Irene Hulme on why Taylor Swift’s ‘ME!’ was a no brainer for the Hit Network

Record companies and radio programmers watched on with bated breath this week as Taylor Swift attempted to break her highest debut record on the TMN Hot 100 Airplay Chart.

If ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ could muster up a record-setting #2 debut, then ‘ME!’ ft. Brendon Urie seemed like a sure bet for #1.

But it wasn’t to be as Taylor landed in the exact same position as ‘Look’ did almost two years ago. The result, however, leaves plenty to celebrate for the popstar and her team at Universal Music Australia.

'ME!' topped ‘most-played’ lists on radio stations in every capital city this week, as well as in major regional centres like the Gold Coast and NSW’s Central Coast.

Leading the way for Team Taylor was SCA’s Hit Network, under the watchful eye of head of music Irene Hulme.   

Speaking with TMN, Hulme says the quality of the single and strength of fan engagement was something the network could not overlook.

“I had the privilege of hearing [‘ME!’] a week before release so I knew the strength of the track,” Hulme said.

“...I locked it in hourly across the Hit Network on that basis, and also in response to the level of enormous interest from fans everywhere.”

Hit’s gameplan saw ‘ME!’ spun 59 times on Hit92.9 Perth, 48 on Hit105 Brisbane and 45 on the network’s highest cuming station, Fox FM Melbourne.   

Even Hit's Adult Contemporary 2DayFM Sydney lended 41 spins – equal to or more than every Nova station in the country.

Blair Sullivan at Create Consult Research believes the addition of Urie on the track will open the doors to greater longevity on the airplay chart, something that ‘Look’ and other Reputation cuts failed to deliver.

“It is early days to secure some real traction and appeal on the research side, but ‘ME!’ leveraging Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco certainly has a better vibe compared to Taylor’s last efforts.

“Whether it will be her 'homecoming' is too early to tell just yet.”