Country Billboard Chart News February 28, 2013

Country Billboard Chart News February 28, 2013

With the post Grammy excitement beginning to fade the gloss went off several songs and album sets on the Billboard Top 200 with things getting back to a (dreary) normal on this week's tally.

Mumford & Sons' BABEL artwork

However Brit stadium-folk-rockers Mumford & Sons' "Babel" remained at No. 1 for a fifth non-consecutive week, selling 62,756, down 66% and has sold 1,984,608 in 22 weeks according to Nielsen SoundScan. That's down 66% compared to last week, when it jumped back to the top of the list with 185,000. Digital sales accounted for 27,745 (down 73%, 1,086,325 digital total)

"Babel's" sum this week is the lowest sales week for a No. 1 album since Zac Brown Band's "UNCAGED" moved a light 48,000 on the list dated Aug. 11, 2012.

“Americana” music—an industry term for rootsy, guitar-based music/artists without a genre home-accounts for three of the top six albums on this week’s Billboard 200. Mumford & Sons’ Babel holds at #1 for the fifth week, The Lumineers’ The Lumineers jumps from #6 to #5 its 47th week (35,014 sales; down 47%; 1,042,377 total)  and Alabama Shakes’ Boys & Girls leaps from #20 to #6 in its 43rd week with sales of BOYS & GIRLS jumped by 10%. Babel and The Lumineers were both nominated for Best Americana Album at the Grammys on Feb. 10. They were beaten out rather surprisingly by Bonnie Raitt’s SLIPSTREAM which does not show on this weeks BB200. The previous week it logged sales of 2,873, up 75% (302,441 total). SLIPSTREAM made its bow on April 18, 2012 selling 63,946 copies on it’s debut week. 

At No.10, dropping 6 slots on the Billboard Top 200 and for the 15th week is the top selling Country album is Taylor Swift’s RED selling 27,952 (down 61%; previous week 71,953; total 3,463,700) . 

Taylor Swift (The Brits)



That’s the longest run at #1 on the country chart since Lady Antebellum’s NEED YOU NOW logged 31 weeks on top in 2010-2011.

Of RED’s 27,952 total 8,188 were attributed to digital sales (down 16%; digital total 979,370) the remainder of 19,764 were physical copies (-68%, LW 62,212; total physical copies sold 2,484,331) .

  

At No.2 on the country chart is Tim McGraw’s TWO LANES OF FREEDOM which sold 24,383 copies (down 48%; previous week 46,598, total in 3 weeks 177,696) . By comparison 5,810 of those were digital (-43%)

Despite a sales loss of 18% in their 12th retail week Florida Georgia Line with HERE'S TO THE GOOD TIMES moved 29-19 on the Top 200 and has the No.3 Country slot selling 19,073 (337,787 total). Big Machine Records hold positions 1 to 3

Hunter Hunter self titled album which drew post Grammy sales of 33,428 sold 16,063 in this chart week ( down 52%, a 72 week total of 651,179)

Out of the Top 25 Billboard Country albums 17 made the Billboard Top 200, 9 other country sets are now Catalog albums.  One new addition at #99 on the Billboard Catalog chart are the Pistol Annies with HELL ON HEELS which sold 2,016 copies (down 40%; a 79 week total of 451,389)

Taylor Swift’s SPEAK NOW album and Led Zeppelin’s MOTHERSHIP each sold exactly 2,734 copies to share the No.200 place and shut out Kip Moore’s UP ALL NIGHT (2,724 sold) and Toby Keith’s HOPE ON THE ROCKS (2,715 sold) by 10 and 21 copies respectively.

In 5 weeks Gary Allan’s SET YOU FREE album, at No.6, has passed 200K copies sold at retail (15,387; down 38%; total 205,508).

On their 2nd chart week Connor Christian & Southern Gothics’ album NEW HOMETOWN sold 2,241 (down 50%, 2 week total 6,686) and fall of the Top 200 and were the week’s 38th best selling country album (including Catalog albums  #)

In her third week Holly Williams album HIGHWAY sold 1,473 copies (up 9%, 3 week total of   6,376) and is 64th (#) on the list of Top Country Albums.

Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison sold 1,446 copies of CHEATER'S GAME in its second retail week (down 49%; 2-week total 4,292) and stands at No.67 (#)

Katie Armiger’s  FALL INTO ME rounds out the Billboard Top 25 Country placings selling 2,152 copies (up 26%; a 6 week total of 21,116)   

Of note is the sales of Mindy McCready's SUPER HITS album, selling 3,099 copies this week after the 1990s star passed away.

This 2000 titled Super Hits package (Sony Music Nashville) debuts at No. 6 on Country Catalog Albums.  It’s sales were up by 718% on the previous week number of 380 and has a total of 142,613 copies and was the 23rd country best seller of this chart week (#)

McCready most recently charted with her last album, I’M STILL HERE, which spent just one week at No. 71 on Top Country Albums in April 2010.

Next week should see The Mavericks and Jaida Dreyer impact on the chart.

                       Albums       Digital Albums  Digital Tracks

This Week    648,000     193,000              3,092,000

Last Week   906,000      250,000              3,431,000

Change        -28.5%        -22.8%                 -9.9%

COUNTRY MUSIC SALES YEAR-TO-DATE

                             2012              2013             Change

Albums              5,726,000      5,439,000     -5.0%

Digital Tracks  25,157,000     26,817,000   +6.6%

Physical            4,342,000      3,647,000     -16.0%

Digital               1,384,000       1,791,000      29.4%

Billboard Top 200  (Issue dated Chart week of March 2, 2013)

(Country Album positions #1 - #25)

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

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

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:

Blake Shelton’s “Sure Be Cool If You Did” jumped from #38 to #32 on the Top 100 in its seventh week. The song jumps to #1 on Hot Country Songs. As Blake Shelton prepares for the March 26 release of his 10th studio album, BASED ON A TRUE STORY, this lead single (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville), becomes his 13th and quickest No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs

 He landed his first, “Austin,” in 2001, a decade before he became a household name on The Voice. It also logs a third cumulative week atop Country Digital Songs with 71,000 downloads sold.

The single holds at No.7 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart logging an audience (in millions) of 28.018 (+2.217 this week) securing 4,546 plays (+308 this week)

The track is Shelton’s first No. 1 on Hot Country Songs since last fall, when the ranking methods changed from core country radio audience to include streaming, digital downloads and an expanded radio panel. Under the previous methodology, Shelton’s quickest ascent was 10 weeks with “Honey Bee” two years ago; his slowest was 25 weeks with “She Wouldn’t Be Gone” in 2009.

Shelton’s new album BASED ON A TRUE STORY includes collaborations with Pistol Annies and Gwen Sebastian, and precedes the launch of his Ten Times Crazier tour that begins July 19 in Virginia Beach, Va. Shelton’s album was offered for pre-orders starting Feb. 19 on his website, and on iTunes on Feb. 27. The deluxe digital edition includes three bonus tracks, the video for “Sure Be Cool If You Did” and other bonus content.

Also noteworthy on Hot Country Songs: Carrie Underwood’s “Two Black Cadillacs” (19/Arista Nashville) bullets at No. 5 with the biggest overall airplay spike gaining Greatest Gainer/Airplay honours.

Just outside the Top 25 at No.26 is Eric Church’s “Like Jesus Does”, which posted the biggest streaming gain. It’s from the 2012 CMA Album of the Year and former #1 album CHIEF. The song made its bow at #99 on the Billboard Top 100.

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

Blake Shelton with “Sure Be Cool If You Did” is up one to Top The Chart, #2 - #1

Hunter Hayes with last weeks #1, “Wanted” drops to #2

The Band Perry with former #1 “Better Dig Two” stays at #3

Tim McGraw with “One Of Those Nights” is up one, #5 - #4

Carrie Underwood with “Two Black Cadillacs” is down one place, #4 - #5

Little Big Town with “Tornado” is up two notches, #8 - #6

Florida Georgia Line with former #1 “Cruise” stays at #7

Gary Allan with former #1, “Every Storm” (Runs Out Of Rain) is down, #6 - #8

Lady Antebellum with “Downtown” is up three, #12 - #9 

Hunter Hayes with “Somebody’s Heartbreak” is up one slot, #11 - #10

Lee Brice with “I Drive Your Truck” is up two, #13 - #11

Taylor Swift with former #1 ‘We Are Never Ever...GBT” is down, #9 - #12

Miranda Lambert with “Mama’s Broken Heart” is up three, #16 - #13

Kacey Musgraves with “Merry Go ‘Round” is up three,  #17 - #14

Florida Georgia Line with “Get Your Shine On” is up five, #20 - #15

Taylor Swift with “Begin Again” is down one place, #15 - #16

Jason Aldean (w Luke Bryan & Eric Church) and “The Only Way I Know” drops #14 - #17

Dierks Bentley with “Tip It On Back” stays at #18

Kenny Chesney with “Pirate Flag” stays at #19

George Strait with “Give It All We Got Tonight” is up two slots, #22 - #20

Carrie Underwood with “Blown Away”, falls, #10 - #21

Thompson Square with “If I Didn’t Have You” is up one,  #23 - #22

Randy Houser with “How Country Feels” drops two places, #21 - #23

Darius Rucker  with “Wagon Wheel” moves up one, #25 - #24

Chris Young with “I Can Take It From Here” is up one slot, #26 - #25

Hot Country Songs

*** No. 1 (1 week)  ***  “Sure Be Cool If You Did”  Blake Shelton

** Greatest Gainer/Airplay ** No. 5 “Two Black Cadillacs”  Carrie Underwood

** Greatest Gainer/Digital ** No.13 “Mama’s Broken Heart”  Miranda Lambert

** Greatest Gainer/Streaming ** No.26 “Like Jesus Does”  Eric Church

** Hot Shot Debut  **  No. 42  “1994”  Jason Aldean

Debut No.49 “Dayum, Baby”  Florida Georgia Line featuring Sarah Buxton

Debut No.50 “Redneck Crazy”  Tyler Farr

Chart History

These were the Hot Country chart toppers during the last week of February during 80’s:

1980: I Ain't Living Long Like This (RCA)  - Waylon Jennings 

1981: Are You Happy Baby (Liberty) -Dottie West 

1982: Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good (MCA) -Don Williams

1983: Why Baby Why (RCA) - Charley Pride

1984: Woke Up In Love (Epic) -Exile 

1985: Baby Bye Bye (Warner Bros.) - Gary Morris 

1986: You Can Dream Of Me (MCA) - Steve Wariner

1987: I Can't Win For Losin' You (RCA) -Earl Thomas Conley

1988: I Won't Take Less Than Your Love (Capitol) -Tanya Tucker, Paul Davis, and Paul Overstreet

1989: I Sang Dixie  (Reprise) - Dwight Yoakam 

Billboard Country Airplay Chart Week of March 9, 2013

Tim McGraw celebrates his 25th leader on Billboard’s Country Airplay tally, noted as “One of Those Nights” (Big Machine) gains 202,000 audience impressions and rises 2-1 in its 17th chart week.

The song written by Luke Laird, Rodney Clawson and Chris Tompkins was released by Big Machine on November 12, 2012.

Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the song three stars out of five, writing that "McGraw certainly sounds refreshed on this new song from a new record label partner, but much like songs late in his career with Curb, it feels like an attempt is made to make every moment a huge moment”

On this chart week the song drew a 37.254 million audience (+0.202 this week) and 5,985 plays (+34) to land a No.1 ranking with 43,290 fans downloading the track (-15%) to hold at No.6 on the Country Digital chart.

All of McGraw’s No. 1’s on that chart occurred during the 23-year-old Nielsen BDS era, where he’s now in second place behind George Strait and Alan Jackson, who each have 26 No. 1s during that time frame.

With 44 No. 1 hits, Strait upholds the all-time record for the most No. 1s on Hot Country Songs—that chart’s history dates back to 1944—while Jackson’s entire chart-topping span falls within the Country Airplay chart’s history (January 1990 to present). McGraw’s No. 1 count is followed by 22 for Kenny Chesney and 20 for Brooks & Dunn.

Tim is also spending his 69th week at #1, tying Johnny Cash who did the same with his 14 chart toppers from 1956-1985.

McGraw most recently topped the Country Airplay chart with “Felt Good on My Lips,” which spent the last of three weeks at No. 1 on the Jan. 22, 2011, chart.

** In terms of local audience penetration for “Nights” during the Feb. 18-24 BDS tracking week, the most valuable players list is topped by 862,000 impressions at KKBQ Houston, and includes WYCD Detroit (793,000), KILT Houston (765,000), KKGO Los Angeles (728,000) and KSD St. Louis (692,000). Meanwhile, McGraw advances 36-32 (up 620,000 impressions) with “Highway Don’t Care (with Taylor Swift), the third single from his Two Lanes of Freedom set.

Music video Tim McGraw’s “One Of Those Nights” >>  YouTube

Taylor Swift’s “Begin Again” (Big Machine) earns Most Increased Audience stripes, gaining 2.9 million impressions and rising 4-3 in its 22nd chart week.

She logged a 33.584 audience with an increase of +2.914  (in millions) receiving 5,565 plays (+540 this week).

Taylor Swift is heating up the charts! And when we say charts, we do mean charts. As in plural.

Get this. The superstar singer has just hit—simultaneously—No.1 on both the country and pop radio airplay charts this week. "Begin Again," landed atop the Country Aircheck/Mediabase Country chart, according to a press release.  The huge accomplishment comes just two weeks before Swift is scheduled to kick off her highly anticipated The RED Tour in Omaha, Nebraska.

Mediabase Stats:

LW TW Artist              Title                TW      LW       Move   Aud/millions

3      1     Taylor Swift  Begin Again   6,447   5,591    856      50.381

Most Added honours this Billboard Country Airplay chart week goes to Kip Moore with"Hey Pretty Girl" stting at No. 28 slot. He gained +17 station adds (Audience in Millions 5.706 (+1.007) / Plays 1,109 (+208)

With his quickest Country Airplay chart ascent to date, singer/songwriter Lee Brice logs his fourth top 10 in eight tries, as “I Drive Your Truck” (Curb) gains 724,000 audience impressions and steps 11-10 in its 13th chart week. That surpasses his previous best top 10 pace, achieved on the Sept. 29, 2012, chart when “Hard to Love” jumped 13-10 in its 19th chart week. Brice reached the top 10 in 23 weeks with “A Woman Like You” a year ago and scored his first top 10 with “Love Like Crazy,” which needed 46 weeks to reach the upper tier. “Woman” and “Hard to Love” both logged time at No. 1.

Sheryl Crow made her third solo appearance on the Country Airplay chart, achieved as “Easy” (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) checks in at No. 58. Crow hasn’t appeared as a soloist since inking a pair of chart titles nine years ago. She spent 20 weeks on the chart with “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” which peaked at No. 35 in January 2004, followed by “No Depression in Heaven,” which spent one week on the chart at No. 55 later that year. Her collaborative history on Country Airplay spans 11 years and includes shared billings with Kid Rock, Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn, Miranda Lambert and Bob Seger. She premiered “Easy” on the Jan. 24 “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show on ABC. The song introduces Crow’s debut country album, which is expected to be released this fall.

>>  [LISTEN] Sheryl Crow  "Easy"

Red Bow Records artist Rachel Farley cemented her status as Country music’s “One to Watch” this week, when her debut single “Ain’t Easy,” charged out of the gate as the #1 Most Added Song on both the Billboard and Mediabase Country radio charts.

With 39 first-week stations, the Georgia native’s statement song detailing her hard-knock life as a daughter of the sweet Southern Ground is also the flagship single from recently formed BBR Music Group and RED imprint RED BOW Records.

As the Hot Shot Debut on the Billboard Country Airplay she landed at No.55 as “AIN’T EASY “ (Red Bow) drew a  0.567 audience (+0.374 in millions) with 174 spins (+118 this week)

Farley’s “Ain’t Easy,” produced by Michael Knox, also entered the iTunes’ Country Top 200 shortly upon its release.

The 17-year-old Farley, who solely penned “Ain’t Easy,” exudes a conviction and authenticity while tackling topics way beyond her years.  With her debut single, Farley confronts the battling duality of being raised as a sweet southern girl while simultaneously being taught to stand up for herself, her loved ones and her beliefs:

“I was taught to fight like hell and love like an angel/ Pray like a saint and run like a rebel/

Live each day like there’s no tomorrow/ Speak my mind and act like a lady/

I’ll always be my mama’s baby and you can’t ever tell me nothing/

Oh, loving a girl like me Ain’t Easy.”

The young Georgia native has already made a name for herself on the road as one of Country’s hottest up-and-coming live acts, going on the road with Brantley Gilbert when she was only fourteen. Opening tour slots for Colt Ford and Luke Bryan followed.

>>  [LISTEN] Rachel Farley new single "Ain't Easy"

Country Airplay

*** No. 1 (1 week)*** "One Of Those Nights" Tim McGraw

** Most Increased Audience ** No. 3 "Begin Again" Taylor

** Most Added ** No. 28 "Hey Pretty Girl"  Kip Moore  

** Hot Shot Debut ** No.55 "Ain't Easy" (Red Bow) Rachel Farley  (0.567 / +0.374 million / 174 spins + 118

Debut No. 58 "Easy" Sheryl Crow

Billboard Country Digital Singles ( Chart Week of March 9, 2013)

Blake Shelton's "Sure Be Cool If You Did" tops the Billboard Country Digital once more as the week’s No.1 most downloaded song and also heads the Hot Country Songs Chart.

Shelton’s fans took home 71,010 copies, down 4% on the previous week to reach a new tally for the sexy song of 498,804 which is just short of the 500K Gold certification.

Blake trades places with Hunter Hayes who lost ground after his previous Grammy sales week bounce (84,379 sold) with “Wanted” selling 59,226 (-30% / 2,705,368 total) this week.

In their 3rd week at retail Lady Antebellum at No.4 registered 45,573 copies (-3%) for “Downtown” to reach 165,122.

Tim McGraw’s #1 Airplay single stays at No.6 with “One Of Those Nights” selling 44,369, down 14%, to go past the Gold retail sales mark with a new total of 509,531 in 17 weeks.

McGraw’s “Highway Don’t Care” featuring Taylor Swift, which has already topped this Digital chart, is slated to be the next official single off his album.  Now at No.23 it sold 17,553, down 29% and has sold 128,105 to date so should pick up speed once more with airplay power.

Taylor’s pop single "I Knew You Were Trouble" climbed 11-9 on the Billboard Hot 100  (133,100 sales; down 11%,  3,641,977 total) and has been the No.1 Pop Song for 6 weeks.

Florida Georgia Line held positions No.8 and 9 with “Cruise” selling 40,798 (-7%) and latest single “Get Your Shine On” shifting 39,676 copies (+13%).

Following her Feb. 17 suicide, Mindy McCready makes her first Billboard chart appearance in three years, as “Ten Thousand Angels” (BNA) enters the Country Digital Songs at No. 31 with 12,167 downloads sold, up 326% on the previous week number of 2,854. 

Mindy McCready
1000 Angels single artwork



That title originally peaked at No. 6 on the June 22, 1996, Hot Country Songs list, where “Guys Do It All the Time” became her only No. 1 single three months later. The latter title bows at No. 39 on Country Digital Songs (10,000 sold), while BDS reports airplay at eight Hot Country Songs stations during the tracking week and a streaming total of 978,000 (up 78%).

Top 30 Digital Singles In Country Music (February 28, 2013)

(LW) Last Week  (TW) This Week 

*Numbers are rounded to nearest 1000^th