Country
BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS
Makin’ Tracks:
Striking
Matches’
‘Hanging
On A Lie’
>page 2
Stark Report:
KRTY’s Nate
Deaton Steps
Out Of The Box
>page 3
Questions
Answered: Sony
Creative VP
Scott McDaniel
>page 4
Shania Twain
Hits The Road
>page 4
Loretta Lynn
Visits The
Governor
>page 4
MARCH 5, 2015 | PAGE 1 OF 7
Wade Jessen, Billboard Senior Chart
Manager, Dies At Age 53
Wade Jessen, Billboard’s senior
chart manager, Nashville, died
shortly after midnight on March 5 at
Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tenn., following a heart attack.
The 53-year-old media veteran
and country music champion had
just observed his 20th anniversary
as the head of Billboard’s country,
bluegrass, Christian and gospel
charts in December 2014. During his
tenure, he was a fixture in the Nashville music business, overseeing the
charts with unflagging integrity and
a dedication to detail.
Jessen commandeered the country charts during a particularly
significant transition as Billboard
converted Hot Country Songs to a hybrid system in 2012 after
decades in which the business’ most reliable rankings were determined solely by radio airplay. “I’ve worked with Wade throughout
his entire tenure at Billboard, and his dedication to the brand,
radio and to country music was inspiring,” says Silvio Pietroluongo, vp charts and data development. “We’ve lost a dear
friend, and country music has lost one of its most dedicated
ambassadors. Wade met with the Billboard staff and myself for
breakfast last week during the Country Radio Seminar, and I’m
happy to have had the chance to see
him and hug him one last time. He will
be missed.”
Born Nov. 15, 1961 in Roosevelt, Utah, Jessen entered the country business as a broadcaster at 16,
taking his first on-air job at KNEU
Roosevelt in March 1978. He later
worked as midday personality and
music director at KSOP Salt Lake
City before relocating to WSM-AM
Nashville, the home of the Grand
Ole Opry. During his tenure at the
station, Jessen was named Billboard’s
medium-market music director of
the year in 1994. He signed on as
Billboard’s country chart manager
in December 1994 and became an
often-quoted source for media in search of an authority, delivering analysis with a balanced and insightful point of view. Jessen continued working as a radio personality, covering the night
shift on Willie’s Roadhouse, a SiriusXM classic country channel.
Survivors include spouse Corey Jones, of Nashville; and
sisters Jesse Walker (and her husband, Brent), of Mountain
Home, Utah; Beckie McConkey (husband Shawn), of Arcadia,
Utah; and Gina Stevenson (husband Chad), of Altonah, Utah.
Services are pending.
JESSEN: AXEL DUPEUX
INSIDE
EDITED BY TOM ROLAND, [email protected]
MIDWEEK
UPDATE
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
MARCH 5, 2015 | PAGE 2 OF 7
MAKIN’ TR ACKS TOM ROLAND [email protected]
Striking Matches’ ‘Lie’ Is A
Truly Risky, Rockin’ Lead Single
Given country’s tendency to revamp itself by weaving in established sounds from
other genres, Striking Matches’ “Hanging On a Lie” arrives at an ideal time
as country evaluates where to move now that the bro-country trend has peaked.
“Hanging On a Lie” contains an optimistic bitterness, thanks to the numerous rock influences present in its performance. It kicks off with Sarah
Zimmermann’s minor-key mandolin rhythms,
similar to R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.” It
employs a compact, intense electric solo from
Justin Davis that borrows from the fiery approach of Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey
Buckingham. And it changes direction briefly
with a rolling instrumental section that bears
a slight resemblance to the intro of Bon Jovi’s
“Living On a Prayer.”
Cementing that rock connection, Striking
Matches recorded the project with T Bone Burnett, who produced such vital 1990s rock albums as The Wallflowers’ Bringing Down the
Horse and Counting Crows’ August & Everything After. Appropriately, “Hanging On a Lie,”
released to country radio via Play MPE on Jan.
29, is the first single from I.R.S. Nashville, a
new Universal Music Group label that uses the logo associated with I.R.S. during
its peak in pop’s new wave era, when it represented The Go-Go’s, The English
Beat and Wall of Voodoo.
Striking Matches’ blend of rock and country was part of the appeal for Burnett, who incorporated a Hayden Panettiere version of “Hanging On a Lie”
in an April 10, 2013 episode of the ABC series Nashville.
“They [have] a kind of tough, punky sensibility, [but] their songs are very
heartfelt, and then they’ve got this whole pop Everly Brothers kind of side, and
it’s the thing I found most striking,” observes Burnett. “They’re not imitating the
Everly Brothers, but there’s something about the way they construct songs and
the way that they write instrumental hooks that’s very harmonious, uplifting.”
That mix of punk attitude and youthful hopefulness was at play from the beginning notes of “Hanging On a Lie,” which owes its genesis to a songwriting
session at Davis’ Nashville home several years ago. Zimmermann started riffing on a cheery major chord on mandolin, and Davis encouraged her to shift it
to a moody minor chord, just to see what happened.
“All of a sudden, we were off and running with a melody and just started
throwing some words in there,” she recalls.
While the song had a general form during that first session, they lived with it
for a while before they finished it. “We kind of went our separate ways, like we
tend to do when we write, and came back together a day later — or something
like that — and we had some verses and kind of had a bit of a chorus,” says Davis.
One large bit was missing: the title. In fact, when they scheduled a meeting
with their music publisher to audition that song and several other new compositions, they didn’t yet have the words to end the chorus. The title was decided
as they headed to the appointment.
“I drove to Justin’s and parked, and he came out and he [suggested], ‘Don’t
leave me hanging on a lie,’ ” recalls Zimmermann. “And I go, ‘Oh, man, that’s
awesome. We’ll try it in the office and just see how it goes.’ It worked, thankfully.”
Striking Matches began playing “Hanging On a Lie” on the Nashville club
circuit while the act was still unsigned. The duo added the instrumental break
to heighten the song’s intensity. They didn’t always use it — a 2013 performance
at 3rd & Lindsley leaves it out — but it helped the arc of the song and simultaneously showcased their prowess with a pick.
“We’re players, and every opportunity in a song to have a musical interlude
or something interesting happen musically, we want it to happen,” says Davis.
“That particular musical bridge was sort of irresistible. It’s too much of a fun groove not to
want to jam over it.”
They didn’t use it when they first recorded a
more restrained version of “Hanging On a Lie”
for their self-titled EP in 2012. That performance served as a demo when they holed up in
Nashville’s House of Blues studio with Burnett
in April 2014 to cut their first full album, Nothing But the Silence, due March 24. It was cut in
a scant five days, according to I.R.S. Nashville
president John Grady, who also manages the
duo through Crush Management Nashville.
They recorded live as a four-piece band, joined
by bass player Michael Rhodes and drummer
STRIKING
Fred Eltringham, both selected for their exMATCHES
pansive musical tastes.
“They aesthetically were a good match because they understand rock’n’roll...
they understand R&B, and they understand pop music, too,” says Burnett.
“I wanted this to have a little bit of all of that.”
Burnett’s presence set a tone for the session as Striking Matches’ vocal parts
were cut live in tandem with the instrumental tracks.
“He’s a complete weirdo in the best way,” says Davis of Burnett. “I mean, we’re
all kind of weirdos, but he’s an immensely artistic individual, and his method, it’s
sort of a hands-off method. He gingerly implements his advice or his touch on
things in such a slight way that you almost don’t even notice that he’s doing it.”
The most impactful decisions were to keep the instrumental section intact and
to pull the tempo back a hair from what Striking Matches typically does in concert.
“It’s a heavier version of it, darker,” says Burnett. “It has more danger and
mystery in it. It feels like it’s got a little back alley about it.”
An edit of the album version slices about 12 seconds off to bring the single
in at 3:43, though the instrumental break was left intact. Given country radio’s penchant for chopping out non-vocal passages, it was perhaps a risky
move, and Grady takes full credit for the decision. “The promotion people
would much rather the song was two minutes and 40 seconds long with no
instrumental. But these kids are brilliant musicians, and it’s their song and
that’s part of the guts of the song,” he says. “So I didn’t want to mess with it.”
The key piece of the “Hanging On a Lie” promotion plan hasn’t kicked in
yet — the add date isn’t until March 16 — though WKKT Charlotte, N.C., is
testing it early (giving it 11 spins, according to Nielsen BDS) during the week
of Feb. 25 through March 3.
“It was a very aggressive song,” says Grady. “It’s aggressively written, it’s
aggressively recorded, it’s uptempo, and it feels like it’s from a female perspective, like a come-to-Jesus lyric from a female.”
“When it comes down to it, you can kind of jam out to this song and not get
too deep,” adds Davis. “But when you do listen, to the lyric and kind of what it
is saying, it’s pretty intense.”
Essentially, it rocks.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
MARCH 5, 2015 | PAGE 3 OF 7
THE STARK REPORT PHYLLIS STARK [email protected]
KRTY’s Nate Deaton Advocates
For Easy Music Discovery
For a variety of reasons detailed in the Feb. 26 Stark Report, radio programmers
in country (and other formats) are typically reluctant to play songs that record
promoters are not “working” to them. That holds true even for artists like Brandy
Clark, who many country programmers fell in love with during her Feb. 8 Grammy
Awards performance of “Hold My Hand,” but still
DEATON
didn’t play.
But one California station has long bucked the
system when it comes to choosing records. KRTY
San Jose has not only added “Hold My Hand” to its
playlist since the Grammys, but periodically goes
off the grid on search of hits. GM Nate Deaton (a
rare station manager who involves himself in music
decisions) says of Clark’s record, “I am committed to playing it like a hit, meaning we will play it
through medium and heavy … We have done that
a few times over the years.
“We first met Brandy last year when she opened
for Jennifer Nettles,” explains Deaton. “We were
blown away at the quality of songs she had in her
set, specifically, ‘What’ll Keep Me out of Heaven,’
‘Hungover’ and ‘Hold My Hand.’ At that time I was
interested in getting something from her to play on the air, but with discovery like
that it does help to have a bit of a buzz on it. So, fast-forward to the Grammys. I
watched that performance and, sitting there on my couch, I knew how special
it was. I called [PD] Julie [Stevens] and said, ‘We need to play this artist on the
air. It is going to be a huge buzz and we need to capitalize on it’ … We played it
on our Tuesday noon show that showcases new music, and the response was so
great that we had to add it.”
While programmers and consultants quoted in the Feb. 26 column (now the
subject of a spirited debate on Facebook) offered up many logical reasons for
not playing songs that are not being worked, Deaton has a contrary philosophy.
“[It] doesn’t matter to me that anyone is working it. Our job is to find the best
songs that create reasons to listen to our product,” he says. “This [song] as well
as others fit that bill. I don’t really care if anyone else plays it, but they should.
This is a song that belongs on country radio and a song that will resonate with our
adult listeners. Our response is huge. Plus, our audience does not know no one
else is playing it. They saw it on TV, they hear it on
their favorite station — that is No. 1 on their chart.”
Deaton says the topic of why so little music discovery occurs at radio these days is his “current rant
and, I think, most everything that is wrong with our
product. Not just country radio, but radio in general.
“We have to innovate,” he continues. “That
means we have to feature what is new and hot, or
else they will find it elsewhere. Not just new music
from new artists, but new music from established
artists. I heard so many people say, ‘I can’t commit
to the Garth [Brooks] or the Kenny Chesney because I haven’t heard it.’ Who cares? Your listeners
will go find it for themselves, and then what happens? They don’t need radio anymore.
“Music discovery is easy,” he adds. “There are
lots of choices, but most of it is not good. If we provide the filter and consistently bring the best new stuff to them first and follow
that with an opportunity to see that artist live in our local club, we have created a
reason for the audience to use our product. So many people are missing this. Yes,
we still play gold — a lot of it. It is what you expect when you tune into a country
station. That is familiar and comfortable. It allows the audience to take a chance
with something new. Not something played in overnights, but played when people
can hear it and make their own judgment.”
You can read the Feb. 26 column, “Why Must Country Singles Be ‘Worked’ by Labels to Be Played on Commercial Radio?,” here and can check out the debate on
my Facebook page.
Country
UPDATE
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
QUE STIONS
Answered
Scott McDaniel
VP creative services, Sony Music Nashville
Scott McDaniel joined Sony Music Nashville in 2008 following a run
in the contemporary Christian music business that included stops at
EMI Christian, CCM magazine and ForeFront. As the head of Sony’s
creative services department, he oversees the visual imaging for
some 25 to 30 country artists, working directly with half the roster,
including Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. The job connects him
to graphic artists, video directors and photographers, and it’s one that
allows him to get away from the desk to work in the field. Or a bar. Or
an arena. Wherever a shoot is in progress.
When a project comes out, you oversee all the individual elements: the album art, the graphics, the PR photos, the videos. At
what point during the album’s creation does that actually kick
in? Probably from the first conversation that we have with an artist.
Whenever they’re formulating the record and creating the sounds, we
start to talk about what the visual direction is to try and match visually what they’re doing sonically. In some cases, it’s before songs are
recorded, in other cases it’s after the album is done and the artist has
kind of a fully formulated idea of the artwork. It’s hand in hand with
the A&R process — I don’t know if it’s direct lock step. It’s probably
the next conversation that happens. In some cases, I have the luxury
to work on art far in advance before a release. In other situations, it
comes in and we want to get it out as soon as possible, and then you’re
working under a three-month time frame.
Tell me about the Brad Paisley Wheelhouse album. That cover is
possibly the best cover that’s ever been made in country music.
That was a collaborative effort with designers and photographers and
elements, and it really started first and foremost from Brad’s album
title, Wheelhouse. He has in his studio a wheel over the fireplace. It’s
MARCH 5, 2015 | PAGE 4 OF 7
like a boat wheel. It started from there. Then
it morphed into this idea because of where
Brad was at. He was like, “I’m sort of jumping off and doing something I’ve never done
before.” Then we experimented with different versions of Brad jumping in the air. All of
these songs that he had picked had very interesting visual components to them. It was like,
“OK, how do we incorporate them as well into
the wheel?” The next thing you know, there’s
600 layers of Photoshop files and Brad’s making tweaks, I’m making tweaks. We’re going back and forth at 2 o’clock on a Saturday
morning, and when it all came together, it answered all the questions.
Traditionally, country albums are just photos of people’s faces. As you’ve
gotten into country, has it been a difficult format to work in visually because of that? No. If anything, the difficulty has been how to not betray the
format, because there is such a great tradition and history of creative directors
and photographers doing the headshot photos. It’s really a portrait-driven art
form, because the music is honest and the music is authentic and the music
is real. So there’s not really a need to create ancillary visuals to try and tell the
story. It’s music that just comes from the heart.
I’m assuming that you don’t go to every video shoot. That could not be
further from the truth. There’s very few that I’m not at. I like to get on set whenever crews show up. I love the process of trying to capture a moment, whether
that’s a still or a video. The goal on set is to try and get everybody out of the way
so that a photographer and an artist can have a moment, or a director and an
artist can have a moment, and make sure that everything is going according to
plan so that creativity can happen after all the hard work and pre-production
that’s happened. The best end result comes from great pre-production. Having
crewed and worked on set, you learn things like, “Don’t be afraid to pick up a
broom.” Everybody on a crew plays a part to help tell that story.
How do you fit in time for five kids? Early on, I went to a friend of mine and
said, “How do I give enough time to Kristy and my job? How do you divide your
heart?” They responded, “You don’t divide your heart. Your heart gets bigger.”
Ever since that conversation, I just try to soak it all in. Our children are such a
source of wonder and imagination and innocence. They are not a distraction or
hindrance to my job. If anything, they help fuel that. How do you make time for
something that you love? You just make time for it. —Tom Roland
MIDWEEK NEWS UPDATE
SHANIA TWAIN HITS THE ROAD
FLORIDA GEORGI LINE/JEREMY COWART
Fresh off her Feb. 28 ABC special, Shania Twain is headed for the concert
trail with the Rock This Country Tour, her first in North America since the Up
Tour closed in 2004. It’s also likely to be her last. As it currently stands, the
schedule launches with a June 5 appearance in Seattle and an Aug. 23 conclusion in Fresno, Calif. Among the high-profile dates are a June 30 show at New
York’s Madison Square Garden, a July 31 stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena
and an Aug. 20 performance at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
Three country acts landed among the
top 50 at the YouTube Music Awards,
announced March 2. The genre’s contributors
include Brad Paisley, Florida Georgia Line
and Hunter Hayes. Country-turned-pop star
Taylor Swift is also among the winners. The
ceremony is slated for March 23. Go here for
the complete winners list.
WXBQ Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol PD Bill Hagy will retire from daily duties with the station on April 1, a date that marks his 50th anniversary with Bristol
Broadcasting. Hagy, who also serves as music director for WQBE Charleston,
W.Va., will continue to serve as a consultant. Among his initial duties will be to
find a replacement PD. Interested applicants can reach him here.
Things panned out for Trisha Yearwood on TV on March 4. She was featured
during the day on QVC selling an 11-piece Green Pan cookware set. In addition,
she offered copies of her third cookbook, Trisha’s Table: My Feel-Good Favorites
for a Balanced Life, during a four-hour afternoon window.
Loretta Lynn will spend part of St. Patrick’s Day at the Tennessee
Governor’s Mansion. Lynn is one of the artists scheduled as honorees during
the Governor’s Arts Awards. Other Volunteer State recipients will include
gospel performer Bobby Jones and blues legend B.B. King. Also getting a
nod will be the Stax Museum of American Soul.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
MARCH 5, 2015 | PAGE 5 OF 7
Hot Country Songs
THIS
WEEK
LAST
WEEK
1
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1
3
TWO
WEEKS WKS ON TITLE
AGO
CHART PRODUCER (SONGWRITER)
1
18 TAKE YOUR TIME
Z.CROWELL,S.MCANALLY (S.HUNT,J.OSBORNE,S.MCANALLY)
3
5
2
4
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7
10
8
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6
10
12
11
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8
13
18
27
22
19
27
8
27
24
AIN’T WORTH THE WHISKEY
6
L.LAIRD (B.ELDREDGE,SCOOTER CARUSOE)
HOMEGROWN
DRINKING CLASS
M.MCCLURE,K.JACOBS,L.BRICE (J.KEAR,D.FRASIER,E.M.HILL)
LONELY EYES
J.STROUD (J.BULFORD,J.MATTHEWS,L.VELTZ)
LIKE A COWBOY
4
24
J.MOI (C.R.BARLOWE,J.FRASURE,S.BUXTON,T.HUBBARD,B.KELLEY)
13
l
14
l
15
l
16
l
13
15
27
F.ROGERS (D.RUCKER,C.KELLEY,N.CHAPMAN)
14
17
20
R. COPPERMAN (M.RAMSEY,S.MCANALLY,T. ROSEN)
20
21
22
19
21
l
22
23
18
23
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24
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25
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26
14
22
19
26
16
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30
NEW
AVAILABLE
FREE
TO CURRENT
BILLBOARD
SUBSCRIBERS
billboard.com/ipad
8
8
24
6
23
17
15
1
D.GEORGE (R.HOUSER,B.LONG)
I SEE YOU
Florida Georgia Line
R
EPUBLIC NASHVILLE
Darius Rucker
CAPITOL NASHVILLE
Dierks Bentley
C
APITOL NASHVILLE
Tyler Farr
C
OLUMBIA NASHVILLE
HOMEGROWN HONEY
SAY YOU DO
A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR
J.CATINO,J.KING (M.PEIRCE,J.SINGLETON,B.TURSI)
GIRL CRUSH
★★Digital Gainer★★
9
1
LITTLE RED WAGON
F.LIDDELL,C.AINLAY,G.WORF (A.MAE,GINSBERG J.)
SMOKE
D.COBB (M.HOBBY,J.M.NITE,R.COPPERMAN)
SHOTGUN RIDER
B.GALLIMORE,T.MCGRAW (H.LINDSEY,M.GREEN,T.VERGES)
RAISE ‘EM UP
N.CHAPMAN,K.URBAN (J.JOHNSTON,J.STEELE,T.DOUGLAS)
SOMETHING IN THE WATER
M.BRIGHT (C.UNDERWOOD,C. DESTEFANO,BRETT JAMES)
SHE DON’T LOVE YOU
M.ALTMAN (E.PASLAY,J.WAYNE)
DON’T IT
D.HUFF (J.JOHNSTON,A.GORLEY,R.COPPERMAN)
13
14
15
14
Luke Bryan
C
APITOL NASHVILLE
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AN ENHANCED VERSION OF EVERY ISSUE, FEATURING:
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Miranda Lambert
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H
IT RED/CAPITOL NASHVILLE
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J.JOYCE (E.CHURCH,L.LAIRD)
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9
Little Big Town
CAPITOL NASHVILLE
Eric Church
E MI NASHVILLE
TALLADEGA
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4
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SUN DAZE
J.JOYCE (L.ROSE,L.MCKENNA,H.LINDSEY)
6
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5
18
l
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12
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11
0
Jason Aldean
B
ROKEN BOW
Brett Eldredge
A
TLANTIC/WMN
Zac Brown Band
18
15
2
W
ARNER BROS./WMN
38
17
1
JUST GETTIN’ STARTED
3
13
PEAK
POSITION
M.CARTER (C.SWINDELL,A.SANDERS,J.MARTIN)
9
23
Thomas Rhett
VALORY
Cole Swindell
J.JOYCE (THOMAS RHETT,B.BUTLER,L.MCCOY)
4
24
CERTIFIED
Sam Hunt
M
CA NASHVILLE
Blake Shelton Featuring Ashley Monroe
W
ARNER BROS./WMN
MAKE ME WANNA
9
23
★★No. 1 (4 weeks)★★
S.HENDRICKS (B.ANDERSON,R.HURD)
11
20
Artist
IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
LONELY TONIGHT
10
17
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2
19
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1
21
1
1
23
24
25
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
MARCH 5, 2015 | PAGE 6 OF 7
Hot Country Songs
THIS
WEEK
LAST
WEEK
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34
29
TWO
WEEKS WKS ON TITLE
AGO
CHART PRODUCER (SONGWRITER)
WILD CHILD
4
35
31
39
32
NEW
33
37
37
—
NEW
Artist
IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
B.CANNON,K.CHESNEY (K.CHESNEY,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE)
LOVE YOU LIKE THAT
22
B.BEAVERS,J.ROBBINS (C.SMITH,B.BEAVERS,J.BEAVERS)
DIAMOND RINGS AND OLD BARSTOOLS
5
LOVE ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT
F.G.WHITEHEAD (K.BALLERINI,J.KERR,F.G.WHITEHEAD,L.CARPENTER)
HEARTS I LEAVE BEHIND
1
C.MOSER (T.MEADOWS)
LITTLE TOY GUNS
6
M.BRIGHT (C.UNDERWOOD,C. DESTEFANO,H.LINDSEY)
I’M NOT GONNA MISS YOU
4
J.RAYMOND (J.RAYMOND,G.CAMPBELL)
1
35
34
15
F.ROGERS (R.COPPERMAN,T.MARTIN,M.NESLER)
36
38
9
D.HUFF (B.GILBERT,M.DEKLE,B.DAVIS)
40
49
4
L.WOOTEN,B.PAISLEY (B.PAISLEY,K.LOVELACE,L.T.MILLER)
NEW
50
44
42
39
41
48
46
47
45
43
—
—
44
42
43
—
47
50
41
46
NEW
28
Glen Campbell
B
IG MACHINE
Sawyer Fredericks
REPUBLIC
Easton Corbin
MERCURY
Josh Turner
MCA NASHVILLE
Brantley Gilbert
VALORY
Brad Paisley
ARISTA NASHVILLE
Kristian Bush
STREAMSOUND
Luke Bryan
CAPITOL NASHVILLE
Florida Georgia Line
REPUBLIC NASHVILLE
Eric Church
E MI NASHVILLE
Joe Nichols
R
ED BOW
Kip Moore
MCA NASHVILLE
Rascal Flatts
B
IG MACHINE
Chase Rice
21
Reba
28
Gloriana
42
Sam Hunt
32
BABY BE MY LOVE SONG
C.CHAMBERLAIN (J.COLLINS,BRETT JAMES)
27
Tim McGraw With Catherine Dunn
MCGRAW/BIG MACHINE
Kelsea Ballerini
BLACK RIVER
Pete Scobell Band Featuring Wynonna Judd
P
ETE SCOBELL BAND
Carrie Underwood
19/ARISTA NASHVILLE
NOT LISTED (NOT LISTED)
17
LAY LOW
ONE HELL OF AN AMEN
CRUSHIN’ IT
TRAILER HITCH
19
K.BUSH,T.TAPLEY (K.BUSH,B.BUSH,T.OWENS)
SPRING BREAKDOWN
1
J.STEVENS (L.BRYAN,A.GORLEY,Z.CROWELL)
SIPPIN’ ON FIRE
5
J.MOI (R.CLAWSON,M.DRAGSTREM,C.TAYLOR)
LIKE A WRECKING BALL
2
J.JOYCE (E.CHURCH,C.BEATHARD)
HARD TO BE COOL
12
M.J.CONES (R.HATCH,J.SELLERS)
I’M TO BLAME
4
B.JAMES (K.MOORE,J.WEAVER,W.DAVIS)
RIOT
8
J.DEMARCUS,RASCAL FLATTS (J.BOYER,S.HAZE)
RIDE
2
GOING OUT LIKE THAT
TROUBLE
MAKE YOU MISS ME
HELL OF A NIGHT
M.J.CONES (Z.CROWELL,A.SANDERS,J.BOYER)
YOUNG & CRAZY
1
30
33
32
29
35
37
25
39
10
41
37
31
40
45
M
CA NASHVILLE
Dustin Lynch
B
ROKEN BOW
Frankie Ballard
Z.CROWELL,S.MCANALLY (S.HUNT,J.OSBORNE,M.RAMSEY)
8
30
EMBLEM/WARNER BROS./WAR
M.SERLETIC (R.REINERT,M.GOSSIN,R.COPPERMAN,J.M.NITE)
18
29
NASH ICON/VALORY
T.BROWN (B.HAYSLIP,R.AKINS,J.SELLERS)
9
27
DACK JANIELS/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
C. DESTEFANO (J.SOMERS-MORALES,D.C.TARPLEY JR.)
8
PEAK
POSITION
26
I’M A MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW
36
CERTIFIED
Kenny Chesney With Grace Potter
B
LUE CHAIR/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
Canaan Smith
MERCURY
★★Streaming Gainer★★
32
27
★★Airplay Gainer★★
B.GALLIMORE,T.MCGRAW (L.LAIRD,B.DEAN,J.SINGLETON)
14
SALES, AIRPLAY &
STREAMING DATA
COMPILED BY
43
50
W
ARNER BROS./WAR
M.ALTMAN,S.HENDRICKS (A.GORLEY,S.MCANALLY,R.AKINS)
The week’s most popular country songs, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music, sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music and streaming activity data from online music sources tracked by
Nielsen Music. Descending titles below No. 25 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks.
COUNTRY MARKET WATCH
A Weekly National Music Sales Report
YEAR-TO-DATE
Year-Over-Year Album Sales
’14
5.1 million
’15
4.3 million
’13
DIGITAL TRACKS SALES
’14
’15
Weekly Unit’14
Sales
24.9
million
000.0
million
20.4 million
For week ending March 1, 2015. Figures are rounded. Compiled from
a national sample of retail store and rack sales reports collected and
provided by Nielsen Music.
Overall Unit Sales
ALBUMS
DIGITAL
ALBUMS*
DIGITAL
TRACKS
This Week
454,000
165,000
2,269,000
Last Week
458,000
172,000
2,186,000
Change
607,000
193,000
2,637,000
-25.2%
-14.5%
-14.0%
-0.0%
00.0%
-0.0%
This Week Last Year
Change
Albums
Digital Tracks
2014
2015
CHANGE
5,109,000
4,282,000
-16.2%
24,904,000
20,448,000
-17.9%
Sales by Album Format
2014
2015
Physical
3,333,000
2,650,000
9.0%
Digital
1,776,000
1,631,000
-8.2%
*Digital album sales are also counted within album sales.
For inquiries about any Nielsen Music data, please contact Josh Bennett at 615-807-1338 or [email protected]
CHANGE
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
MARCH 5, 2015 | PAGE 7 OF 7
SALES, AIRPLAY &
STREAMING DATA
COMPILED BY
3
2
1
—
4
3
18
MCA NASHVILLE 021502/UMGN
2
AARON WATSON
21
JASON ALDEAN
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
BIG LABEL 400237/THIRTY TIGERS
6
4
20
5
7
6
UNDERWOOD
12 CARRIE
19/ARISTA NASHVILLE 500876/SMN
6
l
9
15 28
1
1
0
1
Greatest Hits: Decade #1
0
1
Ignite The Night
LUKE BRYAN
Crash My Party
COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 22573/DACK JANIELS
7
82
8
11
9
CHURCH
55 ERIC
EMI NASHVILLE 019402*/UMGN
9
10
5
LAMBERT
39 MIRANDA
RCA NASHVILLE 379278/SMN
10
5
—
CAPITOL NASHVILLE 018733/UMGN
THE MAVERICKS
2
1
The Outsiders
1
1
Platinum
0
1
BRINGING BACK THE SUNSHINE
BIG TOWN
23 20 19 LITTLE
CAPITOL NASHVILLE 021360*/UMGN
Pain Killer
BROOKS
16 GARTH
PEARL/RCA NASHVILLE 501135/SMN
Man Against Machine
13 13
8
14
3
—
2
STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES
15
l
20
—
2
SOUNDTRACK
17 12
1
BLACKBERRY SMOKE
l
11
18 18
0
Just As I Am
1
3
1
1
3
Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
BIG MACHINE GC0100/BMLG
16 14 14 41
5
Terraplane
NEW WEST 6328*
BRANTLEY GILBERT
1
Mono
VALORY MV0200A/BMLG
SHELTON
16 13 22 BLAKE
WARNER BROS. 544918/WMN
15
0
19
8
l
9
l
10 34
15 16
LAST
WEEK
1
8
24 18 25
1
l
2
Top-selling paid download country songs compiled from sales reports collected and provided by Nielsen
Music. Charts update weekly on Thurdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright 2015, Prometheus
Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
MCGRAW/BIG MACHINE TM0200A/BMLG
Metamodern Sounds In Country Music
HIGH TOP MOUNTAIN 002*/THIRTY TIGERS
I Dont Dance
CURB 79392*
It Goes Like This
VALORY TR0100A/BMLG
TAKE YOUR TIME
AM HUNT
S
LEAVE THE NIGHT ON
SAM HUNT
I SEE YOU
LUKE BRYAN
THIS IS HOW WE ROLL
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE FEAT. LUKE BRYAN
CRUISE
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
PLAY IT AGAIN
LUKE BRYAN
SUN DAZE
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
DIRT
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
DRINKING CLASS
LEE BRICE
10 13 13 TALLADEGA
ERIC CHURCH
WKS ON
CHART
ARTIST
LAST
WEEK
TITLE
THIS
WEEK
WKS ON
CHART
LAST
WEEK
THIS
WEEK
7
WKS ON
CHART
1
BLUE CHAIR/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 306274/SMN
COUNTRY
STREAMING SONGS
7
LAST
WEEK
10
Sundown Heaven Town
21 20
l
22 27
l
23 25
l
26 23 70
49
5
2
25
l
9
7
l
l
The Big Revival
WARNER BROS. 541372/WMN
The week’s most popular country albums, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music. Albums are
defined as current if they are less than 18 months old or older than 18 months but still residing in the Billboard
200’s top 100. Charts update weekly on Thurdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright 2015, Prometheus
Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
STREAMING DATA
COMPILED BY
6
16 12
l
17
THOMAS RHETT
8 100
12 10 17
l
13 13 19
l
14 NEW
l
15 22 3
l
Cole Swindell
24 24 18 25
l
5
l
11 7 23
19 15 26
LEE BRICE
12
10 8 25
20 6
23 19 21 42
53
19
5
STURGILL SIMPSON
5
5
l
l
l
Greatest Hits So Far...
25 17 24
3
9
LOVE YOU LIKE THAT
29 24 18 C ANAAN SMITH ( Mercury/UMGN)
BURNIN’ IT DOWN
30 9 31 JASON ALDEAN ( Broken Bow/BBMG)
SOMETHING IN THE WATER
31 19 22 CARRIE UNDERWOOD ( 19/Arista Nashville/SMN)
HE STOPPED LOVING HER TODAY
32 NEW CODY WICKLINE ( Republic)
LIKE A WRECKING BALL
33 31 3 ERIC CHURCH ( EMI Nashville/UMGN)
DON’T IT
34 34 3 BILLY CURRINGTON ( Mercury/UMGN)
WHAT WE AIN’T GOT
35 26 27 JAKE OWEN ( RCA Nashville/SMN)
LOVE ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT
36 28 3 KELSEA BALLERINI ( Black River)
LITTLE TOY GUNS
37 37 6 CARRIE UNDERWOOD ( 19/Arista Nashville/SMN)
LEAVE THE NIGHT ON
38 29 37 SAM HUNT ( MCA Nashville/UMGN)
RAISE ‘EM UP
39 38 6 KEITH URBAN FEAT. ERIC CHURCH (Hit Red/Capitol Nashville)
PICTURE
40 RE-ENTRY KID ROCK FEAT. SHERYL CROW (Lava/AG)
PLAY IT AGAIN
41 36 66 LUKE BRYAN ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
THIS IS HOW WE ROLL
42 39 66 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE FEAT. LUKE BRYAN ( Republic Nashville/BMLG)
HE STOPPED LOVING HER TODAY
43 RE-ENTRY GEORGE JONES ( Epic/Legacy)
DRUNK ON A PLANE
44 47 44 DIERKS BENTLEY ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
DIAMOND RINGS AND OLD BARSTOOL
45 RE-ENTRY TIM MCGRAW WITH CATHERINE DUNN (McGraw/Big Machine/BMLG)
TAKE IT ON BACK
46 33 7 CHASE BRYANT ( Red Bow/BBMG)
TRAILER HITCH
47 32 7 KRISTIAN BUSH ( Streamsound)
CRUISE
48 42 138 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE (Republic Nashville/BMLG)
WILD CHILD
49 NEW KENNY CHESNEY WITH GRACE POTTER ( Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville/SMN)
BREAK
UP IN A SMALL TOWN
50 40 27
SAM HUNT ( MCA Nashville/UMGN)
18 14 15
TIM MCGRAW
3
8
l
NEW
l
2
3 LEGGED RECORDS/ROUNDER 613616*/CONCORD
22 16 23
4
3 22
ARTIST (IMPRINT/LABEL)
1
3
21
l
22
l
36
7
HOMEGROWN HONEY
26 23 23 D
ARIUS RUCKER ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
TALLADEGA
27 17 23 ERIC CHURCH ( EMI Nashville/UMGN)
SHOTGUN RIDER
28 21 24 TIM MCGRAW ( McGraw/Big Machine/BMLG)
STRAIT
The Cowboy Rides Away: Live From AT&T Stadium
24 GEORGE
MCA NASHVILLE 021477/UMGN
KENNY CHESNEY
4
18
17 16
l
20 17 19 54
9
1
TITLE
1
COLE SWINDELL
1
l
2 11 10
l
3 NEW
l
4 2 7
l
5 NEW
l
6 4 21
l
1
TAKE YOUR TIME
AM HUNT ( MCA Nashville/UMGN)
S
GIRL CRUSH
LITTLE BIG TOWN (Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
GAMES
LUKE BRYAN ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
HOMEGROWN
ZAC BROWN BAND (Southern Ground/Varvatos/Republic/BMLG)
HEARTS I LEAVE BEHIND
PETE SCOBELL BAND FEAT. WYNONNA JUDD ( Pete Scobell Band)
AIN’T WORTH THE WHISKEY
COLE SWINDELL ( Warner Bros./WMN)
MAKE ME WANNA
THOMAS RHETT ( Valory/BMLG)
I’M A MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW
SAWYER FREDERICKS ( Republic)
LONELY TONIGHT
BLAKE SHELTON FEAT. ASHLEY MONROE (Warner Bros./WMN)
DRINKING CLASS
LEE BRICE ( Curb)
SUN DAZE
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE (Republic Nashville/BMLG)
JUST GETTIN’ STARTED
JASON ALDEAN ( Broken Bow/BBMG)
LONELY EYES
CHRIS YOUNG ( RCA Nashville/SMN)
SPRING BREAKDOWN
LUKE BRYAN ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
I’M NOT GONNA MISS YOU
GLEN CAMPBELL ( Big Machine/BMLG)
LITTLE RED WAGON
MIRANDA LAMBERT ( RCA Nashville/SMN)
SMOKE
A THOUSAND HORSES (Republic Nashville/BMLG)
A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR
TYLER FARR ( Columbia Nashville/SMN)
MEAN TO ME
BRETT ELDREDGE ( Atlantic/WMN)
I SEE YOU
LUKE BRYAN ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
SAY YOU DO
DIERKS BENTLEY ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
RIDE
CHASE RICE ( Dack Janiels)
SHE DON’T LOVE YOU
ERIC PASLAY ( EMI Nashville/UMGN)
LIKE A COWBOY
RANDY HOUSER ( Stoney Creek/BBMG)
ALL SUMMER LONG
KID ROCK ( Top Dog/Atlantic/AG)
ARTIST (IMPRINT/LABEL)
Holding All The Roses
VALORY BG0200A/BMLG
BROWN BAND
19 15 12 16 ZAC
ROAR/SOUTHERN GROUND/ATLANTIC 546369/AG
1
l
2
l
THIS
WEEK
PEAK
POSITION
1
CHASE RICE
8
11
l
12
l
1
The Underdog
Anything Goes
REPUBLIC NASHVILLE /BMLG
7
2
Montevallo
Old Boots, New Dirt
BROKEN BOW 7105/BBMG
4
CERT.
WEEKS
ON CHT
2 WEEKS
AGO
2
SAM HUNT
TITLE
THIS
WEEK
2
LAST
WEEK
THIS
WEEK
1
l
Title
IMPRINT & NUMBER / DISTRIBUTING LABEL
WKS ON
CHART
COUNTRY
DIGITAL SONGS
TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS
ARTIST
SALES, AIRPLAY &
STREAMING DATA
COMPILED BY
11 11 62
12 14 22
13
l
14
l
18
6
16 81
15 12
6
16
6
60
17
l
18
l
­—
1
20
4
19 19 17
25
8
11
RE-ENTRY
l
l
l
l
BUILDING AIRPLAY GAINERS
TITLE LabelArtist
GAIN
B
rad Paisley
+260
Keith Urban Feat. Eric Church
+247
L
ee Brice
+219
Florida Georgia Line
+208
Sam Hunt
+166
Kelsea Ballerini
+159
Cole Swindell
+152
Tyler Farr
+143
WILD CHILD B
lue Chair/Columbia Nashville Kenny Chesney Wtih Grace Potter
+141
YOUNG & CRAZY W
arner Bros./WAR
+139
CRUSHIN’ IT A
rista Nashville
TITLE
RAISE ‘EM UP H
it Red/Capitol Nashville
BOTTOMS UP
RANTLEY GILBERT
B
SOMETHING IN THE WATER
CARRIE UNDERWOOD
LONELY TONIGHT
BLAKE SHELTON FEAT. ASHLEY MONROE
THAT’S MY KIND OF NIGHT
LUKE BRYAN
MAKE ME WANNA
THOMAS RHETT
YOU BELONG WITH ME
TAYLOR SWIFT
GIRL CRUSH
LITTLE BIG TOWN
MEAN TO ME
BRETT ELDREDGE
SHOTGUN RIDER
TIM MCGRAW
DRINKING CLASS C
urb
ARTIST
20 17 69 WE ARE NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER
T AYLOR SWIFT
Country Streaming Songs -The week’s top Country streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos
on leading online music services. Charts update weekly on Thurdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright
2015, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
SIPPIN’ ON FIRE R
epublic Nashville
TAKE YOUR TIME MCA Nashville
LOVE ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT B
lack River
AIN’T WORTH THE WHISKEY Warner Bros./WMN
A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR C
olumbia Nashville
Frankie Ballard
Building Gainers reflects titles with the top increases in plays from Monday through 5pm ET Wednesday, as
compared to the same period in the previous week, according to Nielsen Music.