In
Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of July 1, 2017)
Country Album
Chart ** No.1 (1 week) ** HEART BREAK Lady Antebellum
Hot Country
Songs ** No.1 (19 weeks) ** “Body Like A Back
Road” Sam Hunt
Country Airplay
** No.1 (1 week) ** "How Not To” Dan + Shay
Country Digital
Songs ** No.1 (19 non-consecutive weeks) ** “Body Like A Back Road” Sam Hunt
The
Billboard 200 chart measures multi-metric album consumption, which includes
traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent
albums (SEA).
Katy Perry claimed her
third No.1 album on the Billboard Top
200 Album Chart (BB200), as her latest release, WITNESS, debuted atop the list. The set, which was released on June
9 through Capitol Records, earned 180,000 equivalent album units in the week
ending June 15, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 162,071 were in traditional
album sales.
Witness followed Perry’s two
earlier No.1s: PRISM (in 2013) and TEENAGE DREAM (2010). All three albums
debuted atop the list. Prism, her previous studio set, launched with 286,000 in
sales (before the chart transitioned to a units-based ranking in December of
2014).
Perry’s
bow of 180,000 units is the biggest week for an album by a woman in 2017, and
the largest since Lady Gaga’s Joanne started at No. 1 with 201,000 units on the
chart dated Nov. 12, 2016. Witness also logs the largest sales week for an
album by a woman since Joanne (170,000).
Lady Antebellum with a No.4 debut notched its seventh top 10 album, as its new
studio effort HEART BREAK launched
with 53,000 units (46,950 in traditional album sales). The act’s last release, 2014’s 747,
flew in at No. 2 in October of that year with 74,000 copies sold in its first
week. The group also reached the top 10 with GOLDEN (No. 1 in 2013), the
holiday album ON THIS WINTER’S NIGHT (No. 8, 2012), OWN THE NIGHT (No. 1,
2011), NEED YOU NOW (No. 1, 2010) and its self-titled debut (No. 4, 2008).
Top
Country Albums now ranks the most popular country albums of the week, as
compiled by Nielsen Music, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA)).
10 digital track sales from an
album = 1 track equivalent album (TEA)
“sale”
1,500 on demand song streams from
an album to one streaming equivalent album (SEA) “sale”.
Nielsen
Music compiles the sales and streaming data. Billboard continues to publish pure album sales charts (subscription to
billboard biz ), exclusively comprising
Nielsen’s sales data.
Lady
Antebellum's "Heart Break" is Country's #1 Album
Lady Antebellum with HEART BREAK (Capitol Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville),
the sixth studio album from, made a debut at No.1 on Billboard Top
Country Albums (dated July 1), earning 53,000 equivalent albums, with 46,950 in pure sales, during the
week ending June 15, according to Nielsen Music. It was No.2 on all genre Top
200 Album Sales and No.3 on Digital Albums this chart frame.
HEART
BREAK marked Lady A’s fifth Top Country Albums leader, all of which have
bowed at the summit. The LP is the first for the group — Charles Kelley, Hillary
Scott and Dave Haywood — in
almost three years, since 747 took off at No. 2 on the Top Country Albums Chart
dated Oct. 18, 2014, with 74,000 copies sold.
During
their break, all three members worked on side projects. Kelley recorded his
solo set, THE DRIVER, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 on Top Country Albums
(Feb. 27, 2016; copies; #35 Billboard 200; 13,989 copies sold in its first
week); Scott, along with The Scott Family, recorded the country/Christian album
LOVE REMAINS, which debuted at No.2 on Top Country Albums and No.1 on Top
Christian Albums (Aug. 20, 2016; #7 Billboard 200; 27,581 copies sold) and won
a Grammy Award for best Christian album; and Haywood produced the first EP for
country trio Post Monroe.
CHART HISTORY:
HEART BREAK (released June 9, 2017; Capitol Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville), the seventh
studio album (sixth non-seasonal) sold 46,950 copies (pure sales)
747, Lady Antebellum's sixth
studio release (released Sept 30, 2014) arrived in the No.2 slot on the Billboard 200. It sold 73,944 copies in its first week. The
album had sold 285,900 copies of September 2015.
GOLDEN (released May 7, 2013), made
a bow at No.1 on both the all-genre Billboard Top 200 (BB200) and the Billboard
Country Albums with 167,314 copies (chart dated May 25, 2013) and reached a 3-week total of
257,553. It was certified GOLD by the RIAA on Nov 20,
2013.
ON THIS WINTER'S NIGHT (October 22, 2012) a Christmas and fourth studio album
debuted in the Billboard Hot 200 Top 10 with sales of 24,584 of their Holiday collection.
The project included holiday standards like “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and
“Christmas Baby (Please Come Home)”. As Christmas approached sales increased, in
its 7th week it reached peak sales of 77,875 and it had sold 441,183 copies by
the chart dated Jan 19, 2013. It was certified Gold (0.5 million units) by the
RIAA on Dec 13, 2012.
OWN THE NIGHT (released Sept 13, 2011) opened with 347,479 copies, after 3 weeks it had sold 547,489 units. By chart week June 8, 2013 as a Catalog album it had a total of 1,837,525. Lady A remained only the third country group to have notched No.1 sets on the Billboard 200 following the Dixie Chicks and Rascal Flatts. The Chicks have three leaders while Rascal has four.
NEED YOU NOW Lady A’s Grammy Award
Winning sophomore effort (released Jan 26, 2010) opened with 480,922 sales. It
became
the biggest debut sales week for a country album since Taylor Swift's
"Fearless" opened at No.1 on the Billboard 200 with 592,000 copies in
November 2008. The eye-popping sum that Lady A's "Need You Now"
racked up was also the biggest opening week for an album released in January
since the Game's "The Documentary" bowed with 587,000 at No. 1 in
2005. NEED YOU NOW was certified 4x Multi-Platinum (4 Million units) on March
20, 2013.
Their
SELF-TITLED debut (released April
15, 2008) sold 43,384
in its first
week. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, the
first debut by a country group to achieve this. After 94 weeks in the chart
frame Feb 13, 2010 (the week in which NOW YOU NEED made its debut) it was #15
on Billboard 200 selling 31,043 copies and a total of 1,453,734 sold. By Nov 10, 2010 it was certified double platinum by the RIAA for U.S. shipments of 2,000,000 copies.
As of the chart dated Jan 8, 2011, the album has sold 1,826,368 copies in the
US.
Lady
Antebellum Plots Heart Break Album Release Week
With Multiple
National Television Performances And Fan Experiences
Multi-PLATINUM
trio Lady Antebellum "cement their place as legends of country"
(Vulture) with the global release of their sixth studio album. They promoting
the album between CMA Music Festival activities, national television
appearances and an intimate radio set, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary
Scott put their fans at the forefront. Beginning (June 9) they took over The
Budweiser Dome presented by Rated Red in Nashville (8th Ave. S/McGavock St @
3:45P) for an impromptu set accompanied by a massive 360-degree visual experience.
Fans
and media alike immediately applauded the album’s lead single for mixing a
"dazzling horn section with a swaggering bass riff" (Associated
Press) and "snappy funk drums" (LA Times). As HEART BREAK's “growth
is both welcome and worth celebrating now more than ever” (Billboard), critics
continue to rave about the 13-tracks, before the albums official release.
Critical
reception for Lady Antebellum’s HEART BREAK:
Country Standard Time (Rating: Positive) ...With "Heart Break," Lady
Antebellum isn't doing anything especially new or innovative. But, as with the
pounding drums and speedy banjo during "Teenage Heart," this trio
creates melodic hooks that stick like arrows straight into the heart. Heart
Break never sounded so good.
Allmusic (Rating: 3 STARS) …Lady Antebellum have steadily drifted toward
the smooth sounds of soft rock, and recording in Southern California only
accentuates their inherent mellowness. Busbee adds some flash to Lady
Antebellum, particularly on the numbers that are just a shade lively. "You
Look Good" cooks with a vaguely funky beat, canned synth-horns, and busy
drum loops......It's mood music and designed to be as such: The alluring sheen
doesn't intend to grab the ear but burrows into the subconscious, so the
melodies are remembered upon repeated plays. Perhaps the songs often resemble
one another, but isolate individual tracks -- especially on radio -- and they
each seem sturdy and friendly, the kind of music that is proudly pleasant.
Entertainment Focus (Rating: Mixed) When it comes to standout tracks Big Love in
a Small Town is a real gem. Kelley and Scott utilise their harmonies to great
effect and they sound,
as always, great together. It’s the kind of sweeping
love song the band is known for and it certainly plays to their strengths.
Another strong moment is the uplifting feel-good Good Time to Be Alive that
lodges straight into your brain from the moment you hear it.
Elsewhere on the record Lady
A explore the perils of fame on album closer Famous, inject stadium friendly
‘woahs’ in the midtempo This City, and Hurt is the most straight-up ballad on
the record that sounds almost Gaelic thanks to its dramatic strings.
Heart Break is a solid album
but I can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed. My expectations were high and
I was really hoping for a real evolution, which You Look Good seemed to
promise. As always with Lady Antebellum, they have this ability to change your
mind once you see them live so I’m hoping that their tour later in the year
will allow me to connect a little more with these songs.
Roughstock (Rating: Very Positive) - And
after listening through Heart Break a couple of times, it’s easy to see that
Dave, Hillary and Charles are entirely refreshed and ready to take on the
world. The album does still have threads of the adult pop style they became
known for but there are more of the vibrant stories and melodies of their first
two or three albums than the last couple ones...There are a handful of gorgeous
ballads on Heart Break and “Hurt” is one of those songs. There’s a bait and
switch with the lyrics and that it’s a really romantic love song, even if it’s
about loving for moments at a time instead. The tender orchestral arrangement
and vocal from Hillary Scott leaves it as a clear standout on the record....The
Stars” is an uplifting song, a song inspired by their children, that every
youngster (or adult) who ever feels down can gain inspiration from....After a
year away from the spotlight — as a trio — Lady Antebellum has roared back with
a rousing, wondrous baker’s dozen songs. Heart Break is a strong collection
which finds Lady Antebellum knowing who they are but building on with new
layers and musical textures.
Chris Stapleton with From A Room: Volume 1 (Mercury/Universal Music Group Nashville) held
at #2 (15-13
Billboard 200) selling 20,126 copies (down 12%; 6-week total 384,525) while
Stapleton’s TRAVELLER
(MERCURY/ UMGN) fell 4-8 (#38-45 BB200) selling 7,527 copies (down 8%; 111-week total 1,979,900).
Various Artists with Now That's What I Call Country Volume 10 (Universal Music Group
Nashville | Smart Choice Music - Amazon.com)
made a debut at #4 (#27 Billboard
200) selling 16,746 copies logging the 9th best
seller in America this chart week.
Keith Urban with RIPCORD (Hit Red/Capitol Nashville)
climbed 5-4 (#43-30 BB200) selling 7,934 copies
(up 29%; 58-week total 602,600).
Last week’s No.1 Luke Combs with THIS ONE’S FOR YOU (River House/Columbia Nashville/Sony Music
Nashville) fell 1-5 (#5-33 BB200) selling
8,485 copies (down 76%; 2-week
total 43,494).
Zac Brown Band with WELCOME HOME (Southern Ground/Elektra/Atlantic Group) fell 3-6 (28-34 BB200) selling 12,838 copies
(up 11%; 5-week total 201,816).
Glen Campbell with ADIÓS (ME Direct) made a debut at #7 (#40 BB200) selling 13,772 copies, it was the week’s 15th best seller on
Top Album Sales and ranked #4 on Country Album sales.
After being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Campbell embarked on a 2011–12 Farewell Tour. After finishing the tour, he entered the studio in Nashville to record a final album.
According to his wife, Kim Campbell, he wanted to preserve "what magic was left", in what would be his final recordings
Critical
reception for Glen Campbell’s Adiós:
Uncut (Rating: 8/10) He
signs off with a collection of mostly familiar songs, including three others by
Webb, Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's All Right," Fred Neil's
"Everybody's Talkin'" and a sublime version of the Dickey Lee heartbreaker
"She Thinks I Still Care."
Paste Magazine (Rating: 8/10) …Though he recorded Adiós in the same sessions that yielded See You
There, Campbell’s voice sounds better on this record: slightly aged, but still
remarkably rich and surprisingly versatile. And while he pairs beautifully with
Vince Gill’s equally powerful voice on Roger Miller’s “Am I All Alone (Or Is It
Only Me),” Campbell completely overshadows Willie Nelson on “Funny How Time
Slips Away,” leaving the Red-Headed Stranger sounding like a novelty crooner on
his own song.
Allmusic (Rating: 3.1/2 STARS) , Adiós leans to the country side of
Campbell's musical personality rather than the pop, and one can hear the toll
Alzheimer's has taken on Campbell in his performances. He sounds hesitant at
times, and his pronunciation isn't as sharp and confident as it was in his
salad days. ....Adiós ultimately seems more like a coda than a grand farewell,
with the album displaying a suitable modesty that suits the somewhat reduced
circumstances of the artist. But it's also a potent reminder of Glen Campbell's
talent, style, and musical legacy, and this album is the recorded curtain call
he truly deserves.
Pop Matters (Rating: 7/10) The songs on Adios represent compositions Campbell has long admired and
wanted to record but never got around to. Fred Neil’s classic “Everybody’s
Talkin’” opens the album and it fits Campbell like a glove, which is not
surprising seeing how it’s basically cut from the same cloth as the hits he was
known for. The relaxed gallop of the music meshes well with Campbell’s soothing
pipes to the point where you begin to wonder whether it was he and not Harry
Nilsson who made the song a megahit....Campbell really thrives on Adios when
given top-shelf material that digs a little deeper into more traditional
country sounds.
Florida Georgia Line with DIG YOUR ROOTS (BMLG) fell 7-9
(#51-50 BB200) selling 2,557 copies (up 5%; 42-week total 399,400).
Brett Young with self-titled debut (BMLG) fell 6-10
(#45-55 BB200) selling 4,214 copies (down 6%; 18-week
total 89,800).
Outside the
Top 10
Kane Brown with
self-titled KANE BROWN (Zone 4/RCA
Nashville) fell 14-16 (#114-109 BB200) selling
2,157 copies
(down 10%; 28-week total 159,500)
Miranda Lambert with THE WEIGHT OF THESE WINGS (Vanner/ RCA Nashville/Sony Music
Nashville) down 12-17 (100-113
BB200) selling 2,597 copies (down 19%; 30-week
total 361,900).
Outside the Top 25:
The Secret Sisters with
their 12-track album YOU DON'T OWN ME
ANYMORE (New West) made a debut at No.30
(#167 Billboard 200) and #7 on
the Americana chart selling 4,680 copies. It was the 40th best US seller & ranked
#9 best country seller.
The Secret Sisters, they really are sisters Laura and
Lydia Rogers, make their debut for the label after previously having been on
Universal. Brandi Carlile produced the dozen-song set.
Published on May 31, 2017 watch The Secret Sisters "You
Don't Own Me Anymore"
CHART HISTORY:
PUT YOUR NEEDLE DOWN (Universal Republic Records3; CD - Amazon.com) their second
studio album was released on April 14, 2014 and it made a debut at No.110 (#18
Country) with 3,700 copies sold it also charted at #1 on Billboard Heatseeker
Albums and #3 on Folk Albums. "It's slightly terrifying when people say, 'I don't
know how to categorize the Secret Sisters. What genre are you?'" Lydia admitted. "You need
to be categorized to find radio success, but we’re not too concerned with
radio. If you can’t categorize your music, then you’re not doing what's trendy
and you're not following a formula. So, if you're not categorized, there's a
good chance you're doing something special."
The
new album title? It’s not about turntables, embroidery or heroin. According to
the sisters, it's an evocative statement about youth, growth and the passage of
time. “It’s actually a line we pulled from one of PJ Harvey’s songs,” Laura
said. “We do a cover of ‘Pocket Knife.’ This new record is very much a grown-up
sound -- not exactly edgy, but more maturity to it.
Their debut self-titled album THE SECRET SISTERS (Universal Republic Records, released Oct 12, 2010) recorded at Blackbird Studios, opened
on the Top 200 Current Sales at #181 selling 2,615
copies. The following
week it was a new entry on the Billboard 200 at #200 selling a further 2,611
copies (2-week total 5,254)
Critical
reception for The Secret Sisters’ You Don't Own Me Anymore:
Country Standard Time - Three albums into their career, the evolution of The Secret Sisters
provide a thoroughly enjoyable experience for the listener. The beauty of their
harmonies was evident from the first note, but their songwriting has progressed
to the point that it deserves equal attention. "You Don't Own Me
Anymore" is a high point for both their singing and writing abilities,
mixing classic country music with modern Americana with a heavy dose of Faulkner-esque
Southern Gothic atmosphere......"Tennessee River Runs Low" somehow
sounds like it was written either this year or back in the Tin Pan Alley era,
and it sums up their sound perfectly. ...Though the Secret Sisters were
initially introduced to the music world as a pair of gifted singers who wrote a
couple songs on their debut, the balance has shifted. Now, they are a pair of
formidable songwriters who happen to have flawless vocals. The fact that they
have come into their own as artists ought to make the Americana world sit up
and take notice.
Allmusic
(Rating: 4.1/2 STARS) The result of a
tumultuous couple of years that saw sisters Laura and Lydia Rogers dropped from
their label and sued by their manager, You Don't Own Me Anymore dispenses with
some of the retro pastiche of their two previous outings in favor of a more
contemporary, though no less timeless-sounding approach. Produced with genuine
affection by Brandi Carlile, the 12-track set is a marvel of quiet grandeur and
steely Southern pragmatism. ..Elsewhere, the sprightly "He's Fine"
and the feisty, garage-hewn title track find mirth in misery, and a lovely
guitar- and cello-accompanied take on Paul Simon's "Kathy's Song"
proves the perfect vehicle for the siblings' close harmonic acuity....However
rooted in the past they may sound, the Secret Sisters ultimately connect on
such an intimate level that they render any measure of time extraneous.....The
opening “Tennessee River Runs Low” features just the harmonious voices of the
sisters before banjo and an acoustic band kick in as they correlate the titular
river with a rocky relationship. Other than the jaunty, finger-popping “King
Cotton” that expresses a love for their home state of Alabama, there isn’t a
lot of joy here.
American Songwriter (Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars)...It’s accepted that the music business has
its ups and downs, but few have experienced its extreme peaks and valleys as
radically as the Muscle Shoals-based Secret Sisters.
Laura
and Lydia Rogers (a.k.a. the Secret Sisters) went from having their first
releases produced by such roots icons as T Bone Burnett, Dave Cobb and Jack
White, touring with or opening for Levon Helm, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Willie
Nelson and amassing a bulging file of critical raves, to filing for bankruptcy
in 2014 with Laura taking a job cleaning houses to pay bills.....But it’s the
honest songwriting, sympathetic arrangements and subtle playing on these dozen
tunes that combines to create a perfect storm of artistic ambition all the more
rewarding coming after the Sisters’ recent problems that would have sunk less
ambitious acts....You Don’t Own Me Anymore is a strong, welcome return and a
reminder of just how powerful and moving the merging of two stunning voices can
be.
Jessie James Decker with
her 5 track EP BLACKBIRD SESSIONS (Epic
Records; Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com ) made a debut at #33 (#175 Billboard 200) selling 4,024 copies (the weeks 48th best US seller; #11
best country seller).
The 5-track project includes covers ranging from Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color” to Rihanna’s “Love On The Brain” along with a stripped rendition of “Girl On The Coast” from her recently released EP, Gold.
Jessie offered up several live appearances and
performances at CMA Music Festival in Nashville, TN leading up to the release.
CHART HISTORY: Blackbird Sessions is the follow up to GOLD, which gave Jessie her highest first week sales to date.
CHART HISTORY: Blackbird Sessions is the follow up to GOLD, which gave Jessie her highest first week sales to date.
GOLD (Epic), her third EP, matched her highest arrival on
Top Country Albums (chart dated March 11, 2017)) as the five-song set
started at No.5 (#33 Billboard 200); with 15,000 equivalent album units (12,371 in pure
sales).
Her 2012 debut EP, COMIN’
HOME, also debuted (and peaked) at No.5 (11,144 sold), while her second, 2015’s This
Christmas, launched and peaked at No.16 (5,600 copies).
Under the name Jessie James her 2009 self-titled debut album featured the GOLD certified
lead single “Wanted” released on April 14, 2009 and peaked at No.40 on the
Billboard Hot 100. The second single "I Look So Good (Without You)"
was released on August 25, 2009, and peaked at No. 138 on the Billboard Hot
Digital Songs chart. The album was released on Aug 11, 2009 by Mercury Records.
The album charted on the Billboard 200 at #23 on its debut week, selling about 18,575 copies.
FALLING
SHORT of Top 50:
On the Country Album Sales list (pure sales;
old methodology)
In
his second chart week Wheeler Walker Jr. with OL’ WHEELER (Pepper Hill/ Thirty Tigers) fell off Billboard Top 50
after a No.10 debut the previous week. It fell 5-20 on Country Album Sales selling 1,918 copies (down 75%, 2-week
total 9,737).
Ray Scott with GUITAR FOR SALE (Jethropolitan Records LLC; Pledgemusic.com - Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com ) made a debut at #30 selling 1,500 copies.
The
new project is his sixth studio album and will be distributed through The
Holland Group/Sony/RED. Fans got a taste of the first single from the album, “Livin’
This Way,’ in March when Scott debuted it on the Grand Ole Opry.
Critical
reception for Ray Scott’s Guitar For Sale:
My Kind Of Country (Rating: B+) - The
well-chosen official single, ‘Livin’ This Way’, is a fine, thoughtful song
about a man trapped in a pattern of drinking (or using drugs – it’s not quite
clear) and drying out.
Chris Janson with his 5 track EP FIX A DRINK (Warner Brothers; Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) made a debut at #45 selling 900 copies.
Chris
Janson may have sat down and fixed himself a drink to celebrate the success of
his aptly-titled latest single, “Fix A Drink,” since the song was the
most-added song at radio this week.
Janson recently made a video for the
fun-filled new tune featuring cameos from buddies Luke Bryan, Michael Ray,
Dustin Lynch, LOCASH, and the Davisson Brothers Band, that recently debuted on
CMT. The EP contains all new tracks — “Fix
a Drink,” “Name on It,” “Everybody,” “Little Bit of Both” and “Redneck
Life” — are good-time songs that revolve around where Janson is in life
right now.
“I’m having the time of my life and that’s
exactly how (these songs) are reflecting, My kids are happy and healthy and so
is my wife, and it starts there for me. Other than that, everything else is
icing on the cake, so making this album was a piece of cake. It was a lot of
fun and no stress whatsoever.”
Saving Country Music (Single Review; Rating: Two Guns Way Down!
(0/10)) No. Now Nashville’s decided to
try and make the Geico Caveman a superstar it appears, and it’s only appropriate,
because to find anything fetching in this anthem to American devolution, your
forehead has to stick out over your eyebrows so far that you don’t need to wear
a hat in the rain....It’s 2017, and mainstream country music fans are slowly
heading towards the fate of unintelligent protoplasm only there to suck up
alcohol, while simultaneously sucking the life force out of anyone who sees
country music as a place for meaning and substance that’s supposed to sing
about people’s demons as opposed to making light of them.
Sounds Like Nashville Chuck Dauphin (Rating: Very Positive)….The lead single and title cut will no doubt
become a hit on the scale of ‘Boat.’ It has a melody that will no doubt be sang
along with each time it plays on Country Radio this summer. Janson infuses the
song with his infectious personality, and the results should very well be huge.
He continues to show that upbeat side on “Somebody,” with lyrics that his
growing legion of fans will no doubt identify with. As the EP continues, you
definitely get the feeling that Janson is on to a “Chris Janson Sound.” The
closing tracks “Little Bit Of Both” and “Redneck Life” both give him a chance
to shine, and he takes full advantage....But, I just hope that Janson continues
to set himself apart from the pack and plow on his own musical path. He’s too
good not to. In any case, Janson is fully locked and loaded with a new group of
songs that should continue to drive his career to the next level!
Falling
Short of the charts:
Jessica Rose with her 5 track EP WILD HEARTS (Rose Records; Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) opened with sales of 500 copies.
Amanda Anne Platt & The
Honeycutters
with their 13 track Americana
set Amanda Anne Platt & The
Honeycutters (Organic Records; Amazon UK
- UK iTunes - Amazon.com )
sold 400 copies.
Blurb: “We’re
switching things up a little. After four albums I’ve decided to step out and
start using my own name. It’s something that a lot of people have encouraged me
to do over the years, and I guess that 2017 just felt right.” That name, Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters
(from Asheville NC), is also the title of the band’s new album, which was released
by Organic Records. “We’re keeping The Honeycutters too because we don’t want
to confuse people…really, we’ve always been Amanda Anne Platt and the
Honeycutters. I think I’ve just gotten to a place where I feel comfortable
enough to be in the spotlight.”
Lyrically
driven, the songs on Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters blend the band's
old-school country roots attitude with their shared influences of rock and
folk. Amanda says of the album, "I think it's just about life and all that
that entails. Including but not limited to death, strangers, birthdays, money,
leaving, arriving, seasons, corruption, and love."
Trea Landon with his 6 track self-titled EP TREA LANDON
(Play It Again Records; Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com )
sold 300 copies.
“I
definitely see a bright future ahead of him. Trea is the total package…” -
Dallas Davidson
In 2015, Landon
moved to Nashville to chase his dream of writing and recording with some of the
finest that country music has to offer. After four short weeks in Music City,
he was approached by hit songwriter and Play It Again Publishing owner Dallas
Davidson (Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan), who signed Landon almost immediately. The
deal has lead to co-writes with Davidson, Craig Campbell and Chris Young, among
others. “I love all the music that’s on
the radio right now — there are obviously several different kinds of ‘country’.
Ultimately, I feel I fall somewhere between Luke Bryan and Jon Pardi — I’m the
tailgate version of Jon Pardi.” This sound, as well as his growth as a
writer, is evident in his current singles “A Little Bit” which dropped May
26th, and “When I Get There” which dropped on June 2nd. These up-tempo tunes,
reminiscent of a 90’s country hit with a modern edge, provides listeners a
glimpse into Landon’s EP.
Year-To-Date Albums
9,400,000 (Physical sales 6,315,000
(down -13.2%) + Digital sales 3,085,000 (down -20.3%) which is 15.6% down at the same point in 2016 (11,143,000 sales)
Year-To-Date Digital Tracks
33,471,000 down 23.3% at the same point in 2016
(43,638,000)
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:
Sam Hunt with “Body Like a Back Road”
(MCA Nashville) rumbled into its 19th
week at No.1, tying Leroy Van Dyke’s “Walk
On By” (1961-62) for the longest command for a song by a solo male on the
nearly 59-year-old Hot Country Songs chart. It equalled the second-longest
reign overall, trailing only Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” (24 weeks at No.1 in 2012 and 2013).
“Body” also
ruled Country Streaming Songs (16.3 million U.S. streams) and Country Digital
Song Sales (48,000 sold) for a 19th week each and logged its 12th week in the
Country Airplay top five (3-4; 37.1 million in audience) after leading the list
for three weeks.
Hot County
Songs
** No.1 (19
weeks) ** “Body Like A Back Road” Sam
Hunt
** Airplay
& Digital ** No.16 “Do I Make You Wanna” Billy Currington
Streaming
Gainer ** No.32 “Legends” Kelsea
Ballerini
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.43 “When It Rains It
Pours” Luke Combs
Debut
No.46 “Love Someone” Brett Eldredge
Debut
No.47 “Yours” Russell Dickerson
Dan
+ Shay, the duo of Shay Mooney and Dan Smyers, landed their third straight (and
total) Country Airplay No.1 as “How
Not To” (Warner Bros./ WAR) jumped 4-1 in their 38th frame,
increasing 7% to 41.5 million audience impressions.
The song followed leaders “From the
Ground Up,” which crowned the Country Airplay chart dated Sept. 3, 2016,
and “Nothin’ Like You” (Dec. 19,
2015).
“From day one, our fans encouraged us to release ‘How Not To’ as a
single,” said Smyers. “We’re glad we listened.”
DAN
+ SHAY shared a special thank you to radio via FACEBOOK in a video message here:
Shania
Twain with her new single, “Life’s About to Get Good,” (Mercury Nashville) debuted on
Country Airplay at No.36, with 4.8 million in audience. She snagged Hot Shot Debut, Most
Increased Audience (4.8 million) and Most Added stripes.
The song is the first single from Twain’s fifth studio LP, NOW (Sept.
29), her first album of new material since 2002’s Up!, which topped both the
Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums.
The self-written “Good” is
Twain’s first entry on the Country Airplay chart since 2011’s No. 36-peaking “Today Is Your Day” (her only prior
charted title this decade). It’s her 34th total visit, a sum that includes seven
No.1s among 16 top 10s.
Will country radio embrace Twain’s new song for the long term? Early
reaction appears mixed. “It is pretty exciting to get new music from an iconic
act like Shania,” Cumulus Media vp country Charlie Cook told Billboard.
“Her fan base is so passionate about her. When she played Nashville’s
Bridgestone Arena last year, the place was nuts. I would say, with all in mind,
life’s about to get good for Twain.”
Conversely, one major-market PD who prefers to remain anonymous asks, “After all that time off, this is the best
that she can do?”
Country
Airplay
***
No. 1 (1 week) *** "How Not To” Dan
+ Shay 41.466 million audience (+2.657 million) / 7,672 radio plays (+451)
** Hot
Shot Debut/ Most Increased Audience/ Most Added ** No.36 “Life’s About to Get
Good” Shania Twain 4.785 million
audience gain thanks to 53 fresh radio commitments (ADDS)
Debut
No.51 “Boy” Lee Brice
Debut
No.56 “When It Rains It Pours” Like
Combs
Billboard Country Digital
Singles Chart
Sam Hunt with “Body Like a Back Road”
(MCA Nashville) held at No.1 (non-mover
No.4 Digital Songs; 47,000 sales; no % change); 20-week total 1,149,000) leading the
chart for a 19th non-consecutive week.
It
was three places behind Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber with "Despacito"
which ruled the Digital Song Sales chart for a seventh week, with 140,000
digital copies sold this week ending June 15, which brings its U.S. sales to
date to 1,163,000. It is well on its way to becoming the Song of the Summer.
Keith Urban with “The Fighter,” featuring Carrie Underwood (Hit Red/Capitol
Nashville), climbed 3-2
(#24-22 Digital Songs; 26,000 sales; 24-week total 624,000)
Brett Young with “In Case You Didn’t Know” slipped
2-3 (#9-24 Digital Songs; 24,000 sales; 37-week
total 715,000)
Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris with “Craving
You” held at #4 (#29-33 Digital
Songs; 17,000 sales; 11-week total 213,000).
Lady Antebellum with “You Look Good” lifted 7-5 (#47-38 Digital
Songs; 17,000 sales; 21-week total 280,000).
Luke Combs with “Hurricane” fell 5-6 (#32-39 Digital
Songs; 16,000 sales; 29-week total 487,000)
Florida Georgia
Line feat. Backstreet Boys with
“God,
Your Mama, And Me” fell 6-7 (#36-41
Digital Songs; 15,000 sales; 19-week total 350,000)
Midland with “Drinkin’
Problem” held at #8 (#49-42 Digital Songs; 14,000 sales; 9-week total 147,000).
46 New 1 Do I
Make You Wanna - Billy Currington with “Do I
Make You Wanna” made a chart debut at #9 (#46 Digital Songs) selling 14,000 copies (88K total)
Brothers Osborne with “It Ain’t My Fault” slipped
9-10 (12,000 sales; 5-week total 159,000).
Outside the Top 10
Miranda Lambert with “Tin Man” fell 10-22 (8,000 sales; 12-week total 179,000).
Dustin Lynch held at
#11
with “Small
Town Boy” (12,000 sales; 16-week
total 172,000).
Brett Eldredge with “Love Someone” made a
debut at #20 selling 8,000 copies.
Country Aircheck MEDIABASE
Chart
19
June 2017
Dan + Shay =
#1 With 'How Not To'
Congrats
to Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Kristen Williams, Chris Palmer, Tom Martens and the
WAR promo team for landing this
week’s No.1 with “How
Not To.” The song is Dan + Shay’s third chart-topper. Writers
are Adam Hambrick, Paul DiGiovanni and Kevin Bard.
"How
Not To" (Warner Bros./WAR) logged 8,327 radio spins (+624)
and 53.624 million
audience impressions (+3.571 million) with 24279 Total Points from 159 tracking
stations for the tracking week June 11 to June 17, 2017 and published chart
June 19th 2017.
This
is the duo's third consecutive, and career #1 single, following "From The Ground Up" in August 2016
(Aug 22) and "Nothing Like You"
in December 2015 (Dec 7).
Luke Combs Is
Most-Added With 'When It Rains It Pours'
Kudos
to Shane Allen and the Columbia crew
for notching 57 adds on Luke Combs’ “When
It Rains It Pours”. The song topped the "Most Added" board this chart week.
Billboard Boxscores (Selective Country
concerts)
Rank
Artist: #18
Event
Venue City/State: Dixie Chicks, Avalanche City Rod Laver Arena
Melbourne, Australia
Dates:
April 1-2, 2017 Gross Sales: $2,487,280 Attend:
21,304/ 21,650
Shows/
Sellouts: 2/0 (346 unsold tickets) Prices: $152.79, $76.36
Promoters: Chugg Touring/Rob Potts Entertainment
Edge
Rank
Artist: #53
Event
Venue City/State: Jimmy Buffett Amphitheater at the Wharf Orange Beach,
Ala.
Dates:
June 6, 2017 Gross Sales: $943,165 Attend:
9,205/ 9,205
Shows/
Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices:
$127.50, $44.50
Promoters: Live Nation/Red Mountain Entertainment
Rank
Artist: #66
Event
Venue City/State: Dixie Chicks, Avalanche City ICC Sydney Theatre
Sydney, Australia
Dates:
March 30, 2017 Gross Sales: $729,867 Attend:
6,702/ 7,919
Shows/
Sellouts: (1,217 unsold tickets) Prices: $152.95, $76.44
Promoters: Chugg Touring/Rob Potts Entertainment
Edge
Rank
Artist: #79
Event
Venue City/State: The X Factor Live Manchester Arena Manchester, U.K.
Dates:
March 4, 2017 Gross Sales: $470,889 Attend:
10,405/ 13,577
Shows/
Sellouts: 2/0 (2,226 unsold tickets) Prices: $67.41, $24.51
Promoters: SJM Concerts
Rank
Artist: #95
Event
Venue City/State: The Avett Brothers, Jill
Andrews Breese Stevens Field Madison, Wis.
Dates:
June 17, 2017 Gross Sales: $281,100 Attend:
5,274/ 7,500
Shows/
Sellouts: 1/0 (2,226 unsold tickets) Prices: $75, $45
Promoters: Frank Productions/Majestic Live/True Endeavors/NS2
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