Country radio

Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. The largest owners of country music stations in the United States include iHeartMedia, Cumulus Media, Audacy, and Townsquare Media. There are more radio stations in the United States specializing in country music (about 2,100 stations) than any other format, out of a total of about 15,000 radio stations in the US. Country radio stations are very influential in the country music industry, compared to other genres of music. Until 2012, only country radio stations were counted in the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart's airplay component, and from 1990 to 2012, country radio was the sole arbiter of a song's position on that chart; the same magazine's Country Airplay chart remains limited solely to country radio stations.