Chris Stapleton, Josh Turner Dominate April RIAA Certifications

April was a Platinum month for country artists, with seven artists receiving Platinum single certifications for 12 different songs from the RIAA. Both Chris Stapleton and Josh Turner achieved both Platinum and Multiplatinum status on singles, with Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” reaching quadruple Platinum status and Turner’s “Your Man” reaching double Platinum. Chris Young‘s “I’m Comin’ Over” also reached double Platinum.

Stapleton also received Platinum singles for “Parachute,” “Fire Away,” “Broken Halos,” and “Nobody To Blame,” while Turner’s “Long Black Train,” “Time Is Love,” and “Hometown Girl,” all achieved Platinum sales status as well. Other artists receiving Platinum single certifications were Kane Brown (“Heaven”), Luke Combs (“When It Rains It Pours”), Thomas Rhett (“Unforgettable”), and Walker Hayes (“You Broke Up With Me”).

Country received plenty of Gold as well this Spring, with six artists receiving Gold singles including Stapleton for “Whiskey And You,” and “Broken Halos.” Turner’s “Firecracker,” Chris Lane‘s “Take Back Home Girl,” Kacey Musgraves‘ “Blowin’ Smoke,” Morgan Wallen‘s “Up Down,” and RaeLynn‘s “Love Triangle” all also achieved Gold single status in April.

Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 2 reached Gold album status in April, and his From A Room: Volume 1 was certified Platinum, along with Musgraves’ Same Trailer Different Park, and Brown’s self-titled debut.

Dan Anderson Joins BIG Label Records

Dan Anderson

Veteran sales and marketing executive Dan Anderson has joined BIG Label Records. Anderson, most recently VP of Sales at Black River Entertainment, moves to BIG Label Records in a similar role effective immediately.

Prior to Black River, as an artist manager, Anderson worked at Morress Nanas Entertainment and Red Light Management and was Director of Artist Development and Marketing at Sony Music/BNA Records.

“I’ve known Dan since the late 1990s both professionally and personally. He’s hard working and innovative with a keen eye towards the future and firm knowledge of the past and present. He’s creative and disciplined and he’ll fit right in with what we’re doing with Aaron Watson and the new acts that we’ll be adding to the label,” says BIG Label Records head Tony Morreale.

“Tony and I go back 20 plus years,” adds Anderson. “I have admired him throughout his career as he has always looked at things from a different angle. I look forward to working him and the rest of the team as we continue to build Aaron Watson’s career as well as prospective artists we work with in the future.”

The move to BIG Label Records reunites Anderson and Morreale who worked together for nearly eight years at BNA in artist development and promotion respectively.

Morreale remarks, “We had some great times as part of the team that broke Chesney and Lonestar. There was a lot optimism in the business then and Dan brings that fire to an already dynamic and energetic group at BIG Label Record. We’re glad to have him!”

“In Watson’s organization, we always work off the premise that great people are the foundation for building great businesses,” adds CDA Entertainment’s Gino Genaro, Watson’s longtime manager. “There is no doubt that Dan is a multi-talented star, bringing a multitude of skills to the table. As we continue to build to a full service label, we are thrilled at the opportunity to have him join the team.”

Anderson can be reached at dan@biglabel.net.

BMG Earns 20 U.S. No. 1 Singles In A Single Week

BMG has notched 20 No. 1 positions this week on U.S. music charts published by Billboard. The chart-toppers were split nearly 50/50 with nine No. 1s for records released by BMG, and 11 No. 1 No. 1s penned by BMG-published writers.

A Perfect Circle’s album Eat The Elephant (released by BMG) tops the Rock Albums, Alternative Albums, Tastemakers, Independent Albums and Vinyl Albums charts.

“The Middle,” by Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey, and co-written by BMG-published The Monsters & Strangerz, leads the Mainstream Top 40, Adult Top 40, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs and the Dance/Mix Show Airplay charts.

“Meant To Be” earns three No. 1s. The song, co-written by BMG-published Bebe Rexha and recorded by Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, leads Radio Songs, Hot Country Songs and the Country Streaming Songs charts.

Jason Aldean leads Top Country Albums with Rearview Town and Country Airplay with “You Make It Easy,” both of which are released by BMG. Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown, whose “Freaky Friday” released by BMG is No. 1 on the Hot R&B Songs and R&B Streaming Songs charts, while “Despacito,” by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber, co-written by BMG-published Poo Bear, is atop the Latin Digital Songs Sales chart, and the Latin Streaming Songs chart. Finally, “Finesse” by Bruno Mars and Cardi B, co-written by BMG-published Bruno Mars, is No. 1 on the Adult R&B chart.

BMG US President Repertoire & Marketing Zach Katz said, “This is first and foremost the achievement of seven of our clients. We congratulate all of them. But in a week in which we celebrate having two albums in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 for the first time – from A Perfect Circle and Jason Aldean – it’s an incredible demonstration of BMG’s ability to succeed in a wide range of genres and in both music publishing and recordings. No one else can do that.”

Luke Combs Inks Columbia Sportswear Deal

Luke Combs has teamed with outdoor apparel company Columbia Sportswear for a multi-level integrated partnership. Columbia launches the collaboration today spotlighting Combs’ passion for fishing and the outdoors in a video following the country star and his songwriting friends on a deep sea fishing excursion to Los Barriles, Mexico.

Combs’ history with Columbia extends back to the early days of launching his music career in his Boone, North Carolina college town. The Asheville-native initially began wearing a black Columbia PFG shirt that features venting and wicking fabrics, during his high-energy shows at jam packed venues where oftentimes the air conditioning would be sparse and rooms booked over capacity. As the breakthrough artist’s career catapulted to new levels of platinum singles, sold-out tours and multiple award show nominations, Columbia’s black PFG became a hallmark component of Combs’ live show performance.

“I have always loved my PFG shirts, all the way back to high school. When I started to play the club runs early on, the rooms were so hot, and I wanted to be as comfortable as possible for the 90 minutes we were playing. The only shirt I owned that could do that was the PFG, so it quickly became my go-to every time I perform,” shares Combs. “Teaming up with the Columbia family is exciting for me because of our shared love of music and the outdoors. From deep sea fishing to packed out arenas, PFG has always been with me on and off the stage.”

Combs will release This One’s For You Too, a 17-track deluxe version of his Gold-certified album, on June 1 via River House Artists/Columbia Nashville.

Chris Stapleton Earns Triple Platinum Album Honors

Chris Stapleton just earned new album sales honors, including a triple Platinum certification for his 2015 debut solo album, Traveller. The album ranks in the Top 5 this week on the Nielsen Soundscan Country Albums chart.

Additionally, Stapleton’s two 2017 albums have earned sales honors, with From A Room: Vol. 1 earning RIAA Platinum certification, and From A Room: Vol. 2 earning RIAA Gold certification.

The certifications are the latest accolades for Stapleton, who recently earned Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year (From A Room: Vol. 1 as both artist and producer) at the ACM Awards, as well as Best Country Album (From A Room: Vol. 1), Best Country Song (“Broken Halos”), and Best Country Solo Performance (“Either Way”) at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

In celebration of From A Room: Vol. 1 and From A Room: Vol. 2, Stapleton will hit the road again this year as part of the expansive “Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show” tour. Dates include New York’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’ The Forum and Chicago’s Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre among many others. Produced by Live Nation, the tour will feature Marty Stuart and Brent Cobb as special guests.

Moreover, Stapleton is featured on Justin Timberlake’s new song, “Say Something.” The music video—which was filmed in a single shot at L.A.’s historic Bradbury Building—has been viewed over 173 million times.

Weekly Register: Jason Aldean’s ‘Rearview Town’ Spends Second Week At No. 1

Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town continues to top the Nielsen Soundscan Country Albums rankings for a second week (and lands at No. 5 on the overall albums chart), following the album’s debut at the pinnacle of the Top 200 albums chart last week. The reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year’s album moved 38K (total consumption) this week.

At No. 2 is Brothers Osborne‘s Port Saint Joe, which debuts at No. 2 with 22K. Kane Brown‘s self-titled album is at No. 3 this week, with 17.9K in total consumption. Thomas Rhett‘s Life Changes is at No. 3 with 13K. Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller rounds out the Top 5 with 12.9K.

On the digital country sales rankings, the new Sugarland/Taylor Swift collaboration “Babe” debuts atop the chart, with 38K in sales. Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” follows at No. 2, with 21.8K.

Kane Brown‘s “Heaven” is at No. 3 with 18K. Kenny Chesney‘s new single “Get Along,” which he debuted at the recent Academy of Country Music Awards, is at No. 4 with 15.3K. Carrie Underwood‘s “Cry Pretty,” which she also debuted on the recent ACM Awards, is at No. 5 with 15K.

Edison Research Releases Heavy Radio Listener Study

A new study from “The Infinite Dial: Heavy Radio Listeners,” released by Edison Research, shows that one-fifth of broadcast radio’s biggest users already own a smart speaker. The report looks at the 30 percent of the American population ages 12 and over who are “Heavy Radio Listeners” – defined as those who listened to more than one hour of radio in the last day.

The study finds that 82 percent of heavy radio listeners have a radio in their home, which means nearly 18% of this group achieved ‘heavy’ status primarily through in-car or at-work listening.  Intriguingly, 20% of heavy radio listeners have Smart Speakers in their homes, which may allow for more at-home listening over time, but can also make it easier to use competing audio services.

In keeping with findings from past Edison research studies, radio’s best customers are heavy users of all audio – they listen heavily to broadcast radio, but do not limit themselves to it, something which has implications for future smart-speaker behavior. Nearly two-thirds listen to audio online, with large numbers choosing YouTube, Pandora, and the streams of AM and FM radio stations.  Over one-in-six heavy radio listeners say they have listened to a podcast in the last week.

“At this time of industry transition, it is vital that radio managers have high-quality research that represents the full U.S. population to use to understand their audiences.  This look at the Heavy Radio Listener from Infinite Dial allows everyone to understand not just what other kinds of audio and media people are using, but how Heavy Radio Listeners compare to the population at large,” said Larry Rosin, President of Edison Research.  “Readers of this report will see that the qualitative profile of Heavy Radio Listeners is very strong.  This is the kind of information that Radio managers can show to agencies and clients with confidence in the quality of the data.”

The Infinite Dial is the longest running study of consumer behaviors related to media and technology in America.  It uses ‘gold standard’ scientific telephone sampling to accurately reflect the entire U.S. population.

Spotify’s Hot Country Playlist Now Enhanced With Original Video

Keith Urban becomes first artist on Spotify Hot Country to enhance the playlist with video, supporting his Graffiti U album, out April 27.

Spotify’s flagship country playlist, Hot Country, is now enhanced with video. The newly enhanced playlist follows the recent video integrations of fellow Spotify playlists such as Rap Caviar and Viva Latino, which combine music and video into a single view, allowing Spotify users to listen to their favorite audio tracks, as well as watch original interviews and music videos featuring their favorite artists on the on-demand streaming service.

The Hot Country enhanced playlist launches today (Friday, April 27) with content from Keith Urban, who releases his latest album, Graffiti U, today, as well as content from Kacey Musgraves and a special performance from Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton.

On Hot Country, Urban will offer viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his extensive guitar collection, as he discusses his love of playing in his new home studio, and looks at the inspiration behind his new album.

Urban said, “Spotify has been an amazing partner, helping me to connect my music with people all over the planet. On their new Hot Country playlist people will not only hear Graffiti U, they’ll be able to come inside the studio with me and see a bit about the making of the album. Can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

According to Brittany Schaffer, Head of Artist and Label Marketing at Spotify’s Nashville office, the country music audience has been slower to adopt streaming than audiences of other genres. However, she says “country artists have been craving the attention of the streaming services to help bring the country audience into streaming and craving a deeper ability to connect with and expand their audiences,” she says. “The enhancement of the Hot Country playlist is Spotify’s first significant step in helping artists do just that.”

Schaffer also notes that the enhanced playlist is only the beginning of Spotify’s collaboration with the country industry. “Spotify is serious about making an impact in country music, and the launch of the Hot Country enhanced playlist is only the first step in showing that commitment,” she says. “This opportunity is opening new doors for current and potential listeners of country music, in Nashville and around the world. Our commitment doesn’t start and end with the launch of Hot Country.”

To bring more Hot Country to its more than 4.5 million followers worldwide, the enhanced playlist feature will also launch in four additional markets outside the U.S.: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Spain (in addition to the UK, Sweden, and Latin America).

According to John Marks, Programming Head of Country Music at Spotify, the audience for country music will only keep growing. “There are multiple awakenings happening right now. Streaming is opening a global market. There’s been a hybridizing of other international music into the country playlists, which is opening people’s eyes and minds to country music in other countries. Launching in those markets—which have very active fan bases—will start to speed up the process.”

Marks, who has a long history working in Nashville with country industry and artists, is enthusiastic about the partnership—and he’s not the only one, he says. “The Nashville music industry and Nashville artists have really embraced this idea out of the shoot. We have some big stars on board with Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney, and there are plenty others on queue. It’s really been gratifying to see how quickly and how nimbly everyone in the industry has supported this idea of enhanced playlists and to see it all come together.”

Executives from Sony Music Nashville, Universal Music Group Nashville, and Warner Music Nashville also weighed in on the newly enhanced playlist.

“Late last year when Spotify rolled out their Open House they talked about Nashville as such an important market and musical identity that they were focused on growing, and I really wanted to believe it was true,” said UMG Nashville’s Cindy Mabe. “Coming into 2018, I watched the thorough roll out of the Cover Stories, a weekly video series with the Hot Country enhanced playlist and I am absolutely blown away.  The most important job I do is to tell our artists’ stories and vision for what they have to say through their music so the fans can connect.  Spotify has truly put their money where their mouth is with their investment in Nashville while leaning into our artists’ stories in order to grow the audience.  I know there is a lot more yet to be rolled out but I am so excited to watch as Spotify brings our music to our fans in new and exciting ways.”

“Not only is Spotify’s relaunch of Hot Country another clear sign of their deepening commitment to country music, it’s also an indicator that fans of our genre are consuming music in more new ways than ever before, through video and on their phones,” said Warner Music Nashville’s John Esposito. “The addition of video content to the playlist will surely bring a deeper connection between the fans and the artists they love. Music and video are certainly going to “Get Along” together on Hot Country!”

“We’re so excited that Spotify is furthering their investment in country music by offering another level of media to their Hot Country playlist!” said Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman. “More new ways we can showcase our artists and grow country music streaming in general is a great and welcome thing!”

Weekly Register: Jason Aldean, John Prine, Carrie Underwood Capture Country Charts

As reported earlier, BBR’s Jason Aldean leads this week’s Top 200 (and also No. 1 country), with his latest album Rearview Town moving 183K units (162K album only) in its debut week, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Oh Boy Records’ John Prine debuts at No. 2 country (and No. 5 on the Top 200) with Tree of Forgiveness moving 54K. The album is Prine’s first album of new material in 13 years.

Kane Brown‘s self-titled debut album is at No 3 with 20K. Thomas Rhett‘s Life Changes is at No. 4 with 14K. Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller is at No. 5 with 13.6K.

On the country digital sales chart, Carrie Underwood‘s “Cry Pretty,” which she debuted with a live performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 15, is this week’s top song with 54K. The song marks Underwood’s first single for Capitol Records Nashville.

Luke Bryan‘s “Most People Are Good” is at No. 2 with 24K. Kenny Chesney‘s “Get Along” is at No. 3 this week, with 24K.

Kane Brown takes the fourth and fifth spots, with “Heaven” taking No. 4 with 21K, and “What Ifs” at No. 5 with 20K.

Aldean also has this week’s top debut song on the country digital sales chart, with “Drowns The Whiskey” (ft. Miranda Lambert) debuting at No. 13 country, with 12K.

Jason Aldean’s ‘Rearview Town’ Debuts On Top 200 Albums Chart Pinnacle

Jason Aldean‘s latest album, Rearview Town, which released April 13, has debuted at the pinnacle of the overall Top 200 albums chart this week, with 183K equivalent album units earned, according to Nielsen Soundscan. This marks country music’s first No. 1 album of 2018, and Aldean’s fourth consecutive Top 200 chart-topping album.

The album is Aldean’s eighth for Broken Bow Records.

The achievement marks a week of wins for Aldean, who was honored as the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year on April 15. Aldean recently spoke with MusicRow about the process behind making the new project.