Sunday 26 October 2014

Country Billboard Chart News October 23, 2014

Country Billboard Chart News October 23, 2014

RIAA Certifications

In Brief:  Billboard Country Charts

Country Album Chart ** No. 1 (1 week) “Anything Goes” Florida Georgia Line
Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (13 weeks) ** “Burnin’ It Down” Jason Aldean
Country Airplay ** No.1 (1 week) ** “Burnin’ It Down” Jason Aldean
Country Digital Songs ** No.1 ** (1 week) ** “Burnin’ It Down” Jason Aldean

In this easy-to-use format discover where your favourite acts songs and album are charting across the four Billboard Country charts. It is prioritized by the first column showing the Hot Country Songs chart frame standings for the week of November 1, 2014.
There are also separate rows highlighting Women of Country music.

Scroll down for further details on each of the individual charts.









































Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News

Superstar duo Florida Georgia Line (Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley) nabbed their first No.1 album on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart with the arrival of ANYTHING GOES (Republic Nashville) selling 197,105 copies in the week ending Oct. 19,  2014 according to Nielsen SoundScan.
“Anything Goes” is the pair's second full-length studio effort, following the breakthrough success of juggernaut HERE'S TO THE GOOD TIMES. That album was released on Dec 4, 2012 and reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200. It has sold 2,062,778 copies and is still on the chart (rising 56-48 in its 98th chart week; selling 7,040 copies, up 18% on last weeks 5,980)
“Here's To The Good Times” debuted at #10 (62,758 units sold, then 38,462 and 48,515 in its third week). In its 19th chart frame it sold 30,224 to sail past GOLD at retail with a total of 513,696. After 32-weeks on the chart it “Good Times” marked the fourth-slowest climb to the top four on the Billboard 200 for a country album since SoundScan started powering the chart in May 1991. By August 31, 2013 in its 37th week it had sold PLATINUM and when the deluxe version dropped on Nov 25, 2013 it shifted 69,000 copies (The 1,337,000 total was the most by any album by a country duo since Sugarland's Love On The Inside, which has sold 2,308,000 copies since its release in 2008). “Good Times” also spawned the smash single "Cruise," which spent a record 24 weeks at No.1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and climbed to No.4 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. ("Cruise" is also the best selling country digital song ever, with 7 million downloads sold.)

The new album “Anything Goes” has already collected five top 40 entries on the Hot Country Songs chart, including the 2-week No.1 hit "Dirt" ( chart frames: July 26, 2014 - August 2, 2014) 
Country radio vastly dug FGL’s platinum-certified smash “Dirt” which topped both the Mediabase and Billboard Country Airplay Charts last week marking their fifth #1 single to date. The duo performed the lead track on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers on Oct 14th. "We fell in love with 'Dirt' the first time we heard it and people really seem to love it as much as we do,” shared FGL’s Brian Kelley. “It definitely carries a lot of weight and hits you on a lot of different levels. We call it a life song. And when you hear it, it takes you to a place called chill bump city." FGL’s Tyler Hubbard adds, “we are so thankful to Country radio and our fans for all of their support. This wouldn’t have happened without you and we can’t wait to share all of ANYTHING GOES!”
FGL said there's something for everyone on “Anything Goes”, but it's not predictable. "I say don't have any expectations
and just put the disc in or put a playlist on your iPod and just crank it up and enjoy it," sid Kelley. Calling it a continuation of their debut Here's To The Good Times, FGL's Hubbard said the new project is an evolution. "I think we've stepped up our game," he says. "We've really made an attempt to work hard the last two years and get better at singing, get better at writing songs, get better at singing in the studio and performing. In all the different aspects that we do we've tried to step it up." Their 2015 Anything Goes Tour launches Jan. 15 in Toledo

“Anything Goes” is the third consecutive country album to top the Billboard 200, following one-week rules by Blake Shelton's BRINGING BACK THE SUNSHINE and last week's No.1, Jason Aldean's OLD BOOTS, NEW DIRT which slipped 1-2 with 90,610 copies sold (down 67% on last weeks opening, 368,911 sold 2 weeks).
It's the first time the chart's top slot has gone back-to-back-to-back with three straight country leaders in over four years. It last happened on the charts dated Oct. 9-23, 2010, when Zac Brown Band's You Get What You Give, Kenny Chesney's Hemingway's Whiskey and Toby Keith's Bullets In the Gun led the list.

Critical reception for Florida Georgia Line’s Anything Goes:
CD - UK iTunes (3 Nov) - Smart Choice Music   [US Exclusive Deluxe] Amazon.com 

Associated Press (Michael McCall)...Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley keep the mood fun and grooving, with producer Joey Moi bringing plenty of fresh sonic surprises amid the beats and harmonies. For example, "Sun Daze" could be undermined by the silly pun of its title, on a song about spending a Sunday soaking in rays and indulging in at least two brand-name liquors. But Moi's arrangement brings in whistling, hand claps and a banjo to create a bright groove that
insists on making hips sway. Similarly, new single "Bumpin' the Night" works a predictable double-entendre about a couple moving in tandem while drinking (of course), cruising the town and sharing time alone. But the arrangement once again comes to the rescue. Florida Georgia Line's recent hit "Dirt" proved the band can deal with subjects beyond throwing down with friends. But they rarely bother on the rest of "Anything Goes." And that's OK, as long as Florida Georgia Line remains this consistently inventive and engaging.

Billboard (4 STARS).....There's nothing as overtly game-changing or immediate as "Cruise" on Anything Goes, and those hoping that "Dirt" meant that Florida Georgia Line was moving beyond beer-soaked bro-country cliches will be disappointed. But it's a more consistent
album than its predecessor. And perhaps more importantly, it shores up the duo's country flanks, and demonstrates that FGL intends to aggressively protect its progressive place in the genre, one that the act essentially designed on its own.

Allmusic (Rating: 3 STARS) Despite the loosey-goosey title, there's not much left to chance on Anything Goes: it's designed to consolidate Florida Georgia Line's success and maybe give them a little bit of cred they never amassed on their debut. Those serious moments, crystallized by the salt-of-the-earth dirgey lead single "Dirt," are where FGL stumble. Whenever the duo acknowledge their essential suburbanness -- which they do often, singing about Victoria's Secret, Bacardi, and Seven Jeans among any other number of lifestyle signifiers -- things flow just fine on Anything Goes. Kelley and Hubbard have an easy chemistry that lends itself to lubrication by Auto-Tune and the sleek digital gloss that shimmers over the entire album. ...Anything Goes shines brightest when they do modulated riffs on "Cruise" or "Get Your Shine On," relying on party anthems that are bright, laid-, and never, ever rowdy.

News Day.com (Rating: B) ....What set Florida Georgia Line apart from the pack, though, was their embrace of hip-hop, which is less evident on "Anything Goes." Instead, the duo packs as many syllables as it can into a verse the way many of today's R&B singers do, though the effect is less soulful and more rhythmic. Neither Kelley or Hubbard have stand-out voices, but they sure use them well, rarely leaving their respective sweet spots so that they always sound pretty laid back. "Sippin' on Fire," which oddly opens with a guitar riff that sounds like the opening to "Growing Pains," is the closest the guys come to stretching
musically. They are far more effective when they stretch lyrically -- especially on the lovely ode to home ownership, "Dirt," declaring, "You write her name on it, spin your tires on it." "Dirt" shows that the Florida Georgia Line bros could have a future once they get tired of living in the present. BOTTOM LINE:  Predictable country that's predictably good.

Country Perspective (Rating: 0/10) ....An Avicii ad played on Spotify as I listened to this album and it sounded just as country as Florida Georgia Line’s songs on Anything Goes. I had to point
this out because of how true it is and sad the current situation is in mainstream country music. Maybe some artists are actually striving to make better music, but some clearly want to hold onto bro country with a death grip.

For The Country Record .....But I never believed for one second that Florida Georgia Line were truly part of its moving on, never thought that they were really maturing. A group like that can’t. They are what they are and no amount of market forces will make them into something they’re not. Even with ‘Dirt’ I went on the record as saying it wasn’t as good as everyone claimed. True, it was more substantial and vaguely more “country”-sounding than their prior hits, but underneath all the pretence there were still clichés, still women peeling painted-on jeans off, still auto-tune and still an R&B beat behind it. I was disappointed that people could be that fooled to think the duo were changing.....‘Anything Goes’, their brand new sophomore album, is proof enough that what will be, will be. In fact, what will be will often become even worse. A listen through the dozen-track record reveals not only a collection of meaningless, journey-
less party anthems filled with sex, booze, drugs and more clichés than I have ever heard on any bro-country album, but it also shows a gradual move away from real instruments; instead, almost everything is created digitally..... we have a mix that is honestly atrocious; tinny, high-pitched (there is surprisingly little bass in most of the tracks), ear-piercingly faux-twangy (we have Tyler’s awful lead vocals to thank for that), obnoxiously swaggery and quite chaotic, it becomes whiny and oppressive to listen to. ......And then we come to the lyrics. Many commentators were disgusted by the line from ‘Sun Daze’ “stick that pink umbrella in your drink”, that is clearly a crude euphemism, but in truth the whole album is a mess of bad clichés, the same subject matter recycled over and over and more misogynistic tripe than you can shake a stick (or a booty) at. ....basically all this album is. It’s self-indulgent, it’s obnoxious, it’s for morons with nothing better to do or think about in their lives because they are shallow and have no concept of substance or reality. ‘Anything Goes’ is mindless. There’s no journey. No progression.... The only thing Florida Georgia Line have achieved with this record is to up bro-country to a new max never even thought possible before. So well done you schmucks, Scott Borchetta fooled you again. Bro-country and all associated is only about to get a whole lot worse.

Related posts
  • Billboard 615: Billboard Cover: Florida Georgia Line on Being ‘Professional Partiers,’ Haters and Hip-Hop....What's striking about Anything Goes is how closely it duplicates FGL's previous records…..
  • Florida Georgia Line have three songs that rhyme “party” and “Bacardi” Billboard cover story on the likable duo.

The Swon Brothers’ with their self-titled album made a debut at No.28 on the BB200 (#6 Country) with 10,288 copies sold.
Zac and Colton Swon co-produced their debut album with Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood). Sibling harmony is front and center on The Voice finalists' first single "Later On" and other songs including "Pray For You.

Critical reception for The Swon Brothers’ self-titled album:
11 Tracks/ Time: 39:07 MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

Allmusic ..Third-place finalists on the fourth season of The Voice in 2013, the Swon Brothers nevertheless secured a major-label deal with Arista Nashville, releasing an eponymous debut in the fall of 2014. The Swon Brothers, both the act and album, embrace the professional anonymity of Nashville, preferring gloss to grit and harmony to twang. This unabashed sentiment does have its perks. It's hard not to smile along with the Swon Brothers as they amble through 11 songs that have nothing but pleasantries on their mind. If none of these professionally written songs have piercing hooks, blame that both on the Brothers' aw-shucks persona and Mark Bright's even-keel production, which shellacs any accentuated rhythms or guitar licks with a highly reflective sheen. So bright is the sound that it doesn't make much of a lasting impact, but as The Swon Brothers plays, it's nothing less than pleasant and that dogged determination to not offend is a hard thing to hate.

For The Country Record......Their self-titled debut, released October 14th by Arista Nashville, is a bit of a mixed bag, but certainly one of the more promising debuts I’ve listened to in recent years.....A few songs, however, stand out big time, in both good and bad ways. ‘95’ is easily the worst track on the album. With lyrics like “A little chill, kick it back, unwind / Let’s put this day on ice” and vocals that sound completely different from the rest of the album, I thought for a moment my music player had somehow switched to a Florida Georgia Line song.....The brothers are at their best when they slow things down a bit and don’t worry about chasing any current trends. Their beautiful harmonies soar on ‘Pray For You,’ an uplifting song encouraging love and prayer instead of judgement when you don’t agree with someone’s choices. And you can feel the emotion in Zach and Colton’s voices on the breakup ballad ‘Breaking’. Despite its pop sheen, ‘Pretty Beautiful’ is an album highlight for me, with gorgeous falsetto vocals sprinkled throughout. The album ends on its highest note, ‘This Side of Heaven’. A story song filled with heartbreaking honesty ..... The promise is there; now let’s hope the execution matches up.

  
In the second week for The Soundtrack to the latest Nicholas Sparks Film, THE BEST OF ME shifted another 6,073 copies (down 2%) and moved 54-52 on the BB200 (12-11 Country).

Outside the Top 25 Country Albums

Doug Seegers with GOING DOWN TO THE RIVER (Rounder) slipped back 25-26 on the Country Chart in his second week.
Lee Ann Womack who is to play the C2C2015 Country To Country Festival in March 2015 fell further back 36-46 Country on her 4th chart frame with The Way I'm Livin' (Sugar Hill)

Dirty River Boys who hail from Texas new self-titled album (DRB/ Thirty Tigers) made a debut at No.34. (13 Tracks/ Time: 45:02 Rock/Country - MP3 - Amazon.com
The New York Journal wrote: There’s a borderlands sensibility to some of the El Paso foursome’s music—check out “Down by the River,” the ballad of drug-war violence that opens the album—but the band also dials in a Mumford-esque folk-anthem sound on “Thought I’d Let You Know,” a Celtic-punk flavor on “Sailed Away” and, occasionally, a flat-out barroom rock ’n’ roll feel on tracks like “Highway Love.” “We wanted to cross genres as much as possible,” singer and guitarist Marco Gutierrez says. “We try not to box ourselves in. We kind of let whatever happens happen with the instrumentation that we have.” The band took its time—well, more time, anyway—making the album, their second. Instead of dashing into recording sessions between concert dates, as they had done previously, Gutierrez, singer and guitarist Nino Cooper, bassist Colton James and singer and percussionist Travis Stearns holed up for a solid block of time at the residential recording studio complex Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Tex.....Read More & Listen


Angaleena Presley with AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS (Slate Creek) made a debut at No.29 selling around 1,000 copies.
It also landed at #14 on Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart which was introduced with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical recording artists.
During 2014 Angaleena (best known for being "HOLLER ANNIE" in the group Pistol Annies) signed with Slate Creek Records (same one as Brandy Clark) through a distribution agreement with Thirty Tigers. The album was co-produced by Angaleena with her husband, Jordan Powell, and Angaleena wrote or co-wrote all 12 of the autobiographical tracks.
Presley called the album a concept record that tells the story of her life – so far - “Part of what I loved about Garth Fundis and Jim Burnett at Slate Creek is that they understood where I wanted to go creatively," she said. "Producing this album was important to me because of its content - I’ve lived every word of it and knew exactly how I wanted it to sound.”

Critical reception for Angaleena Presley’s “American Middle Class”:

Billboard by Elias Leight (Rating 4 STARS).... Presley's sound is unlikely to break through on current radio, as there are no drum loops or pop-friendly hooks here.....Presley's refusal to adopt a radio-friendly sound underscores that American Middle Class is her show. She brings in star writers on occasion -- including Luke Laird and Bob DiPierro....She cites Willie Nelson's The Red-Headed Stranger as an inspiration for American Middle Class, and her album is similarly elegant and spare....Some of the songs gain spark from their humor. "Dry County Blues" is cheeky as well as tragic. The hook -- "half the county's laid off, laid up or getting high" -- points to the pervasiveness of substance abuse while also relying on the easy cadence of a drinking song. "Knocked Up" incorporates some kick drum for extra heft. "Here it comes, what granny's been a-dreadin'," sings Presley, not sounding too upset about a "belly full of a baby and a shotgun wedding....American Middle Class is a focused collection of songs. Presley refuses to compromise her sound or ignore the political and social realities of her community back home in Kentucky.

Billboard  (by Chuck Dauphin)..... Angaleena Presley – best known (so far) for her being a part of the Pistol Annies – is from the same part of Kentucky that her heroes Loretta Lynn and Patty Loveless are. And, just like those two legendary ladies, she grew up a “Coal Miners’ Daughter.” That upbringing – and her being a part of the Country supertrio along with
Miranda Lambert and Ashley Monroe – lends itself towards saying Presley is a very traditional-styled singer-songwriter. There are moments on this disc where that description very much applies – as it does on the wistful “Better Off Red,” where she longs for a small town way of life that once made her feel trapped. But there are moments where Presley strays from that description. While vocally, nobody can take her Eastern Kentucky twang away – Thank God! – as a writer, this isn’t the Carter Family or even Kitty Wells. There’s the beautifully exquisite “Dry County Blues,” which was something that Loretta might have written herself  ......American Middle Class works so well, because it – like Red Headed Stranger by Willie Nelson – it’s a collection of emotions and stories about real life......

Rollingstone (rating: 3.5 STARS) Best known for her work with Pistol Annies, Angaleena Presley is the latest hard-nosed country traditionalist to challenge Nashville's frat-party tendencies. On the first half of her impressive solo debut, Presley fills her disappearing middle-class blues with sharp, compassionate tales of unfulfilled pensions and steep tuition bills. Later on, the bona fide coal miner's daughter changes gears with a series of vulnerable country-soul ballads that find her longing for some domestic stability. In "Better Off Red," she resigns herself instead to the life of a misfit songwriter: "'Cause a blade of bluegrass left a scar on my neck/And it ain't quit hurtin' yet."

American Songwriter Writer of the Week: Angaleena Presley has put her entire experience into her debut solo album, American Middle Class, out October 14. This Kentucky-born coal miner’s daughter recently opened up to us about finding inspiration in the everyday, her love for cooking, and the eternal flame she continues to carry for Elvis…….

Of Note:
You+Me’s debut album ROSE AVE. (RCA Records) entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #4, #1 on the Folk Album Chart and #2 on the Digital Albums Chart with 49,672 copies sold in its first week. Additionally it topped iTunes in 30 markets around the world and debuted top 10 overall in several additional markets including Canada (#1), Australia (#2), Germany, UK, Switzerland and New Zealand, with many more stellar debuts still to come.  “The result of their effortless efforts is a ten-track album comprised of gentle folksy songs with soaring melodies while the Huffington Post says, “Green and Moore were destined to harmonize together.” >> Watch "You and Me"

2014 Country Album sales Year-To Date:
24,067,000 (Physical sales 15,981,000 (down 9%) + Digital sales 8,086,000 (down -11.1%)) which is 19.0% down at the same point in 2013 (29,724,000 sales)

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Placings
(Issue dated Chart week of November 1, 2014)
(Country Album positions #1 - #25)
(TW) This Week, (LW) Last Week, Co (Country Album Chart placing / Movement)
































Top 25 Hot Country Songs (week of November 1, 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:

  • Jason Aldean with “Burnin’ It Down” claimed a 13th week atop the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart. That’s the most weeks at the summit for a song by a solo male in 51 years: Buck Owens’ “Love’s Gonna Live Here” began a 16-week command on Oct. 19, 1963.
  • Aaron Watson the Texas Red Dirt circuit veteran made his first appearance on Hot Country Songs with “That Look” (BIG Label/Thirty Tigers), new at No.41. The cut entered Country Digital Songs at No.10 with 18,913 sales to preview his forthcoming 12th studio album.
  • With the documentary Glen Campbell … I’ll Be Me slated to open in select markets on Oct. 24, Glen Campbell’sI’m Not Gonna Miss You” (Big Machine) flew 50-21 adding Streaming Gainer honors with 1.9 million U.S. streams (up 287%) to enter Country Streaming Songs at No.2, with almost all streams from Vevo on YouTube clicks. However the track sold only around 6,100 copies to debut at No.44 on Country Digital Songs.
Top 25 Hot Country Songs:

Jason Aldean with “Burnin’ It Down” stays Top the chart!
Florida Georgia Line with former #1“Dirt” holds at #2
Sam Hunt with “Leave The Night On” sticks at #3
Blake Shelton with “Neon Light” stays at #4
Chase Rice with “Ready Set Roll” climbs two, #7 - #5 p
Luke Bryan with “Roller Coaster” holds at #6
Carrie Underwood with “Something In The Water” falls two, #5 - #7 q
Maddie & Tae with “Girl In A Country Song” is up three, #11 - #8 p
Frankie Ballard with “Sunshine & Whiskey” lifts three, #12 - #9 p
Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood’s former #1 “Somethin’ Bad” drops to #10 q
Keith Urban with “Somewhere In My Car” climbs two, #13 - #11 p
Kenny Chesney with “American Kids” falls four, #8 - #12 q
Little Big Town with “Day Drinking” climbs two, #15 - #13 p
Brantley Gilbert with “Small Town Throwdown” is a non-mover at #14
Lady Antebellum with “Bartender” rises one, #16 - #15 p
Tim McGraw with “Shotgun Rider” fires up three, #19 - #16 p
Brad Paisley with “Perfect Storm” climbs three, #20 - #17 p
Dierks Bentley with “Drunk On A Plane” falls one, #17 - #18 q
Big & Rich with “Look At You” slips one, #18 - #19 q
Parmalee with “Close Your Eyes” rises one, #21 - #20 p
Glen Campbell            with “I'm Not Gonna Miss You” rockets up, #50 - #21 p
Scotty McCreery with “Feelin’ it” holds at #22
Lee Brice with “Drinking Class” stays at #23
Eric Church with “Talladega” climbs three, #27 - #24 p
Brett Eldredge with “Mean To Me” is up one, #26 - #25 p

Hot County Songs
** No.1 (13 weeks) ** “Burnin’ It Down” Jason Aldean
** Streaming Gainer ** No.21 “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” Glen Campbell
** Digital Gainer ** No.24 “Talladega” Eric Church
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.40 “Drunk Americans” Toby Keith
Debut No.41 “That Look” Aaron Watson
Debut No.50 “Say You Do” Dierks Bentley


Billboard Country Airplay Chart Week of November 1, 2014

Jason Aldean extended his chart-topping celebration as “Burnin’ It Down” (Broken Bow) stepped 2-1 to become his 12th leader on the Nielsen BDS-driven Country Airplay tally in his 13th chart frame. This followed the longest-running No.1 in 2014 on Billboard’s multimetric Hot Country Songs chart (12 straight weeks) and a head-turning bow atop the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums last week (278,096 copies sold, charts dated Oct. 25).
“Burnin’” logged 48.663 million audience impressions (+0.416 million) and received 7,739 radio plays (+193) during the Oct. 13-19 Nielsen BDS tracking week. The song written by Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins, and Florida Georgia Line members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley was released on July 22, 2014 as the lead single from his sixth studio album, OLD BOOTS, NEW DIRT.
Aldean last topped Country Airplay with “When She Says Baby,” which finished a three-week run on the March 15 chart. Since his first week at No. 1 on Country Airplay (May 27, 2006), Aldean entered a tie with Carrie Underwood for the third-most leaders; Blake Shelton and Kenny Chesney lead with 14 apiece during that span, while Brad Paisley has notched 13.
Top local audience reach for “Burnin’ It Down” came from WUSN Chicago (1.4 million impressions), WNSH New York (1.3 million), WUBL Atlanta (1.2 million), KKBQ Houston (1.1 million) and WKLB Boston (1.1 million).
Read the Facebook reaction to Aldean’s #1.













Keith Urban widened his lead as the artist with the most consecutive top 10 singles on Country Airplay (counting only promoted, non-seasonal titles), as “Somewhere in My Car” (Hit Red/Capitol Nashville) rode 11-10 to become his 32nd title to reach the chart’s upper tier — all achieved consecutively since “Your Everything” became his first top 10 on the Aug. 12, 2000 chart. Urban’s 32 top 10s include 16 No.1s, a feat most recently achieved with “We Were Us” (with Miranda Lambert) in December 2013. Urban last visited the top 10 when “Cop Car” peaked at No. 8 on the May 31 chart.
Toby Keith aided by coordinated hourly play on Oct. 14 at iHeart Media-owned country stations, snagged the Hot Shot Debut at No.31 with “Drunk Americans” (Show Dog-Universal), his fifth-highest start. He achieved his best opening-week rank with “Drinks After Work,” which bowed June 29, 2013 at No. 26. “Americans” also took home the weeks Most Increased Audience trophy and earned Most Added stripes. The song logged 8.028 million audience impressions, a gain of +8.028 million and received 909 radio plays (+909) thanks to 57 fresh radio commitments (ADDS).

Women of Country 2014 Watch:

There was one solo female artist on the Top 30 Country Airplay songs with Carrie Underwood’s “Something In The Water” climbing 18-17. “Girl In A Country Song” by duo Maddie & Tae climbed one 12-11.
RaeLynn #32, Jana Kramer #36, Trisha Yearwood #44, Lindsay Ell #53, and Kelsea Ballerini #59 were the additional five solo females in the remaining 31-60 slots, to make it just  10.0% of the entire Top 60 chart.

Country Airplay
*** No. 1 (1 week)*** "Burnin' It Down" Jason Aldean
** Hot Shot Debut/ Most Increased Audience/ Most Added ** No.31 “Drunk Americans Toby Keith 
Debut No. 52 "She Don't Love You" Eric Paslay
Debut No. 55 "Freestyle" Lady Antebellum


 Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart Week of November 1, 2014

Jason Aldean returned to the chart to land the No.1 with “Burnin’ It Down” selling 45,424 copies. On the overall all genre Digital Songs chart the songs was No.24 with Taylor Swift's new POP preview track at "Out of the Woods" making a debut at No.1 with 195,292 downloads sold, marking Swift's eighth No.1 on the list. Only Rihanna (with 13 leaders), Katy Perry (10) and Eminem (nine) have more No.1s on the Digital Songs chart. "Out of the Woods" is the second commercially available song from Swift's upcoming studio release, 1989, due out Oct. 27. Swift replaced herself at No. 1, as 1989's first single, "Shake It Off," fell 1-2 with 178,421 sales  5 170,593 178,000 (up 5%, Total sales to date 2,545,245). Swift is the first lead artist to occupy the top two slots on the chart at the same time since… Miss Swift the now ex country princess did it just over two years ago. She also claimed the Nos.1 and 2 rungs on the Sept. 22, 2012 chart with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "Ronan."

  • Back to the Country Digital Chart, as with Aldean the previous week, saw the absence of 5 Florida Georgia Line’s singles from the top 15 as they were discounted because of the preview tracks fulfillment with the new album pre-orders. 3 brand new tracks appeared on the Top 50 and FGL’s old single “This Is How We Roll” moved 25-21.
  • Maddie And Tae with “Girl In A Country Song” (7-6) have crossed the 300K download mark selling another 22,173 copies to reach a 14-week tally of 304,591
  • Texas artist Aaron Watson made a debut at No.10 with “That Look” selling 18,913 copies
  • Toby Keith made a debut at No.16 with “Drunk Americans” selling 15,386 in his first week
Women Of Country Watch
Carrie Underwood with “Something In The Water” at No.2 has now finally been joined by RaeLynn in the Top 30 with God Made Girls” which rose 33-30 representing the only solo female artists on the Top 30 placings at No.2.
On the Top 50 the only other solo female was Mickey Guyton with “Better Than You Left Me” (Capitol Nashville/UMGN) making a debut at No.48

Dropping off the Top 30:
1 - Off the chart  Florida Georgia Line “Sippin’ On Fire”
3 - Off the chart  Florida Georgia Line “Dirt”
8 - Off the chart  Florida Georgia Line “Bumpin’ The Night”
11 - Off the chart Florida Georgia Line “Anything Goes”
15 - Off the chart Florida Georgia Line “Sun Daze”

Top 30 Digital Singles in Country Music (published October 23, 2014)
 (LW) Last Week (TW) This Week
*Numbers are rounded to nearest 1000th
































Country Aircheck MEDIABASE Chart

Jason Aldean moved 2-1 to land the No1 on Mediabase with “Burnin’ It Down” (Broken Bow). The song logged 7,789 radio spins (+138) and 56.745 million audience impressions (+0.62 million) from 149 tracking stations for the tracking week October 12 to October 18, 2014 and published chart October 20th.
Congratulations to BBR Music Group EVP Jon Loba, SVP Carson James, Broken Bow VP/Promotion Lee Adams and the entire Broken Bow promotion staff for scoring this week’s #1 single on the MEDIABASE Country singles charts with Jason Aldean’s "Burnin' It Down." The single is Aldean's first release from his OLD BOOTS, NEW DIRT album, which debuted #1 on the All-genre and Country albums chart last week.














Congratulations to Show Dog-Universal VP/Promotion Rick Moxley and the entire Show-Dog Universal promotion team for earning 63 MEDIABASE Country adds on Toby Keith’s "Drunk Americans." Those adds gave Toby the "Most Added" title for this week. Bagets were due to be delivered to the Show-Dog Universal office (Oct 21) to congratulate the staff on their success.

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly Issue 419 - October 20, 2014 [PDF File]
For the very latest up to the minute Mediabase Chart (Past 7 Days) go here - www.mediabase.com

Billboard Boxscores (Selective Country concerts, published Chart Week of Nov 1, 2014)

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Country Billboard Chart News October 16, 2014

Country Billboard Chart News October 16, 2014

In Brief:  Billboard Country Charts

Country Album Chart ** No. 1 (1 week) “Old Boots, New Dirt” Jason Aldean
Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (12 weeks) ** “Burnin’ It Down” Jason Aldean
Country Airplay ** No.1 (1 week) ** “Dirt” Florida Georgia Line
Country Digital Songs ** No.1 ** (1 week) ** “Sippin’ On Fire” Florida Georgia Line

In this easy-to-use format discover where your favourite acts songs and album are charting across the four Billboard Country charts. It is prioritized by the first column showing the Hot Country Songs chart frame standings for the week of October 25, 2014.
There are also separate rows highlighting Women of Country music.

Scroll down for further details on each of the individual charts.




Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News

Jason Aldean netted his second No.1 album on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart (BB200), as his new release, OLD BOOTS, NEW DIRT (Broken Bow/BBMG), kicked in atop the list. It started with 278,096 copies sold in the week ending Oct. 12, the third-largest sales week of 2014 according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Only the arrivals of Coldplay's Ghost Stories (383,000) and fellow country star Eric Church's The Outsiders (287,668) logged bigger frames this year.
“Old Boots”  also notched the largest sales week of 2014 for an independently-distributed album. (It's distributed by RED Distribution, Sony Music's independent distribution arm.)
Aldean replaced fellow country giant out of the No.1 slot as Blake Shelton with BRINGING BACK THE SUNSHINE fell 1-6 on the BB200 (#1-#2 Country) with 34,000 sold (down 66% from last weks 100,544 arrival). It's the first time there has been back-to-back No.1s from country albums in over a year. It last happened on the chart dated May 25, 2013, when Lady Antebellum's GOLDEN spent one week at No.1, following a one-week stint at the top by Kenny Chesney's LIFE ON A ROCK.
Incidently Lady Antebellum fell 2-11 on the BB200 (2-3 Country) selling just 24,000 copies (sales down 68%) in their second week with new album 747

Aldean’s last album, his Oct 16, 2012 release of fifth studio set NIGHT TRAIN steamrolled to a No.1 selling 409,303 copies sold in its first week. That set, however, followed the breakthrough success Aldean found with his Nov 2, 2010 release of MY KINDA PARTY which debuted and peaked at No.2 on Billboard 200 chart dated Nov. 20, 2010 selling 192,998 copies and was kept off the No.1 by Taylor Swift’s SPEAK NOW which shifted 319,701 copies in her 2nd chart week. “My Kinda Party” then sold 80,510 copies (down 58%) followed by 57,609 to net 331,117 copies in its first 3-weeks at retail. It spent its first 87 consecutive weeks in the top 40. (It also lingered for 12 weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.) So far, “Party” has shifted 3.1 million copies. (2.8 million in its first two years.) “Night Train” spent its first 21 frames in the top 40 of the Billboard 200, one week at No. 1 on Top Country Albums, and has sold 1.7 million in its (just over) two years of release.
To date, Jason Aldean has sold over nine million albums and has taken 13 trips to No. one on the Country Radio charts. Each of Aldean’s albums has been certified PLATINUM with his last album NIGHT TRAIN earning PLATINUM certification only four weeks from its release. He is currently headlining his monumental 2014 BURN IT DOWN TOUR, which saw him play five stadium dates in addition to sold-out shows in the country’s biggest amphitheaters and arenas. For more information including a full list of tour dates

OLD BOOTS, NEW DIRT has also broken the record for both first-day and first-week streams by a Country album on Spotify ever. Critics across the country have joined in to praise Aldean’s newest endeavor as “consistent, compelling” (New York Times) and one that “hooks you from the first listen” (Newsday).
“The album is his most ambitious to date” - Associated Press
“…Musically adventurous… Old Boots, New Dirt shows just how far he has come as a vocalist” - Billboard
“There isn’t a track on this disc that couldn’t be a hit on country radio. That’s the sound of a modern megastar who knows what his audience wants” - Milwaukee Journal Sentinal
“Aldean delivers another winner” -Chicago Sun Times
“…Country fans should be ALL OVER the strong 15-song mix” - St. Louis Post Dispatch

Critical reception for Jason Aldean’s “Old Boots, New Dirt“:

Allmusic (Rating: 3.5 STARS) ....Aldean's boots are getting a bit worn; he's no longer an upstart, he's a veteran who could almost be seen as an institution thanks to his long commercial track record. Stars have less reason to take risks -- why upset the apple cart if it's still generating revenue -- but there's some freshness on Old Boots, New Dirt, which means the
second half of the title isn't just talk. Aldean and producer Michael Knox, who has been with him since the beginning, accentuate the singer's arena country with some decidedly modern electronics: splurting synths propel "Sweet Little Somethin'," while the slinky "Burnin' It Down" simmers to a skittering rhythmic loop. Usually, such electronic digressions indicate a bolder, even stylish, change in direction but that's hardly the case here....Old Boots, New Dirt is all ballads, slow burners, and midtempo anthems existing in a land that's a far cry from either "Hicktown" or "Crazy Town." Truth is, beneath that exaggerated swagger -- a macho strut he was always eager to emphasize -- Aldean's strength has been slower songs...Aldean retains a slight nasal edge in his voice and the electronics complement this characteristic well. This delicate balance is the greatest indication that both singer and producer are now old pros, knowing how to slyly underscore his star appeal, knowing that Aldean doesn't need to chase the sunny good times of bro-country. This casual, almost steely, assurance is appealing and even if the record goes on far too long at 15 tracks (18 in editions exclusive), this focus coalesces Old Boots, New Dirt, turning it into one of his best records.

Billboard 615 (Track-by-Track Review) by Chuck Dauphin (Rating: 3.5 STARS) .... is a mixture of the party songs he has become known for -- but also shows a little bit more of an emotional and sensual side than listeners might be accustomed to. As much havoc as he will cause in concert with the uptempo-flavored tracks, on this disc the ballads take center stage..."Just Gettin'
Started" should kick off his 2015 concert dates with an exclamation point, and it's quite the sensual track -- one of many that explore that realm on the album...."Burnin' It Down" - The most musically adventurous track that Aldean has ever recorded, quickly became a favorite of his female fan following...."Tryin’ To Love Me" – After the unbridled heat and passion of the first three tracks, Aldean goes a more emotional route on this very melodious track, where he expresses remorse and regret for not allowing someone in. It's quite possibly his best vocal performance to date...."Tonight Looks Good On You" – One of the more restrained productions on the record, the song is sensual yet also dramatic..."Too Fast" - He has truly mastered the art of the power ballad, as he does on this track.."If My Truck Could Talk" is somewhat of a modern-day version of The Statler Brothers..."Don't Change Gone" – One of the strongest lyrics on the album, the singer waxes a melancholy note about how changing your surroundings and your life doesn't mean the pain over a broken relationship also vanishes....>> "Two Night Town"– The set closes with the most "country" song on the album -- which finds Aldean in very much a Merle Haggard-esque mood with his frustration showing. 

Pop Matters (Rating: 2 out of 10 Stars) by Anthony Easton Old Boots, Same Shit   .......The women in these works are talked about as girl or baby. I am never sure that they are ever named. There is a song about his truck that has more attention to detail, and care about its personality than any of the songs that he sings about women.  There is some attempt to use the first person, so it doesn’t have the isolation of a third person narrative, but most of those first person narratives are about things that the woman can do for Aldean. There is very little
work for her to do. (She apparently enjoys watching him do his thing, which is sing or have him watch her dance, while he “works on his laid back”.)  There is only one song that could possibly be about his new life (“Too Fast”) but it is again about what he wants, what he desires, what is good for Aldean, and not what is good for the woman in question. It also reverts to cliches: ”making a living, not making a life”, “cuts like a knife”.....The desperation of the drinking and the narcissistic banality of the lyrics are matched by songs that have long guitar solos, or places where the bands play loudly against Aldean’s voice—which is often flat, and rarely works enough energy to move past a laconic speech song. It’s almost like he knows the material is crap, and that his previously quite warm voice has become cold due to inertia. Most of the songs start the same, with half a minute of silvery guitar noise, and then this inert voice starts, and the listener becomes as bored as Aldean does. That he often makes us listen to a guitar solo in the middle of the tracks, meaning that he is almost convinced that we care about his metal infused sound, but without the technical skill that ‘80s hair metal requires, suggests a profound arrogance...... I am convinced that the misogyny of this album is toxic.

Saving Country Music (Rating: 2 Guns Down) ....Yeah I know I’ve been rough on ol’ Jason Aldean over the years. But I’m sorry, I think his latest release Old Boots, New Dirt is the best damn R&B/sexytime album I’ve heard all year..... Old Boots, New Dirt is a doubling down of Aldean’s errant behavior. The album is the singer breaking free of the repressive sexual bonds of marriage and country music’s rigid moral regime to reclaim his wild 16-year-old post-adolescent oats at the age of 37. On Old Boots, New
Dirt, Jason Aldean proclaims the world his oyster, and presents such a flaunting of the human id, even Charlie Sheen would cock an eyebrow and give it a nodding approval.....Now what do we get from Jason Aldean? A simple enumeration of his sexual conquests one after another, with very little respite. “I knew the minute that I picked you up, it was gonna be a wild ride,” the very first song “Just Gettin’ Started” starts off. “You kissed me like you couldn’t get enough. Barely made it out of your drive.”
The second song “Show You Off” unfolds just about as you would expect it to. “I just want to show you off. Drive them all crazy, watch all the boys hate me. This ain’t so wrong, come on.” This is what passes for Aldean being “sweet.” This leads into the lead single from the album, the already much maligned and ultra-sexualized “Burnin’ It Down,” …and on and on from there.

For The Country Record......It’s difficult to separate someone’s personal life from their music. The content on ‘Old Boots, New Dirt’ can be split fairly evenly into two categories; songs for his new wife, full of lust, parties, sex, drinking, and contributions from the EDM and R&B side of things, and songs for his old wife, full of regret, honesty, heartbreak and loneliness, his
sound more representative of what we know of him already.... Of the former category, I have little positive to say. Tracks like ‘Tonight Looks Good On You’, ‘Laid Back’, ‘Burnin’ It Down’, ‘Just Getting’ Started’, ‘Show You Off’, ‘Sweet Little Somethin’’, and ‘Gonna Know We Were Here’ encase varying degrees of overblown, swaggery, self-indulgent mush, as much littered with the sonic trash that’s proving increasingly popular on country radio as it is Guns ‘n’ Roses-style excessive hard rock with some twang evident in there somewhere (hardly). It’s a bro-country mess with as much sexual objectification of women as you can shake a stick at, equal airtime given to driving, drinking, clichéd rural settings, partying and the actual explicit act of procreation......So does it work? I’m not sure. For the most part it feels as if there are too many sex songs, and those songs are too explicit and creepy....... Too bad most of the first half of the album is utter garbage, huh.

The Soundtrack to the latest Nicholas Sparks Film, THE BEST OF ME made a debut at No.54 on the BB200 (#12 Country) selling 6,200 copies sold (Various Artists 14 Tracks/ Time: 50:58 CD - Amazon.com - US iTunes )
It features a host of country artists: Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Colbie Caillat, Thomas Rhett, Thompson Square, Kip Moore,
Kacey Musgraves, Eric Paslay, David Nail, Eli Young Band and Alt outfit Cowboy Junkies.

Lady Antebellum, Thomas Rhett, Sunny Sweeney and other stars were among the crowd of “first nighters” attending the Nashville premiere on Thursday night (Oct. 9), at the Country Music

Hall of Fame and Museum. The movie is based on the popular novel by Nicholas Sparks. Before the screening, several stars with ties to the movie walked the red carpet and chatted with members of the media. Lady Antebellum wrote and recorded two songs for the film’s soundtrack, “I Did With You” and “Falling for You.” Lady A’s Hillary Scott explained, “One song, ‘I Did With You,’ is at the end of the movie during the credits, when everybody in the audience is wiping their eyes and their mascara’s running. The other song we wrote, ‘Falling for You,’ plays during the part of the film where the guy and the girl reconnect after 21 years.” Writing a soundtrack tune was a first for the award-winning trio. “This was a new challenge for us,” said the group’s Charles Kelley. Lady A’s Dave Haywood added, “We had a synopsis of the movie and we were able to find some cool images to pull from. It was a really unique writing experience for us.” Thomas Rhett also appears on the soundtrack, performing a tune he co-wrote titled “The Way Things Go.” Other notables on the soundtrack include pop star Colbie Caillat and sibling quartet SHEL......Read more Watch >> Trailer
See Press Release for Screening photos

Doug Seegers a 62 year old newbie artist made his debut at No.25 Country selling 1,900 copies of GOING DOWN TO THE RIVER (Rounder).

Seegers is a homeless street musician born in New York who lives in Nashville. Swedish music star Jill Johnson and Magnus Carlson discovered him (after a tip from a hot dog salesman) in a Nashville food pantry. The two subsequently recorded a duet that climbed to the top of the music charts in Sweden. They were very taken by his lyrics and flair for singing. So they decided to record the song GOING DOWN TO THE RIVER written by Doug Seegers in the Cash Cabin Studio.


Doug Seegers goes from street singer to global superstar ....Maybe you've passed him on a downtown sidewalk.  Maybe thrown a couple bucks his way. Doug Seegers, 62,  is a street singer. He's been in town for 17 years. He's been homeless and addicted. He's been singing on Second Avenue, outside The Old Spaghetti Factory, and on Charlotte Avenue, outside the Goodwill store.... Read More at The Tennessean

Critical reception for Doug Seegers - Going Down To The River“:
12 Tracks/ Time: 41:33 CD - MP3  - US iTunes - Amazon.com 

Allmusic (Rating: 4 STARS) ....Going Down to the River is country singer and songwriter Doug Seegers' debut album. The weathered face quietly smiling off into the distance is no mere pose. His story is as dramatic as it is heartbreaking, almost nearly unbelievable in the 21st century. (His bio tells it in depth.) Seegers was a homeless, addicted street singer in Nashville for nearly two decades before he got his first break thanks to Stacy Downey of the charity the Little Pantry That Could and Swedish country star Jill Johnson, who was in Music City filming a documentary on down-and-out musicians. Cut in three days at Cowboy Jack Clement's Sound Emporium, the album was produced by Will Kimbrough, who also played guitar and led an all-star cast including Barbara Lamb, Al Perkins, and Phil Madeira. Others include Buddy Miller, an old friend during the 1970s (who plays guitar on a cover of Hank Williams' "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight"), and Emmylou Harris (who reprises her role on Gram Parsons' "She"). All of Seegers' vocals are live scratch takes. As brilliant as the two covers are, they are merely icing on the cake. The ten originals are mostly spectacular, in no small part due to Seegers' deeply expressive voice; its simplicity and raw country soul are delivered in a reedy, utterly musical low tenor.....Going Down to the River displays Seegers as not just the real deal, but an artist who has earned every minute of this record with years of his life. He doesn't just write and sing traditional country music, he embodies the thing itself.

Pop Matters (Rating 8/10) .....Seegers’ choice of the simple, brilliant pun amplifies both his narrator’s state of mind and his means of coping. That’s smart songwriting, and, start to finish, this is one of the best country releases you will hear this year.

Outside the Top 25 Country Albums
Old Dominion with their own self-titled EP landed at No.33. They are composed of Matthew Ramsey, Brad Tursi, Trevor Rosen, Geoff Sprung and Whit Sellers. Ramsey, the group’s lead singer, is responsible for songs recorded by Luke Bryan, the Band Perry, Craig Morgan and Dierks Bentley, among others. Rosen has written for folks including Keith Urban, Jake Owen, Chris Young and Kenny Chesney. Together, the group have been writing and trying to establish their own sound for about 10 years.

Of Note:
Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn with their self titled album (Rounder/ Concord) made a debut at No.8 on the Billboard Folk Albums chart    

Coming Attractions: Look for Florida Georgia Line's Anything Goes to debut at #1 next week with first week sales in the 180K range.

2014 Country Album sales Year-To Date:
23,808,000 (Physical sales 15,485,000 (down 9%) + Digital sales 7,823,000 (down -12.4%)) which is 18.3% down at the same point in 2013 (29,131,000 sales)

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Placings
(Issue dated Chart week of October 25, 2014)
(Country Album positions #1 - #25)
(TW) This Week, (LW) Last Week, Co (Country Album Chart placing / Movement)






























Billboard Catalog Albums Chart (week of October 25, 2014)


[Catalog Chart Legend: This Week, Last Week, 2 Weeks Ago, Title, Artist (Weeks on Catalog)]

35 8 10 Loaded: The Best Of Blake Shelton, Blake Shelton (100)

Milestones: Blake Shelton's "Loaded: The Best Of Blake Shelton" reached the 100-week mark on the Catalog chart, becoming the 142nd album to do so and the first for the country music superstar. "Loaded" dropped sharply 110-181 on the Billboard 200 but remained on the chart for week #100.



Top 25 Hot Country Songs (week of October 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:

  • Jason Aldean held for a 12th week on Hot Country Songs with “Burnin’ It Down” (Broken Bow) and posted Streaming Gainer honours. It tops Country Streaming Songs for a 10th week with 2.7 million U.S. streams (up 7%), according to Nielsen BDS, with 42% of those plays from Spotify. According to Spotify, Aldean’s album drew the biggest first-week action (3 million) on the service in the United States for a country album.
  • With Florida Georgia Line second full-length, ANYTHING GOES (Republic Nashville/BMLG), poised to debut on next week’s charts (dated Nov. 1), the duo netted a career-high debut on Hot Country Songs and logged its third No.1 bow on Country Digital Songs. The twosome (Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard) snared the Hot Shot Debut at No.10  with “Sippin’ on Fire,” besting the pair’s previous top bow: No.15 with “Bumpin’ the Night” (also from the new album)(Oct. 18). “Fire” starts atop Country Digital Songs (79,000).
  • Glen Campbell the Country Music Hall of Fame honoree made his first Hot Country Songs appearance in nearly 22 years with “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” (Big Machine) at No.50. As Campbell faces the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the track is his final recording and first chart entry since “Somebody Like That” (No. 66 peak) in 1993. He last charted higher with 1991’s No. 27-peaking “Unconditional Love.” “Miss” is from a soundtrack EP for the documentary Glen Campbell … I’ll Be Me, which includes The Band Perry’s cover of Campbell’s 1967 hit “Gentle on My Mind” (No.47 on Country Airplay). “Miss” starts with 81% of its Hot Country Songs points from streaming (all from 498,000 Vevo on YouTube clicks for its moving promotion clip).
  • Carrie Underwood with “Something In The Water” (19/Arista Nashville) fell 2-5 in her 3rd week but heads Hot Christian Songs for a second successive frame.
Top 25 Hot Country Songs:

Jason Aldean with “Burnin’ It Down” stays Top the chart!
Florida Georgia Line with former #1“Dirt” climbs one, #3 - #2 p
Sam Hunt with “Leave The Night On” is up two, #5 - #3 p
Blake Shelton with “Neon Light” stays at #4
Carrie Underwood with “Something In The Water” falls #2 - #5 q
Luke Bryan with “Roller Coaster” holds at #6
Chase Rice with “Ready Set Roll” climbs one, #8 - #7 p
Kenny Chesney with “American Kids” falls one, #7 - #8 q
Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood’s former #1 “Somethin’ Bad” stays at #9
Florida Georgia Line with “Sippin’ On Fire” debuts at #10 NEW
Maddie & Tae with “Girl In A Country Song” is up one, #12 - #11 p
Frankie Ballard with “Sunshine & Whiskey” lifts one, #13 - #12 p
Keith Urban with “Somewhere In My Car” climbs one, #14 - #13 p
Brantley Gilbert with “Small Town Throwdown” is up three, #17 - #14 p
Little Big Town with “Day Drinking” climbs three, #18 - #15 p
Lady Antebellum with “Bartender” sinks five, #11 - #16 q
Dierks Bentley with “Drunk On A Plane” flies two, #19 - #17 p
Big & Rich with “Look At You” lifts two, #20 - #18 p
Tim McGraw with “Shotgun Rider” shoots up three, #22 - #19 p
Brad Paisley with “Perfect Storm” climbs five, #25 - #20 p
Parmalee with “Close Your Eyes” holds tight at #21
Scotty McCreery with “Feelin’ it” is up one, #23 - #22 p
Lee Brice with “Drinking Class” moves up three, #26 - #23 p
Rascal Flatts with “Payback” jumps up six, #30 - #24 p
David Nail with “Kiss You Tonight” jumps up eight, #33 - #25 p

Hot County Songs
** No.1 (12 weeks) ** “Burnin’ It Down” Jason Aldean
** Airplay Gainer ** No.5 “Something In The Water” Carrie Underwood
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.10 “Sippin’ On Fire” Florida Georgia Line
** Streaming Gainer ** No.4 “Neon Light” Blake Shelton
** Digital Gainer ** No.27 “Talladega” Eric Church
Debut No.50 “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” Glen Campbell


 Billboard Country Airplay Chart Week of October 25, 2014

Florida Georgia Line claimed its fifth No.1, and first since January, on Billboard’s Country Airplay tally as “Dirt” (Republic Nashville) stepped 2-1 in its 14th chart week. The song logged 50.515 million audience impressions (+2.421 million) and received 8,008 radio plays (+590) during the Oct. 6-12 Nielsen BDS tracking week.

The song written by Rodney Clawson and Chris Tompkins was first released on July 8, 2014 by Republic Nashville as the first single from their second studio album ANYTHING GOES, which was released on Oct 14, 2014.
The duo last reached the summit with “Stay,” which became its fourth consecutive leader on the Jan. 4 list and the twosome’s longest-leading No. 1 (four weeks). The pair followed with “This Is How We Roll” (featuring Luke Bryan), which peaked at No. 2 on the May 24 chart.


Top local audience exposure for “Dirt” during the tracking week: WUSN Chicago (1.6 million impressions), WNSH New York (1.3 million), KKBQ Houston (1.2 million), WKLB Boston (1.2 million) and WUBL Atlanta (1 million).
The song had sold 979,000 downloads through the Nielsen SoundScan sales week ending Oct. 5. It debuted atop Billboard’s Country Digital Songs list dated July 26. Meanwhile, “Sun Daze,” a second track from the new album, snagged the Hot Shot Debut honours at No.53 on Country Airplay (1.2 million impressions at 11 of the 146 stations monitored for the chart).
The new No.1 adds the duo to the list of acts with multiple Country Airplay chart-toppers this year. While Bryan is the only artist with three, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton and Dierks Bentley have also notched two each since January.












  • Blake Shelton with “Neon Light” (Warner Bros./ WMN) moved 7-5 taking home the weeks Most Increased Audience trophy. The song  logged 39.378 million audience impressions, a gain of +3.601 million and received  6,193 radio plays (+590).
  • Frankie Ballard celebrated his second top 10 on Country Airplay, as “Sunshine & Whiskey” (Warner Bros./WAR) collects 33.1 million impressions and rises 11-10 in its 28th chart week. That’s one week quicker than the stretch he needed to achieve his first top 10 with previous single “Helluva Life” on the Feb. 15 chart. Six weeks later, “Life” became Ballard’s first Country Airplay No.1. “Sunshine” has sold 429,000 downloads through the week ending Oct. 5; it peaked at No. 11 on the Aug. 16 Country Digital Songs chart.
  • Kenny Chesney earned Most Added stripes with “Til It’s Gone” (Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville), which collected at least seven first-time plays (Monday-Sunday) at 46 reporters. The second radio single from Chesney’s The Big Revival garnered 10.764 million audience impressions (+3.377 million; up 46%) and received 1,637 radio plays (+568) thanks to 46 fresh radio commitments (ADDS). Lead track “American Kids” became his 23rd No. 1 on the Sept. 20 chart
Women of Country 2014 Watch:

There was one solo female artist on the Top 30 Country Airplay songs with Carrie Underwood’s “Something In The Water” down one place 17-18. Her duet with Miranda Lamberts’ “Somethin’ Bad” rose 8-7. “Girl In A Country Song” by duo Maddie & Tae climbed one 13-12.
RaeLynn #33, Jana Kramer #38, Trisha Yearwood #43, Lindsay Ell #51, Lucy Hale #57 and Kelsea Ballerini #60 were the additional six solo females in the remaining 31-60 slots, to make it 11.6% of the entire Top 60 chart.

Country Airplay
*** No. 1 (1 week) *** "Dirt" Florida Georgia Line
** Most Increased Audience ** No.5 “Neon Light” Blake Shelton
** Most Added ** No.25 “Til It’s Gone” Kenny Chesney
** Hot Shot Debut **  No. 53 "Sun Daze" Florida Georgia Line
Debut No. 58 "Hangin' Around" Josh Abbott Band
Debut No. 59 "Ain't Worth The Whiskey" Cole Swindell


Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart Week of October 25, 2014

  • Florida Georgia Line made a debut at No.1 with “Sippin’ On Fire,” (sales 79,000 downloads) their final pre-release track from ANYTHING GOES. Their lead off single “Dirt” moved 5-3 and has now gone PLATINUM at retail selling another 45,000 copies in their 14th week to pass the 1-million mark and reach 1,038,000 copies sold.
  • On the overall all genre Digital Songs chart “Sippin’” arrived at No.7. Taylor Swift’s "Shake It Off" regained the #1 spot on Hot Digital Songs (its fourth week on top) selling 171K copies  which is the lowest tally for a song at #1 since Rihanna's “Diamonds” sold the same tally in its only week at #1 on the digital chart in November 2012.
  • Jason Aldean’s sales were discounted from the Bilboard Country Digital Top 50 with the release of his new album as his 6 tracks which sprinkled the top 30 last week disappeared.
  • Carrie Underwood slid 1-2 in her second week with “Somethin’ In The Water.” With sales down 58%
  • Maddie & Tae’sGirl In A Country Song” climbed 11-7 (22,000 sales; 13-week total 282K)
Women Of Country Watch
Carrie Underwood was the lone solo female artists on the Top 30 placings with “Something In The Water” at No.2.
On the Top 50 the only other solo female was RaeLynn with “God Made Girls” which rose 38-33

Dropping off the Top 30:
2 - Off the chart Jason Aldean “Just Getting’ Started” 
4 - Off the chart Jason Aldean “Burnin’ It Down” 
9 - Off the chart Jason Aldean “Tonight Looks Good On You” 
15 - Off the chart Jason Aldean “Sweet Little Somethin’” 
18 - Off the chart Jason Aldean “Gonna  Know We Were Here” 
20 - Off the chart Jason Aldean “Two Night Town” 


Top 30 Digital Singles in Country Music (published October 16, 2014)
 (LW) Last Week (TW) This Week
*Numbers are rounded to nearest 1000th


































Country Aircheck MEDIABASE Chart

Florida Georgia Line moved 2-1 to land the No1 on Mediabase with “Dirt” (Republic Nashville). The song logged 8,000 radio spins (+394) and 58.345 million audience impressions (+1.989 million) from 149 tracking stations for the tracking week October 5 to October 11, 2014 and published chart October 13th.
Congratulations to Big Machine Label Group (BMLG) EVP Jimmy Harnen, Republic Nashville VP/Promotion Matthew Hargis, and the entire Republic Nashville promotion team for scoring this week’s #1 single on the MEDIABASE Country singles charts with Florida Georgia Line’s "Dirt." The single is FGL's fifth career #1 MEDIABASE song and the first release from their upcoming ANYTHING GOES album, which hit streets (Oct 14)


Congratulations to UMG Nashville SVP/Promotion Royce Risser, EMI Nashville VP/Promotion Jimmy Rector, and the entire EMI Nashville promo team for earning 48 MEDIABASE Country adds on Eric Paslay's "She Don't Love You." Those adds give Eric the "Most Added" title for this week.
Donuts were due to be delivered to the EMI Nashville office (Oct 14) to congratulate the staff on their success. 
For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly Issue 418 - October 13, 2014 [PDF File]
For the very latest up to the minute Mediabase Chart (Past 7 Days) go here - www.mediabase.com

Billboard Boxscores (Selective Country concerts, published Chart Week of Oct 25, 2014)