Sturgill Simpson‘s A Sailor’s Guide To Earth ranks No. 1 on the country albums rankings and No. 3 overall, selling 52.5K. It’s the Nashville musician’s first release with Atlantic Records.
Simpson is followed by Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller (29K), Joey + Rory‘s Hymns (13K), Thomas Rhett‘s Untangled (5.6K), and Sam Hunt‘s Montevallo (5.3K). Marie Osmond makes a Top 10 debut this week on the country album rankings with Music Is Medicine entering at No. 10 with 3.9K in sales.
Prince‘s music takes the two top spots on the overall album rankings, with The Very Best and Purple Rain ranking at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, with 179K and 69K units (album sales, song sales and streaming figures combined). Santana‘s Santana IV debuts at No. 5 on the overall chart, with 42K units. Nashville’s Thirty Tigers/Sony Red is distributing the project. Thirty Tigers/Sony Red was also behind Simpson’s previous release Metamodern Sounds In Country Music.
Overall album sales YTD have decreased 16.5 percent, while country album sales have declined 4.8 percent. Overall digital album sales have shrunk 23.5 percent, while country digital album sales have declined by 13.7 percent.
Tim McGraw continues to top the tracks rankings with “Humble and Kind” (40K), followed by Dierks Bentley‘s “Somewhere On A Beach” (33K), Maren Morris‘ “My Church” (25.5K), Thomas Rhett‘s “T-Shirt” (25K), and Chris Young (featuring Cassadee Pope)’s “Think Of You” (25K). The Voice contestant Adam Wakefield makes this week’s highest country debut, with “Soulshine” ranking at No. 12 on the country rankings and No. 42 on the overall rankings (18.5K).
Lukas Graham‘s “7 Years” returns to the No. 1 spot on the overall digital tracks rankings this week.
Track sales have decreased 25.1 percent YTD, while country track sales have decreased 20.2 percent.
Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.
Carlin Nashville Hosts Showcase During Nashville Film Festival
/by Craig_ShelburnePictured (L-R, Middle/Front): Katrina Tsang, Carlin Nashville; Abbey Hickman, We Are Walker; Brian Naguit, CBS; Blaire Alise, Blaire Alise & The Bombshells; Anastasia Brown, Format Entertainment; Julia Michels, Format Entertainment; Jeff Gordon, Carlin Nashville; Kaylin Frank, Disney; Justine von Winterfeldt, Format Entertainment; Aaron Mercer, Wool & Tusk; Nick Maker, Energy BBDO; Toddrick Spalding, Mob Scene; (L-R, Back): Gideon Klein, Blaire Alise & The Bombshells; Nick Keenan, Leo Burnett; Nick Swafford, Blaire Alise & The Bombshells; Jessie Key, Blaire Alise & The Bombshells. Photo: Carlin Nashville
Carlin Nashville hosted a private dinner and showcase for film, TV and ad executives during the Nashville Film Festival on Friday night (April 22).
Music supervisors were treated to brand new songs from Carlin Nashville songwriter and rock artist Blaire Alise & The Bombshells. The sponsored event featured an energetic, intimate performance followed by an outdoor dinner party at East Nashville’s Rumours East.
Blaire Alise & The Bombshells perform. Photo: Mary-Beth Blankenship
Carlin Nashville is the Nashville division of independent music publisher Carlin America. With offices in New York, London and Nashville, Carlin has one of the world’s largest catalogs of vintage and modern roots music. Notable catalogs include: King and Starday Records, AC/DC, James Brown, Billie Holiday, George Jones, Stanley Brothers, Stephen Sondheim and many more.
Kendall Lettow Joins MV2 Entertainment
/by Craig_ShelburneKendall Lettow
MV2 Entertainment has announced the hiring of Kendall Lettow as Creative Director. In the new role, she will pursue publishing, artist development, and TV/film placements for the company.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Lettow studied music business at MTSU and interned at Big Loud Shirt publishing company in 2011. She landed her first job at Kobalt Music as a creative assistant that same year, followed by career stops at Still Working Music and ThiS Music.
Songwriters on the MV2 roster are Jay Allen, Bart Allmand, Robert Arthur, David Fanning, Terry McBride, Mark and Cherie Oakley and Nora Collins.
“I am truly excited to have Kendall here at MV2. Her creative drive and passion for music make her a perfect fit for our team,” said MV2 Entertainment General Manager Tony Harrell.
Artist Updates: Rob Baird, Scott Brantley, Colt Ford
/by Craig_ShelburneBMI Hosts Rob Baird Listening Party
Pictured (L-R): Jon Freeman, journalist; Larry Murray, Foolish Kings Management; Rob Baird, artist; Bradley Collins, BMI; Jed Hilly, Americana Music Association. Photo credit: Steve Low
Rob Baird previewed his upcoming album, Wrong Side of the River, at a listening party at BMI on Thursday (April 21). The project will be released on May 13 via Hard Luck Recording Company.
CMA Welcomes Scott Brantley
Pictured (L-R): Mike Mouret, President, Studio Gold Nashville; Brandi Simms, Sr. Director of Membership, CMA; Scott Brantley
New artist Scott Brantley stopped by CMA offices recently after signing up for membership. He is signed to Studio Gold Recordings and will release a new single, “How Summer Goes,” to country radio in May.
Colt Ford And Jack Nicklaus Meet At Concession Cup
Pictured (L-R): Jack Nicklaus, Colt Ford
Colt Ford, an Average Joes recording artist and former pro golfer, greeted World Golf Hall of Fame member Jack Nicklaus at The Concession Cup at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. The event was held place April 19-23 on a course built by Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin.
The Concession Cup was created to celebrate amateur golf through the staging of a goodwill match-play competition. The event provides financial benefit to various worthy charities within the Bradenton/Tampa/St. Petersburg area.
The inaugural event in 2014 generated over $176,000 for Orphan’s Heart Foundation, The First Tee of Tampa Bay, The First Tee of Sarasota/Manatee and Nicklaus Children’s Heath Care Foundation.
Dolly Parton Reveals Dates For Pure & Simple Tour
/by Jessica NicholsonDolly Parton
Dolly Parton has revealed the tour dates for the first leg of her upcoming Pure & Simple Tour, which will cross the United States this year. Stops for the first 14 dates of the tour will include performances in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, New York, and more.
Parton’s Pure & Simple Tour coincides with the summer release of her double-disc album Pure & Simple with Dolly’s Biggest Hits. The collection will include some of Parton’s most popular singles as well as a few new tracks.
Additional U.S. dates will be announced soon, including her first trek into Canada in more than two decades. For the last 20 years, Parton has only played select dates in the U.S., but her 2016 tour will cover numerous cities across North America.
Dolly Parton Pure & Simple Tour Dates
June 3: Greensboro, North Carolina; Greensboro Coliseum
June 4: Duluth, Georgia; Infinite Energy Center
June 7: Charleston, West Virginia; Charleston Civic Center
June 8: Vienna, Virginia, Wolf Trap
June 10: Northfield, Ohio; Hard Rock
June 11: Cincinnati, Ohio; Horseshoe Casino
June 12: Lewiston, New York; Artpark
June 15: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Mann Center
June 17: Lenox, Massachussets; Tanglewood
June 18: Bangor, Maine; Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
June 22: Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania; Mohegan Sun Arena
June 25: Forest Hills, New York; Forest Hills Stadium
June 26: Holmdel, New Jersey; PNC Bank Arts Center
June 28: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Consol Energy Center
George Strait Opens Las Vegas Concert Series
/by Jessica NicholsonGeorge Strait performs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Essential Broadcast Media
George Strait entertained 19,222 fans at Las Vegas’ new T-Mobile Arena this past weekend with songs from his catalog of No. 1 songs, including “All My Ex’s Live In Texas,” “Ocean Front Property,” and more.
“I’ve missed you guys and I’m looking forward to being here a few more nights this year,” Strait told the crowd.
Strait also honored the late Merle Haggard with a medley of Haggard hits, including “Mama Tried,” “Fightin’ Side Of Me,” and “My Life’s Been Grand.”
“We’ll never get to hear Merle play live again, but his music will live on forever,” Strait said.
Kacey Musgraves opened the show.
The show is the first of several Strait concerts at the T-Mobile Arena slated for 2016 and 2017, with additional sold-out shows set for Sept. 9-10, Dec. 2-3, and Feb. 17-18, 2017.
Weekly Register: Sturgill Simpson Steers To Top Of Country Albums
/by Jessica NicholsonSturgill Simpson‘s A Sailor’s Guide To Earth ranks No. 1 on the country albums rankings and No. 3 overall, selling 52.5K. It’s the Nashville musician’s first release with Atlantic Records.
Simpson is followed by Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller (29K), Joey + Rory‘s Hymns (13K), Thomas Rhett‘s Untangled (5.6K), and Sam Hunt‘s Montevallo (5.3K). Marie Osmond makes a Top 10 debut this week on the country album rankings with Music Is Medicine entering at No. 10 with 3.9K in sales.
Prince‘s music takes the two top spots on the overall album rankings, with The Very Best and Purple Rain ranking at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, with 179K and 69K units (album sales, song sales and streaming figures combined). Santana‘s Santana IV debuts at No. 5 on the overall chart, with 42K units. Nashville’s Thirty Tigers/Sony Red is distributing the project. Thirty Tigers/Sony Red was also behind Simpson’s previous release Metamodern Sounds In Country Music.
Overall album sales YTD have decreased 16.5 percent, while country album sales have declined 4.8 percent. Overall digital album sales have shrunk 23.5 percent, while country digital album sales have declined by 13.7 percent.
Tim McGraw continues to top the tracks rankings with “Humble and Kind” (40K), followed by Dierks Bentley‘s “Somewhere On A Beach” (33K), Maren Morris‘ “My Church” (25.5K), Thomas Rhett‘s “T-Shirt” (25K), and Chris Young (featuring Cassadee Pope)’s “Think Of You” (25K). The Voice contestant Adam Wakefield makes this week’s highest country debut, with “Soulshine” ranking at No. 12 on the country rankings and No. 42 on the overall rankings (18.5K).
Lukas Graham‘s “7 Years” returns to the No. 1 spot on the overall digital tracks rankings this week.
Track sales have decreased 25.1 percent YTD, while country track sales have decreased 20.2 percent.
Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.
New Kris Kristofferson Double Album Announced
/by Craig_ShelburneKris Kristofferson. Photo: Marina Chavez
Kris Kristofferson will issue a new, two-volume album titled The Cedar Creek Sessions on June 17, just five days before his 80th birthday.
He recorded the album at Cedar Creek Recording in Austin, Texas, over three days in 2014, using some of his favorite musicians and giving the session a live feel.
The ensemble includes Shawn Camp on lead guitar, Kevin Smith on bass, Michael Ramos on keyboard, and Mike Meadows on drums. Camp and Tamara Saviano co-produced the session.
Track Listing for The Cedar Creek Sessions:
Volume One
1. “Duvalier’s Dream”
2. “The Loving Gift” (with special guest Sheryl Crow)
3. “The Sabre and the Rose”
4. “The Law is for the Protection of the People”
5. “It No Longer Matters What I Do”
6. “Stagger Mountain Tragedy”
7. “The Wife You Save”
8. “Lay Me Down and Love the World Away”
9. “The Bigger the Fool (The Harder the Fall)”
10. “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”
11. “Spooky Lady’s Revenge”
12. “Forever In Your Love”
13. “Winter”
Volume Two
1. “Darby’s Castle”
2. “Me and Bobby McGee”
3. “Broken Freedom Song”
4. “Casey’s Last Ride”
5. “Billy Dee”
6. “Easter Island”
7. “For the Good Times”
8. “Help Me Make It Through the Night”
9. “Jody and the Kid”
10. “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)”
11. “Risky Business”
12. “To Beat the Devil”
Kenny Chesney Launches Spread The Love Tour To 50,000+ Fans
/by Craig_ShelburneKenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney kicked off his 2016 Spread the Love Tour in Auburn, Alabama, on Saturday night (April 23) with an attendance of 50,430. It was the first-ever concert held in the 75-year history of Jordan-Hare Stadium at Auburn University.
The show was billed as the Music & Miracles Superfest in honor of the late Kevin Brown, who co-founded the Chicken Salad Chick restaurant chain with his wife, Stacy. Before his death from cancer in November, he came up with the concept of the concert to raise money for cancer-related organizations. One of the beneficiaries was Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
To honor Brown’s memory, Chesney played “My Home’s in Alabama” on piano. Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt and Old Dominion were also part of the concert lineup.
“Sometimes you can feel the energy long before you hit the stage,” Chesney said. “It’s gathering, and you can sense it. This was one of those shows, one of those times. It was so intense, it was so there, this is the reason we do this: to play music and feel all that energy coming at us.”
An aerial view of Chesney’s concert in Auburn, Alabama. Photo: Allister Ann
Rhapsody Music Names First CEO
/by Jessica NicholsonDavis joins after the service after his most recent post as Sr. Operating consultant for The Gores Group. He also served in a CEO role for Alliance Entertainment and at Gavin De Becker & Associates, before a Executive VP of Universal Music Enterprises role.
“I am thrilled to join Rhapsody at such a dynamic time for both the company and the music industry,” said Davis. “For 15 years, Rhapsody has led innovation in streaming music and remains a best-in-class streaming music service. Thanks to the biggest and best partners in the world and a roadmap of innovative new features, we are primed for continued global growth during one of the most pivotal years in music.”
Reviver Records Songwriter Michael Tyler Notches First Chart-Topper
/by Jessica NicholsonMichael Tyler with Dierks Bentley. Photo: Jeremy Westby / Webster Public Relations
Reviver Records singer-songwriter Michael Tyler has gained his first No. 1 single, as a co-writer on Dierks Bentley’s latest hit “Somewhere on a Beach.” After remaining on Billboard Hot Country Song chart for 13 weeks, the single arose to the top of the Billboard chart ranking and reached No. 1 status the week of April 30.
The song is the lead single from Bentley’s eighth studio album, Black, due out on May 27.
“Michael is a hugely talented young songwriter,” said Reviver Records President David Ross. “Since signing with Reviver Records, we’ve mentioned time and again that the industry would quickly find out about Michael’s talents as both a writer and musician, and it looks as though it’s already happening!”
Tyler, a descendant of Jimmie Rodgers, is a singer-songwriter/musician hailing from Thayer, Missouri. Since moving to Nashville, he has had a hand in writing “Shipwrecked” and “Ain’t Startin’ Tonight” for Reviver Records label mates LOCASH. He also co-wrote “Laid Back” from Jason Aldean’s Old Boots, New Dirt album.
Tyler is signed with peermusic for publishing.