Country
Billboard Chart News March 14, 2016
In
Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of March 26, 2016)
Country Album
Chart ** No.1 (2 non-consecutive weeks) HYMNS Joey + Rory
Hot Country
Songs ** No.1 (1 week) ** “You Should Be Here”
Cole Swindell
Country Airplay
** No.1 (1 week) ** "Heartbeat” Carrie Underwood
Country Digital
Songs ** No.1 (1 week) ** “Came Here To Forget” Blake Shelton
The
Billboard 200 chart measures multi-metric album consumption, which includes
traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent
albums (SEA).
Kendrick Lamar’s surprise Untitled UNMASTERED album made a debut at No.1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart (BB200), earning 178,000 equivalent
album units in the week ending March 10, according to Nielsen Music. Of that
sum, 142,081 were in pure album
sales.
The
set was released without advance notice on March 4 and gives Lamar his second
chart-topping set in less than a year, following To Pimp a Butterfly. The
latter (his first No. 1) was released on March 16, 2015, and bowed atop the
list with 363,000 equivalent album units in its first week, of which 324,000
were in pure album sales.
Joey + Rory’s HYMNS climbed 10-6 on
the BB200 with 45,000 units (up 35%) and 44,083
copies sold (up 36%; 4-week total 182,000), following the death of the
duo’s Joey Feek on March 4 of cancer.
Joey+Rory with HYMNS returned to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart (stepping 2-1) and notched its
fourth straight week at No.1 on the Top Christian Albums chart selling another 44,083 copies to log 182,000 sales
after the 4 chart weeks.
Chris Stapleton with TRAVELLER held at No.7 on the BB200 (39,000 units; down 9%) with
pure sales of 31,098 it fell 1-2
country. It was has now scanned Platinum at retail with a 45-week total of 1,022,800 sales.
SMITH, LYNN
LAUNCH
Granger
Smith with REMINGTON (Wheelhouse/Broken Bow Music
Group) made a debut at No.12 on Billboard 200 (28,629 units) and arrived at No.3
(a career-high) on Top Country Albums selling 23,967 copies.
Released on March 4, 2016 via Wheelhouse Records the lead single,
"Backroad Song", was released independently to radio on March 24,
2015. It was then re-released to radio on October 5, 2015 after Smith's signing
with the label. It reached #1 on
Billboard Country Airplay on the chart dated February 27, 2016.
“I’ve always thought of my albums
as diaries of my life: Some songs are easy and lighthearted, while others are
painful and personal,” said Smith.
“During this time, we welcomed the birth of my little boy, and we lost my dad.
My life was such a roller coaster during my time writing and recording
Remington, and you can hear that journey in these songs.”
Texas
born-and-bred singer/songwriter, Smith
made his bow at No.15 Country (No.48 BB200) with his last album (ninth studio album) DIRT ROAD DRIVEWAY which sold 9,745 copies (Chart week of
May 4, 2013). It impressively debuted at #1 on the iTunes Country chart. The album
featured the Top Five Texas hit, “We Do It In A Field” as well as summer
anthem, “Silverado Bench Seat.”
Granger’s
passion in support of US troops took him on multiple tours in the Middle East,
as well as lead to his founding of the annual 100-Mile Walk.
Critical
reception for Granger Smith’s Remington:
Roughstock (Rating: Positive) ...Over
the past five years, Granger's career in Texas and the Southwest has taken off
to where he's able to sell out venues. With the release of this record,
Remington, Granger has hit the mainstream and I can easily say it's a
continuation of the work he has done over the years....The title track is a
strong, unique route to a love song comparing Granger's personality and
qualities to that of the iconic rifle from the gun manufacturer. ..."If
The Boot Fits" certainly sounds like a hit...It'd be easy to write off
Granger's Earl Dibbles Jr material as but a bit of musical comedy and while
that element is there, the songs like "Country Boy Love," "City
Boy Stuck" and "'Merica" are just as strong as the other dozen
songs on the album....#YeeYee
Loretta
Lynn with FULL CIRCLE
(Legacy) arrived at a career-best #19 on the Billboard 200 (20,900 units) and earned
her landmark 40th Top Country Albums top 10 with a debut at No.4 selling
20,257 copies. The rank surpasses the No.24 BB200 start and peak of her
Jack White-produced 2004 album VAN LEAR ROSE (37,000 in its first week, still
her best sales frame in the nearly 25-year Nielsen Music era).
In December 2015, Lynn was bestowed Legend honors at Billboard’s Women in
Music celebration. “I look back and see the artists I’d met when I’d first come
to Nashville, and they haven’t been on the road in 30 years,” she mused. “I’m still hitting that road and doing as
much as I always did. I never drank, I never smoked. I always took care of
myself like that. I’ve been singing for a long time. And I haven’t quit.”
Full Circle is the first new studio album in over ten years from American
music icon Lynn. Produced by Patsy Lynn Russell and John Carter Cash, and
recorded at the Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Full Circle
takes listeners on a journey through Loretta's musical story, from the
Appalachian folk songs and gospel music she learned as a child, to new
interpretations of her classic hits and country standards, to songs
newly-written for the project. Drawing inspiration from personal memories and
deep connections to American music, Lynn's 13 new recordings capture the
essence of these songs in intimate new performances. The album is volume one of
the Cash Cabin recordings, a series of new album projects imagined and created
at the storied Cash Cabin Studio.
Loretta Lynn was featured in a PBS documentary, "Loretta Lynn:
Still A Mountain Girl," which released Friday, March 4th to coincide with
the album release.
Critical
reception for Loretta Lynn’s Full Circle:
14 Tracks/ Time: 38:48 (Country
Music People March 2016; 4 Stars) Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Allmusic (Rating: 4 STARS) ..Full Circle is no accidental title for this, Loretta Lynn's first album
after a 12-year break. Released as Lynn approaches her 83rd birthday, Full
Circle not only deliberately returns the country legend to her Kentucky roots,
it's constructed as a summation of her life. It opens with the first song she
ever wrote -- a lovelorn waltz called "Whispering Sea" -- and runs
through old folk tunes she sang as a child, revisits hits she had in her prime,
and adds new tunes to her repertoire....... As produced by her daughter and
family friend, Lynn is in good, trusting hands who wish to present her at her
best and, more or less, that's precisely what Full Circle offers.
American
Songwriter (Rating: 4.1/2 STARS) ..Only an
icon as staunchly indifferent to commercial concerns as Loretta Lynn would
release arguably her finest and surely most genre-breaking work … then wait
more than a decade to follow it up. Jack White’s
As both a
comeback and perhaps a farewell to recording, with Full Circle Lynn continues
with the style, talent and class that have personified her lengthy, legendary
career.
For
The Country Record (Rating: Very Positive) It has been 12 years since we’ve had new music from Miss Loretta, but I
can honestly say the wait was worth it. At 83 years old, Loretta proves that
she’s still very much in her prime and still very capable of producing
top-notch work....Willie Nelson joins Miss Loretta on the closing track, “Lay
Me Down”. I honestly don’t think I’ve heard such a satisfying conclusion to an
album before, it certainly doesn’t get any better than two country music
legends joining forces on a beautiful ballad.....Full Circle is an excellent
album, one that is an absolute must buy! I can guarantee you that you don’t
want to miss out on this album. Loretta shows all the newbies how country is
really done. The legend also proves that she’s still got it after all these
years, and thankfully, shows no signs of stopping. Do yourself a favor, go get
this record!
Year-To-Date
Albums
4,322,000 (Physical sales 2,814,000
(down 9%) + Digital sales 1,507,000 (down -16.0%)) which is 9.0% down at the same point in 2015 (4,749,000
sales)
Year-To-Date
Digital Tracks
17,618,000 down 22.3% at the same point in 2015 (22,661,000)
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:
Cole
Swindell with his ode to his late father, William, “You Should Be Here” (Warner
Bros./Warner Music Nashville), climbed 2-1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart
(dated March 26).
It’s his second leader, following his 2014 debut single,
“Chillin’ It,” which led for two weeks. “Here,” penned by Swindell and Ashley
Gorley, dethrones Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” (Valory) (1-2) after 17
weeks on top, the third-longest reign in the chart’s history.
“To be sitting at
the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart makes me so proud,” said
Swindell. “I know my dad is smiling down
on me.”
“Here” made 4-3 hop on Country Airplay, increasing by 8% to 39.4 million in audience,
according to Nielsen Music; held at No.4 on Country Streaming Songs (2.1 million
U.S. streams, up 4%); and dipped 2-5 on Country Digital Songs (30,000 sold,
down 4%).
Swindell’s new leader is the title track from his
sophomore studio album, due May 6.
Tim
McGraw notched his 52nd Hot Country Songs top 10, as “Humble and Kind” (McGraw/Big Machine) climbed 12-8. The track
bulleted at No. 4 on Country Digital Songs (33,000, up 9%).
Hot County
Songs
** No.1 (1
week) ** “You Should Be Here” Cole
Swindell
** Hot Shot
Debut ** No.6 “Came Here To Forget” Blake
Shelton
** Airplay
Gainer ** No.8 “Humble And Kind” Tim
McGraw
** Digital Gainer
** No.10 “Somewhere On A Beach” Dierks
Bentley
Debut
No.18 “American Country Love Song” Jake
Owen
** Streaming
Gainer ** No.19 “T-Shirt” Thomas Rhett
Debut
No.41 “Grandma’s Garden” Zac Brown
THE SONG TO ‘BEAT’: Carrie Underwood scored her first No.1 on Billboard Country
Airplay in nearly three and-a-half years, as “Heartbeat” (19/Arista
Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) ascends 2-1 (45.6 million, up 1%).
The song is
her 14th Country Airplay No.1, widening her lead for the most among women. Reba
McEntire ranks second with 11.
From a tour stop in Dublin, where she was headlining the Country to
Country Tour, Underwood told Billboard, “It’s
always exciting to share my music and stories, but it’s extra special when a
song I co-wrote seems to connect so wonderfully with radio and my incredible
fans.”
The ballad marked Underwood’s first No. 1 since “Blown Away” in 2012. In
between (spanning her longest gap between leaders), she peaked at No.2 with
four singles and added two other top 10s. What helped “Heartbeat” return
Underwood to the summit? “Lyrically, it’s a real country song,” says Cumulus vp
programming Charlie Cook. “When it comes
on the radio, it’s one that I’m truly comfortable hearing. I believe that the
format is taking a slight turn, and ‘Heartbeat’ fits that direction.”
‘SNAP’ CHAT: Also on Country Airplay,
Old Dominion notched
its second top 10, following the
two-week No.1 debut “Break Up With Him,” as “Snapback” (RCA Nashville) pushed 11-9.
It was up 11% to 28.6 million impressions.
Country
Airplay
***
No. 1 (1 week) *** "Heartbeat” Carrie
Underwood 45.526 million audience (+0.394 million) / 8,197 radio plays (+198)
** Hot
Shot Debut/ Most Increased Audience/ Most Added ** No.18 “Came Here To Forget” Blake Shelton 16.299 million audience
gain and 101 fresh radio commitments (ADDS)
Debut
No.33 “Huntin’, Fishin’ & Lovin’ Every Day Luke Bryan
Debut
No.43 “Song Number 7” Randy Houser
Debut
No.55 “Rock On” Tucker Beathard
BLAKE’S BEST BOW:
Blake
Shelton with “Came Here to Forget” (Warner Bros./
WMN) bounded in atop Country Digital Songs with 53,438 copies sold in
its first week and became his fourth No.1 (and third No.1 debut). It
also landed at #12 on allgenrs Digital Songs
The lead single from his 12th studio album, due May 20, also began at No.
6 on Hot Country Songs and arrived as both his highest debut and 25th top 10.
On Country Airplay, “Forget” launched at No.18 (16.3 million), tying 2014’s
eventual No.1 “Neon Light” for his highest entrance.
Maren
Morris with "My Church" (Columbia
Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) slipped
1-2 (up #18-17 Digital Songs; 36,352 sales; down 1%; 9-week total 252,941)
Jake
Owen with "American Country Love Song" made
a debut at #3 with sales of 35,400 (#18 Digital Songs) a strong start for the single
from his own forthcoming album project.
Tim
McGraw with poignant song “Humble And Kind” fell 3-4
(32,583 sales; up 9%; 8-week total 185,543)
Cole
Swindell with “You Should Be Here” fell 2-5 (30,094 sales; down 4%; #22-25
Digital Songs; 13-week total 374,406)
Dierks
Bentley with “Somewhere On A Beach" held at #6 (28,311
sales; up 17%; 32-26 Digital Songs; 8-week total 158,914)
Thomas
Rhett with "Die A Happy Man" fell 4-7 (26,328 sales; down 6%;
26-29 Digital Songs; 25-week total 1,235,350).
Brett
Eldredge with “Drunk On Your Love” fell 5-8 (24,484 sales; down 1%; 31-32 Digital
Songs; 14-week total 265,733)
Granger
Smith with "Backroad Song" jumped 23-11 (19,499
sales; up 80%; 99-41 Digital Songs; 14-week total 276,949) thanks to the
release of his new set Remington.
Joey+Rory with “When
I'm Gone” made a re-entry at #22 with 12,000 copies sold (112,000 Total) after
Joey Martin Feek's passing the previous week.
Country Aircheck MEDIABASE
Chart
14
March 2016
Congrats
to Carrie Underwood, Steve Hodges, Josh Easler and the Arista promo staff, as well as former team members Lesly Simon and
Andy Elliott, on the week’s ascension of “Heartbeat.”
The song is the second chart-topper from her current album STORYTELLER, joining
“Smoke Break.”
The
song logged 8,545 radio spins (+262)
and 62.63 million audience impressions
(+1.578) with 27726 Total Points
from 157 tracking stations for the tracking week March 6 to March 12, 2016 and
published chart March 14th 2016.
Kudos
to Kristen Williams and the WMN crew
on notching 131 adds for Blake Shelton’s “Came Here To Forget,” topping the week’s "Most Added" board.
"Came
Here To Forget" is the highest one-week add total since Carrie Underwood broke
the record with 145 one-week adds with "Smoke Break" on August 25,
2015. Previously, the record was held by Florida Georgia Line with 127 one-week
adds for "Dirt" in 2014. It is also Shelton's first single off his
forthcoming album, "If I'm Honest," set to release on Fri, May 20th.
Billboard Boxscores (Selective Country
concerts)
Rank
Artist: #19 Event Venue City/State: C2C
Country To Country: Carrie Underwood, Eric
Church, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett & others Clyde
Auditorium, Glasgow, U.K.
Dates:
March 11-13, 2016 Gross Sales: $742,990 Attend: 5,842/ 5,985
Capacity
Shows: 3/0 Prices: 298.69, $106.68
Promoters:
DF Concerts
Rank
Artist: #20 Event Venue City/State: The X Factor Live Manchester
Arena Manchester, U.K
Dates:
March 12, 2016 Gross Sales: $715,174 Attend: 13,200/ 17,945
Capacity
Shows: 2/0 Prices: $141.65, $27.90
Promoters:
SJM Concerts
Rank
Artist: #49 Event Venue City/State: The Corrs, The Shires SSE Hydro Glasgow, U.K.
Dates:
Jan. 26, 2016 Gross Sales: $320,367 Attend: 4,561/ 4,954
Capacity
Shows: 1/0 Prices: $121.27, $42.09
Promoters:
Live Nation
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