Country Billboard Chart News October 15, 2018

In Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of October 20, 2018)

Country Album Chart ** No.1 (1 week) ** DESPERATE MAN Eric Church

Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (46 weeks) ** “Meant To Be” Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line

Country Airplay ** No.1 (1 week) ** “Simple” Florida Georgia Line

Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (1 week) “Speechless” Dan + Shay

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News (Chart issue week of October 20, 2018)

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

Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper's 'A Star Is Born' Soundtrack Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A STAR IS BORN soundtrack debuts at No.1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart (BB200), giving Gaga her fifth chart-topper and Cooper his first.

The set, which was released via Interscope Records on Oct. 5, starts with 231,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Oct. 11, according to Nielsen Music -- the biggest week for a soundtrack in more than three-and-a-half years. Of Star’s overall starting sum, 162,340 were in album sales.

Of A Star Is Born’s 231,000 units, most come from album sales: 162,000. The rest of the units are comprised of SEA units totaling 37,000, and TEA units equaling 32,000.

It gave Lady Gaga her fifth No.1 on the Billboard 200. She previously led the list with Joanne (in 2016), Cheek to Cheek, her collaboration with Tony Bennett (2014), ARTPOP (2013) and Born This Way (2011).

Eric Church with DESPERATE MAN bowed at No.5 on the Billboard 200, clocking the country star his fifth top 10 effort. Desperate Man entered with 116,000 units, of which 102,968 were in album sales. The album yielded the fourth-largest overall week for a country album in 2018, in both overall units and album sales.

Church trails only Carrie Underwood's CRY PRETTY with 266,000 equivalent album sale, Jason Aldean's REARVIEW TOWN with 183,000 in equivalent album units, and Thomas Rhett's LIFE CHANGES with 123,000 equivalent album sales.

Billboard Top Country Albums (Chart issue week of October 20, 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.

Eric Church with his sixth studio LP, DESPERATE MAN (EMI Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville), bowed atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated Oct.20), earning 116,000 equivalent album units, with 102,968 of that sum in traditional album sales, in the week ending Oct.11, according to Nielsen Music.

Meanwhile, the title-track lead single from Desperate Man flew 18-8 on the airplay/streaming/sales-based Hot Country Songs chart, marking Church’s 15th top 10. On Country Airplay, it held at No.14 (17.5 million audience impressions, down less than 1 percent, in the week ending Oct. 14)

The Jay Joyce-produced set, with all 11 tracks written by Church either in part (eight) or solo (three), marked his third Top Country Albums leader, among eight top 10s, and his third to bow in the penthouse.

CHART HISTORY: 

Desperate Man is Church’s first studio LP since MR. MISUNDERSTOOD, which launched at No.3 on Top Country Albums on Nov. 21, 2015, with 76,000 units and peaked at No.2 the following week (having been released on Nov.4 without advance promotion, just hours before the airing of the 2015 Country Music Awards, so it debuted with under two full days of availability).

The digital version of the album was initially exclusively available through the iTunes Store, and downloads comprised 70,905 of its first-week sales. The remaining 1,000 copies came from physical copies sold at brick-and-mortar retailers.

In November 2016, Church released the EP Mr. Misunderstood: On the Rocks, Live and (Mostly) Unplugged, which debuted and peaked at No. 4 on Top Country Albums.

Church ’s additional Top Country Albums leaders are fourth studio album 2014’s THE OUTSIDERS, which launched atop the list with 287,668 copies sold (chart dated March 1, 2014), and 2011’s CHIEF, which began with 144,990 copies sold. Church logged his first appearance with SINNERS LIKE ME, which started and peaked at No.7 in August 2006.

Church released the live album "Caught in the Act: Live" on April 9, 2013 which debuted and peaked at No.5. on the Billboard 200/ #3 Country; selling 61,439 copies.

DESPERATE MAN’s release raised interest in Church’s back catalogue with 7 albums on top 200 sales:

ON THE ROCKS: LIVE (#107; 1909 sales), CHIEF (#108; 1870 sales), MR. MISUNDERSTOOD (#112; 1783 sales),  

SINNERS LIKE ME (#164; 1256 sales), CAUGHT IN THE ACT (#188; 1149) and OUTSIDERS (#200; 1103 sales).

Critical reception for Desperate Man:

11 Tracks/Time: 36:41 (Country Music People 3 STARS) Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

Allmusic (Rating: 4 STARS) Don't take the title Desperate Man too seriously. Eric Church doesn't sound at the end of his rope on his sixth album; he sounds settled in his skin, assured that he doesn't have to try too hard… Instead of going big, the way he did on 2014's burly Outsiders, he's keeping things small, a decision that highlights the many savvy ways he expands American musical traditions even as he adheres to them. Perhaps these variations on themes are subtle, but this confident sense of sonic adventure -- when combined with Church's expert craft -- results in a satisfying album.

Saving Country Music (Rating: 7.5/ 10) Through his efforts to build a strong fan base apart from radio, Eric Church has earned the latitude from his label to record and release whatever the hell he wants. That’s an important victory in itself. But what you do with that freedom is what’s most paramount. 

And what Eric Church has done is released an interesting and entertaining record a place apart from the norms of the mainstream that awakens the roots of American music. It may not be a masterpiece, and it may not appeal to the entirety of the independent crowd. But it is a major accomplishment considering the parameters. And maybe most importantly, Desperate Man is Eric Church putting to bed the worst tendencies of “Chief,” slipping free of the commercial priorities of Music Row, and finding the true voice and direction he’s been desperately searching for.

Pitchfork (Rating: 7.6/10) …“The Snake” is rightly positioned as Desperate Man’s opening track not for its clever extended metaphor or theme but for its swampy aesthetic. Church doesn’t stray far from its thick, steamy vibe throughout these 11 songs, bending other styles to suit this sound instead of vice versa. Desperate Man doesn’t offer a grand statement of purpose along the lines of Mr. Misunderstood, which gained its power from Church’s ability to self-mythologize as a rebel existing on Nashville’s fringes. This is the sound of a renegade settling into his mature period…. The deliberate decision not to indulge in a grand gesture—combined with the consciously compact scale of Desperate Man—means this album seems smaller than every record he’s made since 2011’s Chief. That modesty is the key to its very appeal: This is an album designed not for the moment but the long haul.

15 non-consecutive week No.1 Luke Combs with THIS ONE’S FOR YOU (River House/ Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) slipped 1-2 (#17-23 Billboard 200; 3,846 sales; 71-week total 339,500).

Carrie Underwood with CRY PRETTY slipped 2-3 (18-33 Billboard 200; 11,269 sales; down 28%; 4-week total 306,065 copies). Her first week sales were fuelled by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer.

Former No1 Dan + Shay with their self-titled album (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) fell 3-4 (#44-50 BB200; 1,486 sales; 16-week total 58,600).

Chris Stapleton with the 180-week TRAVELLER (MERCURY/ UMGN) held at No.5 (#47-55 BB200; 3,210 sales; 180 week total 2,364,700) as his set From A Room: Volume 1 (Mercury/Universal Music Group Nashville) rose 14-12 (#160-153 BB200; 2,054 sales; 75-week total 846,600) and From A Room: Volume 2 rose 29-26 in its 45th frame (2,019 sales; 45-week total 443,300).

Kane Brown with his 10 non-consecutive week No.1 SELF-TITLED fell 4-5 (#46-58 BB200; 2,428 sales; 97-week total 464,400)

Former 6-week non-consecutive week No.1 Jason Aldean with REARVIEW TOWN (Macon/Broken Bow Records) fell 6-7 (#60-76 BB200; 1,955 sales; 26-week total 420,100).

Former No.1 Thomas Rhett with LIFE CHANGES (Valory/Big Machine Label Group) fell 7-8 (#70-92 BB200; 900 sales; 57-week total 297,800).

Brett Young with self- titled BRETT YOUNG (BMLG) rose 10-9 (#100-128 BB200; 1,000 sales; 87-week total 237,500).

Outside the Top 10

In its eighth frame former No1 Cole Swindell with ALL OF IT (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) fell 11-17 (126-197 BB200; 1,616 sales; down 41%; 8-week total 68,300).

Former No.1 Luke Bryan with WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY (Capitol Nashville | UMGN) held at No.18 (#178 to off the top 200 BB200; 1,164 sales; 44-week total 332,600).

Former No.1 Kenny Chesney with LIVE IN NO SHOES NATION (Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville) fell 17-19 (1,694 sales; 11-week total 116,600).

Florida Georgia Line with their 4-track EP FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE (Big Machine Label Group, LLC | UK iTunes) rose 23-22 (#190-199 BB200).

Outside the Top 25

Loretta Lynn with WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT (Legacy | Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) fell 8-43 (3,232 sales; down 41%; 2-week total 11,861) .

FALLING SHORT of Top 50:

On the Country Album Sales list (pure sales; old methodology)

Moonshine Bandits with their 13-track Hip-Hop/ Rap set GOLD RUSH (Amazon UK) made a debut at No.11 selling 1,677 copies.

Will Hoge with his 8-track Rock / Singer-songwriter set MY AMERICAN DREAM (EDLO Records | Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) made a debut at No.29 selling 700 copies.

Aaron Watson with the 10 track holiday set An Aaron Watson Family Christmas (Amazon UK - Amazon.com) made a debut at No.31 selling 700 copies. SEE BLOG POST

Heather Morgan with her 12 track album BORROWED HEART (Eleven Feathers Records | Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) made a debut at No.32 selling 600 copies.

A Richardson, Texas native, Morgan has written songs for artists like Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Maren Morris, Brett Eldredge, and more. Alongside friend Ross Copperman, Morgan and Eldredge have formed a power writing trio, penning almost a dozen songs for Eldredge's albums, including chart toppers "Lose My Mind" and "Beat of the Music." Her dedication has earned her No. 1 singles and a BMI Country Song of the Year Award.

Morgan also penned two songs with ACM Songwriter of the Year Lori McKenna: the title track "Borrowed Heart" and the poignant, "Arms of a Lion," a song on which McKenna lends her vocals.

Year-To-Date Albums

12,185,000 (Physical sales 8,649,000 (down -16.1%) + Digital sales 3,546,000 (down -30.9%) which is 21.1% down at the same point in 2017 (15,445,000 sales) 

Year-To-Date Digital Tracks
39,023,000 down 27.5% at the same point in 2017 (53,797,000)

Billboard Hot Country Songs (Chart issue week of October 20, 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:

Florida Georgia Line with “Meant to Be” (Warner Bros./BMLG) with Bebe Rexha, which led the April 28 Country Airplay chart, ruleed Hot Country Songs for a record-extending 46th week. It topped Country Streaming Songs for a record-stretching 42nd frame, with 12.1million U.S. streams (up 4percent).

With “Simple” atop Country Airplay and “Meant” leading Hot Country Songs, it marked just the third set of songs with which an act has ruled the charts simultaneously since Hot Country Songs transitioned to a multi-metric methodology in October 2012. Not surprisingly, FGL has been involved each time. On June 21, 2014, Luke Bryan paced both surveys as “Play It Again” led Country Airplay while FGL’s “This Is How We Roll” (featuring Bryan) topped Hot Country Songs. Before that, for two weeks in May 2013, FGL’s “Cruise” crowned Hot Country Songs while “Get Your Shine On” sparkled atop Country Airplay

Dan + Shay earned their sixth Hot Country Songs top 10 as “Speechless” (Warner Bros./WAR) rose 11-9. It stepped 21-20 on Country Airplay, up 8 percent to 13.7 million, while also boasting 7 million U.S. streams (up 1 percent).

Hot County Songs

** No.1 (46 weeks) ** “Meant To Be” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line

** Airplay Gainer” No.4 “She Got The Best Of Me” Luke Combs  

** Digital Gainer/ Streaming Gainer ** No.8 “Desperate Man” Eric Church

** Hot Shot Debut ** No.31 “Neon Church” Tim McGraw  

Debut No.43 “Make It Sweet” Old Dominion

Billboard Country Airplay (Chart issue week of October 20, 2018)

Florida Georgia Line earned its 14th Country Airplay No.1 as the duo’s “Simple” (Big Machine Label Group) rose 3-1, up 4 percent to 37.9 million in audience.

The twosome’s 14 No.1s tie Rascal Flatts’ total (passing Zac Brown Band’s 13) for the second-most among duos and groups in the chart’s 28-year history, after Brooks & Dunn’s 20. Among all acts, Kenny Chesney leads with 30 No.1s.

Jimmie Allen banked his first Country Airplay top10 as his debut single, “Best Shot,” bumped 11-10 (24 million, up 15 percent). The Stoney Creek label returns to the top10 for the first time since Randy Houser’s “We Went” went to No.1 in March 2016; the label lands its lucky 13th top10 overall, dating to its first, Thompson Square’s No. 1 “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not,” in April 2011. Along with Allen’s first top 10, Houser’s five and Thompson Square’s four, Parmalee has tallied three top 10s for the label.

Country Airplay

*** No.1 (1 week) *** “Simple” Florida Georgia Line 37.946 million audience (+1.631 million) / 7,402 radio plays (+225)

** Most Increased Audience ** No.2 “She Got The Best Of Me” Luke Combs

** Most Added ** No.27 “Neon Church” Tim McGraw

** Hot Shot Debut ** No.48 “Make It Sweet” Old Dominion  

Debut No.60 “90's Country” Walker Hayes

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart 

(Chart issue week of October 20, 2018)

Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) with “Speechless” moved 2-1 (#27-23 Digital Songs) to top the Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart selling 10,000 copies (16-week total 128,000). The duo have enjoyed crossover success with the track along with “Tequila” (Warner Bros. | WAR) which holds at No.7 (6,000 sales; 38-week total 425,000) a track garnering single spins on Top 40 and Hot AC radio stations, is at #7.

“Speechless” was 22-places behind Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" which vaulted 28-5 on the Hot 100, as parent album the A Star Is Born soundtrack, by the film's two stars, blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The duet topped Digital Song Sales for a second week (71,000, up 21 percent), reigning as the Hot 100's top digital sales gainer. Fueling the song's buzz: After A Star Is Born premiered in theaters Oct. 5 (the same day that its soundtrack arrived), the film earned $94.2 million in its first 10 days of release in the U.S. and Canada.

Luke Combs with “She Got The Best Of Me” fell 3-4 (#31 Non mover Digital Songs; 8,000 sales; 9-week total 223,000) as his single “Beautiful Crazy” slipped 10-23 (5,000 sales; 23-week total 209,000).

Florida Georgia Line with “Simple” (BMLG) held at No.3 (#30-32 Digital Songs; 8,000 sales; 19-week total 313,000). Their former 22 non-consecutive week No1 Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line with “Meant to Be" (Warner Bros. | BMLG) rose 12-9 (6,000 sales; 46-week total 1,317,000).

Mitchell Tenpenny with “Drunk Me” 6-4 (#43-48 Digital Songs; 6,000 sales; 12-week total 110,000).

Tim McGraw with “Neon Church” his first solo track in over two years, and the first single from his next album, due in 2019, bounded onto Country Digital Song Sales at No.5 (6,000 sold), marking his 15th top 10. On Hot Country Songs, it landed the

highest debut at No.31.

Kane Brown with “Lose It” rose 8-6 (6,000 sales; 17-week total 116,000) as “Heaven” climbed 17-14 (5,000 sales; 47-week total 641,000).

Chris Stapleton with “Tennessee Whiskey” rose 9-8 (6,000 sales; 144-week total 1,677,000).

Old Dominion with “Make It Sweet” made a debut at No.10 (5,000 sales)

Outside the Top 10

Jake Owen with “Down To The Honkytonk” rose 14-11 (5,000 sales; 7-week total 43,000).

Lauren Alaina with “Ladies In The '90s” made a debut at No.13 (5,000 sales).

Jimmie Allen with ballad “Best Shot” rose 16-15 (5,000 sales; total 55,000).

Maren Morris with “Rich” was new at No.21 (3,000 sales; total 135,000)

Rascal Flatts with new single “Back To Life” dropped off the top 25 (2,000 sales; down 86%; 2-week total 14,000)

Country Aircheck MEDIABASE Chart

October 15, 2018

Florida Georgia Line Hits #1 With 'Simple'

Congrats to Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, Matthew Hargis, Michelle Kammerer and the rest of the BMLG Records crew on making this week’s No.1 look “Simple.“ The song is the first release from an upcoming album. Writers are Michael Hardy, Mark Holman, Hubbard and Kelley.

“Simple” (BMLGR) moved 2-1 logging 8,326 radio spins (+632), 50.185 million audience impressions (+4.783 million) with 26507 Total Points (+1792) from 158 tracking stations (158 ADDS) for the tracking week October 7 to October 13, 2018 and published chart October 15, 2018.

Kelsea Ballerini Is Most-Added With 'Miss Me More'

Congratulations to BLACK RIVER ENTERTAINMENT's KELSEA BALLERINI, who garnered 32 MEDIABASE adds with her new single, "Miss Me More."

Kudos to Mike Wilson and the Black River team for notching 32 adds for Kelsea Ballerini’s “Miss Me More”. The song topped the "Most Added" board this chart week.

In celebration of Black River Entertainment's Kelsea Ballerini being most-added at Country radio this week with her new single, "Miss Me More".  Pictured L-R: Black River Entertainment Dir./National Promotion Bill Macky, Coord./Promotion Bailey White, and SVP/Promotion Mike Wilson

Mediabase Adds (Selective)

Artist/Title (Label) TW Total Historic Adds

KELSEA BALLERINI/Miss Me More (Black River)          32         45        

LAUREN ALAINA/Ladies In The '90s (19/Mercury)           31         31        

TIM MCGRAW/Neon Church (Columbia)            22         133      

WALKER MCGUIRE/Growin' Up (Stoney Creek) 20         21        

WATERLOO REVIVAL/Wonder Woman (Show Dog)      19         21        

JASON ALDEAN/Girl Like You (Broken Bow)      17         117      

THOMAS RHETT/Sixteen (Valory)         17         126      

OLD DOMINION/Make It Sweet (RCA)    15         20        

RASCAL FLATTS/Back To Life (Big Machine)     15         90        

BRETT YOUNG/Here Tonight (BMLGR) 14         87        

CARRIE UNDERWOOD/Love Wins (Capitol)      11         100      

LOCASH/Feels Like A Party (Wheelhouse)          9          86        

BROTHERS OSBORNE/I Don't Remember Me (Before..) (EMI Nashville) 8          41        

KEITH URBAN/Never Comin Down (Capitol)       8          107      

MORGAN WALLEN/Whiskey Glasses (Big Loud)            8          86        

WALKER HAYES/90's Country (Monument/Arista)          5          23        

JON LANGSTON/When It Comes To Loving You (32 Bridge/EMI Nashville)          4          51        

LUKE BRYAN/What Makes You Country (Capitol)           3          7         

DILLON CARMICHAEL/Dancing Away With My Heart (Riser House)        2          2         

JUSTIN MOORE/Ones That Didn't Make It Back (Valory) 2          2         

LUKE COMBS/Beautiful Crazy (River House/Columbia)   1          8         

MADDIE & TAE/Friends Don't (Mercury) 1          94        

RUNAWAY JUNE/Buy My Own Drinks (Wheelhouse)      1          58

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly October 8, 2018, Issue 622 -  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: #38

Event Venue City/State: Keith Urban Rogers Place Edmonton, Alberta

Dates: Sept. 22, 2018 Gross Sales: $981,340 Attend: 12,022/ 12,022

Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $95.21, $57.28

Promoters: Sakamoto Entertainment                       

Rank Artist: #43

Event Venue City/State: Keith Urban Scotiabank Saddledome Calgary, Alberta

Dates: Sept. 23, 2018 Gross Sales: $879,709 Attend: 10,786/ 10,786

Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $95.21, $57.28

Promoters: Sakamoto Entertainment

Latest Billboard Boxscore Chart