remained steady in November, with an Interest percentage of 36.5%. This indicates that the average artist on the CC50 has 3.6 out of 10 audience members interested in their releases. It's an increase from last month's mark of 36.4% and the second consecutive month of growth. The overall vote count was 229,780.

Wildcard Watch

2024 has truly been the year of the wildcards. We've seen artists like Strait, Top, and Langley rise from the CC Wildcards voting to the top of the CC50. Just like in any "minor league" system, there are ten artists scrapping at the bottom for every success story. This past month's wildcard batch included veterans of the promotion and demotion process. Songs About You and About a Woman gave Ole 60 and Thomas Rhett a boost and earned them another month on the CC50, while Lambert and Rice returned to the wildcard pool.In December, Keith Urban (backed by a surprisingly strong fall album, "HIGH") is joined by veterans Old Dominion and Justin Moore, as well as new faces Braxton Keith and Hudson Westbrook. Braxton and Hudson are particularly exciting wildcards with matching 47% interest marks in the wildcard voting, which usually leads to success on the CC50.Well, it's always a pleasure to work on these articles and share the stories with you. Have a blessed Thanksgiving and safe travels!