Saturday 3 March 2018

Country Billboard Chart News February 26, 2018


In Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of March 3, 2018)
Country Album Chart ** No.1 (5 non-consecutive weeks) ** SELF-TITLED (Deluxe) Kane Brown
Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (13 weeks) ** “Meant To Be” Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line
Country Airplay *** No.1 (1 week) ** “Five More Minutes” Scotty McCreery
Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (11 non-consecutive weeks) ** “Meant To Be” Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News (Chart issue week of March 3, 2018)

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

Black Panther: The Album spent a second week at No.1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart (BB200), as the set earned 131,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Feb. 22 (down 15 percent), according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 40,354 were in traditional album sales (down 23%). A week ago, the album debuted at No.1 with 154,000 units (52,000 in album sales).
Black Panther: The Album, which features music from and inspired by the Marvel Studios film Black Panther — is the second soundtrack to notch two weeks at No. 1 in 2018. It follows The Greatest Showman, which logged two weeks atop the lists dated Jan. 13 and 20.

Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile notched her highest charting album ever on the Billboard 200, as BY THE WAY, I FORGIVE YOU made a debut at No.5 with 43,000 units (of which 40,502 copies were traditional album sales). The set surpassed her previous high-water mark, logged when THE FIREWATCHER’S DAUGHTER debuted and peaked at No.9 off a start of 43,000 units in 2015. The new album is the artist’s seventh entry on the tally, dating back to THE STORY, which reached No.41 in 2007.



Billboard Top Country Albums (Chart issue week of March 3, 2018)
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.


Kane Brown with his SELF-TITLED moved 2-1 and returned to No.1 (#26-27 Billboard 200) for a 5th non-consecutive week selling 4,327 copies.

Chris Stapleton with TRAVELLER (MERCURY/ UMGN) climbed 8-5 (28-33 BB200) selling 5,065 copies whilst his sets From A Room: Volume 1 (Mercury/Universal Music Group Nashville) held at #4 (33-38 BB200) selling 8,984 copies and previous week’s No.1 From A Room: Volume 2 dropped 1-5 (24-43 BB200) selling 7,490 copies.

Former No.1 Thomas Rhett with LIFE CHANGES (Valory/Big Machine Label Group) rose 5-3 (#38-36 Billboard 200) selling 2,724 copies.

Former No.1 Luke Bryan with WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY (Capitol Nashville | UMGN) held at No.6 (#45-49 Billboard 200) selling 6,063 copies.

Former No.1 Luke Combs with THIS ONE’S FOR YOU (River House/ Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) held at #7 (#54-53 Billboard 200) selling 2,275 copies.

Brett Young with self- titled BRETT YOUNG (BMLG) held at No.8 (68-77 Billboard 200) selling 1,303 copies.
Former No.1 Kenny Chesney with LIVE IN NO SHOES NATION (Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville) made a re-entry at No.10 (#99 Billboard 200) selling 6,319 copies.

Outside the Top 10
Old Dominion with HAPPY ENDINGS (RCA Nashville | SMN) moved 14-13 (139-129 BB200)
LANCO with HALLELUJAH NIGHTS (Arista Nashville | SMN) fell 12-14 (123-144 BB200) selling 1,637 copies.
Walker Hayes with boom. (Monument | SMN) rose 22-18 in his 11th frame.

Former No.1 Blake Shelton with TEXOMA SHORE (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) slipped 19-23 selling another 1,784 copies.
Former No.1 Chris Young with LOSING SLEEP (RCA Nashville | SMN) rose 26-24. 

Of Note:
I’m With Her (Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan) with their 12 track album SEE YOU AROUND (Rounder/ Decca (UMO | Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com )
Made a debut at No.78 on the Billboard 200, No.5 on Americana/Folk Albums and No.4 on Americana/Folk Album Sales with 7,278 copies sold.

American Songwriter (Rating: 4/5 STARS) This largely acoustic album is filled with banjo, fiddle, and ukulele, but part of what makes I’m With Her so compelling is their refusal to capitulate to contemporary genre trends and posture as primal Southern roots revivalists......I’m With Her close out their impressive debut with an nearly a capella cover of “Hundred Miles,” an unreleased song written by Gillian Welch performed in an alternating series of two and three-part harmonies. It’s a stunning end to an album that should establish the trio less as a one-off supergroup and rather as a necessary, urgent voice in modern acoustic roots music.

 FALLING SHORT of Top 50:
On the Country Album Sales list (pure sales; old methodology)

(16 Feb 2018) Courtney Patton with her 12 track album WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FLY ALONE (Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com)
Patton explained the genesis behind the project: “The album is titled after one of its songs, “What It’s Like to Fly Alone”. The title sounds melancholy, but the resolve isn’t. This record is full of songs about people who have had to “fly alone” in some way, whether through grief, loss, life choices, addiction or love. We have to work through our struggles, choose our own destiny, just like the characters in each song. We have to make ourselves happy. No one else can do that for us. I’ve been down in most of those ways, but I choose happiness. In the end, “flying alone” is soaring because you pick your path and you find your way.

Saving Country Music - What It’s Like to Fly Alone is written mostly by Patton, with five solo-written songs, four written with distinguished Texas songwriter Larry Hooper, as well as contributions from Matt Hillyer of 1100 Springs, Micky Braun from Micky and the Motorcars, and a cover of “Gold Standard” co-written by Kelley Mickwee and Owen Temple

Acclaimed bluegrass/Americana quintet Horseshoes & Hand Grenades released their new album THE ODE (Amazon.com) in America on February 16 via Tape Time Records and made a debut at #48.
The Ode is quintessential HORSESHOES & HAND GRENADES music from the Wisconsin group: David C. Lynch (harmonica, accordion, spoons, vocals), Collin Mettelka (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Russell Pedersen (banjo, fiddle, vocals), Adam Greuel (guitar, dobro, vocals) and Samual Odin (bass). Equal parts good-time bluegrass and country lament, the record-their fourth full-length–captures the band at their studio best. More at www.countrymusicmag

Year-To-Date Albums
2,241,000 (Physical sales 1,590,000 (down -17.9%) + Digital sales 651,000 (down -30.4%) which is 22.0% down at the same point in 2017 (2,872,000 sales) 

Year-To-Date Digital Tracks
7,628,000 down 30.5% at the same point in 2017 (10,973,000)

Billboard Hot Country Songs (Chart issue week of March 3, 2018)

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:

REXHA TIES 'GIRL' RECORD:
 Hot Country Songs was led for a 13th week by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line's pop/country crossover hit "Meant to Be" (Warner Bros./Big Machine Label Group). On Country Airplay, the collaboration hit a new high, rising 16-15, up 24 percent to 17.1 million in audience. It remained at No.1 on Country Streaming (Chart issue week of March 3, 2018)

When it logged its 11th week at No.1, the track passed Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" in 2012 and 2013 for the most weeks atop Hot Country Songs for a title by a solo female in the chart's 59-year history. Now with its 13th week in charge, "Meant" matches Little Big Town's "Girl Crush" (2015) for the most weeks at No. 1 for a song featuring lead female vocals.

Luke Bryan banked his 25th Hot Country Songs top 10, and 24th in succession (counting singles promoted to country radio and excluding holiday fare), as "Most People Are Good" (Capitol Nashville) rose 12-10 in its ninth week on the list.

Hot County Songs
** No.1 (13 weeks)/Airplay Gainer/ Streaming Gainer ** “Meant To Be” Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line
** Digital Gainer ** No.8 “Most People Are Good” Luke Bryan
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.42 “Something 'Bout You” Sir Rosevelt
Debut No.49 “Speakers, Bleachers And Preachers” Brandon Lay
Debut No.50 “A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega” Ashley McBryde

Billboard Country Airplay (Chart issue week of March 3, 2018)

Scotty McCreery notched his first No.1, among three top 10s, on Billboard's Country Airplay chart, as ballad "Five More Minutes" (Triple Tigers) ascended 3-1 in its 40th week on the tally (dated March 4), gaining by 10% to 40.2 million audience impressions in the week ending Feb. 25, according to Nielsen Music. On the Hot Country Songs chart, which blends airplay, streaming and sales data, "Five" held at its No. 4 high.
The song that The Tennessean said, “pulls heartstrings” also cemented RIAA Gold certification for combined units of steams and sales in excess of 500,000.

An overjoyed McCreery said, “There was a time I thought this song would never see the light of day. Seeing this song, inspired by my Granddaddy Bill, go Gold and then become my first number one means the world to me! After writing it with Frank Rogers and Monty Criswell, I tweeted out that ‘I think I just wrote my favorite song I’ve ever written,’ and that still holds true today. Thank you to my fans, country radio, Triple 8 Management, Triple Tigers Records, my band and crew, and everyone on my team. A big thank you to Bobby Bones for bringing national attention to the song. Gabi and I have been celebrating all day!”

Five More Minutes,” which People calls an “emotional walk down memory lane,” was McCreery’s first introduction back to the industry after the singer took almost five years since his last No. 1 studio LP, See You Tonight while resolving legal disputes with his former label, touring, writing new songs, and creating this new album for his new label home. The hit that Billboard calls, “heart-wrenching” was written two weeks after the passing of his paternal grandfather, who serves as a major inspiration for the song, and takes listeners on a journey through both the joys and sorrows of life, ending with a plea for “five more minutes” with his grandfather.
Photo Credit: Jeff Ray for Triple Tigers Records / Sony Music Entertainment
























McCreery wrote the song with SEASONS CHANGE co-producer Frank Rogers and Monty Criswell back in 2015. He first performed it publicly on the Grand Ole Opry in June 2016 during CMA Music Festival, receiving a standing ovation and subsequently millions of views on the Opry’s YouTube channel. National Radio Hall of Fame member Bobby Bones championed “Five More Minutes” and gave the song its national radio debut on his morning show in late April 2017. Fan reaction was immediate, and McCreery released the song independently soon thereafter. On the day the song was released, country music legend Randy Travis tweeted “this is storytelling and country music at its best.” Soon after McCreery signed with Triple Tigers Records, and the song became not only the highest-ranking single of his career, but also the fastest rising song of his career.







































The 24-year old singer/songwriter has a lot to say on SEASONS CHANGE, McCreery’s forthcoming 11-track album, co-produced by Rogers, Derek Wells, and Aaron Eshuis, due March 16.
 With every song co-written by McCreery himself, Seasons Change marks the first time he’s played a hand in writing his entire album. With songs influenced by true-life events that occurred since he released his last album at 19 -- including moving out on his own, going to college, getting robbed at gunpoint, losing his grandfather, changing record labels, releasing a book and proposing to his high school sweetheart -- Seasons Change is a true reflection of where the North Carolina native is in life.

The 24-year-old McCreery, from Garner, N.C., won the 10th season of American Idol, donning the crown on May 25, 2011. Notably, the runner-up that season was Lauren Alaina, who achieved her first Country Airplay No.1 when "Road Less Traveled" topped the chart dated April 22, 2017. She followed "Road" (her sixth entry on the list) with her second trip to No. 1, as featured on Kane Brown's "What Ifs" (Oct. 28).

"Five" is McCreery's ninth charted Country Airplay title. He debuted on the list in 2011 with the No. 15-peaking "I Love You This Big" and followed with "The Trouble With Girls" and "Water Tower Town," which peaked at Nos.17 and 38, respectively, in 2012. McCreery's next two proper singles became his first two top 10s, both in 2014: "See You Tonight" (No. 8) and "Feelin' It" (No. 10). One additional single, "Southern Belle," McCreery's last for his original label (Interscope/Mercury), peaked at No. 45 in 2016.
"Five" is the lead single from McCreery's third studio full-length, SEASONS CHANGE.

McCreery has earned two No.1s on the Top Country Albums chart. His first set after winning Idol, CLEAR AS DAY, opened atop the ranking dated Oct. 22, 2011 (with 197,000 sold), and spent six weeks at No. 1. His follow-up, SEE YOU TONIGHT, arrived atop the list dated Nov. 2, 2013 (52,000), and led for one week. In between, he jingled to No 2 with Christmas With Scotty McCreery, (Nov. 3, 2012; 41,000 sold).

Cole Swindell boasted the top debut on Country Airplay, as "Break Up in the End" (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) launches at No.28 with 6.8 million first-week audience impressions.
The first single from Swindell's upcoming album marked his second-highest arrival on Country Airplay; "You Should Be Here" started at No. 26 on Jan. 2, 2016, and led for three weeks that April.

Country Airplay
*** No.1 (1 week) *** “Five More Minutes” Scotty McCreery 40.221 million audience (+3.579 million) / 7,875 radio plays (+556)
** Hot Shot Debut/ Most Increased Audience/Most Added ** No.28 “Break Up In The End” Cole Swindell
Debut No.55 “Worth It” Danielle Bradbery
Debut No.60 “Run Wild Horses” Aaron Watson

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart 
(Chart issue week of March 3, 2018)

Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line with “Meant To Be” (Warner Bros. | BMLG) remained at No.1 for in its 13th chart frame (11 non-consecutive weeks). It was a non-mover at No.3 on the all genre Digital Songs Chart two places behind Drake's "God's Plan" which posted a fourth week at No.1, up 45 percent to 81,000 downloads sold in the week ending Feb. 22.

Jason Aldean with “You Make It Easy” (Macon/Broken Bow | BBMG) held at No.2 (#8-9 Digital Songs).
Thomas Rhett with “Marry Me” (Valory) rose 4-3 (#19-21 Digital Songs).
Kane Brown with “Heaven” (Zone 4 | RCA Nashville) moved 5-4 (#27-23 Digital Songs) in his 14th frame.
Chris Stapleton with “Broken Halos” (Mercury | UMGN) rose 6-5 (#27-23 Digital Songs) in his 26th frame.
Luke Bryan with “Most People Are Good” (Capitol Nashville) pushed 7-6 (#37-32 Digital Songs) in his 7th frame.
Scotty McCreery with “Five More Minutes” (Triple Tigers) rose 8-7 (#44-34 Digital Songs) in his 17th frame.
Walker Hayes with “You Broke Up With Me” (Monument) moved 9-8 (#50-49 Digital Songs) in his 32nd frame.
Old Dominion with “Written In The Sand” (RCA Nashville | SMN) climbed 10-9 in their 16th frame.
Chris Stapleton with “Tennessee Whiskey” (Mercury | UMGN) rose 11-10 in his 112th week.
Outside the Top 10
David Lee Murphy & Kenny Chesney with “Everything's Gonna Be Alright” (Blue Chair | Reviver) climbed 13-11 in their 3rd frame.

Country Aircheck MEDIABASE Chart

Feb 26, 2018

Scotty McCreery Earns First Career #1 With 'Five More Minutes'
Congrats to Scotty McCreery, Kevin Herring and the Triple Tigers staff on scoring the week’s No.1 with “Five More Minutes” on the MEDIABASE Country Singles Chart.  
” The song is McCreery’s first chart-topper and was recently certified gold. Writers are Frank Rogers, Monty Criswell and McCreery.




















Five More Minutes” (Triple Tigers) logged 8,545 radio spins (+902) and 58.373 million audience impressions (+6.109 million) with 22957 Total Points (+2504) from 157 tracking stations for the tracking week February 18 to February 24, 2017 and published chart February 26th 2018.

Cole Swindell Is Most-Added With 'Break Up In The End'
Kudos to Katie Bright and the WMN reps on landing 79 adds for Cole Swindell’s Break Up In The End”. The song topped the "Most Added" board this chart week.
The track marks the first release from his forthcoming album due later this year.
Warner Bros Promo Team celebrate  Cole Swindell's Most Added for 'Break Up In The End'

















Mediabase Adds (Selective)

Artist/Title (Label) TW Total Historic Adds
COLE SWINDELL/Break Up In The End (Warner Bros./WMN)     79         79        
BEBE REXHA f/FGL/Meant To Be (WBR/BMLGR)           20         140      
DANIELLE BRADBERY/Worth It (BMLGR)          15         22        
MAREN MORRIS/Rich (Columbia)         12         62        
BRETT YOUNG/Mercy (BMLGR)            10         90        
JIMMIE ALLEN/Best Shot (Stoney Creek)           10         65        
KANE BROWN/Heaven (RCA)   9          156      
LOCASH/Don't Get Better Than That (Reviver)    7          68        
LUKE COMBS/One Number Away (River House/Columbia)         7          142      
AARON WATSON/Run Wild Horses (Big Label)  6          29        
DIERKS BENTLEY/Woman, Amen (Capitol)       6          144      
LANCO/Born To Love You (Arista)         6          68        
CAM/Diane (Arista)        5          86        
CHRIS JANSON/Drunk Girl (Warner Bros./WAR)            5          104      
DAN + SHAY/Tequila (Warner Bros./WAR)         5          102      
SUGARLAND/Still The Same (UMG/Big Machine)           5          114      
CASEY DONAHEW/Country Song (Almost Country)        4          27        
DENNY STRICKLAND/California Dreamin' (Red Star)     4          4         
MORGAN EVANS/Kiss Somebody (Warner Bros./WEA) 4          116      
ASHLEY MCBRYDE/A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega (Atlantic/WAR)         3          84        
BROTHERS OSBORNE/Shoot Me Straight (EMI Nashville)         3          97        
CARLY PEARCE/Hide The Wine (Big Machine)  3          113      
CHRIS YOUNG/Hangin' On (RCA)         3          5         
JERROD NIEMANN/I Got This (Curb)     3          72        
KELSEA BALLERINI/I Hate Love Songs (Black River)     3          3         
SIR ROSEVELT/Something 'Bout You (Elektra/WAR)      3          18        
JAMES BARKER BAND/Chills (UMGC/New Revolution)  2          49        
JILLIAN JACQUELINE/Reasons (Big Loud)        2          43

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly Issue 590 - Feb 26, 2018
For the very latest up to the minute Mediabase Chart (Past 7 Days) go here - www.mediabase.com

Billboard Boxscores (Selective Country concerts)

Blake Shelton took the No.1 ranking on the latest weekly tally of top-grossing Hot Tours based on the first box office counts reported from his Country Music Freaks tour. Currently running stateside through mid-March, the winter trek grossed $5.6 million from its first six sold out performances with 72,327 tickets sold.
The tour kicked off on Feb. 15 in Tulsa, Okla., with 13,578 fans present at the BOK Center, the city’s 10-year-old arena. The opening performance was the best attended among these first six dates and one of two to top $1 million in sales. Shelton’s Feb. 24 performance at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis is his top grosser with a $1,071,815 take from 13,473 sold seats.

Rank Artist: #12
Event Venue City/State: Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Brett Eldredge, Carly Pearce Scottrade Center St. Louis, Mo.           
Dates: Feb. 24, 2018 Gross Sales: $1,071,815 Attend: 13,473/ 13,473
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $125, $55
Promoters: Messina Touring Group

Rank Artist: #13
Event Venue City/State: Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Brett Eldredge, Carly Pearce BOK Center Tulsa, Okla.
Dates: Feb. 15, 2018 Gross Sales: $1,024,809 Attend:
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: 13,578/ 13,578
Promoters: $125, $45 Messina Touring Group

Rank Artist: #33
Event Venue City/State: Chris Young, Kane Brown, Lanco Resch Center Green Bay, Wis.
Dates: Feb. 22, 2018 Gross Sales: $406,406 Attend: 7,617/ 7,617
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $58, $38
Promoters: Concerts West/AEG Presents

Rank Artist: #58
Event Venue City/State: Alison Krauss & David Gray PNC Music Pavilion         Charlotte, N.C.
Dates: Sept. 29, 2017 Gross Sales: $245,651 Attend: 5,121/ 8,598
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/0 (3,477 unsold tickets) Prices: $75, $39.50   
Promoters: Live Nation

Rank Artist: #96
Event Venue City/State: John Prine, Margo Price Orpheum Theatre New Orleans, La.
Dates: Feb. 2, 2018 Gross Sales: $124,578 Attend: 1,423/ 1,423
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $103, $63
Promoters: NS2

Rank Artist: #233
Event Venue City/State: Quebe Sisters Band Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center Midland, Texas
Dates: Feb. 21, 2018 Gross Sales: $8,217 Attend: 525/ 1,731
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/0 (1,206 unsold tickets) Prices: $33, $12.83
Promoters: Live On Stage
Latest Billboard Boxscore Chart



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