Country Billboard Chart News July 11, 2016

Country Billboard Chart News July 11, 2016

RIAA Certifications

Multi-Platinum = 2,000,000 plus units

Platinum = 1-million units

Gold = 500,000 units

Note: For ALBUM certifications the RIAA base their figures on the number of units SHIPPED together with, track sales and on demand audio/ video stream units and NOT based purely on traditional retail sales.

1,500 on-demand audio and/or video song streams = 10 track sales = 1 album sale.

150 on-demand streams = 1 track download

RIAA GOLD Album honour went to:

Chase Rice for IGNITE THE NIGHT (released August 19, 2014; Dack Janiels Records / Columbia Nashville)

In Brief: 

Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of July 23, 2016)

Country Album Chart ** No.1 (3 weeks non-consecutive) IF I’M HONEST Blake Shelton

Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (10 weeks) ** H.O.L.Y.  Florida Georgia Line

Country Airplay ** No.1 (1 week) ** "Lights Come On” Jason Aldean

Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (10 weeks) ** H.O.L.Y.  Florida Georgia Line “

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News (Chart issue week of July 23, 2016)

The Billboard 200 chart measures multi-metric album consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

Rock band scores its second No. 1 album; and first in 15 years; with "California."

After nine weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart albums chart, Drake’s VIEWS was dethroned from the top slot by Blink-182’s new set, CALIFORNIA. The latter debuts at No.1 with 186,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending July 7, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 172,000 were in traditional album sales -- the third-largest sales week for a rock album in 2016.

California is Blink-182’s second No.1 album, following 2001’s TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS AND JACKET, which spent one week at No. 1 on the June 30, 2001-dated list. The act has racked up a total of seven top 10 sets, dating back to 1999’s Enema of the State, which peaked at No. 9.

Maxwell’s new blackSUMMERS’ night arrived at No. 3 with 59,000 units (57,000 in pure album sales). It’s the follow-up to the 2009 album BLACKsummers’night, which debuted at No. 1 with 316,000 copies sold. Before that, he released the 2001 album Now, which launched at No. 1 with 296,000.

Blake Shelton with IF I’M HONEST rounded out the top 10, as it stepped 15-10 with 27,000 units (up 41%). The album was up 52% in sales (to 21,000), 23% in TEA (to 4,000 units) and less than 1% in SEA (to a little more than 2,000 units). The album was sale priced in the iTunes Store for $6.99 during the tracking week, and Shelton’s Twitter and Facebook accounts both promoted the offer.

Billboard Top Country Albums (Chart issue week of July 23, 2016)

In another quiet week with little new action on the Billboard Top Albums Chart saw Blake Shelton with IF I’M HONEST (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) returned to the summit climbing 2-1 (15-10 Billboard 200) selling 21,172 copies (up 151%; 7-week total 303,900). It’s the album’s third week at #1 after last topping the chart week of July 2nd.

Shelton swapped places with Chris Stapleton as TRAVELLER down 1-2 (#12 non-mover Billboard 200) selling 14,941 copies (62-week total 1,446,400).  

Cole Swindell with YOU SHOULD BE HERE (Warner Bros. Nashville) rose 8-3 Country (50-32 BB200) selling 8,376 copies (9-week total 146,200)

Various Artists: NOW That’s What I Call Country, Volume 9 (Sony Music/Universal/UMe) fell 3-4 Country selling 8,177 copies (4-week total 45,400)

Former No.1 Maren Morris with HERO (Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) lifted #10-5 Country (64-38 BB200) selling 7,665 copies (5-week total 66,400)

Dierks Bentley with BLACK (Capitol Nashville/Universal Music Group [UMG] Nashville), fell 4-6 Country (26-33 BB200) with sales of 6,258 copies (6-week total 143,100)

Keith Urban with RIPCORD (Hit Red/Capitol Nashville/ Universal Music Group Nashville) fell 5-7 Country (37-52 BB200; 6,198 sales; 9-week total 203,400)

Carrie Underwood with STORYTELLER (19/ Arista) climbed 13-8 (61-48 BB200; 5,445 sales; 37-week total 618,100)

Former No.1 Jon Pardi with CALIFORNIA SUNRISE (Capitol Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville), fell 6-9 Country (40-59 BB200; 5,077 sales; 3-week total 30,600)

Joey + Rory with HYMNS (Farmhouse/Gaither | Capitol CMG) dropped 7-10 Country (97-137 BB200; 5036 sales; 21-week total 419,000). It fell 1-3 on Top Christian Albums after 19 non-consecutive weeks at #1.

Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) with YOUNG IN ALL THE WRONG WAYS sold 3,448 copies and made a No.200 debut on the Billboard 200, #67 Top Albums (based on sales) and was new at No.7 on the Billboard Americana Chart (chart dated July 23, 2016) a listing led by Chris Stapleton’s TRAVELLER.

Outside Top 25 Country Albums

Brandy Clark with BIG DAY IN A SMALL TOWN (Slate Creek/ Warner Brothers) was a non-mover at #26 on Top Country Albums selling 1,200 copies (4-week total 12,100).

Milton Patton with self-titled EP Milton Patton (Arky Blue Productions; Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com ) made a debut at #50 selling 600 copies.

Milton Patton's audition video with NBC TV's "America's Got Talent" circled the globe a few times gaining more than 2 million views through a handful of viral life-cycles. Then he disappeared. Sort of.

He now resurfaced with the release of his first music video single and 6-song EP. A crowd-funding Kickstarter project campaign was launched to complete and distribute a full-length debut CD by Autumn 2015. It proved unsuccessful with just 33 backers raising $2,875 of a $34,900 goal.

A broken relationship turned Milton Patton’s blues into country gold. Patton grew up in a small town in Arkansas near the Mississippi Delta, where he listened to blues music and rhythm and blues tunes.

An aspiring singer, Patton decided to pursue a different musical path after hearing a song on the radio by country superstar Brad Paisley. As Patton was driving to work one day, emotionally distraught after a recent painful breakup with a girlfriend, he listened to Paisley’s hit song “Whiskey Lullaby.”

Patton used “Whiskey Lullaby” as an audition song in 2013 for the television reality show “America’s Got Talent.” After making it through initial auditions in Austin and New Orleans, he was given the opportunity to sing on national television before judges Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B (a former member of the Spice Girls) and Howie Mandel. Patton made it through the first television round of “America’s Got Talent” but was eliminated from the competition in the Las Vegas round

“I've got the best fans in the world” he shared on Facebook at the EP appeared at #143 on the iTunes Country Album chart,

Year-To-Date Albums

12,488,000 (Physical sales 8,166,000 (down 9%) + Digital sales 4,321,000 (down -17.2%)) which is 11.4% down at the same point in 2016 (14,995,000 sales)

Year-To-Date Digital Tracks

49,088,000 down 23.7% at the same point in 2015 (64,305,000)

Billboard Hot Country Songs (Chart issue week of July 23, 2016)

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 with “H.O.L.Y.” (Republic Nashville) led for a 10th week. With the pair’s debut, “Cruise,” having ruled for a record 24 weeks in 2012-13, FGL is the first act to earn two No.1 runs of double-digit weeks apiece, dating to the chart’s 1958 inception as an all-encompassing genre ranking. “H.O.L.Y” also crosses over to a No.36 debut on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 airplay chart.

Singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini, 23, became the first female soloist to send her first three entries (promoted to country radio) from a debut full-length album to the Hot Country Songs’ top 10 since Taylor Swift nearly a decade ago, as “Peter Pan” (Black River) ascended 12-8. The song follows “Love Me Like You Mean It,” which climbed to No.5 on Hot Country Songs in June 2015 and “Dibs” (No.7, February); both songs crowned Country Airplay (where “Peter Pan” lifted 16-12, up by 14% to 23.3 million).

Swift arrived with “Tim McGraw,” which peaked at No.6 on Hot Country Songs in January 2007. “Teardrops on My Guitar” reached No. 2 in August 2007, and “Our Song” became her first No.1, reigning for six weeks starting that December. The songs were released from Swift’s self-titled first LP, which produced two more 10 Hot Country Songs top 10s: “Picture to Burn” (No. 3) and “Should’ve Said No” (No.1 for two weeks). (At the time, the chart was based solely on airplay.)

“To be able to have my first three songs be heard like they have been has been more than I can ask for as a new songwriter and artist,” said Ballerini. “As far as being the first since Taylor ... I’m so proud to follow in the footsteps of one of my favorite artists and friends.”

Hot County Songs

** No.1 (10 weeks) ** “H.O.L.Y.” Florida Georgia Line

** Airplay Gainer ** No.14 “Fix” Chris Lane

** Digital ** No. 25 “If I Told You” Darius Rucker

** Streaming Gainer ** No.27 “Vacation” Thomas Rhett

Billboard Country Airplay (Chart issue week of July 23, 2016)

Jason Aldean achieved his 15th No.1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, as the guitar-driven “Lights Come On” (Broken Bow), the launch single from his upcoming seventh studio album, rose 2-1. It was up by 4% to log 50.5 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen Music.

“Having a No.1 is something we get excited about every time,” Aldean told Billboard. “But when it’s the first song off a new record like this one, it’s especially cool to know the fans and radio are behind you.”

Penned by Jimmy Robbins, Jordan Schmidt, Brad Warren, Brett Warren and Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, “Lights” expands Aldean’s span of Country Airplay No.1s within the past 10 years. Following his No.10-peaking 2005 debut, “Hicktown,” “Why" became his first No.1 on the chart dated May 27, 2006.

Dating to that frame, Aldean is tied with Luke Bryan for the third-most No.1s; in that stretch of slightly more than a decade, only Blake Shelton (19) and Kenny Chesney (17) have logged more leaders.

“As with Luke Bryan, I really think Jason has developed his own signature sound that crosses several demographic groups,” said Cumulus Media director of Nash programming John Shomby of Aldean (who, after five nominations, won his first entertainer of the year trophy from the Academy of Country Music on April 3). “On top of all that, he puts on a great show, and that also crosses lots of age groups.”

‘UP’ IS UP Dan + Shay notch their second Country Airplay top 10, as “From the Ground Up” (Warner Bros./Warner Atlantic Reprise) bumped 11-9 (28.8 million, up 9%). Written by the pair’s Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney with Chris DeStefano, the song is the lead track from the act’s sophomore album, OBSESSED.

The duo earned its first Country Airplay top 10 with “Nothin’ Like You,” which topped the Dec.19, 2015, chart.

Country Airplay

*** No. 1 (1 week) *** "Lights Come On” Jason Aldean 50.463 million audience (+2.031 million) / 8,433 radio plays (+257)

** Most Increased Audience ** No.6 “Fix” Chris Lane +3.999 million audience gain

** Most Added ** No.32 “80s Mercedes” Maren Morris (15 ADDS)

** Hot Shot Debut ** No.51 “A Few More Cowboys” Toby Keith

Debut No.60 “Undone” Joe Nichols

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart (Chart issue week of July 23, 2016)

Florida Georgia Line (Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley) with “H.O.L.Y.” (Republic Nashville) remained at No.1 for the eighth week on Billboard’s Country Digital Singles Chart and held at #3 on the all genre Digital Songs Chart with sales of 69,000 downloads (10-week total 798,000).

Darius Rucker with “If I Told You” jumped up #37-2 (NE #24 Digital Songs; 31,000 sales; 2-week total 37,000).

Kelsea Ballerini with “Peter Pan” (Black River) rose 7-3 (#47-36 Digital Songs; 24,000 sales; 14-week total 267,000).

Jon Pardi with “Head Over Boots” lifed #6-4 in his 36th week (#45-40 Digital Songs; 22,000 sales; 36-week total 491,000).

Carrie Underwood with "Church Bells" fell 4-5 (#40-42 Digital Songs; 21,000 sales; 14-week total 265,000

Jason Aldean with "Lights Come On" climbed 9-6 (20,000 sales; 14-week total 301,000).

Eric Church with “Record Year” climbed #12-7 (NE #46 Digital Songs; 20,000 sales; 19-week total 282,000)

Tim McGraw with “Humble and Kind” (McGraw/Big Machine/Big Machine Label Group) retreated 5-8 (19,000 sales; 25-week total 778,000).

Lee Greenwood with “God Bless The USA” made a re-entry at #9 (19,000 sales; 1,098,000 total). Sales were up by 655% to 19,000 downloads sold (up from 3,000) in the week ending July 7. The 4th of July favourite originally peaked at No.7 on Hot Country Songs in 1984. It returned to a No.16 rank following the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001.

Luke Bryan with "Huntin' Fishin' & Loving Every Day" fell 3-10 (19,000 sales; 19-week total 388,000).

Outside the Top 10:

Chase Rice with “Everybody We Know Does” (Dack Janiels/ Columbia Nashville) who was the previous week’s #2 fell off the Top 50 selling 4,000 copies in his second week (down 85%; 2-week total 30,000).

Country Aircheck MEDIABASE Chart

11 July 2016

Congratulations to Jason Aldean, Carson James, Lee Adams, Jim Malito and the Broken Bow promotion staff on "Lights Come On" (first released April 1, 2016) which reached the No.1 spot on this week's chart. The song is the first single from his upcoming album THEY DON'T KNOW.

The song logged 9,007 radio spins (+383) and 60.746 million audience impressions (+3.819) with 30768 Total Points from 159 tracking stations for the tracking week July 3 to July 9, 2016 and published chart July 11th 2016.

Kudos to Tim McGraw, Jack Purcell, Erik Powell and the Big Machine team on "How I'll Always Be" which notched 51 adds. The song topped the week’s "Most Added" board.

Big Machine Celebrates Tim McGraws Mediabase
Most Added "How I'll Always Be"

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly Issue 507 - July 11, 2016 [PDF File]

For the very latest up to the minute Mediabase Chart (Past 7 Days) go here - www.mediabase.com

Billboard Boxscores (Selective Country concerts)

Rank Artist: #4

Event Venue City/State: Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Big & Rich, Old Dominion Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, Pa.

Dates: June 25, 2016 Gross Sales: $4,634,450 Attend: 48,322 / 50,676 (2,354 unsold tickets)

Shows/ Sellouts: 1/0 Prices: $229, $179, $115, $45

Promoters: Messina Touring Group/AEG Live

                                   

Rank Artist: #6

Event Venue City/State: Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt, Old Dominion Heinz Field Pittsburgh, Pa.

Dates: July 2, 2016 Gross Sales: $3,495,589 Attend: 47,111/ 48,577 (1,466 unsold tickets)

Shows/ Sellouts: 1/0 Prices: $259.25, $184.25, $108.75, $48.25

Promoters: Messina Touring Group/AEG Live

Rank Artist: #22

Event Venue City/State: Dixie Chicks, Anderson East, Josh Herbert Jiffy Lube Live Bristow, Va.

Dates: June 25, 2016 Gross Sales: $1,191,951 Attend: 17,742 / 21,297 (3,555 unsold tickets)

Shows/ Sellouts: 1/0  Prices: $136, $106, $76, $42 | Promoters: Live Nation

Rank Artist: #27  

Event Venue City/State: Dixie Chicks, Anderson East, Josh Herbert Rogers Arena Vancouver, British Columbia

Dates: July 7, 2016 Gross Sales: $1,030,490 Attend: 12,870/ 14,463 (1,593 unsold tickets)

Shows/ Sellouts: 1/0 Prices: $101.31, $78.24, $55.17 | Promoters: Live Nation

             

Rank Artist: #33

Event Venue City/State: Florida Georgia Line, Cole Swindell, The Cadillac Three, Kane Brown Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion Gilford, N.H.

Dates: June 24-25, 2016 Gross Sales: $884,863   Attend: 16,885/ 16,885

Shows/ Sellouts: 2/2 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $70, $60, $50, $30 | Promoters: in-house

           

Rank Artist: #81

Event Venue City/State: Brantley Gilbert, Colt Ford Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion Gilford, N.H.

Dates: June 17, 2016 Gross Sales: $363,201 Attend: 8,379 / 8,397

Shows/ Sellouts: 1/0 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $55, $30 | Promoters: in-house