Country Billboard Chart News December 12, 2013

Country Billboard Chart News December 12, 2013

RIAA Certifications

Platinum = Sales of over 1-million units

Gold =  Sales of over 500,000 units

Cassadee Pope – Single: "Wasting All These Tears" (Gold)

Check out Cassadee's first RIAA Gold single with Republic Nashville & Jewel Box - Graphic

In Brief:  Billboard Country Charts

Country Album Chart ** No. 1 (2 weeks) ** Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences Garth Brooks

Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (2 weeks) **  “Stay”  Florida Georgia Line

Country Airplay **  No.1 (1 week) **  “Carolina”  Parmalee

Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (1 week) ** “Drink A Beer”  Luke Bryan

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News

Garth Brooks earned his ninth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 (BB200) this week, as his new boxed set, "Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences," jumped 3-1 in its second week and holds the top spot of the Billboard Country Chart for a second week.

The sizeable package (which contains six CDs and two DVDs) is exclusively sold through Walmart, and moved 146,267 copies in the week ending Dec. 8, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It is a six CD, 2 DVD collection consisting of four new albums of cover tracks and then, on top of that, the Ultimate Hits collection thrown in.

Last week ago, it entered at No. 3 with 163,604 units sold from fewer than four days of sales but was released to coincide with Thanksgiving Day at sale-priced for $24.96.

Brooks is tied for the most No. 1 albums with the Rolling Stones and Barbra Streisand, with nine each. Ahead of them on the all-time most-No. 1s list are Elvis Presley and Bruce Springsteen (both with 10 No. 1s), Jay Z (13) and the Beatles (19).

"Blame It All on My Roots" is Brooks' second boxed set to reach No.1, following the six-CD collection "The Limited Series" in 1998.

"Blame" is also the first No. 1 album to contain more than two discs since 2003, when Led Zeppelin's three-CD live set "How the West Was Won" debuted atop the list.  Garth displaced last week's No. 1 from UK boy band One Direction titled "Midnight Memories," falls to No. 2 with 117,068 (down 79% in its second week; 2 week total 664,358).

Fans would surely jump at the chance for all-new music from Garth - "Right now there are a lot of hurdles to climb, one of which is digital," he explains. "I'll never have a digital partner in iTunes as long as they keep the same rules they have now. I respect them; they're friends of mine. But if they're not going to change their ways, I'm not going to change mine. So, since we don't see eye to eye on that, we have to figure out how we get new music to the people. If you can't get it out there and have the songwriters who are creating it taken care of, then why are you creating?"

Kelly Clarkson's "Wrapped In Red" returns to its debut and peak, as it climbs 6-3 on BB200 with 111,964 units (though it's down 15%). It's the first of five Christmas albums in the top 10 this week. Worldwide sales have now reached 501,000

Coming in at No. 4 is the only debut in the top 10: Britney Spears' "Britney Jean", her eighth studio album The diva collects her ninth top 10 set with the arrival, as the album bows with 106,865 copies. "Britney Jean" logs Spears' lowest sales debut for a studio set. Previously, her 1999 debut album, ". . . Baby One More Time," tallied her smallest start: 121,000. Last week her sister Jamie Lynn Spears debuted a great new country single called “How Could I Want More”.

Following Britney on this week's Billboard 200 is the Robertson’s' "Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas," slipping one slot to No. 5 with 105,000 (down 23%) and held at No.2 on the Country Chart.

Jake Owen notched his fourth straight top five start on Top Country Albums, as DAYS OF GOLD (RCA Nashville/Sony Music Nashville), his fourth full-length studio album, starts at No.15 on the BB200 (No.4 Country) with 39,428 copies sold.

That’s the Florida native’s second-biggest weekly sum, surpassed only by BAREFOOT BLUE JEAN NIGHT, which opened at the summit with 55,000 back on the Sept. 11, 2011, chart. That set is Owen’s lone No.1 on Top Country Albums.

He arrived at No. 8 with his debut set, Startin’ With Me (2006), and logged No. 2 starts with Easy Does It (2009) and his Endless Summer EP last year.

Promoting the album Jake made coast-to-coast national TV appearances. On Dec 2nd he appeared on ABC’s CMA Country Christmas special performing one of his all-time favourite holiday classics, “Mele Kalikimaka.” The Vero Beach native then travelled to NYC for appearances on VH1’s Big Morning Buzz (Dec 3) and ABC’s Good Morning America (Dec 4). Jake rounded out the week on the west coast with a performance of his fastest rising single to date, “Days of Gold,” on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live (12/5). The next stop was Sin City where Jake will performed on FOX’s American Country Awards (Dec 10).

Critical reception for “Days Of Gold” –  12 Tracks/ Time: 40:45

CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com 

Video for “Days of Gold”which premiered across VEVO, CMT and GAC

Roughstock: With Days Of Gold Jake Owen finds himself in a position that he’s never quite been in before. All of this is because he’s moved from promising rising star to headlining star with a string of #1 hits from previous album Barefoot Blue Jean Night.... The title track is the lead single to the project and it showcases an artist who is more willing to record songs which he relates to first, more than just finding songs that repeat the production, lyrics and melodies of Barefoot Blue Jean Night’s hits. ..."Ghost Town,” a song which has a gorgeous melody to it but also allows Owen to carry the song (which is about a guy who can’t shake the memory of a lost love)....Like any album released in 2013, there needs to be somewhat of an ‘endless party’ song or two on the album and “Beachin’,” “Good Timing,” “Tall Glass of

Jake and his lovely wife
Lacey Buchanan at the ACA 2013
Awards Dec 10, 2013

Something” and “Sure Feels Right’” color the album with these kinds of song (just like the title track does) and they also give Owen something else to be proud of as they don’t all sound the same or tired.... Where Days of Gold breaks out from the pack is the fantastic future hit “1972,” the kind of party song artists should be looking for as it finds Owen wanting to hang out with a girl he likes by listening to some of his father’s old vinyl records. Another standout track on Days Of Gold is “Life Of The Party,” a song that’s pulls a bait and switch with the title and instead of being about a feel-good, partying dude it’s about a dude putting a ‘face on’ as a ‘cover’ for how he really feels about the raw emotions of losing the girl in his life. ...As strong as these songs are, there’s one clear track that rises above everything else from the prospective of award-level songwriting and storytelling. That song is “What We Ain’t Got.” It’s the kind of song that used to be stock-and-trade for radio in between the Country come-on’s, pick up trucks and dixie cups but rarely is heard outside of SiriusXM these days....Days Of Gold  showcases quite a bit of artistic growth for Jake Owen and an ear for songs which suit him perhaps better than anyone else (even if they feel like something that could be recorded by others in Nashville). That makes the album a great listen from start to finish.

Country Weekly (Rating: A-) It’s always nice when an artist grows from project to project, but it can be a surprisingly fine line between a natural evolution and an abrupt change. Jake Owen seems to have masterfully managed the former with his newest album, Days of Gold. Jake doesn’t veer too far left of center as far as the lyrical content of the songs on the album. Themes of summertime fun, romance and adult beverages are as prevalent as they were on his previous release, Barefoot Blue Jean Night. But vocally, Jake has come into his own. Effortless and easy, his sound alone has become as comfortable as the voice of an old friend.

Allmusic Guide (Rating: 3.5 STARS)..he's much more relaxed on its 2013 sequel, Days of Gold. He's happy to relax in the sun -- or, as he puts it in the corny lead single, to be "Beachin'" , whether that means getting sleepily "Tipsy" or proclaiming that his love "Sure Feels Right," and the heavily buffered veneer has warmed just enough to let some of those bright rays inside. There's no mistaking Days of Gold for anything earthy, but this sonic thawing winds up emphasizing Owen's inherent sweetness in an appealing fashion. He may sing about beer and pump out nostalgic fantasies like "1972", a classic rock ode composed wholesale from newly minted retro T-shirts, but he never seems like a swaggering, macho dude. When he sings of a broken heart -- as he does on "Life of the Party," a clever spin on his previous hit "The One That Got Away", the melancholy sits on the surface, but what keeps Days of Gold shining is Owen's nice, easy touch. This is a low-key summertime party where everybody is invited and the celebrations last just until sundown.

Of Note: At #17 on the Billboard 200 saw the Soundtrack, The Sound Of Music debut with sales of 37,601. Carrie Underwood is featured on the soundtrack to NBC's live production of The Sound of Music, which dropped December 3.  She plays Maria Von Trapp in the TV broadcast, which aired from December 5. The full cast, including True Blood's Stephen Moyer as Captain Von Trapp, joins Carrie singing classic songs from the musical like "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain."

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Placings

(Issue dated Chart week of December 21, 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 December 21, 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, (tracked by Nielsen BDS from such services as Spotify, Muve, Slacker, Rhapsody, Rdio and Xbox Music, among others) according to BDS it results in:

Florida Georgia Line claimed a second week at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs with “Stay” (Republic Nashville)

Top 25 Hot Country Songs:

Florida Georgia Line with “Stay” remains Top The Chart p

Luke Bryan with “Drink A Beer” is up five, #7 - #2 p

Eli Young Band with “Drunk Last Night” is up two, #5 - #3 p

Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert with former No.1, is down, #2- #4 q  

Parmalee with “Carolina” is up one slot, #6 - #5

David Nail with “Whatever She’s Got” is up three, #9 - #6 p

Joe Nichols with “Sunny And 75” is down three, #4 - #7  q

Luke Bryan with former #1 “That’s My Kind Of Night” falls, #3 - #8 q

Cassadee Pope with “Wasting All These Tears” is up two, #11 -9 p

Taylor Swift with “Red” is down two, #8 - #10 q

Cole Swindell with “Chillin’ It” moves up one notch, #12 - #11 p

Zac Brown Band with “Sweet Annie” is up one, #13 - #12 p

Eric Paslay with “Friday Night” jumps up four, #17 - #13 p

Blake Shelton with “Mine Would Be You” falls four, #10 - #14 q

The Band Perry with “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” is down one, #14 - #15 q

Darius Rucker with “Radio” stays at #16

Jason Aldean with “When She Says Baby” jumps up seven, #24 - #17 p

John Pardi with “Up All Night” advances, #23 - #18 p

Lady Antebellum with “Compass” drops four slots, #15 - #19 q

Hunter Hayes featuring Jason Mraz with “Everybody's Got Somebody But Me”, stays at #20

Tim McGraw with “Southern Girl” descends, #19 - #21 q

Frankie Ballard with “Helluva Life” moves up four, #26 - #22 p

Eric Church with “The Outsiders" is down one, #22 - #23 q

Scotty McCreery with “See You Tonight” is up three, #27 - #24 p

Dierks Bentley with “Hold On” ascends, #28 - #25 p

Hot Country Songs

** No.1 (2 weeks) **  “Stay” Florida Georgia Line

** Airplay Gainer ** No.17 “When She Says Baby” Jason Aldean

** Digital Gainer ** No.18 “Up All Night” Jon Pardi

** Streaming Gainer ** No.29 “Days Of Gold” Jake Owen

** Hot Shot Debut ** No.44  “The South” The Cadillac Three feat. Florida Georgia Line..

Debut No.45 “Silent Night” Kelly Clarkson feat Reba McEntire & Trisha Yearwood

Billboard Country Airplay Chart Week of December 21, 2013

Parmalee achieved its first leader with “Carolina” (Stoney Creek), which jumped 3-1 in its 44th chart week. It marked the third-longest No.1 trek since the Country Airplay chart launched nearly 24 years ago.

This chart week it logged 41.724 million audience impressions (+1.557) and received 6,619 radio plays (+267);   

The song written by Matt Thomas, Joshua McSwain, Scott Thomas, Rick Beato and Barry Knox was first released back on February 4, 2013. It was first released on their 2008 EP entitled Complicated before being remixed and re-released this year as their second single for Stoney Creek Records. It is included on their album FEELS LIKE CAROLINA, which dropped on December 10, 2013.

The new chart-topper takes its place behind Chris Young’s twice-released “Voices” (51 weeks) and David Nail’s “Let It Rain” (49 weeks) among the slowest climbs to the summit. Among duos/groups in the chart’s history, Parmalee’s gradual climb is the longest, surpassing 39 weeks for Love and Theft’s “Angel Eyes,” which topped the Aug.25, 2012, tally. Top local audience

contributors for “Carolina” during the Nielsen BDS tracking week: KPLX Dallas (997,000 impressions), WYCD Detroit (927,000) , WNSH New York (854,000), WUSN Chicago (765,000) and WKLB Boston (722,000).

Parmalee—which includes brothers Matt and Scott Thomas, their cousin Barry Knox and childhood friend Josh McSwain—is the fourth act to achieve its first No.1 this year, preceded by Thomas Rhett (“It Goes Like This,” three weeks at No.1 in October/November), Brett Eldredge (“Don’t Ya,” two weeks at No.1 in August) and Randy Houser (“How Country Feels,” one week at No.1 in February).

Another rookie contender on the current chart, is at No.10, where “Friday Night” (EMI Nashville) became Eric Paslay’s first top 10 (11-10) in its 33rd chart week.

Jason Aldean with “When She Says Baby” took the week’s Most Increased Audience/Airpower trophy logging 18.155 million audience impressions, a gain of 3.450 million, and reached 3,042 radio plays (+611).   

“Most Added” stripes went to “Drink To That All Night” by Jerrod Niemann which recorded 1,661 radio plays (+238) thanks to the 24 fresh radio commitments (ADDS)

Country Airplay

*** No. 1 (1 week)*** "Carolina" Parmalee

** Most Increased Audience/Airpower ** No.18  “When She Says Baby” Jason Aldean 

 ** Most Added ** No.29 “Drink To That All Night” Jerrod Niemann 1,661 radio plays (+238)  

** Hot Shot Debut **  No.58" “The Cadillac Three feat. Florida Georgia Line

Debut No.60 “How Could I Want More” Jamie Lynn Spears 

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart Week of December 21, 2013

Luke Bryan with “Drink A Beer” lands the No.1 slot with a 4-1 move with his previous hit “That’s My Kind Of Night” is at No.4 (2-4).

Florida Georgia Line’s “Stay” at 2 is now officially Gold-eligible having past 500,000 downloads (506K total)

Jason Aldean made a 18 place leap up the chart to No.10 (sales up 63%) with his latest radio single “When She Says Baby”

Tracks Falling out of the Top 30:

Jamie Lynn Spears (“How Could I Want More”), Cole Vosbury (“I Still Believe In You”), Florida Georgia Line (“Take It Out On Me”, “Hands On You”, “Headphones”,  “People Back Home”,  “Round Here”), Jake Owen “What We Ain’t Got” and  Kip Moore “Young Love”

Top 30 Digital Singles in Country Music (published December 11, 2013)

 (LW) Last Week  (TW) This Week

*Numbers are rounded to nearest 1000^th

Country Aircheck/ Mediabase chart

Parmalee with “Carolina” also bagged the week’s Country Aircheck/ Mediabase No.1 with a 3-1 hop for the tracking week Dec 1 – Dec 7.  It logged 6,738 radio plays (+206) with an audience of 52.871 million impressions.

Congratulations to Broken Bow Records Music Group SVP/Promotion Carson James, Stoney Creek Vp/Promotion Chris Loss and Dir./National Promotions Heather Propper.

This was PARMALEE’s first-ever chart-topper and came on the eve of the Dec 12th street date for its FEELS LIKE CAROLINA album release, the group’s first effort for Stoney Creek.

“This is just amazing…we’re ecstatic! This is definitely the highlight of our career!” said Matt Thomas, lead singer of Parmalee. “We could never have imagined this working out like it has.  We’re so thankful for our devoted fans, our team and country radio for supporting us all the way to the top of the charts!”   The Parmalee band members celebrated with an appearance on the fourth annual American Country Awards.

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly Issue 375 - December 9, 2013 [PDF File]