Country Billboard Chart News January 31, 2013

Country Billboard Chart News January 31, 2013

Gary Allan notched his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart as SET YOU FREE, his ninth studio album, debuts atop the list with 106,109 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. Industry sources were predicting around 80,000 to 90,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, Jan. 27. Allan's new album was one of two debuts in the top 10 this week. It's joined by the 2013 Grammy Nominees compilation, which bows at No. 4 with 41,000 sold. The various artists to appear on it include Taylor Swift, Hunter Hayes and Kelly Clarkson

Photo courtesy of UMG Nashville



Allan’s new album grants him his best sales week ever, surpassing the 99,000 start of TOUGH ALL OVER in 2005. Further, "Set You Free" outpaces the launch of his last studio set, 2010's GET OFF ON THE PAIN (65,000) by 63% which charted on March 4, 2010 and has sold some 280,000 copies since.

Allan has notched 10 previous albums on the Billboard 200 chart, including four top 10 sets: "Tough All Over" (No. 3 in 2005), "Greatest Hits" (No. 5 in 2007), "Living Hard" (No. 3 in 2007) and "Get Off On the Pain" (No. 5, 2010). On the Billboard Country Albums chart, he's claimed seven top 10s -- two of which went to No. 1 ("Tough" and "Greatest Hits"). Allan first appeared on the Billboard 200 chart on Nov. 9, 1996 with "Used Heart for Sale," which ultimately peaked at No. 136.

SET YOU FREE’s excellent bow was aided by a performance on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" (Jan. 23) and sale pricing and promotion at a number of retailers. "Set You Free" sold for $9.99 at Target, Best Buy and iTunes while Walmart carried it for a penny more: $10. "Set You Free" sold particularly well at physical retailers, as CDs comprise 64% of the set's first week. Of note, in 2012, physical sales accounted for 75% of all country album sales compared to 56% of all rap albums

Allan's cause was fuelled by the success of single "Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)," which jumped to No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart, Hot Country Songs and Country Digital Charts. “Storm” is his biggest hit at the format since 2004, when "Nothing On But the Radio" spent two weeks atop the list.

The song came from a former Allan employee. Matt Warren used to sell merch at Allan's shows. He was terrible at it, but Allan noticed he would spend a lot of time sitting in the back of the bus writing songs. Before his last day of work, Allan told Warren, "Man, we're gonna go broke with you selling shirts, but I'll write with you if you wanna write someday." Warren went on to work a series of odd jobs and eventually took Allan up on the offer. "He was weed-eating and he hit a rock and it flew up and hit him in the face and he was like, 'I don't wanna do this anymore," explains Allan. So Warren along with songwriter Hillary Lindsey ("Jesus Take The Wheel") brought the idea for "Every Storm" to Allan and they wrote it together. "Matt always has great stories," says Allan. "And that's why he's fun to write with.

MCA Nashville recording artist Gary Allan shared: “It has been a long while, but it feels really good,” says Allan. “I would especially like to thank all of my fans and everyone at radio. I would also like to thank everyone on my team who has helped to get me to this point. This is a great feeling!” UMG Nashville’s Chairman and CEO, Mike Dungan humbly adds “What a gratifying moment for Gary and everyone on his team, including his family here at MCA and the Universal Music Group! This album is a spectacular piece of work, from one of music’s most unique and talented artists. We are so proud to represent Gary and his music.”

In reviews USA Today gave it four out of four stars and said “Allan is the outlaw whom country’s new wave dreams of being.”

NPR admitted, “A great mainstream country vocalist knows how to balance ardor with grit. Gary Allan is a master at that Blend,” and the Nashville Scene boldly stated, “when it comes to album-making as a serious art form, Neil Young has nothing on Gary Allan.”

Story Behind the Song - "It Ain't The Whiskey" >> YouTube

Set You Free is available on the Humphead Records label - Amazon UK CD Format - Amazon UK MP3 Downloads

Randy Houser debuted on the charts with HOW COUNTRY FEELS. It sold 24,091 copies its first week, to land a No.11 place on Billboard Top 200 and No.3 on the Country Album Chart. It is by far the highest sales debut in his career. His last album They Call Me Cadillac released on September 21, 2010 on the Show Dog-Universal Music label opened with 9,000 copies sold and has gone on to sell around 60,000 copies.

The 15-track release features seven songs co-written by Houser includes the biographical “Route 3 Box 250D” which showcases the singer’s childhood in Mississippi, and the first No. 1 smash hit of his career “How Country Feels,” which topped the Billboard Country Airplay as well as Country Aircheck and Mediabase.

Reviews

• Ballad ‘Power Of A Song,’ was described by Alanna Conway of American Songwriter saying: ”Possibly the standout song on the album is “Power Of a Song” will knock the listener off their feet as the lyrical content will hit home to anyone who has ever been moved by hearing a song that touches your heart. Houser nails the tune, singing with pure passion and emotion. She continues - If each song on the album sounds like a hit, it’s because of the fact that you have a stellar singer belting out some solid tunes penned by some of Nashville’s top writers like Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip, Neil Thrasher, Wendell Mobley and Vicky McGehee, among others. It’s a winning combination.
• Bill Friskics-Warren of the Washington Post notes, “He’s back with ‘How Country Feels,’ a buoyant, hook-filled outing that seems to have the Mississippi native angling for Nashville’s softer, feel-good center”
• Brian Mansfield of USA Today adds, “Want to know how country feels? Listen past the title hit’s seven-gen heartland rock. When Houser sings about songs themselves, and why not all who love them can live them, his nuanced Mississippi drawl becomes part of the story.”
• Echoing opinions in Music City, Country Weekly's Tammy Ragusa brings attention to Houser’s long-standing industry cred writing, “Nashville’s country music insiders have known for some time that Randy Houser is one of the finest male vocalists the community has ever welcomed.”

Florida Georgia Line's HERE'S TO THE GOOD TIMES held the #4 slot on the Country Chart selling 18,920 copies, up 6% and with 256,583 sales to date pass the ¼-million and the halfway mark to gold certification.

The soundtrack for ABC TV’s “Nashville” remains in the Country Top 10 at No.6 selling 15,425 copies (+3% / 186,120 total). The ABC drama is now being shown on UK TV screens via More4 (Freesat CH124 ), Freeview (CH 14)  and Sky.

Carrie Underwood’s BLOWN AWAY at #9 shifted another 10,099 copies to pass 1.1/4-million sold (1,257,218 total) after 39 chart weeks.

Sales of the Eli Young Band’s LIFE AT BEST album rocketed by 290% this week, thanks due to a high-profile appearance on ABC’s “The Bachelor,” to show once again on the Top 200 at #79 and secure a #14 country slot selling 4,845 copies to take their total past 300K to 305,172 after 76 weeks.

Tim McGraw’s collection of duets and collaborations, a Walmart exclusive, titled TIM McGraw & FRIENDS (CURB Records) made its bow at  No.18 on Country chart selling 3,361 copies. It is available in the UK through Smart Choice Music. The 11 track album contains “Sail On” (Feat. Lionel Richie), “Me And Tennessee” (feat. Gwyneth Paltrow) and the Country meets Rap track “Twisted “(feat. Colt Ford)

Cold River Records artist Katie Armiger sadly fell 161 places on the Top 200 to #193 and 7-23 on the Country chart. Sales of  FALL INTO ME were 2,373 in its second week, a 80% dip compared to first week bow of 11,666.

Milestones: Taylor Swift's FEARLESS becomes the 132nd album to make it to the century mark on the Billboard Catalog chart. It entered the chart on February 19, 2011 and has been off the chart for only four weeks since then. The only other album to debut on the Catalog chart this decade and reach 100 weeks has been Swift's own self-titled debut album. Sales of FEARLESS (BGMA) were 2,652 in this retail week (-15%) will sales to date of 6,700,970

Billboard Top 200  (week of February 9, 2013)

(Country Album positions #1 - #25)

(TW) This Week, (LW) Last Week, Co (Country Album Chart placing / Movement

Top 25 Billboard Hot Country Songs 

On Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart - which blends:

a) All-format airplay, as monitored by BDS  b) Sales, as tracked by Nielsen SoundScan and c) Streaming, according to BDS it results in:

After 22 weeks Gary Allan with “Every Storm” (Runs Out Of Rain) goes to the top, moving 2-1. Furthermore this first single off the SET YOU FREE album and RIAA Gold certified reached the top position on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart and Mediabase/Country Aircheck. It marks the fifth time Allan has had a No. 1 song. and he has bagged a dozen Top 10 hits. 

Gary Allan (Single artwork)



“Every Storm” (Runs Out Of Rain), written by Gary Allan with Hillary Lindsey and Matt Warren was produced by Gary with Greg Droman. It was released on September 17, 2012 by MCA Nashville and debuted at number 55 on Hot Country Songs chart for the week of September 15, 2012.

Billy Dukes of Taste of Country website gave the song four stars out of five, writing that "it’s his unique style and ability to mix gravel with rose petals that makes him such a treasured original

Additionally "Storm” debuted at number 78 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of October 20, 2012.

The song is Allan's first top 10 country hit since "Watching Airplanes" reached number 2 in early 2008. It became his fourth number-one single on the Country Songs chart. It was back in December, 2004 when Allan was at #1 with “Nothing On But The Radio” at a time when Carrie Underwood and Miss Taylor Swift had yet to launch their careers. So you could say that “Stormy” has ended a #1 drought for the 45-year old Allan!

>> [LISTEN] Gary Allan - "Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)"

It’s Available on Amazon UK

Further down the Hot Country Songs Chart saw debuts at No.41 for Randy Houser with “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight”, who gained Hot Shot Debut honours and “Downtown” the brand new single by Lady Antebellum landed at No.42

Billboard Top 50 Country Songs (02/09/2013) Mashup >> YouTube

Top 25 Hot Country Songs (week of February 9, 2013)

Gary Allan with “Every Storm” (Runs Out Of Rain) is up one, #2-#1 to Top The Chart!

The Band Perry with last eeks #1 “Better Dig Two” is down one slots #1 - #2

Hunter Hayes with former number one “Wanted” stays at #3

Florida Georgia Line with former #1 “Cruise” stays at #4

Jason Aldean (w Luke Bryan & Eric Church) and “The Only Way I Know” stays at #5

Randy Houser with “How Country Feels” is up one slot, #7 - #6

Blake Shelton with “Sure Be Cool If You Did” is up one place, #8 - #7 

Tim McGraw with “One Of Those Nights” is up one, #9 - #8

Taylor Swift with former #1 ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” is down, #6 -#9

Carrie Underwood with “Two Black Cadillacs” is up four, #14 - #10

Little Big Town with “Tornado” stays at #11

Brad Paisley with “Southern Comfort Zone” stays at #12

Hunter Hayes with “Somebody’s Heartbreak” stays at #13

Zac Brown Band with “Goodbye In Her Eyes”, is down four, #10 - #14

Kacey Musgraves with “Merry Go ‘Round” is up one,  #16 - #15

Carrie Underwood with “Blown Away”, drops one place, #15 - #16

Dierks Bentley with “Tip It On Back” is up one slot,  #18 - #17

Lee Brice with “I Drive Your Truck” is up two places, #20 - #18

Taylor Swift with “Begin Again” is down two, #17 - #19

Luke Bryan with “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” is down one place, #19 - #20

Thompson Square with “If I Didn’t Have You” are up three, #24 - #21

Lee Brice with “Hard To Love” stays at #22

Kip Moore with “Beer Money” falls two slots, #21 - #23

Casey James with “Crying On A Suitcase” re-enters the Top 25 at #24

Miranda Lambert with “Mama’s Broken Heart” is up four, #29 -#25

Hot Country Songs

*** No. 1 (1 week)  ***  “Every Storm” (Runs Out Of Rain) Gary Allan  Greatest Gainer/Digital & Streaming

Greatest Gainer/Airplay No. 2 “Better Dig Two” The Band Perry

Debut No.41 “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight” Randy Houser  Hot Shot Debut

Debut No.42  “Downtown” Lady Antebellum

Debut No. 44 “Like Jesus Does” Eric Church

Debut No.46 “American Beautiful” The Henningsens

Debut No.47 “Anywhere With You” Jake Owen

Chart History

Chart topping 90’s songs during the last week of January:

1990: Nobody's Home  Clint Black  (RCA)

1991: Daddy's Come Around-Paul Overstreet -RCA

1992: A Jukebox With A Country Song  Doug Stone   -Epic

1993: Look Heart, No Hands    Randy Travis   -Warner Bros.

1994: Live Until I Die  Clay Walker   -Giant

1995: Gone Country    Alan Jackson    -Arista

1996: It Matters To Me   -Faith Hill   (Warner Bros.)

1997: Nobody Knows   Kevin Sharp  (Asylum)

1998: Just To See You Smile    Tim McGraw  (Curb)

1999: Stand Beside Me   Jo Dee Messina  (Curb)

Billboard Country Airplay Chart Week of February 9, 2013

Gary Allan claims his fourth No. 1 and first in more than eight years, noted as “Every Storm (Runs out of Rain)” (MCA Nashville) gains approximately 3 million audience impressions and steps 2-1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. The California native most recently topped the chart when “Nothing On But The Radio” spent two weeks at the summit in December 2004.

Allan’s new chart topper marks the longest span between No. 1 singles for any artist since Garth Brooks went a little more than nine years between “To Make You Feel My Love” in 1998 and “More Than a Memory” in 2007. Three months before Brooks led with “Memory,” Tracy Lawrence reigned for the first time in 11 years with “Find Out Who Your Friends Are.”

Top local audience contributors for Allan’s “Storm” during the Jan. 21-27 Nielsen BDS tracking week are KKGO Los Angeles (1.4 million impressions), WUSN Chicago (1.1 million), KKBQ Houston (923,000), WYCD Detroit (798,000) and WKLB Boston (798,000).

The other gold-plus sellers in Allan’s catalog are “Best I Ever Had” (2005) and “Watching Airplanes” (2008). Allan’s radio chart history includes three previous leaders: “Man to Man” and “Tough Little Boys” (both 2003), and the aforementioned “Radio.”

Meanwhile, Carrie Underwood in her 12th chart week,  scored her 17th career Top 10 (17/17) on Country Airplay with “Two Black Cadillacs” (19/Arista Nashville), which moved 11-10. The song continues her streak of consecutive top 10 radio-promoted singles (excluding holiday tracks), which encompasses her entire career output. Each of the prior 16 top 10s have either peaked at No. 1 (13) or No. 2 (three).Since Underwood achieved her first top 10 with “Jesus, Take the Wheel” in December 2005, no other woman has amassed more. During that time frame, Underwood has been running a back-and-forth race with Taylor Swift for the most radio top 10s—Swift logged her first top 10 with “Tim McGraw” in December 2006—and tied Underwood with 16 apiece when “Begin Again” cracked the top 10 on the Jan. 5 Country Airplay scorecard.

Lady Antebellum claims its highest debut on Country Airplay with “Downtown” (Capitol Nashville), which opened at No. 25 with spins at 100 of the 125 stations monitored for the chart. That surpasses the trio’s No. 28 debut with “Just a Kiss” on the May 21, 2011, chart—it ended up spending two weeks at No. 1 later that summer. The new track introduces the threesome’s upcoming fourth studio album, for which no title or release date has been announced. Lady A won most Increased audience (+6.391 Gain (in Millions)  and most Increased Plays (+894) honours in this week.

They most recently reached the summit with “We Owned the Night,” which became its sixth No. 1 in December 2011. OWN THE NIGHT produced four Top 20 hits. The others were “ Just A Kiss” #1, “Dancin' Away With My Heart “ #2 in 2012 and “Wanted You More” was #20 last year.

George Strait with “Give It All We Got Tonight” is at #19 in its 13th chart week. It represents his 91st top 20 hit.

Eric Church climbed fast when “Like Jesus Does” vaulted eleven slots up to No.32

In religious terms Father and Son sit side by side - At #33 saw Jerrod Niemann's “Only God Could Love You More” while one heavenly slot above at #32 was “Like Jesus Does” by Eric Church

Country Airplay

*** No. 1 (1 week) *** "Every Storm” (Runs Out Of Rain) Gary Allan

Greatest Gainer ** Hot Shot Debut/Most Increased Audience/Most Added No.25 “Downtown” Lady Antebellum

Debut No. 53 "It’s All Good” Austin Webb

Debut No. 55 “How She Rolls” Chase Rice

Debut No. 56 "Better I Don’t” Chris Janson

Debut No. 57  “Hungover & Hard Up” Eric Church

Debut No. 59 “If You Want Some” Joel Crouse  

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart Week of February 9, 2013

Rounding off Gary Allan’s clean sweep of number ones on the Billboard Country charts saw “Storm” become Allan’s first No.1 on Country Digital Songs, where it leapt 4-1 with 70,301 downloads (up 21% / 813,551 total).



Gary Allan graphic



This marked its second-biggest week since its opening frame in October. Lifted by gift-card redemption, the track sold 112,000 downloads during the Dec. 24-30 SoundScan tracking week (Jan. 12 chart). On Hot Country Songs, “Storm” became Allan’s fourth leader winning the Greatest Gainer trophy helped by the factor of the biggest overall digital spikes.

The Band Perry with “Better Dig Two” dropped down from 1-2, in their 13th chart week, with a 4% loss of sales over the previous week.

Hunter Hayes who is nominated for a Best New Artist at this years Grammy Awards moved up to No.4 maintaining steady sales with his crossover smash “Wanted” which is very close to selling 2.5 million downloads after 44 chart weeks.

With the release of his new album Randy Houser’s “How Country Feels” received a bounce, moving 15-6 in the songs 22nd chart week. The sales of 40,795 was up 4% and having sold 526,866 copies he will “how feel” what its like to bag a Gold Certified Single. He also made a debut at No.31 with his track “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight”. "How Country Feels" is the title track off of his new album which hit stores last it received praise from AP, CBS New York, The Washington Post, Billboard and many more [EB Media Press Release]

Away from this chart Taylor Swift was #2 on Soundscan Top Current Single chart. Her pop single “I Knew You Were Trouble” sold another 189,815 copies and passed the 3-million sales (x3 Platinum) reaching a tally of 3,039,850.

In his 3rd chart week Darius Rucker with “Wagon Wheel” dropped 7-15 , selling 27,345 (-31%) . The original version by Old Crow Medicine Show held a #155 place on the Billboard Digital Chart selling

12,871, down 8% and has sold 1,054,525 copies at this point.

Top 20 Digital Singles In Country Music (January 31, 2013)

(LW) Last Week  (TW) This Week