Tyscot Records, the oldest operating African-American gospel label on the planet, continued to break new ground in 2017 and introduced the world to exciting new and dynamic artists such as Kelontae Gavin (who drops The Higher Experience 4/27). Thanks to its awesome roster, the Indianapolis, Indiana-based company surfaced on several of Billboard Magazine’s annual year-end charts, including the Top Gospel Labels listing where the company ranks at No. 7 for the year.
Tyscot’s biggest act of the year was the Maryland-based group, Anthony Brown & group therAPy. Their recent radio single, “Trust in You,” peaked at No. 8 on the Hot Gospel Songs hybrid chart for the year. They placed two albums on the year-end Top Gospel Albums chart with the current set, A Long Way From Sunday, peaking at No. 11 while their album, Everyday Jesus, continues to be a brisk bestseller. It places at No. 19 on this year’s chart (it was No. 4 in 2016 and No. 2 in 2015 – the year of its release). Brown was also the No. 6 artist of the year on the Top Gospel Artists list.
The Gospel Airplay list chronicles the songs that have earned the most radio airplay for the year and it ranks Brown’s “Trust in You” at No. 11 for the year. Cheryl Fortune’s Tyscot debut, “Fighters,” came in at No. 23 for the year while Ruth La’Ontra’s congregational sing-a-long, “Kingdom,” finished at No. 32 for the year.
Tyscot also made significant inroads into streaming and social media in 2017 as well. The firm’s YouTube channel passed the 100k mark over the summer and now stands at 125k followers. Bri (Briana Babineaux) became the first Tyscot artist to gain over a half a million Instagram followers and she is sure to gain even more when her forthcoming live album is released later in the year.
Although, Casey J’s last album was released three years ago, it’s still a major player on streaming sites. Her breakthrough single, “Fill Me Up,” surpassed 20 million YouTube views this year and her follow-up radio single, “I’m Yours,” logged over 2 million streams on Spotify, earning her over 425,000 Spotify listeners in 2017. The singer is wrapping production on her highly anticipated sophomore recording, The Gathering, which is scheduled to release in 2018.
Finally, Tyscot Records’ founder, Bishop Leonard Scott, who will release a new studio project with some big-name cameos this year, earned his biggest Spotify hit in 2017 with his praise and worship gem, “Lord, Your Reign,” surpassing 100k streams. Tyscot also earned three spots on Billboard’s most streamed gospel songs of the year chart that list with Anthony Brown & group therAPy taking the No. 10 spot with his signature song, “Worth,” and the No. 27 spot went to the current hit, “Trust in You,” while Casey J’s “Fill Me Up” closed the year at No. 48. Stay tuned to see and hear what Tyscot has in store for 2018.
