RCA UK president Colin Barlow has described US DJ duo The Chainsmokers as “the sound of streaming and the sound of radio” in a conversation with Music Week.
Having shaken off their novelty tag in the wake of 2104 breakthrough single Selfie, the pair have emerged as one of this year’s biggest success stories. Their collaborations with the likes of Halsey and Daya on the tracks Closer and Don’t Let Me Down respectively have each resulted in significant sales. Closer has now hit sales of 1,024,889, while Don’t Let Me Down has notched up sales of 936,717.
According to Barlow, one of the biggest drivers behind their 2016 success is their ability to perform well on both streaming services and radio.
“The biggest thing was when radio came on board and then watching those records fly,” Barlow says. “That combination of radio and streaming just exploded, and we’re yet to do a big TV push. Those things are all for next year.
“There’s a certain sound that works on streaming and Chainsmokers are the sound of streaming and the sound of radio. They have found the code better than anyone else.
“It’s harder for a lot of other artists to work in both worlds but Chainsmokers are indicative right now of what the business is. They are the sound of this generation.”
You can read our interview with Barlow and The Chainsmokers here.
