By Byron Jupiter · Who Played On It · No. 1 · October 17, 2026
Every Billboard Metadata report on this site ends the same way. The writers are named, the producers are named, and the label is named. The people who played and sang on the record usually are not. That gap costs them money: in the United States, 5% of digital radio royalties is set aside for non-featured players and singers, and it can only reach them if someone knows who they are. This monthly series puts their names on the record.
The first song is the one with the best-documented band in the current top five: Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” No. 2 on the Hot 100 dated October 17, 2026, in its 51st week.
The band
The song was cut in three days of sessions at Sound Emporium in Nashville in April 2025, the first sessions for Langley’s album Dandelion. Sound On Sound’s account of the album names the band and quotes the team plainly: “That was the band for those first sessions we did, including ‘Choosin’ Texas’.” (Sound On Sound, Inside Track: Ella Langley)
| Player | Part | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rachel Loy | Bass | Sound On Sound session account |
| Aksel Coe | Drums | Sound On Sound session account |
| Tom Bukovac | Electric guitar | Sound On Sound session account |
| Ben Flanders | Electric guitar | Sound On Sound session account |
| Charlie Worsham | Acoustic guitar | Sound On Sound session account |
| Spencer Cullum | Pedal steel | Sound On Sound session account |
| Dave Cohen | Keyboards | Sound On Sound session account |
| Miranda Lambert | Background vocals (also a co-writer and co-producer) | Reported in reference credits; see the full “Choosin’ Texas” report |
| Dave Clauss | Engineering and mixing (album-wide) | Sound On Sound session account |
The bass and drums set the pace, two electric guitars and an acoustic carry the band, and pedal steel and keyboards fill the space. That is a full working country band in one room, which is why the record sounds the way it does. None of these names appear on the streaming pages checked for this report.
How the 5% reaches them
When a song plays on SiriusXM, internet radio or another U.S. digital radio service, SoundExchange collects the royalty and splits it: 50% to the owner of the recording, 45% to the featured artist, and 5% to the non-featured players and singers. That last share goes through the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Fund, which pays it out to the people who played and sang. AM and FM radio in the U.S. pay no recording royalty at all, so this money comes only from digital services.
You do not have to be in a union to collect the U.S. share. American Federation of Musicians Local 802 explains that domestic royalties go to union and nonunion players alike, while some foreign royalties can only be collected for union members (Local 802, Funds find money for musicians).
If you played or sang on a record
- Register with the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Fund and keep your name and address current. The Fund cannot pay someone it cannot find.
- Keep your own session log: song title, artist, date, studio, what you played, and who hired you. If you can get it, ask for the ISRC of the finished track.
- Ask the label or producer to list you in the credits they send to streaming services. Credits that never leave the studio cannot follow the song.
- Check the Fund for money already held in your name. Unclaimed shares sit until someone claims them.
The rest of the top five
- “Patient Zero,” Taylor Swift: Andreas Wiberg (acoustic guitar), Anders Pettersson (mandolin, pedal steel) and Fredrik Burstedt (violin), as listed in streaming personnel credits checked for the “Patient Zero” report.
- “Boston,” Stella Lefty: no session players documented. Producer and co-writer Joe Reeves is reported to have recorded and programmed it (report).
- “Been By Now,” Morgan Wallen: no session players documented (report).
- “Solar Eclipse,” Drake & Don Toliver: no session players documented (report).
Did you play or sing on one of these records? Write to sales@leasethebox.com with what you played and anything that shows it, such as a session sheet, an invoice or a call sheet. Once a credit can be confirmed, it goes into the report and the Billboard Credits Index.
Q&A
Q: Who played on “Choosin’ Texas”?
A: Rachel Loy on bass, Aksel Coe on drums, Tom Bukovac and Ben Flanders on electric guitar, Charlie Worsham on acoustic guitar, Spencer Cullum on pedal steel and Dave Cohen on keyboards, with Miranda Lambert on background vocals. Dave Clauss engineered and mixed the album.
Q: Where was “Choosin’ Texas” recorded?
A: At Sound Emporium in Nashville, during three days of sessions in April 2025.
Q: How do session players get paid when a song plays on digital radio?
A: SoundExchange sets aside 5% of U.S. digital radio royalties for non-featured players and singers. The AFM & SAG-AFTRA Fund pays that share out to them.
Q: Do I need to be in a union to collect it?
A: No, not for the U.S. share. Some foreign royalties can only be collected for union members.
More in this series: Every writer, producer and player from these reports is gathered in the Billboard Credits Index. Who Played On It returns next month.
Rendered with Renaissance Instruments.
© 2026 Byron Jupiter. All rights reserved. No copying, sampling, or AI training without written permission. sales@leasethebox.com
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