Independent record label, Open Road Recordings (ORR) ends 2009 with six of the top-20 best-selling country albums on the Canadian sales chart, with Taylor Swift’s Fearless at #. 1. The Ron Kitchener-owned label also scored the top independent label status at country radio, ranking fourth overall, with 17 top-10 singles.
“Open Road had another wonderful year of growth in 2009; growth in sales, award wins and hit singles,†said Ron Kitchener, president, Open Road Recordings. “Going forward in 2010, our team is further dedicated to artist development and is poised to achieve strong results in a changing business landscape. Look forward to some exciting upcoming announcements.â€
Open Road Recordings released six of the top-20 best-selling country albums last year, according to Nielsen Canadian SoundScan. Certified 5x platinum in Canada, Taylor Swift’s Fearless ranked #1 on the Canadian country chart and was the top-selling album in the US,according to Billboard. Swift is also the highest-selling digital artist in history, having sold over 24.3M digital tracks. Johnny Reid’s Dance With Me, certified 2x platinum in Canada, was the #3 best-selling country album. Reid was also the 2nd best-selling Canadian artist and 6th best-selling artist overall in ’09 in Canada.
With 17 top-10 singles at country radio, Open Road closed-out the year with three #1 singles: Reba 
McEntire’s “Consider Me Gone,†and Taylor Swift’s “Love Story†and “You Belong With Me.†According to Billboard Canada and Mediabase, Swift was the #1 Artist of the Year overall at radio, while her hit, “Love Story,†was the #1 Song of the Year overall. Swift also had #1 Country Album of the Year with Fearless, while Reid’s Dance With Me was the #1 Canadian Country Album of the Year (Billboard Canada).
Reid, The Road Hammers and Emerson Drive had three of the top-5 Canadian singles at country radio (Mediabase), with Reid’s “A Woman Like You†coming in at #1. Swift, McEntire, Doc Walker, Reid and Emerson Drive collectively amassed eight #1 videos on CMT.
Open Road artists were awarded over 20 Canadian music industry awards in last year. Artists on the roster picked up 11 Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA), with Reid winning six in total. Tara Oram won the Rising Star Award at the CCMAs and an East Coast Music Award for Country Recording of the Year. Doc Walker won both a Juno and Western Canadian Music Award for Country Recording of the Year. Finally, Ridley Bent won an impressive seven BC Country Music Awards (BCCMA), including Entertainer of the Year.
The New Year continues to be electric for many ORR artists. Doc Walker and Tara Oram head to Vancouver next month for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Doc Walker then goes Down Under for the band’s first Australian tour in March. This April, The Higgins, BCCMA winners for Group or Duo of the Year, will release a followup to their debut, The Real Thing and Ridley Bent releases his third as-yet-untitled album this spring. McEntire has five western Canadian dates between March 17 and 23, and Taylor Swift, who is nominated for eight upcoming Grammy Awards, heads to Canada for three shows, stopping in Ottawa on May 20 before heading to Toronto for two dates on May 21 and 22.
About:
Open Road Recordings is home to Juno and Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Award winning groups Doc Walker and The Road Hammers (certified Gold in Canada), classic Canadian roots group Prairie Oyster, multi-Platinum selling artist Johnny Reid, break out success stories The Higgins, Ridley Bent and Tara Oram, and others. Open Road Recordings represents Big Machine and Valory Records in Canada, home to Taylor Swift (certified 5x Platinum in Canada), Reba, Jack Ingram, Jewel, Trisha Yearwood, Emerson Drive and more. Founded by Ron Kitchener, Open Road Recordings is a partnership with MapleCore Ltd., distributed by Universal Music Canada.
