Saturday, 8 June 2013

Country Billboard Chart News June 6, 2013

Country Billboard Chart News June 6, 2013

In Brief:  Billboard Country Charts

Country Album Chart ** No. 1 (5 weeks) ** “Based On A True Story” Blake Shelton
Hot Country Songs ** No. 1 (14 weeks) ** “Cruise”  Florida Georgia Line
Country Airplay ** No. 1 (1 week) ** "Highway Don't Care" Tim McGraw with Taylor Swift
Country Digital Songs ** No. 1 **  “Cruise”  Florida Georgia Line

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News

Daft Punk's RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES notches a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 92,677 copies (down 73%, 2 week total 432,299)

Blake Shelton’s BASED ON A TRUE STORY rebounded from No.16 to No.5 on the Billboard Top 200 (BB200) and thereby logged its fifth week at No.1 on Billboard Top Country Albums.
Sales for the album were 41,698, up 69% boosted by an US iTunes sale on albums connected to TV show “The Voice” as well as his hosting of and performing on the NBC Benefit Concert “Healing In The Heartland”. This means “Based On A True Story” has the longest run for an album by a male solo artist since Scotty McCreery’s Clear As Day spent six weeks on top in 2011.
It also heads the best selling country albums list for the first 22 retail weeks of 2013 selling 588,097 copies in 10 weeks (202,708 of those were Digital albums). Behind Blake is this weeks No.8 Country album with Taylor Swift’s RED which has sold 578,012 copies (185,287 Digital albums) during 2013 and in 32 chart weeks since its Oct 2012 launch has grossed sales to date of 3,685,261 (1,048,573 Digital)

The names making up the top seven Country placements remained the same.
Darius Rucker’s TRUE BELIEVERS dropped from #2 to #6 on the BB200 and 1-2 on the Country chart selling 40,758 copies (30,497 Physical + 10,261 Digital albums) , down 51% for a 2-week total of 124,544.
George Strait in his 3rd retail week with LOVE IS EVERYTHING dropped 8-12 on the BB200 and moved 2-3 Country with sales of 25,661 (down 41%, 193,982 total)
Lady Antebellum’s GOLDEN fell 10-14 (BB200) and 3-4 on the country album slots selling 24,186 copies (19,112 Physical + 5,074 Digital albums) for a 4-week total of 281,739 since its release.
In his third week Trace Adkins fell from 12-19 on the country rankings with LOVE WILL selling 5,974 (down 40%, 40,720 total)

Of note on the Billboard 200 Adele’s 21 which held at No.40 in its 119th week on the chart is now in fourth place for the longest run in the top 40 in the Nielsen SoundScan era. It trails Shania Twain’s Come On Over (151 weeks) and Taylor Swift’s Taylor Swift (126 weeks)

Two artists not on the country chart but with strong connections to the genre who in their 4th week at retail  saw Natalie Maines log a No.79 place with her rock album MOTHER selling 5,060 (down 22%, 45,650 total) and at No.165 Patty Griffin’s AMERICAN KID sold 1,561 copies (down 21%, 13,205 total)

There were no new debuts on the Top 25 Country albums chart but  the genre-bending duets album from John Fogerty titled WROTE A SONG FOR EVERYONE, made a bow at No.3 on the BB200 and No.2 on the Rock Album chart selling 50,993 copies (37,597 Physical + 13,396 Digital albums).
Fogerty’s album features the rock legend teaming with such artists as Foo Fighters, Kid Rock, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert and Zac Brown Band on a set of his best-known songs. With this week’s debut, Fogerty has a more than 34-year span of top 10 albums. He first hit the top 10 in April 1969 with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bayou Country”.
Most albums that feature a star collaborating with various guest artists have used the title “Duets”, but there have been a few exceptions, notably Ray Charles’ Genius Loves Company. Fogerty titled the album after a song that first appeared on CCR’s second album, Green River.
This is Fogerty’s second top 10 album as a solo artist. CENTERFIELD hit #1 in March 1985. Fogerty also amassed five top 10 albums with CCR. Creedence’s biggest hit is “Proud Mary,” which logged three weeks at #2 in March 1969. (For two of those weeks, it was stuck behind Tommy Roe’s “Dizzy,” a song that doesn’t have a fraction of the stature of “Proud Mary.”) Fogerty’s biggest solo hit is “The Old Man Down The Road,” which went top 10 in March 1985.
Creedence’s Chronicle (20 Greatest Hits), released in 1976, is one of the best-selling greatest hits albums in history. It has sold 6,357,000 copies since 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard.

Critical reception for “Wrote A Song For Everyone

Rollingstone (Rating: 5 STARS) Wrote a Song for Everyone is a testament to the continuing truth and power in Fogerty's greatest hits. For this album, he has recut a dozen classics, most from the Creedence era, in dynamic collaborations with an astute cast of younger stars and kindred voices including Bob Seger, My Morning Jacket, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert and Foo Fighters. The result is some of the best new music Fogerty has made since, well, Creedence. His singing is strong and engaged, even scalding ...........But “Wrote a Song for Everyone” does not replace anything Fogerty did the first time around. It affirms the living history in his greatest hits – that of a great nation still being born.

New York Daily - (Rating: 2 Stars)..It’s a classic fantasy — to return to your past, but with all the knowledge you have now. That’s the do-over John Fogerty finagled for his latest CD. On it, he covers his own 40-year-old classics from the Creedence Clearwater Revival days, but spiffed up by the pizazz of modern production and buttressed by a cast of big-name, mainly country-fed guest stars....It’s a clear marketing ploy. But the set-up isn’t without promise. After all, CCR’s songs weren’t cut in the most sterling conditions, or with the slickest musicians. Unfortunately, this re-do only proves those tics and flaws helped give the originals their soul.

Paste Magazine (Rating: 8.5) - John Fogerty's guests on "Wrote A Song for Everyone" may provide a pupu platter of genres, but the country/rock/progressive duet partners more often serve as a reminder of Fogerty's singular potency. The far-flung vocalists also demonstrate how vast his songwriting and cultural influence is, comfortably enfolding each without losing the essence of his intent....What lies ahead fuels Fogerty's guitar-playing, writing and muscular rasp-boring straight into the listener - making "Song" much more than just another all-star redux of what was.

“Wrote A Song For Everyone” is available at:

The 45th best selling country album of the week was the debut of Gretchen Wilson’s second album release of 2013 titled UNDER THE COVERS which sold 1,227 copies.
It features 12 of Classic Rock’s most memorable hits from the 70s, the new album hit stores June 4, 2013.
We’ve included rock songs in our sets for years, and I have always wanted to record an album like this,” said Gretchen. “I basically asked my band to give me a list of their favorite Classic Rock songs, and then we went through all of them and decided what to include. It was a blast!”
Produced by Gretchen, “Under The Covers” includes 12 songs originally made famous by the likes of Rod Stewart, Jackson Browne, a somewhat obscure song by Derek & the Dominoes/Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Foreigner and more.
My band loves to cut loose during our Classic Rock medley on stage, and they did an amazing job recording these tracks,” added Gretchen.
Gretchen was in Los Angeles making two national television appearances promoting both “Under The Covers” and “Right On Time”.
On Wednesday, June 5, fighting back nerves, she spoke with and performed “Hot Blooded” (Foreigner) on “Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson
>> YouTube
On Thursday, the 6th, she was set to join the cast of “The Talk” to chat about the new music, her career and balancing being a mother, artist and business woman.
Gretchen will be back in Nashville on Sunday, June 9 to perform at the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage on the closing day of the CMA Music Festival. Her first full-length Christmas album is set to drop in October.

Critical reception for “Under The Covers” - 12 Tracks/ Time: 49:09

Allmusic  (Rating: 3.5 STARS) - This set '1970s, and one can easily imagine Wilson singing these songs in a smoky bar in her native Missouri, fronting a cover band, wowing the locals with her energy, sass, and verve, and no one realizing yet what it would all come to down the road. These are pretty faithful-to-the-original renditions... Wilson has earned her freedom, and if Under the Covers isn't likely to put her back at the top of the charts, it's obvious she's having a whole lot of fun not worrying about any of that at all.

Under the Covers  (Redneck Records)  is available at:

Recording trio The Henningsens released their self-titled 4 track EP (Arista Nashville) on May 28 and it sold 1,059 copies in its debut week (53rd best selling Country album of the week)
The EP features their debut single, “American Beautiful,” which has made the Top 20 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and the EP comes out as they play to packed houses on Brad Paisley’s “Beat This Summer Tour” . On May 4th saw the wedding of lead singer Clara Henningsen.
Each of the tracks, produced by four-time GRAMMY winner Paul Worley (Lady Antebellum), on the four-song EP was co-written by Clara, Aaron, and Brian Henningsen, together with some of Nashville’s top tunesmiths, including Lisa Carver, Don Poythress, Jimmy Yeary, and Brett Beavers, with whom The Henningsens penned “American Beautiful.”
Blurb: A family band consisting of Clara Henningsen (lead vocals, guitar), Aaron Henningsen (guitar, vocals), and their father Brian Henningsen (bass, guitar, vocals), the trio’s debut EP showcases a sound that is fresh, vibrant, and uniquely their own, with Clara’s expressive and inviting vocals center stage, together with gorgeous family harmonies, compelling songcraft, and vivid storytelling.
The Henningsens’ (who have some 10 co-writing credits on the Band Perry’s 2 albums) previously announced a full-length album release will be rescheduled from July 2 to a new date to be announced - SONY Press
The EP is available digitally at Amazon UK MP3 - Amazon.com MP3

Way down the country placings as the weeks 70th best selling country set was the new Joe Diffie/Sammy Kershaw/Aaron Tippin collaboration set titled ALL IN THE SAME BOAT which sold a mere 684 copies.
"The idea for this album came about after the success of our 'Roots & Boots' tour," noted Kershaw.  "Joe and Aaron and I go out together on the road and play and do our hits and the fans go nuts… so we thought, 'why not just make this tour an album?'"
The 12-track album features all-new music as well as freshly recorded versions of a few familiar songs like Tippin's smash hit "Kiss This" and Kershaw's 1993 chart topper "She Don't Know She's Beautiful."
"I decided to go with two brand new songs and one old Neil Young song, 'Heart of Gold,' for my tunes on the album," said Diffie.  "I think fans will really enjoy the whole thing.  We had as much fun making the album as we do on the road!" (Source Press Release)

Critical reception for “All in the Same Boat” – 12 tracks / Time: 38:45

Allmusic (Rating: 3 STARS)  Sammy Kershaw, Joe Diffie, and Aaron Tippin joined forces in 2013 for a tour called “All in the Same Boat”, deciding to release an album under the same name that same year. “All in the Same Boat” has some new songs, including the title track, and it has a wealth of new versions of familiar songs, including a cover of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold." The trio members feel comfortable, particularly when they're revisiting some of their earlier hits, which constitute much of the album. Elsewhere, they're having fun, swinging through standards ("The Way You Look Tonight") and novelties ("Misery Loves Country") that showcase the trio's skill and humor. It's kind of forgettable but it's likable, suggesting that Kershaw, Diffie, and Tippin can deliver the goods together if they roll into your town.

Listen to the title cut at soundcloud.com

Released on May 28th, Roots/Country/Bluegrass set THIS WORLD OFT CAN BE the first Rounder release, and second full-length album, from the Boston-based Della Mae has been receiving attention at BBC Local radio and sold 754 copies in its debut week to appear at No.4 on the Billboard Bluegrass Album chart and No.32 on the Billboard New Artist chart.

Billboard Top 200  Placings / Top 25 Country Albums

(Issue dated Chart week of June 15, 2013)

(Country Album positions #1 - #25)

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


Billboard Catalog Chart
George Jones and Blake Shelton both posted two albums inside the Top 10 all genre chart.
Jones’ SUPER HITS at No.3 sold 5,123 copies (down 11%; 2,294,587  total) and 16 BIGGEST HITS at No.8 sold 3,457 units (down 23%). Shelton’s LOADED: THE BEST OF.. gained a 13% sales spike to move 14-7 (3,707 sales) and RED RIVER BLUE bullets 16-9 (3,446 sales, up 5%, 982,652  total) 


Top 25 Hot Country Songs (week of June 15, 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:

Florida Georgia Line with “Cruise” (Republic Nashville) extends its chart-topping run to 14 weeks.
The song sold another 196,000 copies (including the Nelly remix), up 4%, the remix with rapper Nelly accounted for approximately 129,000 of the weekly total.
The duo’s 14th cumulative week No.1 song means that no title has spent more weeks at No. 1 since Buck Owens’ “Love’s Gonna Live Here” ruled for 16 weeks 50 years ago.

After Blake Shelton’s “Healing in the Heartland” benefit Telethon concert for Oklahoma tornado relief, broadcast live May 29 on NBC (raising over $6 million with an additional $1m added by Starbucks) saw firstly a nice bump for his BASED ON A TRUE STORY (Warner Bros./WMN) album. The sets second single, “Boys ’Round Here” (which Shelton didn’t perform), featuring Pistol Annies & Friends, drew Digital Gainer applause and steps 3-2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The 147,000 downloads was an increase of 36%.

Brad Paisley’sBeat This Summer” (Arista Nashville) steps 12-10 to become his 30th Hot Country Songs top 10. He maintain s his ninth-place rank among artists with the most top 10s during the BDS era (since January 1990). Since his first week in the top 10 in November 1999, Paisley moves into a second-place tie with Tim McGraw for the most top 10s; Kenny Chesney leads with 36 in that stretch.

A sprinkling of “The Voice” contestant songs on the Top 50 saw a Hot Shot Debut at  No.24 with Grandpa” (Tell Me Bout The Good Old Days) covered by season four 16-year old Cypress, TX singer Danielle Bradbery.

Top 25 Hot Country Songs:

Florida Georgia Line with “Cruise” stays Top The Chart #1
Blake Shelton with “Boys ‘Round Here” is up one slot, #3 - #2
Darius Rucker  with former No.1 “Wagon Wheel” is down one, #2 - #3
Tim McGraw & Taylor Swift with “Highway Don’t Care” stays at #4
Luke Bryan with “Crash My Party” moves up one, #6 - #5
Florida Georgia Line with “Get Your Shine On” is down one, #5 - #6
Hunter Hayes with “I Want Crazy” stays at #7
The Band Perry with “Done” is up one,  #9 - #8
Jake Owen with “Anywhere With You” is up one, #10 - #9
Brad Paisley with “Beat This Summer” is up two notchs, #12 - #10
Miranda Lambert with “Mama’s Broken Heart” drops #8 - #11
Randy Houser with “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight” is up three, #15 - #12
Eric Church with “Like Jesus Does” stays at #13
Kip Moore with “Hey Pretty Girl” is up two, #16 - #14
Lady Antebellum with “Downtown” is down one slot,  #14 - #15
Blake Shelton with former No.1 “Sure Be Cool If You Did” moves, #17 - #16
Carrie Underwood with “See You Again” is up two, #19 - #17
George Strait with “Give It All We Got Tonight” falls seven, #11 - #18
Zac Brown Band with “Jump Right In” is up one, #20 - #19
Easton Corbin with “All Over The Road” is up two, #22 - #20
Brantley Gilbert with “More Than Miles” stays at #21
Brett Eldredge with “Don’t Ya” is up three, #25 - #22
Kenny Chesney with “Pirate Flag” drops five slots, #18 - #23
Danielle Bradbery with ““Grandpa” (Tell Me Bout The Good Old Days) debuts at #24
Keith Urban with “Little Bit Of Everything” is up one, #26 - #25

Hot Country Songs
*** No.1 (14 weeks) / Airplay Gainer ***  “Cruise”  Florida Georgia Line
** No.2 Digital Gainer ** “Boys ‘Round Here” Blake Shelton feat. Pistol Annies
** Hot Shot Debut **  No.24 “Grandpa” (Tell Me Bout The Good Old Days) Danielle Bradbery
** Airplay Gainer ** No.35 “Your Side Of The Bed”  Little Big Town
Debut No.36 “Seven Bridges Road”  The Swon Brothers
Debut No.42 “Chillin’ It”  Cole Swindell
Debut No.46 “Done.” Holly Tucker


Billboard Country Airplay Chart Week of June 8, 2013

Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift achieve their 26th and seventh Billboard Country Airplay No.1s, respectively, as “Highway Don’t Care”  (Big Machine) steps 2-1. It moves with the biggest weekly audience sum since the Nielsen BDS-driven chart switched to audience-based rankings in January 2005, surpassing the 40.7 million set by Florida Georgia Line’s “Get Your Shine On”  Republic Nashville­ three weeks ago.
Taylor, Tim & Keith performing
at the CMA Festival June 2013

For McGraw, “Highway” follows “One of Those Nights,” which led for three weeks in March, marking his first set of two No.1s since he scored four straight in 2003-’4. It also ties him for the most No.1s with Alan Jackson and George Strait since Country Airplay launched the week of Jan.20, 1990.
“Highway” is Taylor’s first Country Airplay chart-topper since “Ours” crowned the chart dated March 31, 2012. “Highway” reached a 41.287 million audience (+1.718); receiving 6,459 plays (+288) the top local audience contributors for during the May 27-June 2 BDS tracking week are led by 1.3 million impressions at WUSN Chicago, followed by KKGO Los Angeles (1 million), WNSH New York (775,000), KMNB Minneapolis  (751,000), and KEEY Minneapolis (722,000).
 Among No.1 singles by male artists with a featured woman, the McGraw/Swift paring is the first since David Nail’s “Let It Rain”  featuring Sarah Buxton­ topped the Jan.1, 2012, Country Airplay chart. Coincidentally, Nail earns the Hot Shot Debut this week at No.51 with “Whatever She’s Got”  (MCA Nashville) which gaining 213 spins a weekly increase of 122.

The most recent instance of a male/female duet with equal artist billing atop the chart is “Remind Me,” a duet by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, which led the tally dated Sept.10, 2011. Following its No.1 debut on Country Digital Songs in February, “Highway Don’t Care” has sold more than 1.1 million downloads, holding its No.4 slot on the Country Digital Chart.

Taylor Swift re-created the magic of Tim's current single, during Night 1 of the CMA Music Festival at LP Field in Nashville. Taylor, acting particularly coy and playful last night, sang a few lines from her breakout hit “Tim McGraw” before teasing her line—I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby— from “Highway” firstly welcoming Tim to the stage and then the energy went up yet another notch when it came time for the song's solo and Keith Urban materialized from stage right, guitar in hand. It was a magical, and a distinctly CMA Fest, moment and naturally the fans went bananas. Country Weekly

With the fewest weeks of any top 10 title on Country Airplay, Luke Bryan’sCrash My Party” (Capitol Nashville) rises 9-6 in its eighth chart week, adding the Most Increased Audience nod after reaching a 31.683 million audience (+4.089) and receiving 4,894 plays (+560) . The biggest spike and supporter was KKGO, where “Party” gains 286,000 impressions (57 total plays).
Chris Young earned the weeks Most Added trophy with “Aw Naw” (RCA Nashville), which collects 20 new radio airplay commitments (ADDS) at Country Airplay stations and rises 38-36.

Country Airplay

*** No. 1 (1 week)*** "Highway Don't Care" Tim McGraw With Taylor Swift
** Most Increased Audience **  No. 6 "Crash My Party" Luke Bryan
** Most Added ** No.36 “Aw Naw” Chris Young  
** Hot Shot Debut ** No. 51 "Whatever She's Got" David Nail
Debut No. 53 "Wild In Your Smile" Dustin Lynch
Debut No. 56 "Bourbon In Kentucky" Dierks Bentley featuring Kacey Musgraves
Debut No. 57 "Someone Somewhere Tonight" Kellie Pickler
Debut No. 58 "There's The Sun" Kix Brooks


Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart Week of June 15, 2013

Holding firm atop the Country Digital chart for a 15th cumulative week is Florida Georgia Line with “Cruise” which sold 195,813 copies (down 1%). Of that number 125,940 units is attributed to the remix with Nelly with whom they performed the song at the CMT Awards this week which should give it even more sales momentum!
The Top six places remained the same with Blake Shelton’sBoys ‘Round Here” staying at No. 2 which sold 147,273 downloads, an increase of 36% on the previous week and nears Platinum status.
Luke Bryan’sCrash My Party” (Captitol Nashville) at No.5 sold 71,435 which was a 15% sales spike and has sold 625,327 units in 9 weeks.

The Band Perry round out the Top 10 as their latest hit “DONE.” moved 12-10 selling another 42,898 copies (up 18%) to reach a new tally 499,464 which is just 526 units short of scanning GOLD at retail.

Danielle Bradbery makes a Top 10 debut once more, entering at No.7 (51,617 copies sold) with a Republic single release from her performances on NBC’s “The Voice,” this time she covered The Judds 80s classic, “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout The Good Ole Days”).

The Swon Brothers another of Blake Shelton’s #TeamBlake “The Voice” artists were the other new entry at No.26 with their take on The Eagles “Seven Bridges Road.”

The original compositions of  “Grandpa” and “Seven Bridges” saw sales spikes of  815% and 604% thanks to the shows renewed introductions.

Another beneficiary thanks to a performance on “The Voice,” was Sheryl Crow with “Easy” (Warner Bros/ WMN) which jumped up from No.52 to No.29. The sales of 19,591 were up 102% to reach a new tally of 83,805 since its March 12th release.

Just outside the Top 50 Vince Gill’sThreaten Me With Heaven” sold 9,100 units compared to 21 downloads two weeks previous! Vince performed it on the “Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert,” hosted by Blake Shelton and NBC for the Oklahoma May Tornadoes Relief Fund.
Miranda Lambert with “The House That Built Me,” at No.58 doubled her single’s sales after her emotional performance on the Telethon.

Chris Young’sAw Naw” fell 19-36 in his second week selling 12,707 copies, down 53% despite winning the “Most Added” cup on the Billboard Country Airplay monitoring.

Top 30 Digital Singles in Country Music (June 5, 2013)

 (LW) Last Week  (TW) This Week 

*Numbers are rounded to nearest 1000th

 
 
Billboard Boxscores (Selective Country concerts)

Rank Artist: #2
Event Venue City/State:
Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Eli Young Band, Kacey Musgraves Miller Park Milwaukee, Wis.
Dates: May 18, 2013   Gross Sales: $4,306,664    Attend: 43,314 / 43,314
Capacity Shows: 1/1    Sellouts Prices:  $242, $147, $122, $52
Promoters: The Messina Group/AEG Live/Milwaukee Brewers

Rank Artist: #4
Event Venue City/State:
Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Joel Crouse Jobing.com Arena Glendale, Ariz.
Dates:  May 28-29, 2013   Gross Sales: $2,239,370  Attend: 26,705 / 26,705
Capacity Shows: 2/2          Sellouts Prices:  $84.50, $69.50, $29.50  
Promoters: The Messina Group/AEG Live

Rank Artist: #12
Event Venue City/State:
Brad Paisley, Chris Young, Lee Brice, The Henningsens Molson Canadian Amphitheatre Toronto, Ontario
Dates: May 31, 2013    Gross Sales:  $891,041    Attend: 16,504 / 16,504
Capacity Shows: 1/1    Sellouts Prices: $76.40, $28.05          
Promoters: Live Nation

Rank Artist: #22
Event Venue City/State:
Jason Aldean, Jake Owen, Thomas Rhett, DeeJay Silver Bi-Lo Center Greenville, S.C.
Dates: May 16, 2013   Gross Sales:  $534,566    Attend: 10,409 / 10,409
Capacity Shows: 1/1    Sellouts Prices: $54.75, $28.75
Promoters: Live Nation

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