How soundcharts radio tracking helped an Italian track reach the top of the polish charts

In 2022, faced with the challenge of breaking Italian artists into international markets, Sony Music Italy formed an International Exploitation Department. The team quickly sought a solution to track and capitalize on global airplay opportunities. Leveraging Soundcharts’ radio tracking allowed the team to monitor key radio stations across various regions, ensuring timely exposure for their artists.

This strategic approach proved instrumental during the summer of 2024 in the success of Alessandra Amoroso and Big Mama’s collaboration on the track “Mezzo Rotto.” With this data-driven solution, Dagne Rebeka Zilionyte, International Exploitation Manager at Sony Music Italy, and her team effectively drove international engagement, solidifying the song’s impact in foreign markets like Poland, where it peaked at 8th and 1st place on Polish Airplay and Shazam charts

Meet Dagne Rebeka Zilionyte: International marketer

Sony Music Italy hired Dagne Rebeka Zilionyte in 2022 as International Exploitation Manager. She was tasked with co-creating the company’s International Marketing Department. Her mission is to elevate Italian artists globally by identifying international opportunities and crafting strategic campaigns.

Dagne and her team played a key role in successfully promoting “Mezzo Rotto,” a collaboration between two standout Italian artists, both recognized at the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival. Alessandra Amoroso, a household name in Italian pop, first gained fame after winning Amici di Maria De Filippi in 2009. She is joined on the track by Big Mama, a rising rapper known for her commanding stage presence and raw, honest lyrics.

Challenges: International marketing for “Mezzo Rotto”

Given the profiles of the featured artists, “Mezzo Rotto” was initially positioned as a performing track primarily for the Italian market. However, drawing on past experiences and historical successes, Dagne and her team recognized its potential to resonate internationally.

Her challenge was to determine when such opportunities would arise and identify promising territories for audience growth. The team aimed to concentrate marketing efforts on regions showing early signs of interest, ensuring that “Mezzo Rotto” efficiently reached every potential listener beyond Italy.

Solution: Data and Polish radio stations

To tackle the challenges of international promotion and seize emerging opportunities, Dagne and her team harnessed data-driven insights to enhance their marketing strategies. They turned to Soundcharts’ radio tracking, which enabled them to monitor airplay for “Mezzo Rotto” across global radio stations.

Sony Music Poland initially identified the track’s potential in their market and pitched it to local radio stations. Once the track began receiving its first spot plays, Soundcharts allowed the team in Italy to immediately track these plays and push their Polish colleagues to re-pitch the track to additional stations. With every new data update, the Italian team continued collaborating with Sony Poland to encourage re-pitches and secure more meetings with radio stations.

This collaborative effort ensured that their marketing aligned with the track’s growing presence, amplifying the song’s reach across Poland.

Results: Top Polish airplay and Shazam charts

The success of “Mezzo Rotto” in Poland unfolded through a series of key milestones, each supported by the real-time data insights provided by Soundcharts.

The turning point came on July 20, when Radio Eska–one of Poland’s most influential stations with a social reach of 2.5 million–began spinning the track. This significant exposure initiated the track’s upward trajectory. Within two days, “Mezzo Rotto” debuted at #147 on the Polish Airplay chat.

With this early momentum, the team in Italy and Poland used Soundcharts to track every new play and adjust their promotional strategy. By August 9, the track had risen to the top of Poland’s Shazam charts, reaching #1 on the Polish top 200. At the same time, it secured 8th place on the Spotify Polish Viral Songs charts–further evidence of its growing impact in the market.

As “Mezzo Rotto” continued gaining traction, it climbed the Polish Airplay charts again, peaking at 8th place on September 23. The ongoing collaboration between Sony Music Italy, Sony Poland, and their data-driven approach ensured the song stayed on the radar of key radio stations, leading to sustained airplay and visibility.