Lake John, Jackson County, Walden, Colorado. Courtesy Clear Vistas Photography.
Every week, I track airplay on 16 Colorado community and public radio stations. What gets played on terrestrial radio, however, doesn’t necessarily reflect what attracts listeners on streaming platforms. These two TOP 10 lists illustrate the difference—and help explain why the charts have so little overlap.
Part of that difference lies in how they’re compiled. COLORADO 2026 is a song-based playlist, while the HOT SPINS REPORT combines the airplay received by all tracks from a release—whether it’s a single, EP or album.
COLORADO 2026 is also limited to 100 songs from 100 Colorado artists and bands. Whenever I add new music, I remove an equal number of songs to keep that one-artist, one-song format intact. As a result, each artist has only one title contributing to the playlist.
The HOT SPINS REPORT casts a much wider net. I’m currently tracking 280 releases that have received airplay on reporting stations this year. In any given month, more than 100 releases may be aired across the stations surveyed. An album may also generate spins from several different tracks, reflecting sustained support for the entire release rather than the popularity of one song.
The musical differences are just as revealing. Streaming listeners are responding strongly to nationally established Colorado artists and electronic, pop and alternative acts such as OneRepublic, ILLENIUM, Said the Sky, CloZee, TX2 and The Fray. Colorado’s community and public stations lean more heavily toward roots-oriented music—Americana, bluegrass, folk, jam and independent rock.
Here are the current TOP 10 lists for each.
TOP 10 — COLORADO 2026 (Spotify | YouTube)
- Gregory Alan Isakov — Fade Into You
- OneRepublic — Hearing Voices
- Said the Sky and Parson James — Heavenly
- ILLENIUM — With Your Love feat. Ryan Tedder
- The Fray — Songs I’d Rather Not Sing
- Clay Street Unit — Drive
- TX2 — Pickup Truck
- CloZee and Dirtwire — Ankaa
- Nathaniel Rateliff — Tommy’s Song
- Manic Focus — River Road
TOP 10 HOT SPINS 2026
- Big Richard Band – Pet LP
- Emily Scott Robinson – Appalachia LP
- The Tammy Shine – Ok Shine Ok LP
- Jesus Christ Taxi Driver – Taxi the Rich LP
- Lettuce – Cook LP
- Yonder Mountain String Band – Good As True LP
- Jobi Riccio – Face the Feeling LP
- Clay Street Unit – Sin & Squalor LP
- Andy Frasco & the U.N. – Growing Pains Deluxe LP
- Velvet Daydream – Smoke & Mirrors LP
MONDAY MORNING MUSIC MEETING
The Monday Morning Music Meeting happens courtesy of Starr’s Guitars in Cedaredge, serving the western slope music community since 1998.
Every year I debut approximately two hundred new current-year releases. Every week I have to make decisions about what to keep to play again and what to archive. This is where you come in.
Should I KEEP IT or CUT IT?
Results enter into determining which cuts stay in the library and which cuts might eventually make it to the annual Colorado Playlist Fan & Listener Poll and the “some of the best of the year” show.
Your SUPPORT is ESSENTIAL, AND GENUINELY APPRECIATED.
This show has been my passion for 20 years. Over the years it has been mostly self-funded, with some financial help from Starr’s Guitars and a few others here and there. It was enough to cover the cost of operations, but nothing more. Since retiring from full time work, the cost of the show has had a significant impact on my income.
The Colorado Playlist is the only program showcasing Colorado music statewide, broadcast by 12 stations covering 30 FM/LPFM frequencies. I make this show available at NO COST to community radio stations in our state. I’d like to keep it going for another couple of years.
Please make donations via Venmo at chrisk-2 (preferred) or use the form below (they take a cut). Thank you, sincerely – chrisk
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Freddi Henchi Band – Celebration (f. Larry Wilkens) – Freddi Henchi Band (1981)
Zephyr – I Must Be Dreaming – Heartbeat (1981)
(N) Volores – The Fortune Teller – Shores of Scorpio (2026)
Sugar Nova – Touch Me, I’m Going to Scream, Pt. II – Halogen (2023)
The Delta Sonics – Just Playin’ (excerpt)
Finn O’Sullivan – Alice (radio edit) – The Tape (2026)
The Subdudes – Street Symphony – Street Symphony (2007)
The String Cheese Incident – Let’s Go Outside – Song In My Head (2014)
Randy Miles – Dandelion – Chaos & Commotion (2026)
Spicy Pickles – Pass the Peas (excerpt)
Amy Martin – Bones (2026)
Gregory Alan Isakov – The Fall – Appaloosa Bones (2023)
Sour Magic – Silver Sands (2025)
Keith Oxman, Jeff Jenkins, Todd Reid, Mark Simon – Christine – This One’s For Joey (2022)
Starwood – One Time Band – Home Brew (1975)
Airborne – Feel Like Lovin’ – Airborne (1979)
(N) MTN LION – You Can Leave But It’s Going to Cost You – Stealth (2026)
Hunter James and the Titanic – Stranger Touch – IV (2025)
Boa & the Constrictors – Red Top (excerpt)
West of Fennario – Great Evade (2026)
YaSi – Guilty (2021)
Andy Frasco & the U.N. – You Do You (2023)
Ryan Dart – If Love Don’t Break You – If Love Don’t Break You (2026)
Sunsquabi – Dexter’s Day (excerpt)
Dianne Reeves – Hesitation – Star Child (2026)
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats – Love Don’t – The Future (2022)
Speak the Future – Duplicity (2026)
THIS WEEK ON YOUTUBE
HOT SPINS WEEK ENDING AUGUST 9, 2026
STATIONS TRACKED: KAFM (Grand Junction), KBUT (Crested Butte), KDNK (Carbondale), KDUR (Durango), KFFR (Winter Park), KLZR (Westcliff), KOTO (Telluride), KRFC (Fort Collins), KRZA (Alamosa), KSJD (Cortez), KSUT (Ignacio), KUVO (Denver), KVCU (Boulder), KVNF (Paonia), 105.5 The Colorado Sound (Greeley), Indie1023 (Denver)
Spins tracked on Spinitron (except 102.3 and 105.5), designed to benefit community and college radio, and offering search functions to track airplay on over 300 stations around the country.
𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 + 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐎 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓
(R) 1. THE CROOKED RUGS – The Crooked Rugs LP
(R) 2. JOBI RICCIO – Face the Feeling LP
(D) 3. DEAD PIONEERS – Wagon Burner LP
(R) 4. FANCY BITS – Fancy Bits EP
(R) 5. GRAVEYARD CHOIR – The Wake LP
(D) 6. LATINSOUL, ATAK ONE, 4OURFIVE – Legends SP
(R) 7. LAUREN FRIHAUF – The Thread SP
(D) 7. NEON THE BISHOP – From This Height / Long Way Down SP
(R) 8. CHANTIL DUKART – Chantil Dukart & the Dukes of Art LP
(6) 8. CLAY STREET UNIT – Sin & Squalor LP
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. TRULY APPRECIATED.
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Chris K's Colorado Playlist 