Weekly Register: Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” Tops 2 Million

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Little Big Town

Little Big Town

In addition to earning Little Big Town a Grammy nomination, “Girl Crush” has sold 6.1K this week, enough to push the sultry ballad over the 2 million mark.

Thomas Rhett and Chris Stapleton continue their reigns over the Top Country tracks and Top Country albums rankings, respectively. Rhett’s “Die A Happy Man” pushed 39K units this week, while Stapleton’s Traveller project moved 27K units (landing at No. 8 on the overall rankings).

Following Rhett on the top-selling country tracks are Sam Hunt‘s “Break Up In A Small Town” (28K), Cole Swindell‘s “You Should Be Here” (28K), Luke Bryan with Karen Fairchild‘s “Home Alone Tonight” (24K), and Brett Eldredge‘s “Drunk On Your Love” (24K). Meanwhile, The Cadillac Three earned the top country debut, coming in at No. 47 and selling 4.1K in its debut week.

On the overall tracks rankings, Zayn debuted at No. 1 with “Pillowtalk” selling 240K. Drake‘s new track “Summer Sixteen” sold 213K.

Overall tracks sales are down 25.8 percent over last year, while country track sales are down 24.2 percent from last year.

Following up Stapleton’s lead on the country albums rankings are Sam Hunt’s Montevallo with 7.8K, Blake Shelton‘s Reloaded: 20 #1 Hits compilation selling 7.4K, Hank Williams, Jr‘s It’s About Time (6.7K), and Carrie Underwood‘s Storyteller (6.2K). The top country debuts include sets from Swon Brothers at No. 19 (1.8K), Aubrie Sellers at No. 23 (1.6K), and Buddy Miller & Friends at No. 30 (1.4K).

Rihanna‘s Anti album takes the No. 1 overall album spot this week, selling 166K. Kevin Gates follows at No. 2 with Islah selling 112K. Adele‘s 25 is at No. 3 (106K), and Sia‘s This Is Acting is at No. 4 (81K).

Info provided by Nielsen Soundscan.

Weekly Register: Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt Surpass Million Mark

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Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” has officially passed the million mark for digital sales. In its 19th week on the chart, the song moved 42.5K units and tops the country digital sales chart. On Monday morning (Feb. 1) it received an ACM nomination for Single of the Year. Rhett was also nominated for Top New Male Vocalist, while his album, Tangled Up, will compete for Album of the Year.

“Die a Happy Man” also outpaces his earlier release, “Crash and Burn,” which ranks at No. 45 this week and reaches total sales of 891K. “Make Me Wanna” stands at No. 87 with 2K in sales this week and overall sales of 728K.

Sam Hunt

Sam Hunt

Sam Hunt’s “Break Up in a Small Town” stays at No. 2 with sales of 29K this week. His corresponding album, 2014’s Montevallo, moves past the million mark this week too. (However, due to new RIAA policies, Montevallo now qualifies as a double-platinum album.) The project received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album and an ACM nomination for Album of the Year.

Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind” races from No. 46 to No. 3, following an endorsement from Oprah Winfrey, with weekly sales figures of 27K. Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild’s “Home Alone Tonight” sits at No. 4 with 26K units, just ahead of Cole Swindell’s “You Should Be Here” at No. 5 with 25K.

Just below that is Dierks Bentley’s “Somewhere on a Beach” (22K), Brett Eldredge’s “Drunk on Your Love” (22K), Maren Morris’ “My Church” (18K) and Chris Young featuring Cassadee Pope’s “Think of You” (17.5K).

Steven Tyler rounds out the Top 10 with “Red, White & You.” In its first week of release, it moves 16K. Other new entries include Reba McEntire’s “Just Like Them Horses” at No. 50, with 3.7K units, and Brandy Clark’s “Girl Next Door,” with 3.1K units.

Chris-Stapleton-TravellerChris Stapleton stays atop the country albums chart with Traveller, selling 27.5K and reaching 804K overall. Hank Williams Jr.’s It’s About Time is No. 2 with 9K. Stapleton and Williams will tour together in August.

Blake Shelton’s Reloaded: 20 #1 Hits rises to No. 3 with 9K, trailed by Hunt’s Montevallo with 7K and Brothers Osborne’s Pawn Shop with 6K. Rhett’s Tangled Up is at No. 6 with 5.5K in sales and 283K overall. The latest releases by Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Bryan and McGraw round out the Top 10.

Adele tops the overall album chart with 25, with 116K units. Rihanna debuts at No. 1 on the overall digital tracks chart with “Work” featuring Drake, selling 120K.

RIAA Changes Album Award Methodology For Gold & Platinum Program

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riaa-logo

The Recording Industry Association of America has changed its Album Award methodology to include on-demand audio and video streams, as well as a track sale equivalent, in its Gold & Platinum Album Award. The updating of the program’s album process follows similar updates made to digital single certifications in 2013, when the RIAA added on-demand streams to its Digital Single Award.

Going forward, the program’s benchmarks for Gold (500,000), Platinum (1,000,000) and multi-Platinum (2,000,000) will count both sales and streams for single and album certifications. 1,500 on-demand audio and/or video song streams will equal 10 track sales, or 1 album sale. The RIAA’s Digital Single Award ratio will also be updated from 100 on-demand streams equals 1 download, to become 150 on-demand streams equals one download, to reflect the growth of streaming in the past two-plus years since the ratio was set.

“For nearly six decades, whether it’s vinyl, CDs, downloads or now streams, the Gold & Platinum Program has adapted to recognize the benchmarks of success in an evolving music marketplace,” said Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO, RIAA. “We know that music listening–for both for albums and songs–is skyrocketing, yet that trend has not been reflected in our album certifications. Modernizing our Album Award to include music streaming is the next logical step in the continued evolution of Gold & Platinum Awards, and doing so enables RIAA to fully reward the success of artists’ albums today.”

With the newly expanded Album Award methodology comes inaugural certifications for several artists, across multiple genres. Country artists Brett Eldredge and Sam Hunt are among the first to benefit, with Eldredge’s “Bring You Back” (Atlantic Nashville) earning Gold status, and Sam Hunt’s MCA Nashville release Montevallo earning 2x Multi-Platinum.

 

Additional new certifications include:

Alt-J “An Awesome Wave” (Atlantic Records) Gold

Big Sean “Dark Sky Paradise” (Def Jam Recordings) Platinum

Coldplay “Ghost Stories” (Atlantic/Parlophone) Platinum

Elle King “Love Stuff” (RCA) Gold

Fifth Harmony “Reflection” (Epic) Gold

Halsey “Badlands” (Astralwerks) Gold

Hozier “Hozier” (Columbia) Platinum

Kendrick Lamar “To Pimp a Butterfly” (Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope) Platinum

Michael Jackson “Thriller” (Epic/Legacy) 32X Multi-Platinum

Miranda Lambert “Platinum” (RCA Nashville) Platinum

Romeo Santos “Fórmula Vol. 2” (Sony Latin) 11X Diamante/RIAA Latin G&P Program

Shawn Mendes “Handwritten” (Island Records) Platinum

The Weeknd “Beauty Behind the Madness” (XO/Republic Records) 2X Multi-Platinum

Vance Joy “Dream Your life Away” (Atlantic Records) Gold

Wale “Ambition” (Atlantic Urban) Gold.

 

Weekly Register: Chris Stapleton Eclipses Debuts From Hank Williams Jr., Brothers Osborne

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Chris Stapleton Traveller

With a sales boost from his Saturday Night Live performance on Jan. 16, Chris Stapleton remains at No. 1 on this week’s country album chart. Traveller saw a 24 percent sales boost, selling 32K and reaching 776K overall.

Hank Williams Jr. enters the chart at No. 2 with It’s About Time, his bow on Nash Icon Records. The set moved 24K units. Brothers Osborne, who enjoyed a breakout single with “Stay a Little Longer,” arrive at No. 3 with Pawn Shop, selling 21K.

Blake Shelton‘s Reloaded: 20 #1 Hits surged to No. 4 with 14K, while Randy Rogers Band debuted at No. 5 with Nothing Shines Like Neon, selling 11K.

Other debuts include Russell Dickerson’s Yours EP at No. 11 (2.7K), Frank Foster’s Boots on the Ground at No. 22 (1.9K), and Upchurch’s Heart of America at No. 30 (1.3K).

Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” is entrenched at the No. 1 spot on the country track sales chart, selling 50K and likely to surpass the 1 million mark next week. Sam Hunt’s “Break Up in a Small Town” lands at No. 2 (35K), trailed by Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild’s “Home Alone Tonight” (28K), Brett Eldredge’s “Drunk on Your Love” (24K), and Cole Swindell’s “You Should Be Here” (23.5K).

Stapleton’s “Nobody to Blame” jumps seven spots to No. 6 (20K), followed by Cam’s Burning House” at No. 7 (19.5K). Dierks Bentley’s new single, “Somewhere on a Beach,” enters the chart at No. 8 (19K). Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” (18K) and Brothers Osborne’s “Stay a Little Longer” (18K) round out the Top 10.

On the overall album chart, Panic! At the Disco arrives at the top with Death of a Bachelor, selling 190K. Adele’s 25 sits at No. 2 with 146.K (and now 5.8 million overall). On the overall tracks chart, Justin Bieber stays on top with “Love Yourself,” selling 139K and 1.4 million to date.

Carrie Underwood’s ‘Greatest Hits: Decade #1’ Certified Platinum

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Carrie Underwood. Photo: Alan Poizner

Carrie Underwood. Photo: Alan Poizner

Carrie Underwood‘s Greatest Hits: Decade #1 has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The accomplishment makes Underwood the only country artist to release an album to platinum success since Greatest Hits: Decade #1 was issued in December 2014.

The 25-song, double-disc collection spotlights the success of Underwood’s first 10 years of music and introduced two new No. 1 songs: the Grammy-winning “Something in the Water,” as well as “Little Toy Guns,” the song that earned Underwood her current Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance. According to RIAA, each unit in a multi-disc set counts as one unit toward album certification.

In addition, “Little Toy Guns” has been RIAA-certified gold, while “Something in the Water” is now RIAA platinum.

Upon release, Greatest Hits: Decade #1 debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with first-week sales of 94,000 according to Nielsen Music.

Underwood is currently in rehearsals for the Jan. 30 launch of her new arena headline tour, The Storyteller Tour−Stories in the Round. At radio now is “Heartbeat,” the new single from her Storyteller album.

Pictured (L-R): Jim Catino, A&R VP, Sony Music Nashville; Ken Robold, EVP/COO, Sony Music Nashville; Paul Barnabee, Marketing Sr. VP, Sony Music Nashville; Randy Goodman, Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville; Ann Edelblute, Underwood’s manager, The HQ; Carrie Underwood; Bob Foglia, Marketing & Media Manager, Sony Music Nashville; Caryl Healey, Sales VP, Sony Music Nashville; Rachel Fontenot, Marketing Director, Sony Music Nashville; Sarah Westbrook, Digital Strategy VP, Sony Music Nashville; Steve Hodges, Promotion & Artist Development EVP, Sony Music Nashville. Photo: Alan Poizner

Pictured (L-R): Jim Catino, A&R VP, Sony Music Nashville; Ken Robold, EVP/COO, Sony Music Nashville; Paul Barnabee, Marketing Sr. VP, Sony Music Nashville; Randy Goodman, Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville; Ann Edelblute, Underwood’s manager, The HQ; Carrie Underwood; Bob Foglia, Marketing & Media Manager, Sony Music Nashville; Caryl Healey, Sales VP, Sony Music Nashville; Rachel Fontenot, Marketing Director, Sony Music Nashville; Sarah Westbrook, Digital Strategy VP, Sony Music Nashville; Steve Hodges, Promotion & Artist Development EVP, Sony Music Nashville.
Photo: Alan Poizner

Weekly Register: Chris Stapleton Remains No. 1 On Country Albums Chart

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Chris Stapleton Traveller

Two months after winning big at the CMA Awards, Chris Stapleton is still going strong. He remains at No. 1 on this week’s country albums chart with Traveller. With 33K sold this week, his overall figures jump to 718K.

The remaining Top 5 albums on the country chart are Luke Bryan’s Kill the Lights (14K), Sam Hunt’s Montevallo (10.5K), Carrie Underwood’s Storyteller (9K), and Thomas Rhett’s Tangled Up (7.5K).

Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett

Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” has enjoyed a sturdy run atop the country digital sales chart. He sold 60K singles last week, landing at No. 13 on the overall chart and surpassing the 883K mark. That’s followed by Hunt’s “Break Up in a Small Town” (44K), Cam’s “Burning House” (35K) and Luke Bryan and Karen Fairchild’s “Home Alone Tonight” (29K). Stapleton rounds out the Top 5 with “Tennessee Whiskey” (23K).

Adele 25

Adele’s 25 holds steady at No. 1 on the overall chart with 164K albums sold, with total activity (including song sales and streams) of 194K. She has sold more than 7 million copies of the album in the United States and an estimated 15 million worldwide.

Nielsen Unveils 2015 Total Music Consumption Report

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Adele 25

Adele

In a nearly 30-page report, Nielsen has released its 2015 U.S. Music Report for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31.

The country genre held 8.5 percent of total consumption among other genres, with its largest consumption coming from physical albums (37 percent). Country ranked second for radio consumption, with 9.1 percent of U.S. radio listeners aged 18-34 tuned in during any 15-minute period during the day. Radio (AM/FM or Satellite) remained the No. 1 way respondents discovered new music.

On-demand streaming was up 93 percent, with 317 billion streams in 2015.

Adele’s 25 was the year’s biggest seller in a single year since 2004, collecting over 7.4 million units moved in a six-week period (8 million overall) to close the year. Her 2015 album was notably unavailable on streaming services, which was also the case for Taylor Swift, who came in overall at No. 2 with her 2014 release, 1989. Swift has moved over 7.5 million units of 1989 to date.

Meghan Trainor‘s Title came in overall at No. 7 with 1.7 million. Sam Hunt‘s Montevallo was No. 9 overall with approximately 1.4 million while Luke Bryan‘s Kill The Lights moved 851,000 in U.S. sales. Notably, after a CMA winning streak and performance with Justin Timberlake, sales of Chris Stapleton’s Traveller increased 6,000 percent, putting it then at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.

Meanwhile, vinyl sales increased 30 percent, continuing 10 consecutive years of growth with nearly 12 million units sold in 2015. Adele and Swift led the vinyl race, with 116,000 and 74,000 units moved, respectively.

Average-Listening-15

Although album sales experienced a decline in 2015 (-6 percent), the decline was about half that for 2014 (-11 percent ). Album sales plus track equivalent albums (10 tracks is equivalent to 1 album) and streaming equivalent albums (where 1,500 streams is equivalent to 1 album) increased more than 15 percent over 2014.

To download the full report, visit nielsen.com.

TotalConsumption15

Industry Ink: Johnny Cash Trust, IBMA, Deluge Music and Gravity Gone Music, Marbaloo

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Johnny Cash Trust Names Lou Robin As Business Manager Emeritus

Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash

Veteran concert promoter and artist manager Lou Robin, who has worked with the Cash family for more than 45 years, has stepped into the role of Business Manager Emeritus for the Cash Trust, it was announced by Trustee for the John R. Cash Revocable Trust, Cathy Sullivan.

In the new role, Robin will continue to utilize his knowledge and experience to further the Cash legacy working on special projects. He will relinquish day-to-day management responsibilities to allow him to spend more time with his wife Karen, his children, and grandchildren.

“We are thrilled to recognize Lou for the incredible contributions he has made to the Cash and Carter families,” said Sullivan. “None of this would be possible without his constant and unwavering dedication. It is an honor to have his ongoing counsel to protect and promote the legacy of John and June.”

“Lou has helped bring my father and mother, John and June, to generations of fans,” said John Carter Cash. “We are lucky to have this expertise for future generations as well. It is a blessing to have Lou as a personal mentor and lifetime friend.”

In addition to producing 100 Cash concerts a year, Robin played a role in the licensing of Cash’s music, name and likeness, merchandising and a significant part in his recording career with Sony and American Recordings. Robin founded Artist Consultants Productions in 1957 and was responsible for promoting more than 5,000 concerts worldwide with major artists such as The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, The Tijuana Brass, Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Robin began promoting concerts with Johnny Cash in 1969 and then became manager for both John and June from 1973 until their passing in 2003. From that time on, he continued to serve the Trust in the role of Manager of Business Affairs.

“I’m pleased to be able to use my knowledge to help continue the growth of this important American Icon’s image,” said Robin.

 

IBMA Adds Director, Communications and Professional Development

Shannon Turner

Shannon Turner

Shannon Turner joined the International Bluegrass Music Association as director, communications and professional development. Turner was previously an independent media/promotion executive and freelance writer.

Turner is a 2013 graduate of Leadership Bluegrass.

 

Deluge Music, Gravity Gone Music Ink Co-Publishing Deal

Pictured, Back row (L-R): David Robkin, Managing Member, Deluge Music; Mark Friedman, President, Deluge Music. Pictured, Front row (L-R): Stephanie Greene, Gravity Gone Music; Oran Thornton,

Pictured, Back row (L-R): David Robkin, Managing Member, Deluge Music; Mark Friedman, President, Deluge Music. Pictured, Front row (L-R): Stephanie Greene, Gravity Gone Music; Oran Thornton,

Deluge Music and Gravity Gone Music have signed a co-publishing agreement with songwriter/producer Oran Thornton.

Deluge Music was formed in 2015 by Mark Friedman, David Robkin, and Larry Mazer, and has offices in Nashville and Los Angeles. Gravity Gone Music owner Stephanie Greene runs the Nashville office.

 

Marbaloo Launches Internship Program

Screen Shot 2016-01-07 at 11.10.33 AM

Marbaloo has launched its first internship program, MarbaLearn. The program offers for-credit and paid internships for students, with opportunities available in the areas of research, marketing, project management, publicity, journalism, social media, e-commerce, fan communities, tour marketing, copywriting, content curation, content creation, graphic design, photography, and video editing.

The deadline for applying is Jan. 31. For more information, visit marbalearn.com.

Crowd Surf’s Cassie Petrey Named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List

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Cassie Petrey

Cassie Petrey

Crowd Surf co-founder Cassie Petrey is included on the music portion of the 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Petrey founded the digital marketing company in 2007 with longtime friend Jade Driver.

“I look forward to this Forbes piece releasing every year and always get extremely inspired by all the talented people that the magazine features,” said Petrey. “I’m so humbled, honored, and excited to be listed alongside such amazing company.”

Crowd Surf provides catered and specialized marketing services to a roster of clients including The Band Perry, Hunter Hayes, Steven Tyler, William Michael Morgan and April Kry.

Today, the company has evolved into a 35-person team with four offices.

Industry Ink: Country Radio Seminar, Merch Cat, Crowd Surf, Vices Verses Music

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Country Radio Seminar Extends CRS Discount Deadline

CRS 2016 Logo

Country Radio Seminar has extended the deadline to receive a $100 discount on CRS 2016 registrations, available now through Jan. 11. Following the deadline, the $529 per person rate will increase to $629. To register for the three-day event, held Monday, Feb. 8 through Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the Omni Hotel, visit countryradioseminar.com.

In addition, a limited number of Omni Hotel rooms are still available. To book a room, call 1-800-THE-OMNI (1-800-843-6664) or reserve online. The CRS Rate booking code is 020616CRB2016.

Richlyn Marketing Adds Merch Cat To PR Roster

Merch Cat founder Melissa Ferrer.

Merch Cat founder Vanessa Ferrer.

Richlyn Marketing has added Merch Cat to its client roster for public relations. Merch Cat is a one-stop shop solution for merchandise sales and inventory management. Designed for performing artists, the app enables users to turn their stagefront into a successful storefront. Merch Cat founder Vanessa Ferrer developed the app and reporting component as a solution to her own challenges managing merchandise as an artist manager.

Crowd Surf Promotes Fulgum To Publicist Role

Kara Fulgum

Kara Fulgum

Crowd Surf founders, Cassie Petrey and Jade Driver, have promoted Kara Fulgum to the role of publicist. Fulgum joined Crowd Surf in 2014 as Publicity Assistant. In her new role, Fulgum will oversee publicity efforts for Crowd Surf’s country and Nashville-based clients. She will report to Driver and Petrey as well as Crowd Surf’s general manager, Teddy Cheek.

“Kara is absolutely incredible and hard-working, and we’re thrilled with her vision for taking our publicity department in Nashville to the next level,” said Petrey. “She has a very unique view and approach, and our clients are really going to benefit from this.”

Fulgum can be reached at [email protected].

Vices Verses Music Launches, Signs John Kennedy

Pictured (L-R): John Kennedy, Steve Freeman.

Pictured (L-R): John Kennedy, Steve Freeman.

Writer/Producer Steve Freeman has launched Vices Verses Music, an independent publishing and artist development company with offices and studios located in Nashville as well as Manhattan Beach, California.

Vices Verses’ first exclusive publishing agreement is with former Universal writer John Kennedy, whose hits include LeAnn Rimes’ “Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way” and Jack Ingram’s “Maybe She’ll Get Lonely,” as well as cuts by Faith Hill, Julianne Hough, Billy Ray Cyrus, Josh Gracin and Bucky Covington.

“I have always been aware and a fan of both John and the huge hits he has written, but honestly, it was listening to the songs that he’s written in the last couple of years that sold me,” says Freeman. “I heard what he is currently writing and producing and knew we had to have him on our team and writing exclusively for us.”

The company will focus on signing new and established staff writers and producers, catalog acquisition and artist development. “It’s not enough to just write a great song these days, then place all of the pressure on your creative staff to find that song a home. Publishers, especially independents, have to be actively engaged in finding vehicles and outlets for their songs. That’s why we as a company will be putting our money where our mouth is creatively by utilizing our resources to find and sign talent across all genres that we want to work and write with, produce and develop for the next level,” adds Freeman.