Thursday, 2 August 2018

Country Billboard Chart News July 30, 2018


RIAA Certifications
Kenny Chesney’s Live In No Shoes Nation Platinum
Nine Months After Release, 2-CD Set Certified Platinum
When Kenny Chesney released LIVE IN NO SHOES NATION, a two-disc live recording (Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville), people thought he was crazy. Who buys records of concerts they’ve already been to? But Kenny Chesney, who’d been listening back to the members of No Shoes Nation shouting, singing and cheering along over the previous decade, was blown away by the passion in venues ranging from Gillette Stadium to Red Rocks, the Rose Bowl to Asbury Park’s famed Stone Pony – and he wanted the fans to experience the rush, the energy and the passion he does every night listening to their voices.
Now Live in No Shoes Nation, the 29-song collection featuring Chesney’s famous and not-so-famous friends, has been certified platinum. With his Songs for the Saints having just arrived, it’s a heartening certification for the man crowned “The King of the Road” by The Wall Street Journal and “The People’s Superstar” by The Los Angeles Times

In Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of August 4, 2018)

Country Album Chart ** No.1 (8 non-consecutive weeks) ** THIS ONE’S FOR YOU Luke Combs
Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (35 weeks) ** “Meant To Be” Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line
Country Airplay ** No.1 (1 weeks) ** “I Was Jack” (You Were Diane) Jake Owen
Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (6 non-consecutive weeks) “Simple” Florida Georgia Line

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News (Chart issue week of August 4, 2018)

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

Drake's 'Scorpion' Holds at No. 1 for Fourth Week on Billboard 200 Albums
Drake’s SCORPION held onto the No.1 slot for a fourth week on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, making it the album with the most weeks atop the list in 2018.
The set earned 184,000 equivalent album units (down 29 percent) in the week ending July 26, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 15,000 were in traditional album sales. The album debuted atop the list and hasn’t left the penthouse since its arrival.

Billboard Top Country Albums (Chart issue week of August 4, 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.

Luke Combs with THIS ONE’S FOR YOU (River House/ Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) held at No.1 (#10-11 Billboard 200) to top the chart for an 8th non-consecutive week in his 60th chart frame.

6-week non-consecutive week No.1 Jason Aldean with REARVIEW TOWN (Macon/Broken Bow Records) held at No.2 (21-24 BB200) in his 15th week.
Former No1 Dan + Shay with their self-titled album (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) held at No.3 (#23-29 BB200) in their fifth frame.
Kane Brown with his 10 non-consecutive week No.1 SELF-TITLED held at No.4 (#31-34 BB200) in his 86th frame.
Chris Stapleton with the 169-week TRAVELLER (MERCURY/ UMGN) held at No.5 (#34-37 BB200) as his set From A Room: Volume 1 (Mercury/Universal Music Group Nashville) moved 20-19 (#157-158 BB200) and From A Room: Volume 2 rose 28-26 (Re-Entry No.197 BB200) in its 34th.
Former No.1 Keith Urban with GRAFFITI U (Hit Red/Capitol Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville) advanced 18-6 (#141-43 BB200) in his 13th week.
Brett Young with self- titled BRETT YOUNG (BMLG) held at No.7 (#42-45 BB200) in his 76th week.
Former No.1 Thomas Rhett with LIFE CHANGES (Valory/Big Machine Label Group) fell 6-8 (#37-46 BB200) in his 45th frame.
Former No.1 Luke Bryan with WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY (Capitol Nashville | UMGN) held at No.10 (#95-94 BB200) in his 33rd frame.

Outside the Top 10
In his seventh frame Dierks Bentley with THE MOUNTAIN (Capitol Nashville | UMGN) rose 14-13 (#121-111 BB200).  
Morgan Wallen with IF I KNOW ME (Big Loud Records) rose 22-21 (#162-173 BB200) in his twelfth frame.
Kacey Musgraves with GOLDEN HOUR (MCA Nashville | UMGN) fell 23-24 (#173-188 BB200) in her 17th frame.   

Outside the Top 25
In his second frame Chris Lane with his 14-track set- LAPS AROUND THE SUN (Big Loud Records | Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) plummeted 8-28 (#83 – off the Billboard 200).

Lori McKenna with her 11-track set THE TREE (CN Records/ Thirty Tigers) made a debut at No.39 on the Top Country Albums list. Additionally, it debuted at: #7 Country Sales (Hot Shot Debut), #34 Top Album Sales, #12 Digital Albums, #1 Heatseeker Albums & #3 Americana/Folk Album Sales

Critical reception for Lori McKenna’s THE TREE:
11 Tracks/ Time: 35:21 Folk Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

Your Life In A Song (by James Daykin | Rating; Very Positive): ‘The Tree’, produced by Dave Cobb, reflects McKenna’s current position in life adroitly. As a songwriter she has a terrific eye for detail and is able to turn the minutia of everyday domesticity into something much more dramatic without coating it in insincerity or saccharine….Whether ‘The Tree’ is a
commercial success or not is kind of irrelevant to Lori McKenna. Her pervious album, ‘The Bird and the Rifle’ was nominated for a Grammy and that type of critical acclaim, I suspect, means more to her than dollars acquired….This is real life folks, warts and all, it’s dirty, grimy and sometimes disappointing and then every now and again a nugget of joy comes our way that sustains and nourishes us enough for us to continue the fight for a bit longer. That is ‘The Tree’ my friends, let it feed and nourish you, let it strengthen your roots so that your branches can get that bit stronger before the next storm comes along and shakes you to the core.

The Guardian (Rating: 4 STARS) The Tree is another fabulous, understated record: 10 songs about families and domesticity, and the tensions of everyday life, and one (Like Patsy Would) about the aspirations of someone trying to write about the world as well as Hemingway and sing about it as well as Cline…. It’s an album for grown-ups, contemplative and wise.

Paste Magazine (Rating: 8.3/10): Like most of her work, McKenna’s latest is a family-centered collection of rootsy folk songs, and as usual, she finds profundity in the ordinary moments of everyday life. McKenna’s attention to detail, and the way she makes universal sentiments suddenly, and piercingly, specific, are why her songs are special enough to have earned the deep respect of her fellow folk singers, and to have caught the ear of the big-ticket country stars who have recorded them.
                                                                                    
Pop Matters (Rating: 8/10):… The arrangements are deceptively simple and allow McKenna lots of open space to express herself. Cobb understands the sophisticated musical rhetoric of appearing effortless. McKenna tosses off the lyrics as if she's just singing to a friend. She impresses by not trying to impress

Roughstock (Rating: Positive) … Lori McKenna remains an engaging storyteller with a unique, identifiable voice. The Tree is a perfect example as to why she remains one of country music’s best at crafting very good, listenable records.

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

Mason Ramsey with his 6-track EP FAMOUS (Big Loud Records/Atlantic Records) made a debut at No.20 on Country Sales.
The six-track EP includes his current single, "Famous," as well as his modern twists on Country classics by Hank Williams, Sr.

The six-track nod to country classics with a modern twist features his own tip-of-the-hat to his idol Hank Williams, Sr. with renditions of such hits as "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)" and "I Saw The Light," plus brand new originals like "The Way I See It" and chart-rising lead single, "Famous." Penned by Tyler Hubbard, Corey Crowder (Chris Young, A Thousand Horses), Sarah Buxton (Chris Lane, Keith Urban), and Canaan Smith (Florida Georgia Line, Love & Theft), "Famous" - dubbed "The Song Of The Summer" by Refinery29 - rocketed to #1 on the iTunes Country Songs chart immediately upon release and has since sold 300K+ US copies.
Critics can't get enough of Ramsey's signature yodel as first heard worldwide in a viral video (53.7M views) of him performing "Lovesick Blues" (Hank Williams, Sr.) in an aisle at his local Walmart in Harrisburg, IL. Rolling Stone hailed of his recording, "He nails the tricky yodeling parts - as one would expect - but also cruises through the dramatic dives and swoops of Williams' melody with ease, never sounding like he's merely trying to copy his country hero but instead adding his own flair."
Promoting the EP the Big Loud Records and Atlantic Records’ rising star introduced his lead single, “Famous,” at ABC’s Good Morning America, performing the song for the first time on national television week. Watch Mason Ramsey premiere “Famous” and chat with ABC’s Paula Faris on Good Morning America.

Critical reception for Mason Ramsey’s Famous EP:
6 Tracks/ Time: 17:21 Amazon UK - UK iTunes

Saving Country Music (Rating: 4/10)…. So what should they do with Mason Ramsey? That’s a good question. What intrigues us about prodigy musicians is they’re like molds of clay, and the mystery and potential of what they could develop into is what makes them enjoyable to follow. Most prodigies don’t develop into anything. They are talented for their age, but ultimately not talented or original enough to make a career of it in the adult world. Like family bands, many prodigies have a finite shelf life, and that’s okay. So it’s best to enjoy them for what they are, and in their time and place…What is sacrilege with young musicians is to noodle with their sounds and influence so much that you risk irreparable damage to what they could develop into as artists, or people. Better to let nature run its course. Let the kid get his heart broken. Let him get pushed around by life where he can sing his own “Lovesick Blues.” Then and only then will we know if Mason Ramsey is worthy of our attention beyond a viral moment.

Jim Lauderdale & Roland White with 12-track Folk/Bluegrass set JIM LAUDERDALE & ROLAND WHITE (Yep Roc Records Amazon) made a debut at No.44

Year-To-Date Albums
9,120,000 (Physical sales 6,483,000 (down -16.5%) + Digital sales 2,648,000 (down -30.3%) which is 21.1% down at the same point in 2017 (11,564,000 sales) 

Year-To-Date Digital Tracks
30,225,000 down 26.8% at the same point in 2017 (41,309,000)

Billboard Hot Country Songs (Chart issue week of August 4, 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:

Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line claimed the record for the longest-ruling No.1 in the history of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which began as an all-encompassing genre songs survey in 1958, as “Meant to Be” (Warner Bros./Big Machine Label Group) logged its 35th week in the penthouse on the Aug. 4-dated list. The song passed Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road,” which led for 34 weeks in 2017.
“Meant” has spent its entire run at No.1, dating to its arrival at the summit on the Dec. 16, 2017-dated chart.

Rexha and FGL’s Tyler Hubbard wrote “Meant” with Josh Miller and David Garcia. “I’m so honored to be a writer and an artist on this song,” Hubbard tells Billboard. “I’m thankful to just be one of the many people who put so much energy and effort into making music history. Now it’s time to get back in the studio and try to break the new record.”
Duo partner Brian Kelley added, “The power of music continues to blow our minds, and we are extremely humbled and thankful that ‘Meant’ has spent the better part of a year at the top. The connection we feel with our fans through our music is extra special with this song. Bebe and her camp were a blast to work with.”
FGL also boasts the third- and fifth-longest commands on Hot Country Songs: Debut hit “Cruise” ruled for 24 weeks in 2012-13, and “H.O.L.Y.” dominated for 18 weeks in 2016. (Leroy Van Dyke’s “Walk On By” ranks fourth with 19 weeks at No. 1 from 1961-62.)
Regarding the pair having ownership of three of the five longest-leading Hot Country Songs No.1s, BMLG executive VP Jimmy Harnen said, “For Florida Georgia Line to have three in the top five is absolutely nuclear. We send out a big thank-you to all of the believers.”
Says Rexha, “I’m grateful to be able to create music that allows me to push limits and push myself. I’m grateful for all the love and warmth from the country community [and give] credit to country greats who influenced me: Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and so many more. Here’s to writing with your heart and breaking boundaries.”
In addition, “Meant” crowned Country Streaming Songs for a 31st week (13.1 million U. S. streams, according to Nielsen Music).
It also topped the Country Airplay chart dated April 28 and, as it was dually promoted to country and pop radio, it led Adult Pop Songs for two weeks and the all-genre Radio Songs chart for five frames.

Hot County Songs
** No.1 (35 weeks) ** “Meant To Be” Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line
** Airplay Gainer” No.11 “Coming Home” Keith Urban feat. Julia Michaels  
** Digital Gainer ** No.17 “Hooked” Dylan Scott
** Streaming Gainer ** No.20 “Desperate Man” Eric Church  

Billboard Country Airplay (Chart issue week of August 4, 2018)

Jake Owen with “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)” (Big Loud) ascended 2-1 on Country Airplay, despite declining by 3 percent to 40.1 million audience impressions in the week ending July 29.


“Jack,” which is a nod to John Mellencamp’s four-week 1982 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Jack& Diane” (with Mellencamp claiming a writing credit on Owen’s hit), is the latter artist’s seventh Country Airplay No.1 among nine top 10s. Owen, who has logged 22 Country Airplay appearances, first ruled with “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” for two weeks in September 2011 and last led with “American Country Love Song” (Sept. 17, 2016).



Luke Bryan achieved his 26th Country Airplay top 10 and his 25th top 10 promoted single in succession as “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” (Capitol Nashville) darted 13-10 (26.3 million impressions, up 13 percent).
Starting with Bryan’s second Country Airplay top 10 — “Country Man” in 2008 — he has rattled off 25 straight top 10s (excluding holiday fare and tracks not promoted to radio), the second-longest active streak after Carrie Underwood’s 27.

Country Airplay
*** No.1 (1 week) *** “I Was Jack” (You Were Diane) Jake Owen 40.909 million audience (-1.455 million) / 7,635 radio plays (-301)
** Most Increased Audience ** No.4 “Coming Home” Keith Urban feat. Julia Michaels 8.059 million audience gain
** Most Added ** No.48 “You're In It” Granger Smith (16 ADDS)
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.54 “Night Shift” Jon Pardi  

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart 
(Chart issue week of August 4, 2018)

Florida Georgia Line with “Simple” (BMLG) held at No.1 (#7-8 Digital Songs) for a 6th non-consecutive week atop the chart.
It was seven places behind Drake with "Feelings" which spent a third week atop the Digital Song Sales chart, although down 9 percent to 104,000 downloads sold in the week ending July 26. The song is the first to have sold at least 100,000 in consecutive weeks since Ed Sheeran's "Perfect," which broke the barrier for three straight frames on charts dated Jan. 3, 6 and 13.
Former 22 non-consecutive week No1 Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line with “Meant to Be" (Warner Bros. | BMLG) held at No.6 (#25-30 Digital Songs; 10,000 sales).

Brett Young with “Mercy” (BMLG) rose 3-2 (#17 non-mover Digital Songs).
Kenny Chesney with “Get Along” climbed 7-3 (#30-23 Digital Songs).
Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) with “Tequila” (Warner Bros. | WAR) held at No.4 (#18-25 Digital Songs)
Jason Aldean feat. Miranda Lambert with “Drowns The Whiskey” (Macon | Broken Bow) held at No.5 (#23-28 Digital Songs).

Luke Bryan with “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” pushed 12-7 (#47-40 Digital Songs).
Thomas Rhett with “Life Changes” held at No.8 (#41-42 Digital Songs).
Eric Church with “Desperate Man” the first single from Church’s same-titled album, due Oct. 5, fell 2-9 (9-43 Digital Songs).
Kane Brown with “Heaven” (Zone 4 | RCA Nashville) rebounded 13-10 (#47 Re-Entry Digital Songs).

Outside the Top 10
Luke Combs with “Beautiful Crazy” held at No.11 (#44-48 Digital Songs).
Morgan Wallen feat. Florida Georgia Line with “Up Down” (Big Loud) fell 9-12.
Mitchell Tenpenny with “Drunk Me” made a debut at No.18

The Texas-based country-rock outfit Whiskey Myers with “Stone” made a debut at No.20 (5,000 downloads). They were featured prominently in the July 18 episode of Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, starring Kevin Costner. Following the broadcast, the 2016 song bounded by 77 percent marking the band’s first appearance on the chart.

Chris Janson with “Drunk Girl” made a debut at No.24.

Country Aircheck MEDIABASE Chart

July 30, 2018

Congrats to Jake Owen, Stacy Blythe, Ali Matkosky and the Big Loud promotion staff on landing the week’s No.1 with “I Was Jack (You Were Diane).” The song is Owen’s first single with the label. Writers are David Ray, Tommy Cecil, Jody Stevens, Craig Wiseman and John Mellencamp.























I Was Jack” (You Were Diane) (Big Loud) moved 2-1 logging 8,424 radio spins (-264) and 52.4 million audience impressions (-1.061 million) with 27244 Total Points from 158 tracking stations (158 ADDS) for the tracking week July 22 to July 28, 2018 and published chart July 30th, 2018.

Kudos to Katie Bright and the WMN crew on notching 58 adds for Blake Shelton’s Turnin’ Me On”. The song topped the "Most Added" board this chart week.
In honor of Warner Bros./WMN's Blake Shelton being most-added at Country radio this week with his new single, "Turnin' Me On". Pictured L-R: WMN VP/Streaming & New Media Tim Foisset, Executive Asst. Kati Salverson, WMN Dir./Northeast Radio & Streaming Bridget Herrmann, and Coord./Radio & Streaming Justin Newell

































Mediabase Adds (Selective)

Artist/Title (Label) TW Total Historic Adds
BLAKE SHELTON/Turnin' Me On (Warner Bros./WMN)  58         63        
DAVID LEE MURPHY/I Won't Be Sorry (Reviver)            28         28        
MORGAN WALLEN/Whiskey Glasses (Big Loud)            27         29        
RACHEL WAMMACK/Damage (RCA)     20         21        
GRANGER SMITH/You're In It (Wheelhouse)      15         99        
JON PARDI/Night Shift (Capitol) 8          43        
LUKE COMBS/She Got The Best Of Me (River House/Columbia) 8          111      
CHRIS YOUNG/Hangin' On (RCA)         7          126      
RANDY HOUSER f/H. LINDSEY/What Whiskey Does (Stoney Creek)      7          62        
DIERKS BENTLEY f/BROS. OSBORNE/Burning Man (Capitol)    6          91        
ELI YOUNG BAND/Love Ain't (Valory)    6          54        
KANE BROWN/Lose It (RCA)     6          133      
ASHLEY MCBRYDE/Radioland (Atlantic/WAR)   5          32        
KENNY CHESNEY f/M. SMITH/Better Boat (Blue Chair/Warner Bros./WEA)        4          4         
DAN + SHAY/Speechless (Warner Bros./WAR)   3          6         
CHANCE MCKINNEY/Take It Back (---)  2          4         
RILEY GREEN/There Was This Girl (BMLGR)     2          24        
ABBY ANDERSON/Make Him Wait (Black River)            1          51        
CLARE DUNN/More (MCA)        1          49        
CORBETTE JACKSON/Dandelion (Channel Greatness)  1          1         
DYLAN SCHNEIDER/How Does It Sound (Dylan Schneider/Placer Music)           1          39        
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Talk You Out Of It (BMLGR)   1          1         
MADDIE & TAE/Friends Don't (Mercury) 1          72        
STEPHANIE QUAYLE/Selfish (Rebel Engine)     1          31

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly Issue 612 - July 30, 2018  - Magazine View  

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: #1
Event Venue City/State: Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Camila Cabello Gillette Stadium Foxborough, Mass.
Dates: July 26-28, 2018 Gross Sales: $21,779,846 Attend: 174,764/ 174,764
Shows/ Sellouts: 3/3 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $499.50, $49.50
Promoters: Messina Touring Group                         

Rank Artist: #14  
Event Venue City/State: Kenny Chesney, Brandon Lay, Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett Soldier Field Chicago, Ill.
Dates: 28 July 2018 Gross Sales: $5,751,195 Attend: 52,189/ 52,189
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $289, $31
Promoters: Messina Touring Group

Rank Artist: #27
Event Venue City/State: Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati, Ohio
Dates: 26 July 2018 Gross Sales: $880,074 Attend: 20,352/ 20,352
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $128.50, $32.50
Promoters: Messina Touring Group                         

Rank Artist: #47
Event Venue City/State: Brad Paisley Honda Center Anaheim, Calif.
Dates: 21 July 2018 Gross Sales: $515,516 Attend: 10,735/ 14,121
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/0 (3,386 unsold tickets) Prices: $75, $65, $45, $35
Promoters: Live Nation
Latest Billboard Boxscore Chart


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