Photo credit: NMPA
The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has announced its top songwriters for the first quarter of 2023. Country overwhelmingly dominates the charts thanks to Luke Combs.
The list includes the best artist-songwriter and the best non-performing songwriter for the period. During the first quarter of 2023 (January/February/March), 1,736 gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications were awarded. Luke Combs earns top honors as an artist and songwriter with 26 certifications including 9x multi-platinum for “Beautiful Crazy”, 8x multi-platinum for “Hurricane” and 4x multi-platinum for “Forever”. After All”, all published by Big Machine. Luke Combs is now published by UMPG.
The top highest-achieving songwriter during this period was Ray Fulcher, who received 12 certifications for songs including “When It Rains It Pours,” “Does to Me,” and “Reasons,” which are released by Sony Music Publishing. Ray Fulcher is published by UMPG and River House/Sony Music Publishing.
“Man, honestly, I’m kind of speechless,” says Luke Combs of the honor. “All thanks go to my fans. They buy and stream the songs and albums, so none of this happens without them. Honestly, this is an award that should have their names on it. A big thank you to them and everyone else who made this possible.”
“It’s pretty unreal to be part of this group, let alone to be at the top for any length of time,” adds Ray Fulcher. “Thank you to country fans and supporters who listened to these songs and believed in the music. I will continue to write heartfelt songs and hopefully you will continue to listen to me. Thanks!”
“The first quarter of this year was a big moment for country music,” continued NMPA President and CEO David Israelite. “Fueled by the success of Luke and Ray, we saw the country’s growth dominate gold and platinum certifications. Congratulations to Luke Combs for consistently creating timeless music and to Ray for collaborating with him on such enduring, powerful songs.”
Curious about the full list of award-winning songwriters? Check out the NMPA Gold and Platinum Songwriters for the first quarter of 2023 Here.