Country Billboard Chart News January 16, 2014

Country Billboard Chart News January 16, 2014

In Brief:  Billboard Country Charts

Country Album Chart ** No. 1 (9 weeks) ** "Here’s To The Good Times" Florida Georgia Line

Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (1 week) ** “Drink A Beer“ Luke Bryan

Country Airplay **  No.1 (4 weeks) **  “Stay”  Florida Georgia Line

Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (4 weeks) ** " Drink A Beer” Luke Bryan

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News

The soundtrack to Disney's "Frozen" held for a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (BB200) selling another 85,812 copies (7 week tally of  588,779).

U.S. album sales fell again fallen to a new weekly low. In the week ending Jan. 12, 4.25 million albums were sold according to Nielsen SoundScan, which began tracking music sales in 1991. The previous SoundScan-era low was set in the week ending Oct. 27, 2013, when just 4.49 million albums were sold.

To compare, the SoundScan-era high for album sales in a single week came in late December of 2000, during the height of CD sales, when 45.4 million albums were sold in the week ending Dec. 24. (In all of 2013, there were 289.41 million albums sold compared with 2000 when there were 785.14 million albums sold.). Weekly volume didn't fall below 5 million in the SoundScan era until 2010, when, in the week ending May 30, album sales dropped to 4.98 million. In 2010, there were a total of four weeks with under 5 million in sales. In 2013, 18 chart weeks  logged album sales that dropped below 5 million - billboard.com/biz/

The country music sales also reflected the soft sales figures in January.

Luke Bryan's CRASH MY PARTY dropped from #7 to #13 (22 chart weeks) on the BB200 with Florida Georgia Line's HERE'S TO THE GOOD TIMES rebounding from #16 to #12 in its 58th week thus returning to No.1 on Billboard Top Country Albums, displacing their bro-country pal Luke. 

A differential of less than 70 copies, separated Florida Georgia Line and Bryan for the #1 Country album in the USA this chart week with both albums selling just over 16,000 units. 

It’s FGL’s ninth week on top of the chart. That's the longest run by any album since their Big Machine label mate Taylor Swift's "Red" had 16 weeks on top in 2012-2013. It's the longest run by a debut album since "Taylor Swift" had 24 weeks on top in 2007-2008. It's the longest run at #1 for an album by an ongoing duo in chart history. (One collabo had a longer run on top: Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson's "Waylon & Willie," which stayed on top for 11 weeks in 1978.)

Garth Brooks’ BLAME IT ALL ON MY ROOTS Box Set fell back 2-3 selling another 12,000 copies (down 52%, 7 week total of 808,000).

After 36 weeks on the chart Kacey Musgraves with SAME TRAILER DIFFERENT PARK (#9 Country) has now sold over 300,000 units.

Not included on Billboard Country Chart (but is #1 on the Official UK Country Chart)  FOREVERLY by Billie Joe Armstrong + Norah Jones jumped from #33 to #19 in its seventh week on the BB200, two weeks after the death of Phil Everly. The Everly Brothers had three top 20 albums from 1958 to 1960. Foreverly is a collection of traditional songs, and is a reinterpretation of the 1958 album ”Songs Our Daddy Taught Us” by The Everly Brothers. It is promoted by the lead single "Long Time Gone” .

New releases to impact the Billboard 200 next week should include Jennifer Nettles “That Girl” (Mercury Nashville), Jon Pardi “ Write You A Song” (Capitol Nashville), Rosanne Cash’s “The River & The Thread” (Blue Note Records) and Mary Chapin Carpenter with “Songs From The Movie” (Rounder Records)

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Placings

(Issue dated Chart week of January 25, 2014)

(Country Album positions #1 - #25)

(TW) This Week, (LW) Last Week, Co (Country Album Chart placing / Movement) 

Billboard Country Album Chart History

These were the No1 top selling CDs for corresponding chart weeks in 2009, 2004, 1999, 1994, and 1989:

2009: Fearless (Big Machine) Taylor Swift

2004: Shock'n Y'all (DreamWorks) Toby Keith

1999: Double Live (Capitol) Garth Brooks

1994: Common Thread: The Songs Of The Eagles (Giant) Various Artists

1989: Old 8 X 10 (Warner Bros) Randy Travis

Top 25 Hot Country Songs (week of January 25 2014)

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 Bryan scored his sixth No. 1 on Hot Country Songs with “Drink a Beer” (Capitol Nashville), which ended the six-week reign atop the sales/airplay/streaming hybrid chart for Florida Georgia Line’s “Stay” (Republic Nashville), (1-2). “Beer” caps Country Digital Songs for a fourth week, increased by 12% to 37 million audience impressions on Country Airplay and dipped 4-6 on Country Streaming Songs (626,000 U.S. streams).

The new leader marks a quick repeat for Georgia native Luke who most recently appeared with “That’s My Kind of Night,” atop Hot Country Songs with his 12 week #1 of Nov. 16, 2013.

Singer/songwriter Eric Paslay celebrated his first top 10 on Hot Country Songs, as “Friday Night” (EMI Nashville) improved 12-10. His previous best rank was No. 48 with “Never Really Wanted” three years ago.

The Band Perry scored its seventh consecutive top 10 radio-promoted single as “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” (Republic Nashville) lifted 11-9.

Memphis native Actress/singer Lucy Hale (“Pretty Little Liars,” “A Cinderella Story”) snared the Hot Shot Debut at No.21 with “You Sound Good to Me” (DMG Nashville/Bigger Picture). Her bow marked the best opening-week rank for a solo female since Danielle Bradbery, the season-four champ of NBC’s “The Voice,” began at No.16 in August with “The Heart of Dixie” (Republic/Big Machine).

Hot Country Songs 70th Anniversary: Top 70 Country Songs 1989-2014: It was 70 years ago this month, January 1944 -- that Billboard began charting the popularity of country tunes with the format's main chart now known as Hot Country Songs. In celebration the vital genre's continued vibrancy, Billboard honoured the chart's anniversary with a look at the Top 70 songs of the past 25 years.

Top 25 Hot Country Songs:

Luke Bryan with “Drink A Beer” is up one to TOP the Chart! #2- #1

Florida Georgia Line with former No.1 “Stay” drops one, #1 - #2 q

David Nail with “Whatever She’s Got” stays at #3

Cole Swindell with “Chillin’ It” is up one, #5 - #4 p

Jason Aldean with “When She Says Baby” is up three, #8 - #5p

Zac Brown Band with “Sweet Annie” is up three slots, #9 - #6 p

Cassadee Pope with “Wasting All These Tears” is down one, #6 - #7 q

Eli Young Band with “Drunk Last Night” is down a slot, #7 - #8 q

The Band Perry with “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” is up two, #11 - #9 p

Eric Paslay with “Friday Night” is up two, #12 - #10 p

Luke Bryan with former #1 “That’s My Kind Of Night” falls, #4 - #11 q

Lady Antebellum with “Compass” is up one, #13 - #12 p

John Pardi with “Up All Night” is up two, #15 - #13 p

Darius Rucker with “Radio” stays at #14

Frankie Ballard with “Helluva Life” is up two, #17 - #15

Brantley Gilbert with “Bottoms Up” is up five, #21 - #16 p

Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert with former No.1, moves #16 - #17 q

Dan + Shay with “19 You + Me” jumps up five, #23 - #18 p

Dierks Bentley with “Hold On” is down one, #18 - #19 q

Jerrod Niemann with “Drink To That All Night” stays at #20

Lucy Hale with “You Sound Good To Me” debuts at #21 NEW

Danielle Bradbery with “The Heart Of Dixie” is down three, #19 - #22 q

Randy Houser with “Goodnight Kiss” is up one, #24 - #23 p

Thomas Rhett with “Get Me Some Of That” enters the Top 25, #26 - #24 p

Eric Church with “Give Me Back My Hometown” enters the Top 25, #39 - #25 p

Hot Country Songs

** No.1 (1 week) ** “Drink A Beer“ Luke Bryan

** Streaming Gainer ** No.16 “Bottoms Up” Brantley Gilbert

** Hot Shot Debut ** No.21 “You Sound Good To Me” Lucy Hale

** Digital Gainer ** No.25 “Give Me Back My Hometown” Eric Church

** Airplay Gainer ** No.28 “Doin’ What She Likes” Blake Shelton

Debut No.41 “Rewind” Rascal Flatts

Debut No.43 “Cop Car” Keith Urban

Billboard Country Airplay Chart Week of January 25, 2014

Florida Georgia Line achieved its longest No.1 reign on Billboard’s Country Airplay tally with “Stay” (Republic Nashville), which held for a fourth straight week and surpassed “Cruise,” the duo’s lead single, which spent three weeks at the summit in December 2012. Second and third radio singles “Get Your Shine On” and “Round Here” both spent two weeks at No.1 on the chart “Shine” (May 2013) and “Here” (September 2013)

The fourth week for “Stay” is the longest reign by any song in two years. The FGL duo now have Zac Brown Band’s four week #1 (“Keep Me in Mind”; Jan 14, 2012 chart) in their sights. Lady Antebellum’s held a five-week run with “Need You Now” back in Nov/Dec 2009. On its 18th week on the chart "Stay" logged 45.638 million audience impressions (+1.332) and received 6,808 radio plays (+93) with top local audience penetration during the Jan.6-12 tracking week: KKGO Los Angeles (1.4 impressions) and WUSN Chicago (1.4 million).

Jason Aldean collected his 18th top 10 freshening it up as “When She Says Baby” (Broken Bow), made a 12-10 jump in its 12th chart week. He last competed in the upper region when “Night Train” spent two weeks atop the chart in October 2013. Only two of Aldean’s 20 radio singles have failed to reach the top 10 with ten of those reaching No.1..

Rascal Flatts, aided by hourly play on Jan.8 at Clear Channel-owned stations, registered its second-highest start with “Rewind” (Big Machine), which made a No.28 bow. It opened with 7.88 million audience impressions at 94 of the 145 stations monitored by BDS for the chart and picked up the weeks “Most Increased Audience”, “Hot Shot Debut” and “Most Added” trophies with at least seven first-time plays (Monday-Sunday) with 59 fresh radio commitments (ADDS).

The trio scored its highest debut when “Take Me There” opened at No.24 on the chart dated July 21, 2007. This new track introduces the threesome’s upcoming album following on from their 2012 set CHANGED.

Blake Shelton climbed 35-22 with a 1,153 radio spin increase for latest single “Doin' What She Likes”

#1 Rewind: Chart topping hits in 2009, 2004, 1999, 1994, and 1989:

2009 - “Already Gone” (Mercury) Sugarland

2004 - There Goes My Life (BNA) Kenny Chesney

1999 - “Right On The Money” (Arista) Alan Jackson

1994 - “Wild One”  (Warner Bros.) Faith Hill

1989 - “She's Crazy For Leavin'” (Columbia) Rodney Crowell

Country Airplay

*** No. 1 (4 weeks) *** "Stay" Florida Georgia Line

** Hot Shot Debut/ Most Increased Audience/ Most Added ** No.28 “Rewind” Rascal Flatts

Debut No.58 "Trippin' On Us" Lindsay Ell

Debut No.59 "Yeah" Joe Nichols

Debut No.60 "Who I Am With You" Chris Young

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart Week of January 25, 2014

Luke Bryan with “Drink a Beer” held at #1 despite a 12% decline on the previous week (65,000 downloads sold). He still logged a second song in the Top 5 as the 22-week “That’s My Kind Of Night” fell back 5-3

David Nail on his 24th week climbed 5-2 with “Whatever She’s Got,” (sales dip 8%) which passed retail sales of over 700,000 downloads.

Florida Georgia Line’s 16-week “Stay,” (sales down 26%) moved 4-3.

Pretty Little Liars actress and newbie country singer Lucy Hale made a bow at No.4 with her debut single “You Sound Good To Me” >> [ Listen]selling 42,000 units.

Duo Dan+Shay’s “19 You And Me” >> [Listen – Amazon UK - UK iTunes] made a big “California-beautiful” stride with a 26-11 move (sales up 32%) in their 9th week.

Eric Church debuted at #12 with his second single “Give Me Back My Hometown” from forthcoming album THE OUTSIDERS due to drop Feb 11.

Dropping off the Top 30:

(28-32) Hunter Hayes feat. Jason Mraz “Everybody's Got Somebody But Me”   

(25-33) Florida Georgia Line “Round Here”  

Top 20 Digital Singles in Country Music (published January 16, 2013)

 (LW) Last Week  (TW) This Week

*Numbers are rounded to nearest 1000^th