Weekly Chart Report (10/22/10)

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Mercury's Easton Corbin (R) at the KSSN/Little Rock studios with morning man Bob Robbins (L).

SPIN ZONE
His latest album Charleston SC 1966 was released last week, and Darius Rucker’s “Come Back Song” is still the CountryBreakout Chart’s No. 1 song for a fifth consecutive week. Taylor Swift’s new album Speak Now streets next Tuesday (10/25), and its first single “Mine” is perched at No. 2. Sugarland’s “Stuck Like Glue” slips slightly to No. 3, followed by The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” and Rascal Flatts’ “Why Wait.”

It’s still a very tight chart, with Justin Moore’s “How I Got To Be This Way” the only new song in the Top 10 and Tim McGraw’s “Felt Good On My Lips” the only new entry to the Top 20. But that should be changing soon, as a group of superstar singles is rapidly climbing through the 20s. Toby Keith’s “Bullets In The Gun” moves 26-22 after a gain of 271 spins, followed by Lady Antebellum’s “Hello World” at No. 25, and Blake Shelton’s “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking” at No. 26.

As older singles begin to drop out of sight, space should start to open up for the latest releases. Look for chart appearances soon from Ashley Gearing’s “What Do You Think About Us,” Gwyneth Paltrow’s “Country Strong,” The Dirt Drifters’ “Something Better,” and Josh Turner’s “I Wouldn’t Be A Man.”

Frozen Playlists: KYEZ, WBRF, WCMS, WHWK, WOGT, WPPL

Upcoming Singles
October 25
Todd O’Neill/Cry No Mississippi/Aria
Lee Brice/Beautiful Every Time/Curb
Matt Gary/I’m Just Sayin’/17/Quarterback
Josh Turner/I Wouldn’t Be A Man/MCA

November 1
Randy Rogers Band/Steal You Away/MCA

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Josh Abbott recently visited KPLX/Dallas. The Josh Abbott Band is currently on their "Set The World On Fire" tour and promoting their new single "Oh Tonight." (L-R): KPLX’s Paul Koffy and Abbott.

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Kenny Chesney/Somewhere With You/BNA — 64
Lucy Angel/Only Woman Left/GForce — 77
Scott Lindsey/Get To Her In A Hurry/Gray Trailer — 78
Margaret Durante/Mississippi’s Cryin’/Emrose/Nine North — 79
Ken Domash/Ding Dang Darn It/Thunder Mountain/Spinville — 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Kenny Chesney/Somewhere With You/BNA — 402
Toby Keith/Bullets In The Gun/Show Dog – Universal — 271
Billy Currington/Let Me Down Easy/Mercury — 256
Tim McGraw/Felt Good On My Lips/Curb — 241
Little Big Town/Kiss Goodbye/Capitol — 241

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Chris Filer/John Deere, John 3:16/Lofton Creek — 180
Braden Gray/A Little Less Lonely/ATP Records — 156
Ashley Gearing/What Do You Think About Us/Curb — 149
Gwyneth Paltrow/Country Strong/RCA — 148
The Dirt Drifters/Something Better/WMN — 148

Two Week Most Added*
Artist/song/label — New adds
Kenny Chesney/Somewhere With You/BNA — 32
Little Big Town/Kiss Goodbye/Capitol — 18
Billy Currington/Let Me Down Easy/Mercury — 13
The Dirt Drifters/Something Better/WMN — 12
Braden Gray/A Little Less Lonely/ATP — 11
Jerrod Niemann/What Do You Want/Sea Gayle/Arista — 10
Josh Turner/I Wouldn’t Be A Man/MCA — 10

Gwen Sebastian and Margaret Durante On the Road

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Gwen Sebastian has been “road tripping” introducing media gatekepers to her music. A week ago she sang at Nevada Wild Fest in Las Vegas joining artists such as Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers and Lonestar. Wayne Newton served as host. Sebastian also performed on KTNV-TV’s morning show, The Morning Blend. The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently said, “her EP shows a sweet voice and penchant for self-consciously clever turns of phrases.”

(L-R) Idaho Falls, Idaho KTHK's PD/MD Dale Desmond, Gwen Sebastian and Dale's wife, Melinda Desmond.

(L-R) WQYK's Jay Roberts enjoys a ride with Margaret Durante.

Emrose/Stroudvarious/Nine North recording artist Margaret Durante takes the wheel with WQYK’s Jay Roberts (to her left) as she continues her radio tour in support of her new single “Mississippi’s Crying”.

Montgomery Gentry Builds Playground

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2010 Home Depot Humanitarian Award winners Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry helped build a playground at the Booker T. Washington Academy in Lexington, KY. They teamed up with over 250 volunteers from Home Depot, The Academy of Country Music, KaBOOM! and community supporters to complete the entire playground on October 20th.

KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit with a mission to create great playspaces through the participation and leadership of communities.

Nashville Lands 73rd National Folk Festival

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The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) announced that the 73rd National Folk Festival will take place Labor Day Weekend (September 2-4, 2011) in Nashville, TN. The NCTA made this announcement with Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Compass Records Group on October 20th.

Nationally known as one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious celebrations of traditional music and culture, The National Folk Festival will take place in downtown Nashville from 2011-2013. This event is free to the public and is expected to draw upwards of 100,000 people to Nashville, with a projected economic impact of $10-15 million for the city.

“You can’t have too much live music in Music City,” Mayor Dean said. “The National Folk Festival is going to be a great addition to the music festivals already held in Nashville. It’s a chance to display not only the traditional cultures and art of our city, but also the growing diversity of musical genres that call Nashville home.”

The NCTA created the National Folk Festival in 1934 and is presenting the 2011 event in partnership with Nashville’s local National Folk Festival group, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, the Community Foundation, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and the Compass Records Group.

Braddock Helps Fete Legendary Newsman

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(L-R) Bobby Braddock and Bob Schieffer.

Songwriter Bobby Braddock made a special appearance on Friday (10/15) to honor legendary CBS newsman, Bob Schieffer at the National Press Club’s annual Fourth Estate Award Dinner. Schieffer was honored for his lifetime contribution to American Journalism.

Appropriately Schieffer, a native Texan and avid country music fan chose country music as a theme for the event, which featured a reception, dinner and roast, with entertainment from Braddock’s catalog including “He Stopped Loving Her Today”. The band Honkey Tonk Confidential accompanied Braddock as well as Scheffer, who also stepped in to perform songs of his own.

Among others in attendance were Schieffer’s wife Pat, Sen. Lindsey Graham, former senator Sam Nunn, CBS News President Sean McManus, former White House Press Corp reporter Helen Thomas and syndicated columnists David Broder, and William Raspberry.

Early Swift Raves; JetBlue, Target and Royal Caribbean Exclusives

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Taylor Swift‘s upcoming Speak Now is earning early raves from critics before the October 25th release date. Swift’s highly-anticipated third album will be released by Big Machine Records in over 40 countries. The Hollywood Reporter calls the album “brilliant” and The New York Times states that Speak Now is “The most musically diverse [album] of her career … possibly her best.”

Taylor bested her own Billboard record this week with the release of the track “Mean,” giving her the Most Top 10 debuts on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Her busy upcoming schedule includes appearances on The Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, Live! With Regis & Kelly, Ellen and Dancing With the Stars.

Taylor will perform an exclusive show for JetBlue Airways on Wednesday, October 27th at the state-of-the-art Terminal 5 at New York’s JFK airport. This performance is part of the “Live From T5” concert series presented by JetBlue, which has featured performances from Sarah McLachlan, Daughtry and Justin Townes Earle. After her JFK performance, Taylor will conduct a promotional in-flight  concert while en route to Los Angeles  in a “Flight Across America” charter flight through JetBlue.

Retail giant Target will offer an exclusive version of Speak Now, which will feature three new music tracks, three remixed tracks, and 30 minutes of video content. This special deluxe version of Speak Now will be available at Target Stores nationwide and Target.com beginning October 25th.

In addition to these initial promotional appearances and exclusives, Taylor has partnered with Royal Caribbean International to perform live on board the world’s largest and newest ship. On January 21, 2011, Taylor will perform in the AquaTheater on the Allure of the Seas ship. Big Machine Records, Clear Channel Radio, Pop2Life and Royal Caribbean International have joined forces to give 100 lucky winners and their invited guests access to this unprecedented event. The seven-night Western Caribbean cruise will take place January 16 – 23.

Contest winners will receive VIP seating in the AquaTheater for the concert, roundtrip flights and accommodations.  Fans can enter the contest by tuning in to participating Clear Channel radio stations (see www.TheAllureofTaylor.com/stations)  until October 29th or by entering online at www.TheAllureofTaylor.com. Fans can book their Taylor Swift experience for the January trip at www.royalcaribbean.com.

Nettles To Host CMA Country Christmas

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Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles

CMA’s new holiday broadcast continues to take form with the announcement that it will be hosted by Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles. “I am thrilled to have been asked to host the CMA Christmas Special,” Nettles said. “I love the holidays and, as my first time hosting a show, I am sure it will be full of laughs and surprises both for myself and for the folks watching.”

CMA Country Christmas is set to tape in front of a live audience on Nov. 11 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Tickets are available to CMA Sterling and Organizational members plus through various CMA sponsors, partners and local and regional radio stations.

The first-year special will air Monday Nov. 29 on ABC and is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive producer, Paul Miller is the director and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

Artists expected to be performing and sharing holiday traditions with fans include Kellie Pickler, Sheryl Crow, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Reba, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker, and Sugarland.

Jason Aldean Gets Ready for His “Party”

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Platinum artist Jason Aldean will release his fourth album My Kinda Party on November 2nd. Fans can pre-order the album at www.jasonaldean.com, where they can also purchase an exclusive signed version. The 15-track album is also available for pre-order at Amazon.com and will be on iTunes on October 26th.

In the days leading up to the album release, Aldean’s Facebook page will preview five exclusive videos of the making of My Kinda Party. Aldean will host his first live video chat with fans on 6:00pm CST at his website, Facebook page and UStream. Other interactive opportunities include a national mobile check-in program, allowing fans to check in at concerts and retail locations nationwide to earn rewards. Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter users will compete to win an iPad loaded with My Kinda Party, other digital gift certificates and a Wrangler wardrobe. More information is available here.

Photos: Colt Ford, Harlem Globetrotters at the Opry, and Joe Nichols

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Colt Ford hits Kix 106 in Memphis … The Harlem Globetrotters hit the Opry … Joe Nichols performs at a benefit concert in Knoxville.

Average Joes Entertainment's Colt Ford and Kix 106 Memphis' Music Director Kay Manley backstage at the Desoto Civic Center for the Rowdy Friends tour stop on Friday, October 15th.

Both the Harlem Globetrotters and the Grand Ole Opry are celebrating their 85th birthdays, so the Harlem Globetrotters joined Charlie Daniels for a surprise collaboration on October 19th. Harlem Globetrotter ballhandling wizard Scooter Christensen helps country legend Charlie Daniels spin a basketball on the tip of his fiddle bow during a performance of Daniels’ signature “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” onstage at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.

Show Dog – Universal Music’s Jordan Pettit, WIVK’s Mike Hammond, and Joe Nichols after a benefit concert in Knoxville, TN for Horse Haven, a local charity that rescues abused & neglected horses.

Slicing The Nashville Sales Pie

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There are many ways to measure country music sales, but it all boils down to the fundamental question, how big is my slice of the pie? So first let’s talk about the overall pizza pie and then we’ll address some of the recent slices being cut up and handed out. (Source: Nielsen Soundscan.)

For the week ending 10/17/2010 country album sales are off 12.5% YTD compared with the same period last year. As always in our reports, this includes both physical and digital album sales. With only 11 shopping weeks remaining in 2010, the industry overall is now down 13.6%. Country YTD sales are 27.753 million units. For 2009 country sold 46.13 million units. To equal 2009, we have 11 weeks to scan 18.377 million more units or 1.67 million per week. (That’s a tall order considering that this week we sold a total of only 718k.)

However, before anyone runs out to Pizza Perfect to order more slices (not a bad idea), remember the holiday fever will greatly increase the rings of registers and there is a pile of platters yet to launch which are destined to entice consumers.

Now let’s look at how some of the individual slices are shaping up this week. Capitol Nashville served up Darius Rucker’s sophomore country set which tops the country chart and gets second place overall, selling almost 101,000 units. Rucker moved 31% of those in digital format. And then there is The Band Perry. The sibling trio storms this week’s list with over 52,000 units, placing them in the second spot on the current country album list. Personally it feels a bit early to start humming holiday carols, Lady Antebellum’s Merry Little Christmas (Target exclusive) hit the bins with debut sales of about 18k units, a number which is sure to grow as the holidays loom.

It’s hard to gauge how the previous week debuts are faring in terms of drop offs, but one clue is that even with recent releases—four weeks old or less—from Darius, TBP, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Zac Brown Band and Billy Currington, this week’s current country 75 still tallies an underperforming 470,368 units total.

Competing for this week’s debut slices are Sugarland who insiders are now predicting will notch sales of 200-225k and have an excellent chance of topping both the country and all genre album sales charts. And finally all Nashville is wishing Taylor luck with fingers crossed and breath held for what is sure to be the largest launch of the season for any genre (10/25). Stay tuned.