The Eagles Surpass Michael Jackson For Best-Selling Album Of All Time

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The Eagles‘ greatest hits album has surpassed Michael Jackson’s Thriller as the best-selling album of all-time, according to the RIAA.

The group’s 1976 album Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is certified 38x Platinum, putting it ahead of Jackson’s iconic Thriller album, which is 33x Platinum.

According to the RIAA, the Eagles’ 1977 album Hotel California is now 26x Platinum, which places it as the third best-selling album of all time.

The RIAA had previously totaled sales for the Eagles’ greatest hits album in 2006 (it was 29x Platinum at the time). Sales and streams tallies for Jackson’s Thriller were updated in 2017.

“We are grateful for our families, our management, our crew, the people at radio and, most of all, the loyal fans who have stuck with us through the ups and downs of 46 years. It’s been quite a ride,” the Eagles’ Don Henley said via a statement.

After a 2013 change in company policy, the RIAA began incorporating digital music services to ascertain song and album certifications. Currently, 1,500 album streams equal one album sale. Additionally, 10 song downloads are equal to one album sale.

The band, known for their hits including “Hotel California” and “I Can’t Tell You Why,” was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Kenny Chesney’s Entire 20-Album Sony Music Catalog Is RIAA-Certified

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Kenny Chesney recently broke a record at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium with more than 55,000 fans attending his Trip Around The Sun tour stop. But the achievements don’t stop there for this multi-talented entertainer.

Every album Chesney has recorded for his former label home, Sony Music Nashville, has now earned an RIAA certification, including five multi-platinum albums, 10 platinum albums, and five gold albums.

“It always amazes me how deep into the catalogue No Shoes Nation goes,” says the eight-time Entertainer of the Year winner. “People talk to me about songs from Me and You; they talk to me about Hemingway’s Whiskey, Be As You Are and even All I Want for Christmas. But you never sit down and think about the fact they must have all made those albums a part of their life. So to hear every record I’ve made is platinum – or gold – that kind of makes me pause a little.”

A listing of his certifications follows:

All I Need To Know (1995): Gold
Me and You (1996): Platinum
I Will Stand (1997): Platinum
Everywhere We Go (1999): 2x Platinum
Greatest Hits (2000): 5x Platinum
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (2002): 4x Platinum
When The Sun goes Down (2004): 4x Platinum
Be As You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair): Platinum
The Road And The Radio (2005): 3x Platinum
Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates (2007): Platinum
Lucky Old Sun (2008): Platinum
Hemingway’s Whiskey (2010): Platinum
Welcome To The Fish Bowl (2012): Platinum
Life On A Rock (2013): Gold
The Big Revival (2014):Gold
Cosmic Hallelujah (2016):Gold
Greatest Hits II (2009): Platinum
Live In No Shoes Nation (2017): Platinum
Live: Live Those Songs Again (2006): Gold
All I Want For Christmas Is A Real Good Tan (2003): Gold

“We were blessed, and we were lucky,” Chesney explains. “I believed there were a lot of people out there, who were living lives a whole lot like mine. When I started writing and recording songs that reflected that, people heard their own stories – and they really responded. I think people deserve to hear songs that show them their life, and that’s always what I’ve tried to do.

“You want to make music that connects, that feels honest and that catches people up in the groove, the melody and yes, the words,” says the man whose brand-new Songs for the Saints (on Warner Music Nashville) was the No. 1 selling all-genre album the week it came out. “To me, all the albums I loved gave me windows into a world I wanted, or lifted up the world I was living in. Happy, sad, mad or whatever, I felt those songs – and hearing this news makes me feel like people felt my songs the very same way.”

Cole Swindell Aims To Keep The Hits Coming On Third Album, ‘All Of It’

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Pictured (L-R): Katie Bright (National Director Radio & Streaming, WMN); Matt Signore (COO, WMN); John Esposito (Chairman & CEO, WMN); Cole Swindell; Kerri Edwards (President, KP Entertainment); Shane Tarleton (SVP Artist Development, WMN); Kristen Williams (SVP Radio & Streaming, WMN); Justin Luffman (VP Artist Development, WMN)

Over the span of his first two albums, Warner Music Nashville artist Cole Swindell has earned seven No. 1 singles, all of which have been certified Gold or Platinum. On Monday (Aug. 13), he joined his Warner Music Nashville and KP Entertainment families to celebrate that feat, but also to introduce the Nashville music industry to his upcoming third album, All Of It, which releases Friday (Aug. 17).

Warner Music Nashville CEO John Esposito noted that between the four instant grat tracks and the single that have been released, the Michael Carter-produced project has already logged the equivalent of having sold 70,000 albums before reaching its street date.

“When you hear this album, it will be a contender for CMA Album of the Year,” Esposito said. “It didn’t make the cut for this year’s [voting], but it will for next year.”

Led by his current single “Break Up In The End,” the album features gems such as “The Ones Who Got Me Here” and “Dad’s Old Number.” During the album preview party, Swindell introduced several tracks from the album, giving industry members a first glimpse at the project, and also offered a live performance of “Break Up In The End.”

Swindell shared a few stories about how certain songs ended up on the album, including a last-minute cut that became the project’s title track.

“We were on a basketball trip to West Virginia and I was done with the album, had cut all the songs I was going to cut and was happy with it. Then JD Groover, we were all on my bus and I remember somehow they played me that song and I was like, ‘I need to hear that again,’ and I knew that was the groove I was missing. I’d always heard of artists going back in at the last minute to record a song, and I’ve never been able to do that, and I was scared to even ask the team if I could do that. All I knew was I could not picture anyone else singing it. It became the title track of the album.

Following the event, Swindell invited the room to his massive Whiskey Jam album release party later that evening.

Swindell performs as part of NBC’s Citi Concert Series on TODAY this Friday (Aug. 17). He will kick off the six-date, straight-to-fans All Of It Tour that same night in St. Louis, Missouri.

Weekly Register: Luke Combs, FGL Lead Country Sales Charts

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Luke Combs‘ This One’s For You tops this week’s country albums chart, with 24K (total consumption), according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Last week’s chart-topping album, Songs For The Saints from Kenny Chesney, is at No. 2 this week, with 24K, followed by Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town at No. 3 with 17K. Kane Brown‘s self-titled album is at No. 4 with 14K, and Dan + Shay‘s self-titled album rounds out the Top 5, with 14K.

Florida Georgia Line continues to dominate the Top Country Song Sales chart, as “Simple” moves 17K this week. Brett Young‘s “Mercy” is at No. 2 with 16K, followed by Dan + Shay’s “Tequila” at No. 3 with 12K. Jason Aldean (w/Miranda Lambert)’s “Drowns The Whiskey” is at No. 4 with 11K, followed by Kenny Chesney’s “Get Along” at No. 5 with 11K.

Old Dominion Celebrates Platinum Singles With Rooftop Show At JW Marriott Nashville

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Pictured (L-R): Whit Sellers, Trevor Rosen, Matt Ramsey, Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung

Old Dominion celebrated a trio of RIAA Platinum certifications for the No. 1 hits “Written In The Sand,” “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart” and “Song For Another Time,” and reaching one billion career streams with an exclusive rooftop concert at the new JW Marriott in downtown Nashville last Thursday night (Aug. 7).

The band performed a set full of fan favorites during the event and were surprised with a plaque by their label, Sony Music Nashville, for the achievements. Their banner week culminated on Saturday night with their performance for a record-setting hometown crowd at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Kenny Chesney‘s Trip Around The Sun Tour.

Pictured, Back Row (L-R): Taylor Lindsey, Sony Music Nashville; Dennis Reese, RCA Records Nashville; Tracy Fleaner, Sony Music Nashville; Ed Rivadavia, Sony Music Nashville; Basak Kizilsik, Morris Higham; Nate Ritchies, Morris Higham; Mike Betterton, Morris Higham; Steve Hodges, Sony Music Nashville; Paige Altone, Sony Music Nashville. Pictured, Front Row (L-R): Whit Sellers, Trevor Rosen, Matt Ramsey, Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung

Citi Report Reveals Music Artists Receive 12 Percent Of Industry Revenue

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A recent report from investment bank Citi revealed music artists receive around 12 percent of music industry revenue.

This 12 percent figure is up five percentage points from 2000, when just 7 percent of industry revenue reached artists.

Industry analyst Glenn Peoples believes this 12 percent figure is misleading as it includes revenue that cannot be “reasonably captured” by artists, but relatively on par with what an artist would earn if they independently contracted services to market their music themselves.

“I think AM/FM radio ad revenue needs to be taken out,” said Peoples. “It’s off the table for most labels/performers…So don’t put that ad revenue in the denominator. Labels/artists don’t get some performance royalties available to publishers. Music played in grocery stores, GAP outlets, and minor league ballparks pay a blanket license that provides royalties to publishers/songwriters. Just as labels/artists (mostly) don’t have access to AM/FM ad revenue, they don’t get to tap into grocery store revenues. Surely some small part of the retail experience is driven by music. My point is public performance royalties from AM/FM radio is tricky. Music provides value, but how much value? And if labels don’t have a performance right, and can’t get that ad revenue, I don’t think those ad revenues should be included in this study…But what if all/most artists go DIY? They’d own their rights and either build their own team (promo, marketing, product management, etc) or hire a label services/distro [sic] company. And they might need to make separate deals for other territories. And after all expenses are paid, and after managers/agents get their cut, an artist could be left with something like a 12 percent operating profit.”

Peoples goes on to estimate an artist could capture as high as a 19 percent of revenue if “reasonably captured” revenue had been calculated.

“Citi should have taken into account revenue that could reasonably be captured by labels/artists. So, remove AM/FM radio, and remove what publishing money comes from it, and the artist’s share of revenue jumps to about 19% (if my math is correct). Of course, you could say, ‘Well, it’s still just 19 percent. That’s not much for working artists.’ And I’d say, ’19 percent might not be great, but it’s a helluva lot better than 12 percent.'”

The Citi report also details possible adaptions likely to change the music industry in future years, including:

  1. Potential Expansion by Labels into Live Events
  2. Potential Expansion by Internet Music Distributors into Record Label Role
  3. Potential Consolidation Among Distribution Platforms (Amazon, Apple, Pandora, Spotify, iHeart, Sirius)
  4. Potential Vertical Integration on Music Value Chain (concert promoters could merge with existing distribution platforms)

Read the full report at ir.citi.com.

ABC Leads Network Race For Average Total Viewers With 2018 ‘CMA Fest’

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Pictured (L-R): Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini. Photo: ABC/Ed Herrera

ABC’s three hour CMA Fest broadcast, hosted by Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini, drew in 4.72 million total viewers this year (Wednesday, Aug. 8), leading all network averages in total viewership.

The numbers however were down for ABC, from 5.71 million last year, when the program aired a week later on the calendar and were the largest in three years. At the end of 2011, the CMA signed a 10-year agreement with ABC to broadcast its fest, awards and Christmas special on the network.

Nielsen’s specific live + same-day metrics saw this 15th annual broadcast fall 25 percent year-over-year in adults 18-49, averaging a 0.9/5 rating.

ABC’s CMA Fest afterparty with Jimmy Kimmel Live featured music by Brett Eldredge, and saw a bump in metered-market ratings for demo, at 0.5/3.

Elsewhere, CBS’ Big Brother maintained its lead on Wednesday with a 1.5/6 and 5.6 million viewers while NBC’s World of Dance was steady at 1.1/5 with 4.71 viewers and Masterchef earned 1.0/5 for Fox, all in the 8 p.m. hour. 24 Hours to Hell & Back earned 0.9. Overall averages saw Fox leading all networks among the 18-49 demographic with 1.0/5 (3.34 million), while ABC (4.72 million) and NBC (3.82 million) tied for second among the same demo, at 0.9/5.

Weekly Register: Kenny Chesney, Cody Jinks Offer Top Country Debuts

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Pictured (L-R): Cody Jinks, Kenny Chesney

Warner Music Nashville/Blue Chair artist Kenny Chesney‘s Songs For The Saints crowns this week’s top country albums rankings, according to Nielsen Soundscan. As reported earlier today, the project moved 77K in total consumption in its debut week.

Cody Jinks is at No. 2, moving 24K units of his album Lifers in its debut week (total consumption). The project is Jinks’ first for the Rounder Records label.
Rounding out this week’s top 5 country albums are Luke Combs‘ This One’s For You (24K), Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town (17.5K), and Dan+Shay‘s self-titled album (15K).
On the digital country song sales chart, Florida Georgia Line‘s “Simple” leads with 17K this week, followed by Brett Young‘s “Mercy” (13K). Jason Aldean‘s (ft. Miranda Lambert) “Drowns The Whiskey” is at No. 3 with 12K, followed by Dan+Shay’s “Tequila” at No. 4 with 11K. Bebe Rexha and FGL’s “Meant To Be” is at No. 5 with 9.7K, and reaches 1.25 million to date.

Florida Georgia Line, Bebe Rexha’s “Meant To Be” Breaks Chart Record

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Pictured: Bebe Rexha (C) performs with Brian Kelley (L) and Tyler Hubbard (R) of musical group Florida Georgia Line onstage during the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha now have the longest-running streak on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with their 3X Platinum-certified hit “Meant to Be,” released via Warner Bros. Records. The global entertainers premiered at the top of the chart on Dec. 16, 2017, and have controlled the chart pinnacle for an unprecedented 35 weeks straight.

“I’m so honored to be a writer and an artist on this song,” FGL’s Tyler Hubbard said. “I’m thankful to just be one of the many people who put so much energy and effort into making music history. Now, it’s time to get back in the studio and try to break the new record.”

FGL’s Brian Kelley adds, “The power of music continues to blow our minds, and we are extremely humbled and thankful that ‘Meant’ has spent the better part of a year at the top. The connection we feel with our fans through our music is extra special with this song. Bebe and her camp were a blast to work with.”

“I’m grateful to be able to create music that allows me to push limits and push myself,” Bebe Rexha said. “I’m grateful for all the love and warmth from the country community [and give] credit to country greats who influenced me: Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and so many more. Here’s to writing with your heart and breaking boundaries.”

Surpassing 1 billion total streams globally, “Meant to Be” became FGL’s first No. 1 1 Hot Country Songs debut and marked only the fourth No. 1 entrance in the chart’s history. Rexha also became the first solo female to launch in the top spot. Hubbard, Rexha, Josh Miller, and David Garcia penned the single, which has now surpassed FGL’s former record-breaking “Cruise” (24 weeks).

FGL has ruled Billboard’s Hot Country Songs for the most weeks – 91 cumulative – since it launched in 1958. The duo hit the top of the chart with six songs, including “Cruise”; “Stay”; “This Is How We Roll”; “Dirt”; “H.O.L.Y.”; “Meant to Be” (Bebe Rexha & FGL).

Weekly Register: Luke Combs Continues Country Chart Reign

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Luke Combs continues to top the country albums sales rankings this week, with This One’s For You moving 24K in total consumption, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town is at No. 2 with 16K, followed by Dan+Shay‘s self-titled project at No. 3 with 15K. Kane Brown‘s self-titled effort is at No. 4 with 14K, while Chris Stapleton‘s 2015 album Traveller is at No. 5, with 13K.

Singer-songwriter Lori McKenna, known for penning hits including “Humble and Kind” and “Girl Crush,” released her album The Tree last week, which debuts at No. 39 on the country albums chart, with 4.2K. Also new this week are debuts from Whiskey Myers (Mud at No. 47) and Mason Ramsey (Famous at No. 68).

Florida Georgia Line‘s “Simple” leads this week’s country digital song sales, with 19K. Brett Young‘s “Mercy” is at No. 2 with 14.4K. Kenny Chesney‘s “Get Along” is at No. 3 with 12.4K, followed by Dan+Shay‘s “Tequila” at 12K. Jason Aldean (ft. Miranda Lambert)’s “Drowns The Whiskey” is at No. 5 with 11.7K.

The top five most-streamed country songs this week are Brown’s “Heaven” (9.3 million), Dan + Shay’s “Tequila” (8.6 million), Florida Georgia Line’s “Simple” (6.8 million), Young’s “Mercy” (5.8 million), and Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” (5.7 million).