Country Billboard Chart News October 22, 2018

In Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of October 27, 2018)

Country Album Chart ** No.1 (2 weeks) ** DESPERATE MAN Eric Church

Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (47 weeks) ** “Meant To Be” Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line

Country Airplay ** No.1 (1 week) ** “She Got The Best Of Me” Luke Combs

Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (2 weeks) “Speechless” Dan + Shay

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News (Chart issue week of October 27, 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 and Bradley Cooper’s A STAR IS BORN soundtrack spent a second week at No.1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart (BB200), as the set earned 143,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Oct. 18, according to Nielsen Music (down 38 percent compared to its opening frame a week ago). Of the latest tracking week’s unit sum, 86,000 were in album sales -- down 47 percent.

Billboard Top Country Albums (Chart issue week of October 27, 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), held at No.1 (5-16 Billboard 200) on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated Oct.27)

15 non-consecutive week No.1 Luke Combs with THIS ONE’S FOR YOU (River House/ Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) held at No.2 (#23-21 Billboard 200) in his 72nd frame.

Carrie Underwood with CRY PRETTY held at No.3 (33-34 Billboard 200) in her 5th frame.

Former 6-week non-consecutive week No.1 Jason Aldean with REARVIEW TOWN (Macon/Broken Bow Records) climbed 7-4 (#76-42 BB200) in his 27th week.

Former No1 Dan + Shay with their self-titled album (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) fell 4-5 (#50-53 BB200) in their 17th week.

Chris Stapleton with the 181-week TRAVELLER (MERCURY/ UMGN) fell 5-6 (#55 non-mover BB200) as his set From A Room: Volume 1 (Mercury/Universal Music Group Nashville) fell 12-13 (#153-149 BB200) and From A Room: Volume 2 rose 26-25 in its 46th frame.

Kane Brown with his 10 non-consecutive week No.1 SELF-TITLED fell 6-7 (#58-57 BB200) in his 98th week.

Former No.1 Thomas Rhett with LIFE CHANGES (Valory/Big Machine Label Group) held No.8 (#92-80 BB200) in his 58th week.

Morgan Evans with his first U.S. LP, THINGS THAT WE DRINK TO (Warner Bros./ Warner Music Nashville), opened at No.9 with 7,000 equivalent album units (4,000 in traditional album sales). 

The Australian singer-songwriter co-penned all 11 tracks on the set, including new single “Day Drunk,” which debuted at No. 55 on Country Airplay with 1.4 million audience impressions (up 99percent). Lead single “Kiss Somebody” hit No.3 on Country Airplay in August.

Brett Young with self- titled BRETT YOUNG (BMLG) fell 9-10 (#128-11 BB200) in his 88th week.

Outside the Top 10

Jimmie Allen with his debut album, the 15-track MERCURY LANE (Stoney Creek/BMG/BBMG), released Oct. 12, arrived on Top Country Albums at No.11, earning 7,000 equivalent album units (3,000 in traditional album sales) in its first week.

As an homage to the origin of his story and how far he’s come, the soul-baring album takes its name from the street Allen grew up on and pays tribute to the influence home and family has had on his incredible journey. Fans will instantly receive six songs with a pre-order of Mercury Lane, including “Best Shot,” “Underdogs,” “21,” “Warrior,” “Back of Your Mind” and “Make Me Want To,” a brand-new track that highlights the singer’s hopeless romantic side. 

He shared: “Mercury Lane is where my journey began. All of the fundamental life lessons that shaped my values and make me who I am today, I was taught on that street—its where I learned about love, family, life, how to believe in myself, the concept of never giving up, following your dreams and being a good person,” said Jimmie Allen. “This album touches on all of those ideals and truly feels like I’m sharing a piece of my heart with the world. I’ve been working toward this moment for so long; I can’t wait to share it with everyone.”

In its nineth frame former No1 Cole Swindell with ALL OF IT (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) rose 17-15 (197-165 BB200).

Colter Wall with his 11-track set SONGS OF THE PLAINS (Young Mary’s Record Co.-Thirty Tigers) made a debut at No.17 (#180 New Entry Billboard 200).

Critical reception for Colter Wall’s Songs of the Plains:

11 Tracks/ Time: 34:08 Folk Amazon UK

American Songwriter (Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars) ….From “Saskatchewan 1881” to “Manitoba Man” and “Calgary Round-Up,” Wall explores the life of 19th-century cowboys living hard in the frigid Canadian plains.  “My heart it lies far from the East or West Coast,”

he sings in the opening “Plain To See Plainsman,” one example of choosing the first person to describe the life of cowboys. The stripped-down, acoustic approach leans on iconic Western images taken straight out of black and white oater flicks.....Wall, with his booming yet emotional baritone, sings with windswept authenticity. Producer Dave Cobb focuses on Wall’s dark voice, adding wisps of bass, skeletal drums, ghostly pedal steel and Mickey Raphael’s crying harmonica to otherwise naked songs propelled by strummed and picked unplugged guitar.....This is unadulterated troubadour music. Whether Wall is covering cowboy traditionals such as “Tying Knots In The Devil’s Tail” and “Night Herding Song,” or contributing an original trucker tune like “Thinkin’ On A Woman,” the vibe is one of an itinerant singer taking his music town to town.  These performances could have come from an old Folkways album. Colter Wall captures a long-forgotten time and place, keeping the cowboy folklore alive by reminding us that poignant songs sung by a superb singer will never sound outdated

Former No.1 Kenny Chesney with LIVE IN NO SHOES NATION (Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville) fell 19-23 in his 12th week.

FALLING SHORT of Top 50:

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

(12 Oct 2018) Cypress Spring with the 13-track AMERICAN WHITE TRASH (Average Joes/Select-O | Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) made a debut at No.17.

Dailey & Vincent with their 14-track holiday set THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS (BMG | Amazon UK - UK iTunes) made a debut at No.21.

The Bottle Rockets with 12-track BIT LOGIC (Bloodshot Records | UK iTunes ) made a debut at No.23.

Year-To-Date Albums

12,417,000 (Physical sales 8,817,000 (down -16.4%) + Digital sales 3,611,000 (down -31.1%) which is 21.3% down at the same point in 2017 (15,786,000 sales) 

Year-To-Date Digital Tracks

39,696,000 down 27.5% at the same point in 2017 (54,760,000)

Billboard Hot Country Songs (Chart issue week of October 27, 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 and Bebe Rexha’s “Meant to Be” (Warner Bros./Big Machine Label Group) stretched its record domination on Hot Country Songs to 47 weeks. It also topped Country Streaming Songs for a record-extending 43rd week with 12.2million U.S. streams (up 1percent) in the week ending Oct. 18.

Mitchell Tenpenny tallied his first Hot Country Songs top 10 as his launch single, “Drunk Me” (River House/Columbia Nashville), hopped 11-10. It bulleted at No.6 on Country Digital Song Sales (7,000 sold, up 2 percent); at No.11, its highpoint, on Country Airplay (22.1 million, up 4 percent); and at No.12 on Country Streaming Songs (5.6 million, up 1 percent).

Jimmie Allen with debut single, “Best Shot” (Stoney Creek), became his first top 10 on Hot Country Songs, rising 12-9. On Country Airplay, it vaulted 10-5, surging 20 percent to 28.5 million in audience.

Hot County Songs

** No.1 (47 weeks) ** “Meant To Be” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line

** Airplay Gainer” No.4 “Break Up In The End” Cole Swindell  

** Digital Gainer/ Streaming Gainer ** No.28 “Make It Sweet” Old Dominion

** Hot Shot Debut ** No.46 “Things That We Drink To” Morgan Evans

Debut No.47 “Whiskey Glasses” Morgan Wallen

Billboard Country Airplay (Chart issue week of October 27, 2018)

Singer-songwriter Luke Combs became the first soloist to score four straight career-opening leaders on Country Airplay as “She Got the Best of Me” (River House/Columbia Nashville) climbed 2-1 on the Oct.27-dated list. “Best” moves to the summit with an 8 percent hike to 40.3 million audience points in the week ending Oct. 21, according to Nielsen Music.

The 28-year-old Combs, originally from Asheville, N.C., first topped Country Airplay with debut hit “Hurricane,” for two weeks, starting on the chart dated May 27, 2017, and followed with “When It Rains It Pours,” which also dominated for two frames, beginning Nov. 4, 2017, and third single “One Number Away,” which led on June 9.

“Best” also completes Combs’ fastest trip to No.1 on Country Airplay, moving up to the penthouse in its 16th week. “Hurricane,” “Rains” and “Number” needed 30, 28 and 24 weeks, respectively.

Combs is the third artist overall to send four career-opening singles to No.1 on Country Airplay since the list launched in January 1990, and the first since Florida Georgia Line. The duo’s first four singles — “Cruise,” “Get Your Shine On,” “Round Here” and “Stay” — ruled between 2012 and 2014.

Prior to FGL, another famous twosome, Brooks & Dunn, rattled off No.1s with its first four singles (“Brand New Man,” “My Next Broken Heart,” “Neon Moon,” “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”) in 1991 and 1992.

Country Airplay

*** No.1 (1 week) *** “She Got The Best Of Me” Luke Combs 40.307 million audience (+2.904 million) / 7,692 radio plays (+603)

** Most Increased Audience ** No.2 “Break Up In The End” Cole Swindell

** Most Added ** No.22 “Sixteen” Thomas Rhett  

** Hot Shot Debut ** No.54 “What Makes You Country” Luke Bryan

Debut No.55 “Day Drunk” Morgan Evans

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart 

(Chart issue week of October 27, 2018)

Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) with “Speechless” held at No.1 (#23 non-mover Digital Songs) to top the Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart for a second week as their 39-week “Tequila” fell 7-8.

“Speechless” was 22-places behind Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" which held at No.1 on Digital Song Sales for a third week.

Old Dominion with “Make It Sweet” pushed 10-2 (#26 New Entry Digital Songs)

Luke Combs with “She Got The Best Of Me” fell 2-3 (#31 Non mover Digital Songs).

Morgan Evans with “Things That We Drink To” made a debut at No.4 (#32 New Entry Digital Songs).

Florida Georgia Line with “Simple” (BMLG) fell 3-5 (#32-36 Digital Songs). Their former 22 non-consecutive week No1 Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line with “Meant to Be" (Warner Bros. | BMLG) fell 9-12.

Mitchell Tenpenny with “Drunk Me” fell 4-6 (#48-43 Digital Songs; 7,000 sales).

Kane Brown with “Lose It” fell 6-7 as “Heaven” held at No.14 in its 18th week.

Chris Stapleton with “Tennessee Whiskey” fell 8-9 in its 145th week.

Jimmie Allen with ballad “Best Shot” rose 15-10 in his fourth frame.

Outside the Top 10

Jake Owen with “Down To The Honkytonk” held at No.11 in his 8th frame.

Jason Aldean with “Girl Like You” made a debut at No.21.

Blake Shelton with “Turnin’ Me On” arrived at No.23 (3,000 sold) and pushed 16-13 on Country Airplay.

LANCO with “Born To Love You” made a debut at No.25.

Country Aircheck MEDIABASE Chart

October 22, 2018

Congrats to Cole Swindell, Kristen Williams, Tom Martens and the rest of the Warner Bros./WMN crew on this week’s No.1 “Break Up In The End.” Writers are Jessie Jo Dillon, Chase McGill and Jon Nite.  The track is Swindell's eighth #1 hit.

“Break Up In The End” (Warner Bros./WMN) moved 4-1 logging 8,564 radio spins (+1446), 50.726 million audience impressions (+6.164 million) with 27456 Total Points (+4542) from 157 tracking stations (157 ADDS) for the tracking week October 14 to October 20, 2018 and published chart October 22, 2018.

And kudos to Bobby Young and the Capitol team for notching 59 adds for Luke Bryan’s “What Makes You Country”. The song topped the "Most Added" board this chart week.

Capitol Team celebrate Luke Bryan's Most Added single

Mediabase Adds (Selective)

Artist/Title (Label) TW Total Historic Adds

LUKE BRYAN/What Makes You Country (Capitol)          59         66        

DILLON CARMICHAEL/Dancing Away With My Heart (Riser House)        22         24        

OLD DOMINION/Make It Sweet (RCA)    16         36        

TIM MCGRAW/Neon Church (Columbia)            15         148      

SMITHFIELD/Hey Whiskey (Deluge/In2une)        14         65        

LAUREN ALAINA/Ladies In The '90s (19/Mercury)           13         44        

THOMAS RHETT/Sixteen (Valory)         13         139      

JASON ALDEAN/Girl Like You (Broken Bow)      12         129      

MORGAN WALLEN/Whiskey Glasses (Big Loud)            11         97        

KELSEA BALLERINI/Miss Me More (Black River)            10         55        

CODY JOHNSON/On My Way To You (CoJo Music/WMN)          8          90        

CARRIE UNDERWOOD/Love Wins (Capitol)      7          107      

JAKE OWEN/Down To The Honkytonk (Big Loud)           7          141      

KEITH URBAN/Never Comin Down (Capitol)       7          114      

RASCAL FLATTS/Back To Life (Big Machine)     7          97        

WALKER HAYES/90's Country (Monument/Arista)          7          30        

TENILLE TOWNES/Somebody's Daughter (Columbia)    4          36        

JUSTIN MOORE/The Ones That Didn't Make It.. (Valory)            3          5         

RUNAWAY JUNE/Buy My Own Drinks (Wheelhouse)      3          61        

ABBY ANDERSON/Make Him Wait (Black River)            2          58        

DANIELLE BRADBERY & THOMAS RHETT/Goodbye Summer (Valory/BMLGR)  2          83        

JON LANGSTON/When It Comes To Loving You (32 Bridge/EMI Nashville)          2          53        

ADAM HAMBRICK/Rockin' All Night Long (Buena Vista/Capitol)  1          31        

ASHLEY MCBRYDE/Girl Goin' Nowhere (Atlantic/WAR)  1          2         

AUSTIN BURKE/Whole Lot In Love (Awal/In2une)           1          19        

LUKE COMBS/Houston, We Got A Problem (River House/Columbia)       1          2         

MICHAEL TYLER/Remember These Words (Reviver)      1          1         

SUNDANCE HEAD/Leave Her Wild (Wildcatter)  1          6         

THOMPSON SQUARE/A Love Like This (---)      1          1

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly October 22, 2018, Issue 624 -  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: #15            

Event Venue City/State: Kylie Minogue O2 Arena London

Dates: Sept. 26-28, 2018 Gross Sales: $3,368,900 Attend: 30,100/ 43,227

Shows/ Sellouts: 3/0 (13,127 unsold tickets) Prices: $197.27, $72.33

Promoters: Live Nation

Latest Billboard Boxscore Chart