Weekly Chart Report 7/09/10

/by

RADIO NEWS
West Texas Broadcasting’s KKCN/San Angelo, TX has named DK Pierce for music and programming duties, following the departures of Alex Hart and Tracy Scott. Pierce comes to the station from KOMG/Springfield, MO and he also spent time with KTST in Oklahoma City. Call times are Tuesdays from 10-12 central and you can reach him at [email protected].

Top: James Otto (center) visits with Kay Manley (L) and Dave Kelly (R) of WGKX before his show in Memphis for "KIX on Beale." Bottom: (L-R): KSCS/Dallas PD Chris Huff and Frankie Ballard.

SPIN ZONE
Keith Urban’s “I’m In” arrived at No. 1 last week after only eight weeks on the CountryBreakout chart, and maintains its hold on the top spot for a second consecutive week with a gain of 101 spins. Most of the Top 10 records, in fact, are younger than 20 weeks. While it’s not uncommon for a song to move quickly up the chart, it is pretty rare to see one reach No. 1 in 10 weeks or less. Not surprisingly, this isn’t Urban’s first time to achieve this feat: “Kiss A Girl,” “Tonight I Wanna Cry,” and “Days Go By” were all 10 week-or-less trips to No. 1.

Another superstar who has managed quick runs to No. 1 is Toby Keith, who has two No. 1 singles (“She Never Cried In Front Of Me,” “As Good As I Once Was”) under the 10 week mark, and at least six more that made it in 11 or 12. His latest, “Trailerhood” might be another, considering its rise to No. 25 in five weeks. Others with multiple fast-rising No. 1s include Lady Antebellum (current single “Our Kind Of Love” is No. 8 after seven weeks), Rascal Flatts, Garth Brooks and George Strait.

Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” and Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel” are tied for the fastest rising female single in chart history at nine weeks, followed by Faith Hill’s “Mississippi Girl” and Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman” at 10 weeks. Hill’s husband Tim McGraw is the current chart record-holder, as his world-conquering “Live Like You Were Dying” rocketed to No. 1 in seven short weeks.

Biggest debut of the week goes to George Strait’s “The Breath You Take” which lands at No. 52. Others making first appearances include Darren Kozelsky’s “Somebody Find Me A Preacher” (No. 66), Joe Nichols’ “The Shape I’m In” (No. 69), Randy Rogers Band’s “Too Late For Goodbye” (No. 71), and Chelsea Field’s “Things I Should’ve Said” (No. 74).

Along with our new chart download format this week, we have expanded the chart to include 80 titles. As a result, Charlie Allen, James Wesley, Sean Hogan, The Springs, and Nathan Lee Jackson all get first week recognition.

Frozen Playlists: KBOE, KJAM, KYKX, WDHR, WHWK

Upcoming Singles: Going For Adds
July 12
Stealing Angels/He Better Be Dead/Skyville/Nine North
Thompson Square/Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not/Stoney Creek
George Strait/The Breath You Take/MCA
Jessie James/Boys In The Summer/Mercury
Train/Hey, Soul Sister/Columbia/BNA

July 19
Chris Young/Voices/RCA
Joe Nichols/The Shape I’m In/Show Dog – Universal
David Adam Byrnes/Sweet Distraction/Better Angels

•  •  •  •  •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
George Strait/The Breath You Take/MCA — 52
Darren Kozelsky/Somebody Find Me a Preacher/Major 7th/Spinville — 66
Joe Nichols/The Shape I’m In/Show Dog – Universal — 69
Randy Rogers Band/Too Late For Goodbye/MCA — 71
Chelsea Field/Things I Should Have Said/Moxy Records — 74
Charlie Allen/Grandpa’s Recipe/River Run — 76
James Wesley/Real/Broken Bow — 77
Sean Hogan/Suck It Up/Lakeland Heart — 78
The Springs/Summer All Year Long/CFC — 79
Nathan Lee Jackson/Inside — 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Darius Rucker/Come Back Song/Capitol — 342
George Strait/The Breath You Take/MCA — 300
Toby Keith/Trailerhood/Show Dog – Universal — 268
Billy Currington/Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer/Mercury — 264
The Band Perry/If I Die Young/Republic Nashville — 257

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Reba/Turn On The Radio/Starstruck/Valory — 220
Braden Gray/I’m Not Hungover/ATP Records — 218
Sonny Marshall/Wanna Be Like Him/Eddie One Records — 199
Chuck Wicks/Hold That Thought/RCA — 182
Jimmy White and Jonell Mosser/Just What I Need/Tone Box Records — 182

Two Week Most Added*
Artist/song/label — New adds
George Strait/The Breath You Take/MCA — 23
Reba/Turn On The Radio/Valory — 18
Joe Nichols/The Shape I’m In/Show Dog – Universal — 16
Darius Rucker/Come Back Song/Capitol — 16
Total adds rec’d over two weeks

Putting Secondary Radio First

/by

Diane Richey-Haupt

“In general what I’ve been seeing with some of the secondary stations,” says Diane Richey-Haupt, Owner of Diane Richey Promotions, “is different layers in the market. Many of the stations we deal with in an Activator or Indicator situation are highly consulted which makes it tough. On the MusicRow panel we find the stations are not as affected by consolidation, although it is true they are being asked to do more now than they did a few years ago. Thankfully, the stations remain passionate about listening to new music. New artists are having success and MusicRow seems to be popping them out ahead of where they come in on the Billboard or MediaBase charts. People/stations there are listening and making room for new music.”

“Right now I’m noticing the speed of the MusicRow chart has picked up and that is a good thing,” says Rick Kelly, VP Radio Marketing Marco Promotions. “On this week’s chart the average age of a record in the Top 5 is 14-15 weeks, probably because they are all really big acts and/or reactive records. But everything on the chart seems reasonably young and there are very few 40-week records. We are also seeing an interesting and heartening mix of independent and baby acts. The major heritage acts and superstars are still well represented, but the chart shows diversity.”

Rick Kelly

Songs played on major market radio are largely monitored while the smaller market station reports are submitted directly by programmers. “They are two different animals in a lot of ways,” says Kelly. “With a non-monitored chart, particularly a projected spin chart like MR, things seem to pick up steam more quickly. By the same token, on monitored charts, records that still appear to be growing can lose bullets. A song can have adds and positive spins, but be down in audience. People tend to have a knee jerk reaction and stay away from a record if it is un-bulleted, even though it might be growing or at least maintaining. Sometimes that microscope on every impression is not indicative of the health of a record.”

Richey-Haupt has championed secondary radio since forming her firm 25 years ago, but notes that, “living in a non-monitored world,” can present situations from time to time. Recently she found a few stations that possibly weren’t reporting some of the superstar artists they were playing. “It’s almost with an attitude of, ‘if they don’t call me then they don’t care,” she says. “I can’t imagine having a great sounding station and not playing some of these superstar artists–whether they call them or not.”

“There may be some stations out there under reporting for some reason,” says Kelly. “I haven’t encountered any. Maybe they don’t pay attention to some records because those records are not being brought to their attention.”

But Richey-Haupt asserts the good far outweighs the problems. “There’s only a handful of negative out there compared with a whole boatload of wonderful. The secondaries are where you find hugely passionate people that often have listened to the record even before you ask them about it.”

Kelly sums the attraction of secondary radio. “For an indie or a small label to succeed at monitored radio now seems to be a Herculean and near impossible task,” he says. “The secondary arena has been getting more crowded with people trying to break there because they realize how monumentally expensive it is when trying to break at the majors. It’s definitely easier to make inroads at secondary radio than mainstream.”

Success Is In The Cards For Taylor Swift

/by

Big Machine’s Taylor Swift is everywhere these days, and now, through the latest selections written and inspired by Swift for American Greetings Corporation, fans have been finding her in the greeting cards aisle as well. American Greetings’ latest selection of whimsical cards features 14 all new designs and classic summer imagery enhanced by Swift’s real-life sentiments.

The images maintain the “traditional with a twist” look that fans love, and numbered butterfly icons help card enthusiasts collect all of the latest greetings. To date, there are 43 Taylor Swift greeting cards.

“We had so much fun with the summer collection,” says Maureen Meidenbauer, Taylor Swift brand manager at American Greetings. “All of the sparkle mixed with classic summer photography instantly put us in a good mood as we were working on the cards, and we knew that was a really good sign. It is also great for us to see Taylor get excited about the products, and see that there are cards she loves and wishes she could already send out. We know there are others out there who can relate to the feelings in all of these cards, and we can’t wait for them to get a chance to share it!”

As an artist and musician, Taylor Swift has been able to transcend generations. During a recent ticket giveaway for her sold-out Fearless 2010 tour, American Greetings witnessed fans of all ages vying for a chance to see the singer live. Consumers have been writing on American Greetings’ Facebook wall, sharing how they’re purchasing, sending and collecting the cards.

Currently, the latest Taylor Swift greeting card collection can be found at select American Greetings’ retail partners throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and online at americangreetings.com. By fall 2010 products will be sold in the Australia, New Zealand, and US military bases worldwide.

Sirius/XM Reports Subscriber Growth

/by

Sirius XM announced Wednesday (7/7) that their second-quarter subscriber additions have pushed their total subscriber base to over 19.5 million listeners. That represents a 1.1 million increase from last year, well above Wall Street predictions. The company subsequently raised its 2010 forecast for subscriber growth by nearly 50 percent, sending shares 6 percent higher. Sirius shares, which are up 67 percent this year, gained 6 cents to close at $1.

According to David Joyce, an analyst at Miller Tabak, much of that growth can be attributed to “continued strong auto sales.” Thanks in part to that automotive rebound,  Sirius said it added 583,249 subscribers after losing 185,999 a year earlier. The Sirius figure marks a net add-on of 754,690 during the first half, an impressive turnaround from a net loss of 590,421 during the same period in 2009. Close to two-thirds of all new cars sold in the US are equipped with satellite radio. In the most recent quarter, Sirius said nearly 47 percent of new car owners opted to continue paying for subscriptions following an initial trial period. That’s up slightly from 44 percent a year earlier.

“The further improvement in our guidance reflects the attractiveness of satellite radio but maintains a cautious outlook for continued improvement in the economy,” explained Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin.

Musician’s Union Elects New Officers

/by

Dave Pomeroy

Bassist Dave Pomeroy, President of the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257, was elected to the International Executive Board of the American Federation of Musicians at the organization’s 98th Convention in Las Vegas last week. Delegates representing the 90,000 members of the AFM voted for a major change in leadership, which has resulted in turnovers in the office of President and Vice President, as well as four out of five of the five-member International Executive Board (IEB).

The IEB serves a three-year term and is responsible for the governance of the federation of locals in the United States and Canada. Other new members of the board include Vince Trombetta, President of Local 47 in Los Angeles, Tino Gagliardi, President of Local 802 in New York City, and Tina Morrison, of Local 105 in Spokane, WA. The remaining incumbent IEB member who was re-elected is Joe Parente, Local 77, Philadelphia, PA.

Tom Lee, President of the Federation since 2001, was decisively defeated by Ray Hair, President of the AFM’s Dallas/Fort Worth Local, and longtime Vice President and former AFM Local 257 President Harold Bradley was unseated by Bruce Fife of Local 99, Portland, OR. Among the incumbents defeated in the field of 16 candidates were IEB members Billy Linneman (former Secretary/Treasurer of Local 257 in Nashville) and Bob McGrew, currently Secretary/Treasurer of Local 65-699, Houston TX.

Secretary/Treasurer Sam Folio and VP from Canada Bill Skolnik were the only other incumbents who retained their seats.

Upon his election, Pomeroy said, “I am honored and humbled to be an International Officer of the AFM, and I look forward to applying the lessons we have learned in Nashville as we work together to modernize and reinvent the AFM.”

The past five years had seen increasing conflict between AFM leadership under President Lee and AFM Player Conferences representing recording and symphonic musicians. The “Unity Slate’ of candidates – Hair, Fife, Trombetta, Gagliardi and Pomeroy – focused on a positive message of bringing the AFM back together, pledging a return to inclusive democracy, fiscal responsibility, and forward-looking initiatives. The delegates overwhelmingly voted to pass the torch of leadership to the next generation. The term of office will be three years, and the new officers will take office next month.

Lifenotes: Wilma “Trip” Turner; Don Wright; Logan Pereira; Betty Sue Crockett

/by

MusicRow sends deep condolences to members of the music community who have recently lost loved ones.

Longtime Nashville publicist/writer Judi Turner’s mother, Wilma “Trip” Turner passed away Wednesday (7/7). She was 84. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, July 10 at 11:00 am at First Baptist Church in Gainesville, Georgia. She is survived by daughter Judi, sons Ben, Dade City, Florida, and Johnny, Gainesville, and two grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum or the Ministry of Caring, First Baptist Church, Gainesville, for which Mrs. Turner was a long-time volunteer.
First Baptist Church is located at 751 Green Street NW, Gainesville, GA  30501; (770) 534-7354. www.fbcgainesville.org

••••••••••

Don Wright, father of Show Dog-Universal Records President Mark Wright, passed away Wednesday (7/7) in Bella Vista, AR. Services are Saturday at Bella Vista Community Church in Bella Vista AR. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Circle of Life Hospice, 901 Jones Rd, Springdale, AR 72762 Or Wings of Hope, 18370 Wings of Hope Blvd, St. Louis, MO. 63005

••••••••••

Logan Walter Pereira, son of Taillight TV VP/partner Chandra LaPlume-Pereira and her husband Jeff Pereira, passed away July 6, 2010 at Vanderbilt Hospital. Born August 8, 2008, he was nearing his second birthday. Logan’s grandmother Jeannine Pereira remains in ICU. WKRN reports that the infant and grandmother were found in a swimming pool, after she was carrying him in the water and possibly experienced a medical issue. Funeral services for Logan will be Friday, July 9 at Christ the King church on Belmont Blvd. Visitation is from 10:30 AM-12:30 PM, with service immediately following, also at Christ the King.

•••••••••••

Craig Morgan’s mother Betty Sue Crockett passed away peacefully at home on Sat. July 3. She was 63 and had been battling cancer. Born in Davidson County, “Mammy” was a loving wife, mother, cabinet maker and devoted Baptist. Visitation will be today, Tuesday, July 6 from 2-8PM at Taylor Funeral Home in Dickson, TN. Funeral services will be conducted Wed. July 7, at 9 AM, also at Taylor Funeral Home, followed by burial at the Tennessee Veterans Cemetery in Pegram. Memorial donations may be made to the Center for Pancreatic Cancer research or to Billy’s Place (a home to be built for displaced children) c/o Taylor Funeral Home, 214 N. Main St. Dickson, TN 37055.

••••••••••••

Recording Academy Amends “Best New Artist” Rules

/by

Blame it on Lady Gaga. In the wake of the flamboyant pop star’s exclusion from its Best New Artist category at this year’s 52nd annual Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy has changed its rules to allow for leeway for artists previously nominated in the category. The changes will be in place for the upcoming 53rd annual Grammy Awards, which are set for Feb. 13.

Although Lady Gaga was certainly one of last year’s most popular new artists, she was ineligible for the best new artist nomination because her hit, “Just Dance” had been nominated in 2008 in the best dance recording category, before her career exploded with her debut release, The Fame. The rules state that previous Grammy nominees can’t be nominated for best new artist.

“There will be some changes so that particular situation won’t repeat itself,” said Recording Academy President Neil Portnow after Gaga’s headline-generating exclusion from the category.

The rule changes for 2011 will allow acts in a similar situation to be considered for best new artist, provided the act or group did not win a Grammy.

“More and more, the first release of a new artist is as a featured artist on someone else’s album, or the new artist may release a single long before the release of his/her/their entire first album,” the Recording Academy explained in a statement. “By current rules, if the other artist’s album or the new artist’s single receives a nomination, the new artist may never have the opportunity to compete in the best new artist category.”

“Every year, we diligently examine our awards process to ensure that it remains relevant within the current musical landscape,” Portnow said. “These eligibility amendments recognize present trends in music, and our Board of Trustees continues to demonstrate its dedication to keeping the Recording Academy a pertinent and responsive organization in our dynamic music community.”

EMI Publishing Promotes Creative Staffers

/by

EMI Music Publishing Nashville has promoted three of its A&R team to new roles, it was announced today by Executive Vice President & General Manager Ben Vaughn.

“Big” Tom Luteran moves from Senior Director to Vice President of A&R, marking the latest step up in his fifteen year career on Music Row. In a parallel move, Josh Van Valkenburg is promoted from Manager to

"Big" Tom Luteran

Director of A&R. Both Luteran and Van Valkenburg will focus on discovering and nurturing new country songwriting talent, as well as managing EMI Music Publishing’s hit songwriter roster including Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, Jamey Johnson, Kelley Lovelace, Tom Shapiro, Jeremy Stover and Chris Young.

Hannah Williams has been promoted to the newly created position of Manager of Creative Resources. In addition to assisting the Nashville A&R team and songwriters, Williams will act as a liaison with EMI Music Publishing’s New York-based Music Resources sales and licensing team with a focus on finding new synchronization revenue and catalog opportunities for Nashville writers.

Josh Van Valkenburg

The moves follow the appointment of Vaughn to lead EMI Music Publishing’s Nashville operations in April this year.

“Big Tom, Josh, & Hannah are talented and driven people that care deeply about furthering the careers of EMI songwriters,” Vaughn says. “I’m proud to announce the next steps in their careers as music publishers, and I look forward to continuing to work with them as part of the EMI family.”

Luteran began his career on Music Row in 1995, before moving into music publishing in 1996 as Creative Director at Zomba. After a brief spell at Acuff-Rose, Luteran moved to EMI Music Publishing in August 2002. Both Valkenburg and Williams launched their careers in music publishing at EMI.

Hannah Williams

EMI Music Publishing is the world’s leading publisher of popular music, representing more than one million copyrights including some of the best known songs ever written. Recent hits from EMI Music Publishing Nashville include “Water,” “That’s How Country Boys Roll,” “In Color,” “Start A Band,” “Gettin’ You Home,” “God Love Her,” Gimmie That Girl,” & “Need You Now.”

Trailer Choir Makes Opry Debut

/by

Show Dog-Universal Music recording artists Trailer Choir made their Opry debut on June 29, performing  a couple of songs from their brand new, debut CD Tailgate (released July 6). Trailer Choir treated the Ryman Auditorium audience to their big hit, “Rockin’ The Beer Gut,” as well as brand new single “Shakin’ That Tailgate.”

(l-r): Trailer Choir's Crystal; Grand Ole Opry VP and GM Pete Fisher; Trailer Choir's Butter and Big Vinny and the band's drummer Weston Harvey.

Can Country’s 2nd Six Months Rescue Sales Slide?

/by

As the second quarter and first half year of 2010 ends, country’s sales total of 18.71 million albums is not overly impressive. Optimists can take solace however, in the knowledge that it is the second half and more precisely the fourth quarter where the year’s totals get etched into the history books. That year-end attack on consumer pocketbooks is precipitated by the holiday gift giving season, which traditionally adds great upward momentum to album sales charts and therefore is the period which also attracts many superstar—high volume—releases.

Year-to-date, that is sales from Jan.—June 2010—Lady Antebellum’s sophomore Need You Now has burned up the charts, leading country’s YTD sales and scanning 2.36 million units according to Nielsen SoundScan. Filling out the Top five highest YTD selling country albums with six month sales numbers are Zac Brown Band (616k), Taylor Swift (587k), Carrie Underwood (451k) and Miranda Lambert (352k). Lady A was the only 2010 debut on the list. But as discussed above, there is a growing list of new releases either officially announced or expected. Trace Adkins (8/17), Jamey Johnson (9/14), Kenny Chesney (9/28) and Sugarland (10/19) are among some of those announced. But insiders are also expecting to see product from artists such as Zac Brown Band, Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift.

Digitally Speaking
Digital sales have accounted YTD for 15.3% of total country album sales. At this time last year, that percentage was 11.4%. All genre consumers purchased about 27% of albums in the digital format, showing that country buyers are still behind the digital curve, but the format’s digital growth shows country catching up. One can assume that purchasing albums in digital format is a trend that will continue growing across the board as shelf space at brick and mortar stores continues to shrink.

Country finally got its own Top 100 digital tracks chart this year, a list of each week’s Top selling downloaded tracks. Some quick math shows this chart scanning about one million tracks per week or perhaps adding an annual “ten-tracks-per-album” equivalent of roughly 7-10 million additional albums to country coffers. While track sales are not sufficient to offset the drop in album sales, they can be a nice bonus for the lucky artists at the top of the chart. For example, this week Carrie Underwood’s “Undo It” sold 48k units and Jaron and the Long Road To Love’s “Pray For You” saw almost 48k transactions. Labels receive about 70¢ from each sale which then gets divided up with publisher, writer, artist and producer royalties, plus other expenses such as overhead.

With the year end still a tumultuous six months away, it would be dangerous to make many predictions. However, if all the above new releases materialize, and perhaps even a few more appear, it’s possible that country could sell the additional 28-30 million albums necessary to end 2010 flat. But even if unit sales do match last year, it seems highly likely that revenue will not. Regardless, after three consecutive down years, this writer’s guess is that most Nashville album marketers would call flat the new up and consider 2010 a success.