Sunday, 3 March 2019

Country Billboard Chart News February 25, 2019


Country Billboard Chart News February 25, 2019

In Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of March 2, 2019)

Country Album Chart ** No.1 (1 week) CAN’T SAY I AIN’T COUNTRY Florida Georgia Line
Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (1 week) ** “Beautiful Crazy” Luke Combs
Country Airplay ** No.1 (1 week) ** “Beautiful Crazy” Luke Combs
Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (4 non-consecutive weeks) ** “Beautiful Crazy” Luke Combs

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News (Chart issue week of March 2, 2019)

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

Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next spents a second week at No.1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart (BB200), making it the first album by a solo woman to spend more than a single week at No. 1 in over a year.

Thank U earned 151,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Feb. 21 (down 58 percent from its debut of 360,000 units), according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 20,000 were in album sales (down 82 percent).
Thank U’s second week sum of 151,000 units is mostly comprised of SEA units: 124,000. That figure translates to 168.6 million on-demand audio streams for the album’s songs in its second week (down from 307 million in its debut frame, when it set the record for both an album by a woman and for a pop album). The 168.6 million streaming figure for Thank U’s second week easily makes it the most streamed album of this week, and also ranks it as the third-largest week for a woman ever (trailing its own debut frame, plus the first week of Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy, with 202.6 million) and the second-biggest week ever for a pop album (after only Thank U’s debut week).

At No.4 on the Billboard 200, Florida Georgia Line with CAN’T SAY I AIN’T COUNTRY started at No.4, giving the country duo its fourth top five effort. The set enters with 50,000 units (29,000 in album sales). The act’s last album, Dig Your Roots, entered at No. 2 on the Sept. 17, 2016-dated chart with 145,000 units.

Billboard Top Country Albums (Chart issue week of March 2, 2019)
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.

Florida Georgia Line with fourth studio LP, CAN’T SAY I AIN’T COUNTRY (Big Machine Label Group | Amazon UK), entered Top Country Albums at No.1 (#4 Billboard 200), earning 50,000 equivalent album units (29,000 in traditional album sales) in its first week, ending Feb. 21.

The 19-track collection features songs “Sittin’ Pretty, “Colorado” and their No.1 single, “Simple.”
The twosome of Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard notched its fourth leader on the chart and third to debut in the penthouse. Dig Your Roots and Anything Goes led for two weeks each.

CHART HISTORY:
DIG YOUR ROOTS launched atop the list dated Sept. 17, 2016 with 125,747 copies sold (#2 Billboard 200). The album had sold 444,300 copies as of February 2018.

ANYTHING GOES, released Oct 14, 2014 entered at No.1 on Nov. 1, 2014 (197,000 sales) marking the pair’s strongest sales week). The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 1, 2014 and then certified Platinum (1 Million units) on March 29, 2016. As of June 2015, the album had sold 858,000 copies in the US

First LP HERE’S TO THE GOOD TIMES, released Dec 4, 2012, opened on the survey dated Dec. 22, 2012, at No.3 (63,000 sales) and topped it on June 29, 2013 (33K sales), for its first of 10 weeks at No.1.
The album was the sixth best-selling album of 2013 in the United States, with 1,350,000 copies sold during the year. The album reached its 2 million sales mark in August 2014. On Dec 4, 2012 it was certified 2x Multi-Platinum (2 Million units)

Critical reception for Florida Georgia Line’s Can' Say I Ain’t Country:
15 Tracks/ Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

Allmusic (Rating: 4 STARS)… Can't Say I Ain't Country is a successful blend of the cosmopolitan and country, sounding as assured on soulful slow jams and percolating crossover pop as it does on the breakneck twang of "Y'all Boys," a duet with their protégé HARDY.

Exclaim.ca (Rating: 7/10): Even though their unique music production always nudges musical boundaries, Can't Say I Ain't Country attempts to knock down musical barriers by affixing a fresh glow on past country music trends.

Rollingstone (Rating: 2.5 STARS) .. At 19 tracks, FGL’s fourth album often feels more like a streaming-era hip-hop blockbuster than a traditional Nashville LP. This is playlist country, with a cross-section of sounds — R&B slow jams, thumping country rockers, folky Edward Sharpe knockoffs — that’s wide enough to appeal to any subset of the group’s pop fan base…. The result is an uneven record that leaves country’s most irreverent hitmakers sounding needlessly cautious.

The Guardian (Rating: 2 STARS)… For all the shopping-mall feel of their songs, they can be industrially catchy. ... If only their lyrics weren’t so cringey.

Sputnikmusic (Rating: 1.5 STARS) Can’t Say I Ain’t Country is an amalgamation of country-pop’s worst features. It’s country without the grit or emotion; pop without any of the fun or hooks…. If this is country, then get me the hell away from it forever.

Luke Combs with THIS ONE’S FOR YOU (River House/ Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) held at No.2 (#15-16 Billboard 200) in its 90th frame.

Previous weeks’ No.1 Kacey Musgraves with GOLDEN HOUR (MCA Nashville) fell 1-3 (#9-23 Billboard 200) in her 42nd frame
Dan + Shay with their self-titled album (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) fell 3-4 (#31-38 BB200) in their 35th frame.

Chris Stapleton with the 199-week TRAVELLER (MERCURY/ UMGN) fell 4-5 (#44-47 BB200) as his set From A Room: Volume 1 (Mercury/Universal Music Group Nashville) fell 16-21 (#175-176 BB200) and From A Room: Volume 2 fell 14-23 (#161-198 Billboard 200).

Former No.1 Kane Brown with sophomore album, entitled EXPERIMENT fell 5-6 (#70-77 BB200) in his 15th frame as his self-titled debut slipped 6-7 in its 116th frame.

Former 6-week non-consecutive week No.1 Jason Aldean with REARVIEW TOWN (Macon/Broken Bow Records) fell 7-8 (#82-83 BB200) in its 45th week.
Elvis Presley with Elvis: The '68 Comeback Special: The Best Of (Soundtrack) made a debut at No.9.

Thomas Rhett with LIFE CHANGES (Valory) fell 8-10 (#97-99 BB200) in his 76th frame.

Outside the Top 10
Former No.1 Carrie Underwood with CRY PRETTY rose 13-11 (#155-106 BB200) in her 23rd week.

Ryan Bingham with 15-track AMERICAN LOVE SONG (Axster Bingham Records/ Thirty Tigers | Amazon UK) made a debut at No.12 (#124 Billboard 200; No.4 Country Album Sales).  

Ryan Bingham’s highly anticipated sixth studio album was co-produced with renowned guitarist/artist Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan) and was recorded at Arlyn Studios and Public Hi-Fi in Austin, TX with additional recording at Matter Music in Los Angeles.
Bingham’s first new LP in four years, American Love Song finds the award-winning singer-songwriter furthering his already remarkable creativity by honing in upon both the personal and the cultural on songs such as the rocking “Jingle and Go.”

Former No.1 Brett Young with Ticket to L.A. advanced 29-17 (#167 Re-Entry Billboard 200). 

Former No1 Cody Johnson with AIN’T NOTHIN’ TO IT (Cojo/Warner Music Nashville) fell 11-18 (#146-168 Billboard 200).

Outside the Top 25

Hayes Carll with his 12 track WHAT IT IS (Dualtone Music Group | Amazon UK - Amazon.com ) made a debut at No.26 (No.5 Country Album Sales).
‘What It Is’ really is a great record from Hayes Carll, and a great record by anyone's standards. The songs are very strong indeed, the production values faultless and the performances from all involved, endlessly tight and creative. It’s still only early January 2019 but I can see this one being around for the end of year awards – a fine piece of work indeed. Fatea Records

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

Lauren Duski with 5 track MIDWESTERN GIRL (Amazon UK) made a debut at No.26.
The five-track debut EP from NBC’s The Voice season 12 runner-up includes singles “Costume Party” and “Heart Hurt Good.”

Dale Watson with Alt-Country 12 track CALL ME LUCKY (Red House Records | Amazon UK) made a debut at No.33.

Watson has a new home base, Memphis, TN and recorded all but one song on his new Red House Records release, at historic Sam Phillips Recording studio in Memphis. 

The album features some of city's finest as well as Dale's longtime band, His Lone Stars, and includes a horn section on some of the tracks. With nods to the Man in Black and Hank, Watson pays homage to the greats and proves he's the real deal.


The Long Ryders with 12 track PSYCHEDELIC COUNTRY SOUL (Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) made a debut at No.38.
The Long Ryders were formed Thanksgiving 1981 in west Los Angeles, California. Kentucky born guitarist Sid Griffin left his sixties punk band The Unclaimed after having bonded musically with former Boxboys drummer Greg Sowders at a jam session in the notorious ON Klub in Silverlake.

Year-To-Date Albums
1,473,000 (Physical sales 984,000 (down -29.5%) + Digital sales 490,000 (down -15.2%) which is 25.4% down at the same point in 2018 (1,974,000 sales) 

Year-To-Date Digital Tracks
4,860,000 down 27.7% at the same point in 2018 (6,725,000)

Billboard Hot Country Songs (Chart issue week of March 2, 2019)
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:

Luke Combs achieved his second No.1 as “Beautiful” rose 2-1 in its 42nd week. He first topped the tally for two weeks in November-December 2017 with “Rains.” “Beautiful” also lifted 2-1 on Country Streaming Songs to become his first No.1 among five top 10s. The track gained by 8 percent to 11.7 million U.S. streams in the week ending Feb. 21 with 15,000 downloads sold.

Michael Ray with “One That Got Away” strode 22-20 marking Ray’s fourth top 20 hit. It bumped by 7 percent to 22.7 million in radio reach, while a 69-cent sale tag in the iTunesStore helped push its 11 percent gain to 2,000 downloads sold.

Runaway June with “Buy My Own Drinks” made its third visit as “Drinks” debuted at No.43 snagging Hot Shot Debut honours . The track rose 30-28 on Country Airplay, up 12 percent to 5.6 million impressions.

Hot County Songs
** No.1 (1 week)/ Streaming Gainer ** “Beautiful Crazy” Luke Combs
** Airplay Gainer” No.7 “What Makes You Country” Luke Bryan  
** Digital Gainer ** No.11 “Here Tonight” Brett Young
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.43 “Buy My Own Drinks” Runaway June
Debut No.46 “Can't Hide Red” Florida Georgia Line featuring Jason Aldean

Billboard Country Airplay (Chart issue week of March 2, 2019)

Luke Combs made history as the first artist to reach No.1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with his first five entries.
On the list dated March 2, “Beautiful Crazy” (River House/Columbia Nashville) ascended 2-1, increasing by 7 percent to 38.8 million audience impressions in the week ending Feb.24, according to Nielsen Music.

Written by Combs, Wyatt Durrette and Robert Williford, “Beautiful” reached the summit in its 16th week. It matched Combs’ quickest trip to No.1, which he first achieved with his fourth leader, “She Got the Best of Me.” The song reigned for four weeks starting in October 2018.
His debut, “Hurricane,” which led for two weeks beginning May 27, 2017, hit No. 1 in its 30th week. Follow-up “When It Rains It Pours” also dominated for two frames, beginning Nov. 4, 2017, and reaching the apex in its 28th week. His third single, “One Number Away,” led for a week in its 24th frame (June 9, 2018).

Dating back to the Country Air play list’s January 1990 launch, Combs bests two acts that each sent their first four singles (as lead artists) to No.1. Brooks & Dunn did so in 1991-92 with “Brand New Man,” “My Next Broken Heart,” “Neon Moon” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” Another duo, Florida Georgia Line, achieved the feat in 2012-14 with “Cruise,” “Get Your Shine On,” “Round Here” and “Stay.”
Combs thus simultaneously leads Billboard’s four main country song charts. He became the first artist to do so since Kane Brown, who was the first to simultaneously top four country song surveys on Oct. 28, 2017. That week, his “What Ifs,” featuring Lauren Alaina, led Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay and Country Streaming Songs, and “Heaven” arrived atop Country Digital Song Sales. He also ruled Top Country Albums during the same frame with his self-titled first LP.
Combs missed his own quintuple coronation by one ranking. His debut LP, This One’s for You, which has dominated Top Country Albums for 26 weeks and whose deluxe edition houses all five of his Country Airplay leaders was placed at No.2.

Old Dominion scored its seventh Country Airplay top 10 as “Make It Sweet” (RCA Nashville) hopped 11-10, up 4 percent to 21 million in audience. The act now boasts five No. 1s, including its last four singles prior to “Sweet.”

Country Airplay
*** No.1 (1 week) *** “Beautiful Crazy” Luke Combs 38.781 million audience (+2.444 million) / 7,849 radio plays (+620)
** Most Increased Audience ** No.2 “What Makes You Country” Luke Bryan
** Most Added ** No.24 “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” George Strait
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.57 “To A T” Ryan Hurd
Debut No.60 “Alcohol You Later” Mitchell Tenpenny
  
Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart 
(Chart issue week of March 2, 2019)

Luke Combs with Beautiful Crazy” pushed 3-1 (#21-10 Digital Songs; (15,000 downloads sold, up 26%, in the week ending Feb. 21) to head the Country Digital Songs summit for a 4th non-consecutive week in its 42nd frame. Additionally, Combs’ She Got The Best Of Me” rebounded 18-14.
It was nine places behind Cardi B and Bruno Mars which surged onto the Hot 100 at No.5 with "Please Me." The stand-alone single (released on Atlantic Records, both artists' home label) started at No.1 on Digital Song Sales with 51,000 sold. Cardi B collected her third No.1 on the sales survey, while Mars added his ninth.

Brett Young with “Here Tonight” made a re-entry at No.2 (#25 Re-Entry Digital Songs).

Previous weeks’ chart toppers Grammy winners Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) with Tequila” fell 1-3 (#10-32 Digital Songs) while their 11 non-consecutive week No1 “Speechless” rose 5-4 (#32-37 Digital Songs).

Jake Owen with “Down To The Honkytonk” climbed 8-5 (#49 Re-Entry Digital Songs) in its 26th frame.

Kelsea Ballerini with “Miss Me More” held at No.6 (#42 – off Top 50 Digital Songs) in her 16th week.
Lee Brice with “Rumor” rose 9-7 in his 10th frame.
Kacey Musgraves with “Rainbow” fell 2-8 in her second frame.
Morgan Wallen with “Whiskey Glasses” advanced 17-9 in his 13th week.
Chris Stapleton’s Millionaire” rose 13-10 as 163-week “Tennessee Whiskey” climbed 14-12.

Outside the Top 10
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line with multi-week No1 “Meant To Be” slipped 10-11 in their 65th frame.

Chase Rice with “Eyes on You “Eyes” opened at No.18 on Country Digital Song Sales, up 26 percent to 4,000 sold, and rose 20-16 on Hot Country Songs. Rice was slated to perform the song on ABC’s Good Morning America on Feb. 26.

New album tracks from Florida Georgia Line with “Blessings” and “Can't Hide Red” featuring Jason Aldean arrived at No.21 and No.25 respectfully.
  
Country Aircheck MEDIABASE Chart

February 25, 2019

Congrats to Luke Bryan, Royce Risser, Bobby Young, David Friedman and the Capitol promotion team on landing the week’s No.1 with “What Makes You Country.”
The song is the fourth chart-topper from the album by the same name. Writers are Dallas Davidson, Ashley Gorley and Bryan.



















What Makes You Country” (Capitol) rose 4-1 logging 8,482 radio spins (+1,148), 51.057 million audience impressions (+5.591) with 27162 Total Points (+3458) from 156 tracking stations (156 ADDS) for the tracking week February 17 to February 23, 2019 and published chart dated February 25, 2019.

Kudos to Lee Adams, Shelley Hargis Gaines and the Broken Bow reps on securing 39 adds for Jason Aldean’s Rearview Town”. The song topped the "Most Added" board this chart week.

Mediabase Adds (Selective)

Artist/Title (Label) TW Total Historic Adds
JASON ALDEAN/Rearview Town (Macon Music/Broken Bow)    39         45
DIERKS BENTLEY/Living (Capitol)         38         38
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Talk You Out Of It (BMLGR)   15         145
ZAC BROWN BAND/Someone I Used To Know (No Reserve/BMG/Wheelhouse)  14         44
GEORGE STRAIT/Every Little Honky Tonk Bar (MCA)    13         125
TENILLE TOWNES/Somebody's Daughter (Columbia)    13         86
DAN + SHAY/All To Myself (Warner Bros./WAR) 12         72
ERIC CHURCH/Some Of It (EMI Nashville)         11         118
TIM MCGRAW/Thought About You (Columbia)   11         82
CHRIS YOUNG/Raised On Country (RCA)          10         110
MAREN MORRIS/Girl (Columbia)           9          121
CHRIS JANSON/Good Vibes (Warner Bros./WAR)          8          13
KACEY MUSGRAVES/Rainbow (MCA)  8          78
RYAN HURD/To A T (RCA)        8          36
B. GILBERT & L. ELL/What Happens In A Small Town (Valory)   7          120
BROOKS & DUNN w/L. COMBS/Brand New Man (Arista)            7          23
HARDY/Rednecker (Tree Vibez/Big Loud)          6          27
JIMMIE ALLEN/Make Me Want To (Stoney Creek)          6          86
RUNAWAY JUNE/Buy My Own Drinks (Wheelhouse)      6          133
CARLY PEARCE/Closer To You (Big Machine)   5          131
AJ MCLEAN/Boy And A Man (Crowdsurf/In2une)             4          4
LAUREN ALAINA/Ladies In The '90s (19/Mercury)         4          94
KELSEA BALLERINI/Miss Me More (Black River)          2          155
MADDIE & TAE/Friends Don't (Mercury) 2          123
AARON WATSON/Kiss That Girl Goodbye (Big Label)    1          32
ASHLEY MCBRYDE/Girl Goin' Nowhere (Atlantic/WAR) 1          75
TEDDY ROBB/Really Shouldn't Drink... (Monument)        1          1

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly February 25, 2019, Issue 641  - 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: #3
Event Venue City/State: George Strait T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas
Dates: Feb. 1-2, 2019 Gross Sales: $4,333,646 Attend: 33,937/ 33,937
Shows/ Sellouts: 2/2 ** SOLD OUT **Prices: $499, $50
Promoters: Messina Touring Group/AEG Presents

Rank Artist: #6
Event Venue City/State: Eric Church Little Caesars Arena Detroit, Mich.
Dates: Feb. 15-16, 2019 Gross Sales: $3,038,833 Attend: 31,187/ 31,187
Shows/ Sellouts: 2/2 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $139, $39
Promoters: Messina Touring Group/AEG Presents                                                       

Rank Artist: #7
Event Venue City/State: Eric Church U.S. Bank Arena Cincinnati, Ohio
Dates: Feb. 22-23, 2019 Gross Sales: $3,022,783 Attend: 28,766/ 28,766
Shows/ Sellouts: 2/2 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $164, $39
Promoters: Messina Touring Group/AEG Presents

Rank Artist: #10
Event Venue City/State: Keith Urban, Julia Michaels Brisbane Entertainment Centre Brisbane, Australia
Dates: Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2019 Gross Sales: $2,481,496 Attend: 23,134/ 25,410
Shows/ Sellouts: 3/0 (2,276 unsold tickets) Prices: $121.17, $22.40
Promoters: TEG Live
                                     
Rank Artist: #15
Event Venue City/State: Keith Urban, Julia Michaels Rod Laver Arena Melbourne, Australia
Dates: Feb. 5-6, 2019 Gross Sales: $2,146,004 Attend: 20,615/ 23,932
Shows/ Sellouts: 2/0 (3,317 unsold tickets) Prices: $122.70, $24.14
Promoters: TEG Live
                                                         
Rank Artist: #40
Event Venue City/State: Blake Shelton, Lauren Alaina, Trace Adkins & others Sprint Center Kansas City, Mo.
Dates: Feb. 15, 2019 Gross Sales: $1,101,782 Attend: 12,999/ 12,999
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $129, $29
Promoters: Messina Touring Group/AEG Present
                                               
Rank Artist: #50
Event Venue City/State: Tedeschi Trucks Band Chicago Theatre Chicago
Dates: Jan. 18-19, 25-26, 2019 Gross Sales: $874,889 Attend: 13,227/ 14,162
Shows/ Sellouts: 4/2 (935 unsold tickets) Prices: $131.50, $16
Promoters: Live Nation
Latest Billboard Boxscore Chart

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