Country Billboard Chart News March 11, 2019

RIAA Certifications

Multi-Platinum = 2,000,000 plus units

Platinum = 1-million units

Gold = 500,000 units

Note: For ALBUM certifications the RIAA base their figures on the number of units SHIPPED together with, track sales and on demand audio/ video stream units and NOT based purely on traditional retail sales.

1,500 on-demand audio and/or video song streams = 10 track sales = 1 album sale.

150 on-demand streams = 1 track download

MULTI-PLATINUM SINGLES

Zedd, Maren Morris, Gray The Middle  | released Jan 23, 2018 Interscope | certified 3x Multi-Platinum Jan 31, 2019 3 Million units

PLATINUM SINGLES:

Dan + Shay Speechless | released Jan 12, 2018 Warner Bros Records | certified Platinum Jan 4, 2019 1 Million units

Mitchell Tenpenny Drunk Me | released Feb 23, 2018 Columbia Nashville / Riser House Entertainment | certified Platinum Jan 7, 2019 1 Million units

Carrie Underwood The Champion | released Jan 12, 2018 Capitol Records Nashville | certified Platinum Jan 7, 2019 1 Million units

Luke Combs She Got The Best Of Me | released June 29, 2014 Columbia Nashville / River House Artists | certified Platinum Jan 17, 2019 1 Million units

Luke Combs Beautiful Crazy | released May 4, 2018 Columbia Nashville / River House Artists | certified Platinum Jan 28, 2019 1 Million units

Miranda Lambert Tin Man | released Nov 18, 2016 Vanner Records / RCA Nashville | certified Platinum Feb 8, 2019 1 Million units

Dan + Shay How Not To | released Sept 26, 2016 Warner Bros Records | certified Platinum Feb 22, 2019 1 Million units

GOLD SINGLES:

Morgan Evans Kiss Somebody | released July 21, 2017 Warner Bros Records | certified Gold Jan 4, 2019 0.5 Million units

Luke Combs Must've Never Met You | released June 8, 2018 Columbia Nashville / River House Artists | certified Gold Jan 28, 2019 0.5 Million units

Joey + Rory Cheater, Cheater | released Aug 5, 2008 Sugar Hill Records | certified Gold Jan 31, 2019 0.5 Million units

Jimmie Allen Best Shot | released Oct 18, 2017 Stoney Creek Records | certified Gold Feb 6, 2019 0.5 Million units

Chris Janson Fix A Drink | released May 5, 2017 Warner Bros | certified Gold Feb 22, 2019 0.5 Million units

Scotty McCreery This Is It | released March 9, 2018 Triple Tigers | certified Gold Feb 26, 2019 0.5 Million units

Kelsea Ballerini I Hate Love Songs | released Oct 31, 2017 Black River Entertainment | certified Gold March 1, 2019 0.5 Million units

In Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of March 16, 2019)

Country Album Chart ** No.1 (28 non-consecutive weeks) ** THIS ONE’S FOR YOU Luke Combs

Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (3 weeks) ** “Beautiful Crazy” Luke Combs

Country Airplay ** No.1 (3 weeks) ** “Beautiful Crazy” Luke Combs

Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (1 week) ** “Look What God Gave Her” Thomas Rhett

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News (Chart issue week of March 16, 2019)

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

Hozier Bundles In at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart With 'Wasteland, Baby!'

Hozier scored his first No.1 album on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart (BB200), as his sophomore full-length set Wasteland, Baby! bows atop the list. The LP, released via Rubyworks/Columbia on March 1, earned 89,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending March 7, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 75,000 were in album sales.

Wasteland is the first rock album to lead the Billboard 200 in more than three months, since Mumford & Sons’ Delta debuted at No. 1 on the Dec. 1, 2018-dated chart.

Wasteland’s opening sum was aided by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with Hozier’s U.S. tour, which begins tonight (March 10).

Billboard Top Country Albums (Chart issue week of March 16, 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.

Luke Combs with THIS ONE’S FOR YOU (River House/ Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) held at No.1 (#18-20 Billboard 200; 4,200 sales; 92-week total 433,500) to head the summit for a 28th non-consecutive week on the March 16 tally. Luke recently found out that his debut album was officially certified 2x Platinum (2-million uinits) by the RIAA on March 8, 2019. Previously it was certified Gold (Nov 30, 2017) and Platinum in mid July 2018.

Florida Georgia Line with CAN’T SAY I AIN’T COUNTRY (Big Machine Label Group) held at No.2 (#22-33 Billboard 200; 7,100 sales; 3-week 45,500)

Dan + Shay with their self-titled album (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) climbed 4-3 (#43-45 BB200; 1,800 sales; 37-week total 113,500).

Former No.1 Kacey Musgraves with GOLDEN HOUR (MCA Nashville) slipped 3-4 (#39-51 BB200; 4,100 sales; 44-week total 190,700).

Chris Stapleton with the 201-week TRAVELLER (MERCURY/ UMGN) held at No.5 (#49-54 BB200; 3,900 sales; total 2,456,700) as his set From A Room: Volume 1 (Mercury/Universal Music Group Nashville) climbed 20-18 (#186-188 BB200; 96 weeks) and From A Room: Volume 2 rose 19-17 (#177-184 BB200; 2,400 sales; 66-week total 502,500).

Former No.1 Kane Brown with sophomore album, entitled EXPERIMENT held at No.7 (#75-76 BB200; 2,700 sales; 17-week total 190,100) as his self-titled album was a non-mover at No.6 (#74-75 BB200; 2,100 sales; 118-week total 512,100).

Former 6-week non-consecutive week No.1 Jason Aldean with REARVIEW TOWN (Macon/Broken Bow Records) held at No.8 (#81-91 BB200; 1,300 sales; 47-week total 472,500).

Thomas Rhett with LIFE CHANGES (Valory) held at No.9 (#96 non-mover BB200) in his 78th frame.

Outside the Top 10

Morgan Wallen with IF I KNOW ME (Big Loud Digital EX) held at No.14 (#159-164 BB200; 300 sales; 49-week total 15,600)

Former No.1 Carrie Underwood with CRY PRETTY fell 13-16 (#149-172 BB200; 2,400 sales; 25-week total 435,200).

Former No1 Cody Johnson with AIN’T NOTHIN’ TO IT (Cojo/Warner Music Nashville) fell 21-22 (#168 to off the Billboard 200; 1,200 sales; 7-week total 35,700).

Scotty McCreery with SEASONS CHANGE (Triple Tigers) held at No.25 (300 sales; 26-week total 93,600)

Outside the Top 25

John Denver with John Denver's Greatest Hits made a No.47 Hot Shot Debut

FALLING SHORT of Top 50:

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

The Cactus Blossoms with 10-track EASY WAY (Walkie Talkie Records | Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) made a debut at No.14 selling 1,300 copies.

Ray Scott with 5-track HONKY TONK HEART (EP; Jethropolitan Records LLC | Amazon UK - Amazon.com ) made a debut at No.20 selling 800 copies.

Dee White with the 10-track SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN (Warner Music Nashville | Amazon UK - Amazon.com ) made a debut at No.21 selling 800 copies.

Gordon Lightfoot with The Complete Singles 1970-1980 made a debut at No.35.

Year-To-Date Albums

1,908,000 (Physical sales 1,302,000 (down -28.0%) + Digital sales 606,000 (down -16.9%) which is 24.8% down at the same point in 2018 (2,537,000 sales) 

Year-To-Date Digital Tracks

6,242,000 down 27.6% at the same point in 2018 (8,621,000)

Billboard Hot Country Songs (Chart issue week of March 16, 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 with “Beautiful Crazy ”( River House/Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) topped the for a third straight week.

Following Thomas Rhett’s March 2 appearance as the musical guest on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, where he performed his new single, “Look What God Gave Her” (Valory), the song vaulted 37-5 in its second week.

 “Look” marked his 13th top 10 on the list, a sum that includes “Die a Happy Man,” which reigned for 17 weeks starting in November 2015. Its 32-spot leap is Rhett’s biggest jump on the list since “Craving You” (featuring Maren Morris) rocketed 46-5 on April 22, 2017, also in its second chart week; it went on to peak at No. 3.

Following its Feb. 28 release, “Look ” launched atop Country Digital Song Sales with 19,000 downloads sold in its first full week of tracking (ending March 7), according to Nielsen Music. Rhett tracks his second No.1 (among 18 top 10s) on the list, following “Happy,” which led for 15 weeks beginning in October 2015. It’s also his first song to start in the penthouse on the chart.

“Look” opened at No. 7 on Country Streaming Songs after logging 6 million U.S. streams in the week ending March 7, giving the singersongwriter his 12th top 10 and highest debut on the chart. His previous best entrance was “Marry Me,” which arrived at No. 8 in January 2018.

On Country Airplay, “Look” dipped 20-22 in its second week, with 10.6 million audience impressions in the week ending March 10 (down 7 percent). It flew in a week ago due to hourly first-day plays on participating iHeartMedia owned stations.

Rhett’s wife, Lauren, inspired his latest hit, which he co-wrote with his father, Rhett Akins; Julian Bunetta; John Ryan; and J Cash. It’s the lead single from Rhett’s fourth LP, Center Point Road. The set, due May 31, is named after the road where he grew up in Hendersonville, Tenn.

Brett Young with “Here Tonight” (Big Machine Label Group) rose 12-10 on Hot Country Songs and 11-9 on Country Airplay, awarding him his fifth straight career-opening top 10 on each list.

The track scaled Country Airplay with a 13 percent increase to 25 million impressions. It also bagged 5 million streams in a 17 percent surge.

Young’s first hit, “Sleep Without You,” peaked at No. 2 on Country Airplay in 2016, followed by three consecutive No.1s: “In Case You Didn’t Know,” which led for two weeks in June 2017; “Like I Loved You” (three weeks, January 2018); and “Mercy” (two weeks, August 2018).

Hot County Songs

** No.1 (3 weeks) ** “Beautiful Crazy” Luke Combs  

** Digital Gainer/ Streaming Gainer ** No.5 “Look What God Gave Her” Thomas Rhett  

** Hot Shot Debut ** No.19 “Old Town Road” Lil Nas X

** Airplay Gainer” No.26 “Rumor” Lee Brice  

Debut No.40 “Somebody's Daughter” Tenille Townes

Billboard Country Airplay (Chart issue week of March 16, 2019)

Luke Combs with “Beautiful Crazy” topped the chart for a third week with a 2% increase in audience (+0.888 million)

Country Airplay

*** No.1 (3 weeks) *** “Beautiful Crazy” Luke Combs 41.385 million audience (+0.888 million) / 8,397 radio plays (+238)

** Most Increased Audience ** No.3 “Burn Out” Midland

** Most Added ** No.44 “Rearview Town” Jason Aldean

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart

(Chart issue week of March 16, 2019)

Thomas Rhett with “Look What God Gave Her” made a debut at No.1 (#7 New Entry Digital Songs; 9,000 sales) in the week ending March 7.  

It was 6 places behind Jonas Brothers whose comeback single "Sucker" rocketed onto the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart (dated March 16) at No.1, marking their first leader on the list. The group, consisting of Joe, Kevin and Nick Jonas, initially appeared on the chart over 12 years go and reached a prior No. 5 high with "Burnin' Up" in 2008.

"Sucker" also debuted at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales with 88,000 first-week downloads sold in the week ending March 7. The trio's 22nd entry on the chart was its first No.1.

Previous weeks No1 Luke Combs with Beautiful Crazy” slipped 1-2 (#17-16 Digital Songs; 11,000 sales; 44-week total 362,000).

Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) with Speechless” rose 4-3 (#41-32 Digital Songs; 7,000 sales; 37-week total 362,000) as award winning hit single “Tequila” held at No.5 (#44-42 Digital Songs; 6,000 sales; 59-week total 579,000).  

Kelsea Ballerini with “Miss Me More” fell 3-4 (#40-37 Digital Songs) in her 18th week.

Dylan Scott with "Nobody" the track which previews Scott’s six-song EP Nothing to Do Town, due April 26, arrived on Country Digital Song Sales at No.6 with 6,000 sold. He scored his second top 10 after “My Girl” hit No.2 in August 2017.

Jake Owen with “Down To The Honkytonk” climbed 8-7 (#46 Re-Entry Digital Songs; 6,000 sales; 28-week total 165,000).

Morgan Wallen with “Whiskey Glasses” rose 9-8 (#46 New Entry Digital Songs; 6,000 sales; 15-week total 94,000).

Kane Brown with “Good As You” rose 11-9 (5,000 sales; 7-week total 61,000).

Lee Brice with “Rumor” lifted 7-10 (5,000 sales; 12-week total 109,000).

Outside the Top 10

Kacey Musgraves with “Rainbow” fell 10-11 (5,000 sales; 4-week total 34,000).

Thomas Rhett featuring Little Big Town with “Don't Threaten Me With A Good” made a debut at No.13 (5,000 sales) >> YouTube Audio

Rollingstone reported that: Rhett unveiled a lyric video for the Prince-evoking studio version of “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time” a track off his forthcoming LP Center Point Road, the song features vocal support from Little Big Town, with Karen Fairchild tackling part of a verse about getting wild like the old days and being ready to cut loose.

Lil Nas X with “Old Town Road” made a debut at No.18.

Country Aircheck MEDIABASE Chart

March 11, 2019

Luke Combs Hits #1 With 'Beautiful Crazy'

Congrats to Luke Combs, Steve Hodges, Shane Allen and the Columbia promotion team on landing the week’s No.1 with “Beautiful Crazy.” The song is the fifth chart-topper from his debut album THIS ONE’S FOR YOU. Songwriters are Wyatt Durrette, Robert Williford and Combs.

“Beautiful Crazy” (River House/Columbia) rose 2-1 logging 8,871 radio spins (+308), 56.124 million audience impressions (+3.171) with 28838 Total Points (+938) from 156 tracking stations (156 ADDS) for the tracking week March 3 to March 9, 2019 and published chart dated March 11, 2019.

Kudos to Byron Kennedy and the Stoney Creek reps on notching 29 adds for King Calaway’s “World For Two”. The song topped the "Most Added" board this chart week.

King Calaway Is Most-Added With 'World For Two'

Congratulations to STONEY CREEK RECORDS' KING CALAWAY, who earned 29 MEDIABASE adds this week with their new single, "World For Two," making it the most-added record at Country radio.

King Calaway's 'World For Two' Is Most-Added: Stoney Creek Records celebrated King Calaway's "World For Two" being the most-added. The group's single earned a total of 29 Mediabase adds. Pictured L-R: Stoney Creek Dir./Southeast Promotion Stefani Waters; Dir./National Promotion Stan Marczewski; VP/Promotion Byron Kennedy; and Coord./Promotion Ashley Wojcinski

Mediabase Adds (Selective)

Artist/Title (Label) TW Total Historic Adds
KING CALAWAY/World For Two (Stoney Creek)            29         29

JASON ALDEAN/Rearview Town (Macon Music/Broken Bow)     21         90

DIERKS BENTLEY/Living (Capitol)         14         66

THOMAS RHETT/Look What God Gave Her (Valory)      13         143

HARDY/Rednecker (Tree Vibez/Big Loud)          11         66

LOCASH/Feels Like A Party (Wheelhouse)          11         130

BRANTLEY GILBERT & LINDSAY ELL/What Happens In A Small Town (Valory)  8          136

MORGAN EVANS/Day Drunk (Warner Bros./WEA)         8          109

AJ MCLEAN/Boy And A Man (In2une)     7          11

DAN + SHAY/All To Myself (Warner Bros./WAR) 7          87

DAVID LEE MURPHY/No Zip Code (Reviver)      7          22

KACEY MUSGRAVES/Rainbow (MCA)  7          104

MAREN MORRIS/Girl (Columbia)           7          131

KIP MOORE/The Bull (MCA)      6          32

ZAC BROWN BAND/Someone I Used To Know (No Reserve/BMG/Wheelhouse)  6          57

CHRIS JANSON/Good Vibes (Warner Bros./WAR)          5          52

CHRIS YOUNG/Raised On Country (RCA)          5          119

COLE SWINDELL/Love You Too Late (Warner Bros./WMN)        5          97

GEORGE STRAIT/Every Little Honky Tonk Bar (MCA)    5          135

JIMMIE ALLEN/Make Me Want To (Stoney Creek)          5          93

ASHLEY MCBRYDE/Girl Goin' Nowhere (Atlantic/WAR) 3          81

CARLY PEARCE/Closer To You (Big Machine)   3          138

DUSTIN LYNCH/Ridin' Roads (Broken Bow)       2          2

AARON GOODVIN/Bars & Churches (1608)        1          2

BROOKS & DUNN w/K. BROWN/Believe (Arista)            1          1

BROOKS & DUNN w/J. PARDI/My Next Broken Heart (Arista)     1          1

FILMORE/Slower (Curb)            1          2

JIMMIE ALLEN & ABBY ANDERSON/Shallow (Stoney Creek)     1          1

JORDAN DAVIS/Slow Dance In A Parking Lot (MCA)      1          1

LUKE COMBS/Houston, We Got A Problem (River House/Columbia)       1          4

STEPHANIE QUAYLE/If I Was A Cowboy (Rebel Engine)           1          14

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly March 11, 2019, Issue 643  - 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: Eagles Forsyth Barr Stadium Dunedin, New Zealand

Dates: March 2, 2019 Gross Sales: $6,834,100 Attend: 31,519/ 31,519

Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $216.83

Promoters: Frontier Touring

Rank Artist: #6

Event Venue City/State: Eric Church Sprint Center Kansas City, Mo.

Dates: March 1-2, 2019 Gross Sales: $2,990,825 Attend: 30,726/ 30,726

Shows/ Sellouts: 2/2 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $149, $29

Promoters: Messina Touring Group/AEG Presents

Rank Artist: #39

Event Venue City/State: Blake Shelton, Lauren Alaina, Trace Adkin & others Amalie Arena Tampa, Fla.

Dates: March 8, 2019 Gross Sales: $1,186,403 Attend: 13,295/ 13,295

Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $148.75, $25.75

Promoters: Messina Touring Group/AEG Presents

Latest Billboard Boxscore Chart