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BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS
INSIDE
Makin’
Tracks: Kacey
Musgraves’
‘Biscuits’
>page 2
Stark Report:
Lyrical Laughs
>page 3
Questions
Answered:
Sweet Talk
PR’s Jensen
Sussman
>page 4
ACM Party
Expands
>page 4
Skynyrd
Tribute Due
>page 4
EDITED BY TOM ROLAND, tom.roland@billboard.com
MIDWEEK
UPDATE
APRIL 2, 2015 | PAGE 1 OF 7
Little Big Town’s ‘Crush’:
Not Too Controversial For Radio
Little Big Town has found itself a big hit in its buzzy single “Girl
Crush” (Capitol Nashville). The track races 17-3 on Billboard’s Hot
Country Songs chart (dated April 11) in the wake of news coverage about how the ballad — with its
mistaken lesbian-themed storyline
— was allegedly having difficulty
scoring radio airplay. It’s the biggest chart hit for the quartet since
“Pontoon” sailed to No. 1 in September 2012.
“Girl Crush” is sung from the
point of a view of a woman whose
jealousy of another woman’s desirability is dubbed a “girl crush.” The
lyrics are directed at a man, who is
LITTLE BIG TOWN
involved with the other woman: “I
want to taste her lips, yeah, ’cause they taste like you / I want to
drown myself in a bottle of her perfume.”
News of the song’s alleged lukewarm reception at radio garnered headlines like “Radio Stations Pull Little Big Town’s ‘Girl
Crush’ Over Complaints Of Song’s ‘Gay Agenda’ “ (Huffington
Post, March 27). Then, such stars as Miranda Lambert, Reba
McEntire and Blake Shelton began defending the song, stirring
more interest. Little Big Town’s performance of the cut on NBC’s
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (March 24) also helped.
After speaking with country radio programmers, Billboard
Country Update reported March 26
that the controversy isn’t as widespread as other media outlets have
described. Case in point: “Girl
Crush” rises 32-26 on Country Airplay with a 28 percent gain to 8.7 million in audience, the largest percentage gain among songs in the top 30
(according to Nielsen Music). It also
zooms 4-1 on Country Digital Songs
(60,000 downloads, up 137 percent
for its best sales week yet) and 20-2
on Country Streaming Songs (1.6
million U.S. streams, up 115 percent). Parent album Pain Killer
likewise benefits: It logs its best sales week (6,000, up 113 percent) since Christmas and returns to the top 10 on Top Country
Albums (15-7).
This column was written by Billboard associate director of charts/
sales Keith Caulfield (keith.caulfield@billboard.com).
JOIN THE BILLBOARD CHARTS TEAM
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
APRIL 2, 2015 | PAGE 2 OF 7
MAKIN’ TR ACKS TOM ROLAND tom.roland@billboard.com
It’s easy to feel a connection between Kacey Musgraves’ 2013 single“Follow
Your Arrow” and her current release, “Biscuits.”
Both employ tongue-in-cheek wordplay while offering up small-town imagery.
Both lean on a light acoustic arrangement drawn from classic-country influences.
And both fiercely support people doing things in their own way.
Liner-note geeks have likely already noticed the songwriters — Musgraves,
Shane McAnally (“Wild Child,” “Take Your Time”) and Brandy Clark (“Better
Dig Two,” “Mama’s Broken Heart”) — are identiMUSGRAVES
cal for the two songs. In fact, they started cooking
up “Biscuits” during the songwriting session that
produced “Arrow.”
“Someone said the line, ‘Mind your own biscuits’
— I think it was Brandy — but it’s like, ‘That’s too
good. It has to be its own song,’ ” recalls Musgraves.
“So we waited and saved it.”
It was a wise move. Same Trailer Different Park
won the Grammy Award for best country album in
January 2014 and the Academy of Country Music’s
album of the year three months later. “Arrow” was
the most-talked-about track on the project, and
sales vaulted it to No. 10 on the hybrid Hot Country Songs chart, though references to cannabis and
homosexuality made it stall at No. 43 on Country
Airplay. Despite its modest radio exposure, “Arrow”
won the Country Music Association’s song of the
year in November 2014.
“Biscuits,” written somewhere around July 2013,
perhaps benefits from the controversy. Musgraves’ name is better established,
and the conservative part of the country audience probably finds the song easier
to digest. It’s already No. 41 on Country Airplay, eclipsing “Arrow” on the chart,
while plowing similar turf. “ ‘Arrow’ was about encouraging people to do whatever, and this one is, too,” allows Musgraves.
But they’re not carbon copies. “Arrow” takes more of a societal stance, emboldening people to dance to their own drummer. “Biscuits” is written from a
first-person view, with the protagonist standing up for herself against the critics around her.
“It was hard, because we didn’t want to say the same thing we had said before,” says McAnally of writing “Biscuits.” “Kacey really is cognizant of that.”
The writing appointment was Musgraves’ first after the release of Same Trailer,
conducted at a downstairs room in a Nashville-area cabin owned by songwriter
Jeremy Spillman (“Arlington,” “Hell on the Heart”) seven months after “Arrow”
was written and recorded. They all agreed they should dive into the “mind your
own biscuits” idea.
“Someone popped out with ‘and life will be gravy,’ and we were like, ‘There
you go,’ ” says Musgraves.
“Biscuits” played on attitudes familiar in some old-school titles: Hank
Williams’ defiant “Mind Your Own Business,” Tom T. Hall’s cinematic “Harper
Valley P.T.A.” and the theme song to Hee Haw’s weekly “Gossip Girls” skit (“You’ll
never hear one of us repeating gossip/So you’d better be sure and listen close the
first time”). Appropriately, Clark and McAnally are working on Hee Haw: The Musical, which debuts this fall. “Musically and subject matter-wise, ‘Biscuits’ would
really fit what we’re doing,” says Clark.
They flavored “Biscuits” with plenty of homespun language: “I’ve never
gotten taller/Makin’ someone else feel small” or “We’ve all got dirty laundry/
Hangin’ on the line.” Also key is Musgraves’ tone — the character isn’t talking
down to her audience.
“She wanted it to feel light and not like a pointed finger or preachy,” says Mc­
Anally. “The truth is, she’s putting herself in the role of ‘I’ve got to do the same
thing, this has never worked for me.’ She wanted the music to reflect that.”
The co-write was spirited, but it needed a follow-up, mostly to work on the
bridge. When they put it together in that second session,
they used a melody that’s quite similar to the verses,
relying on the musical arrangement to provide the
sonic relief. They also piled on more of the commonfolk images: pouring salt in the sugar, twisting the “walk
a mile in my shoes” cliche into a jag about “the rocks
in your shoes” and pushing boundaries with a gardening tip — “Pissing in my yard ain’t gonna make yours
any greener.”
They never questioned whether the word “pissing” would damage its broadcast potential. “That’s
part of what I love about that group of people,” says
Clark. “There’s not a lot of censoring going on during
the process.”
Luke Laird, who co-produced “Biscuits” with Musgraves and McAnally, heard the song shortly after it was
written. “This is just so Kacey,” he says. “I can’t even
imagine anyone else singing it.”
“Biscuits” got baked in December 2014 after a catered breakfast — including biscuits — at Ben’s Place,
the same studio where most of Same Trailer was recorded. Vibe was important
for the track, so they played John Denver’s “Thank God, I’m a Country Boy” and
Mel McDaniel’s “Louisiana Saturday Night” to create the right musical spirit,
and Misa Arriaga kicked off “Biscuits” with three seconds of scratchy acoustic
guitar that matches the McDaniel track or Kenny Rogers’ “Ruby, Don’t Take
Your Love to Town.” Drummer Fred Eltringham even brought in a biscuit pan
and clinked it a couple times just before the final chorus.
“He brings such character to a track,” says Laird. “He just thinks outside the
box.”
Kyle Ryan popped in a banjo solo, Paul Franklin added a Buckaroo-ish
steel ride (“He unleashed some country fury on that thing,” says Musgraves),
and Musgraves delivered the final vocal as the track went down.
There were overdubs. They replaced the classic-country foundation in the
bridge with a string section using a Beatles-like “Yesterday” feel to make it stand
out. And they added gang vocals at a later date, trying — says McAnally — “to
make it sound as backwoods as possible.”
Musgraves performed it — barefoot, appropriately — for radio execs at the
Ryman Auditorium during Country Radio Seminar and got laughs at the all right
spots, particularly the “pissing” line and, of course, the clincher, “Life will be
gravy.” Mercury shipped “Biscuits” via Play MPE that same day, Feb. 26. It picks
up on the attitude of “Arrow,” essentially connecting the dots between Same
Trailer and the next album, expected in June.
“You can compare it to messages that I’ve put out before,” she concedes, “but
really, I just love the fact that it’s so country. The other songs are completely different on the record, so from here on out, they’re gonna hear way different songs.”
And life might well be gravy.
MUSGRAVES:KELLY CHRITINE SUTTON
Musgraves Serves ‘Biscuits’
As A Warm-Up For Next Album
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
APRIL 2, 2015 | PAGE 3 OF 7
THE STARK REPORT PHYLLIS STARK phyllis.stark@billboard.com
Misheard Lyrics Make For Some
Comical Phone Calls To DJs
While Little Big Town dominated the news cycle the week of March 23 with
stories about how fans are mishearing or misinterpreting the lyrics to its song
“Girl Crush,” the lighter side of that story is just how often radio personalities
field calls from listeners whose interpretations of lyrics they’re hearing on the
radio are comically off base.
“Girl Crush” isn’t the first time that Little Big Town’s lyrics have created
confusion. When its hit “Pontoon” was a current,
KOFFY
“instead of ‘back this hitch up into the water,’
more than one person called KVOO to complain
when they thought it said ‘back this bitch up,’ ”
reports Rowdy Yates, morning host at the Tulsa,
Okla., station.
“We went ’round and ’round with a listener
recently about Blake Shelton’s ‘All About Tonight,’ ” says WDRM Huntsville, Ala., assistant
PD/music director/afternoon driver A.J. McCloud. “Since her young son listened to WDRM with her, she was really upset
about the reference to drug use in the song. We repeatedly told her that Blake’s
‘feel-good pills and red bottle of Gatorade’ by his bed was not drug use [but] aspirin
for his hangover … She wouldn’t buy our explanation, so we agreed to disagree.”
KIIM Tucson, Ariz., morning co-host Shannon Black recently fielded a
call from a listener who thought the lyric in Miranda Lambert’s “Little Red
Wagon” is “the front seat’s broken and my asshole’s dragging” rather than “my
axle’s dragging.”
Darius Rucker is a source of confusion for some. WUSN Chicago morning
co-host Ramblin’ Ray Stevens says, “The current misheard lyric is from Darius’ ‘Homegrown.’ My little girl sings ‘simple-ass smile.’ I spoke with [Rucker]
yesterday, and he laughed his ass off [about that]. It’s ‘sip of that smile.’ ” And
Kris Rochester of the syndicated Tony & Kris show says Rucker’s “Alright”
contains a line “that had a listener calling us asking for ‘I Spaghetti Hands.’ ”
(Actual lyric: “I’ve got spaghetti and a cheap bottle of wine.”)
Then there are the lyrics the personalities cop to screwing up themselves. “The
first month of ‘Sweet Annie’ by Zac Brown Band, I thought Zac was singing
about a guy named Sven. [I] was all excited that Zac was singing a song about a
Norwegian,” admits KMNB Minneapolis morning man Paul Koffy. “Sven’s had
all he can stand.” (Actual lyric: “This man’s had all he can stand.”)
WKKT Charlotte, N.C., morning man Paul Schadt isn’t alone in admitting
he thought the lyric in Jason Aldean’s “Take a Little Ride” was not “slide your
pretty self on over,” but “slide your pretty cellDeYOUNG
phone over.” He explains, “I thought her phone
was separating them, maybe in a booth.”
“Thanks to many years of listening to my
music super-loud, it’s very rare that I don’t screw
up the words. But it’s fun, especially when listeners call or tweet to correct me,” says WSIX
Nashville midday host Amy Paige. Lyrics she has
misunderstood include thinking Brett Eldredge
got “hooked on a girl with Lou Diamond eyes”
(actual lyric: “blue diamond eyes”) and that Canaan Smith is “more efficient
in the dark” (actual lyric: “I’m more a fishin’ in the dark Nitty Gritty boy.”)
WPOC Baltimore morning host Laurie DeYoung cites Kenny Rogers’ “Lucille” as her best misheard lyric: “I always thought he was saying, ‘Four hundred
children and a crop in the field.’ I used to wonder if the person was taking in foster
kids or what. Then I realized it was ‘four hungry children.’ ”
Janie Carothers of WQDR Raleigh, N.C.’s Q Morning Crew had a little misunderstanding with “Dust on the Bottle” by David Lee Murphy. “I grew up with
that song in the ’90s, and I always thought he was saying, ‘Dust on the Bible,’ ”
she admits. “I mean, it could work: ‘There might be a little dust on the Bible.’ ”
Finally, WUSY Chattanooga, Tenn., afternoon co-host Melissa “Mo” Turner
says a lyric in Josh Gracin’s “Nothin’ to Lose” caused an argument between
herself and her husband. “He thought the lyrics were ‘she’s got me rollin’ in third
in a white T-shirt.’ I informed him the correct lyric was ‘dirt,’ but he refused to
believe me … I enjoyed getting the lyrics from the album and pointing out that I,
in fact, was right. To this day he … continues to plead his case.”
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APRIL 2, 2015 | PAGE 4 OF 7
well with them. That could be crushing to
them. It’s all part of the business, and I think
QUE STIONS
every artist that gets into it knows this is what
they’ve signed up for. For me personally, I’m
very persistent, and I love challenges. So to be
able to take an artist from the very beginning
that hasn’t had one press clip or one interview
and build that, to me, is exciting.
Answered
Jensen Sussman
President/owner, Sweet Talk Publicity
@sweettalkpr
With a client list topped by Florida Georgia Line and Jake Owen, Jensen Sussman has arrived among the top publicists in Nashville media
circles. Raised by a business manager with a CPA background — Sussman & Associates president Charles Sussman — she spent several
years doing PR for beauty products in New York before returning to
Tennessee. After stints at Sony, Warner Music Nashville and Equity,
she founded her own media firm, Sweet Talk, with a nine-artist client
list that currently includes Frankie Ballard, Dustin Lynch and Craig
Campbell. Two of her acts, Kristian Bush and Will Hoge, release albums on April 7.
You did PR in the fashion industry before you got into music. Why
did you make that shift? The shift came pretty naturally. I worked
in beauty and fashion, and we represented Sephora, Stila, Philosphy,
Nivea, Healing Garden; everything from mass market to luxury. I
moved back to Nashville because I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I missed publicity so much, and music was so prominent in Nashville,
and I was always such a huge music fan. What I found out that I loved,
and why I’ve stayed, is that it’s very different working with people vs.
products. I love that when you work with people, artists, they have
personalities, and they have feelings. At the end of the day, you can
put your eye shadow in the drawer and shut it, but with music, it keeps
going. It’s real people and their real lives.
Does that also make it harder? You probably are turning away
more interviews than you’re taking for Florida Georgia Line, but
there’s other clients you have to push, and you might not do as
What’s the biggest misconception that managers have about PR? One of the misconceptions is that it should come later in
the artist-development process. When you’re taking an artist to radio and it’s in
the beginning is when you’re really establishing their name and connecting the
face with the music, with the brand. Adding it into the team later is beneficial,
but I think a misconception is that you don’t really need it in the beginning.
How do you decide the maximum size of your client roster? I decide more
based on release schedules than a set number. I know that capacity-wise, we
wouldn’t want to release five albums in the same day. When you’re at a label,
sometimes that happens, but in running my own company, and keeping my
staff happy and all of my clients happy, I look at release schedules.
How has the growth of social media affected the way you work? Back
in the day when I started, we used to mail press releases, which seems very
archaic now, to actually fold up a press release and mail it. It’s definitely just
changed the way we work in terms of how fast we need to turn things around. In
publicity, you’re always on, 24/7, but even more now because when something
happens at midnight, it’s already online and everyone knows.
Does that mean you no longer have a life? No. I’m very fortunate, because
my dad, who is also in the business, has been a huge role model. Growing up,
he never missed one dance recital or important family thing. For me, family
and friends are super-important, so I always try to have a really good balance
between work and life.
Does that dance background help you in terms of understanding your clients? Absolutely. I was a modern dancer, I trained in ballet and trained in cho-
reography, so I completely relate to the artist mentality. I moved to New York
to dance and did the starving-artist thing, working five or six jobs just to make
ends meet, take a dance class and live my dream ... These artists, this is their
livelihood, this is their passion, so I’m going to do everything possible to make
their dreams come true. —Tom Roland
MIDWEEK NEWS UPDATE
GILBRERT: JAMES MINCHIN
ACM PARTY GETS BIGGER
The Academy of Country Music announced
a new barrage of performers for the two-day
ACM Party for a Cause April 17-18, leading up
to the 50th annual ACM Awards. Additions
include Eric Church, Keith Urban, Sara
Evans, Brett Eldredge, Reba McEntire,
Jake Owen and Brantley Gilbert. The concerts at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas,
GILBERT
will be shot for a CBS special, ACM Presents:
Superstar Duets, which airs May 15.
Two former duets are headed in opposite directions. The Civil Wars, who
nabbed four Country Music Association Awards nominations before announcing in 2014 that the act was splitting, have spawned a solo project: Joy
Williams’ Venus arrives this summer, advanced by a new track, “Woman (Oh
Mama).” Meanwhile, Halfway to Hazard, a 2008 Academy of Country Music
nominee for duo of the year, has announced its reformation, five years after
Chad Warrix and David Tolliver parted ways. The two continued to sponsor annual charity events in Crockettsville, Ky., even during the act’s hiatus.
Loud & Proud will issue a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute concert taped in November
2014 as a CD/DVD, Lynyrd Skynyrd — One More for the Fans! A release date and
track list are still secret, though the concert had some promising moments:
Trace Adkins joined Skynyrd on “What’s Your Name,” Peter Frampton covered “Call Me the Breeze,” and Charlie Daniels joined Randy Owen, Warren Haynes and Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zandt on “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Alligator will release an album that matches The Kentucky HeadHunters
with former Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson on June 2. Meet Me in
Bluesland was recorded during three days in January 2003. April 13 marks 10
years since Johnson’s death.
SUSSMAN: ABIGAIL BOBO PHOTOGRAPHY
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
APRIL 2, 2015 | PAGE 5 OF 7
Hot Country Songs
THIS
WEEK
LAST
WEEK
1
l
2
l
3
l
1
4
TWO
WEEKS WKS ON TITLE
AGO
CHART PRODUCER (SONGWRITER)
1
22 TAKE YOUR TIME
2
17
18
3
5
l
6
l
7
l
8
l
9
l
10
l
Artist
IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
★★No. 1 (8 weeks)★★
Z.CROWELL,S.MCANALLY (S.HUNT,J.OSBORNE,S.MCANALLY)
2
3
4
7
5
8
6
9
7
11
11
12
12
17
26
28
31
31
24
27
★★Digital & Streaming Gainer★★
AIN’T WORTH THE WHISKEY
LONELY EYES
J.STROUD (J.BULFORD,J.MATTHEWS,L.VELTZ)
DRINKING CLASS
M.MCCLURE,K.JACOBS,L.BRICE (J.KEAR,D.FRASIER,E.M.HILL)
HOMEGROWN HONEY
SAY YOU DO
A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR
SMOKE
12
5
12
F.LIDDELL,C.AINLAY,G.WORF (A.MAE,GINSBERG J.)
12
l
13
l
14
l
15
l
15
16
19
D.HUFF (J.JOHNSTON,A.GORLEY,R.COPPERMAN)
13
15
10
N.CHAPMAN,K.URBAN (J.JOHNSTON,JEFFREY STEELE,T.DOUGLAS)
18
28
9
14
17
l
18
l
19
22
21
10
26
25
9
20
l
21
6
26
16
22
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23
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24
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25
l
23
25
24
29
13
24
30
27
NEW
AVAILABLE
FREE
TO CURRENT
BILLBOARD
SUBSCRIBERS
billboard.com/ipad
22
10
9
23
26
22
8
6
18
1
D.COBB (M.HOBBY,J.M.NITE,R.COPPERMAN)
LITTLE RED WAGON
DON’T IT
RAISE ‘EM UP
SIPPIN’ ON FIRE
J.MOI (R.CLAWSON,M.DRAGSTREM,C.TAYLOR)
SHE DON’T LOVE YOU
M.ALTMAN (E.PASLAY,J.WAYNE)
LONELY TONIGHT
S.HENDRICKS (B.ANDERSON,R.HURD)
LITTLE TOY GUNS
M.BRIGHT (C.UNDERWOOD,C. DESTEFANO,H.LINDSEY)
DIAMOND RINGS AND OLD BARSTOOLS
B.GALLIMORE,T.MCGRAW (L.LAIRD,B.DEAN,J.SINGLETON)
JUST GETTIN’ STARTED
M.KNOX (C. DESTEFANO,R.AKINS,A.GORLEY)
LOVE YOU LIKE THAT
B.BEAVERS,J.ROBBINS (C.SMITH,B.BEAVERS,J.BEAVERS)
I SEE YOU
J.STEVENS (L.BRYAN,L.LAIRD,A.GORLEY)
WILD CHILD
B.CANNON,K.CHESNEY (K.CHESNEY,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE)
LIKE A WRECKING BALL
J.JOYCE (E.CHURCH,C.BEATHARD)
LOVE ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT
F.G.WHITEHEAD (K.BALLERINI,J.KERR,F.G.WHITEHEAD,L.CARPENTER)
BACKROAD SONG
F.ROGERS,G.SMITH (G.SMITH,F.ROGERS)
3
Chris Young
R
CA NASHVILLE
Lee Brice
CURB
Darius Rucker
4
Dierks Bentley
7
Tyler Farr
9
C
APITOL NASHVILLE
★★Hot Shot Debut★★
Granger Smith
P
IONEER
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CAPITOL NASHVILLE
Cole Swindell
C
OLUMBIA NASHVILLE
A Thousand Horses
R
EPUBLIC NASHVILLE
Miranda Lambert
RCA NASHVILLE
Billy Currington
MERCURY
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E MI NASHVILLE
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W
ARNER BROS./WMN
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19/ARISTA NASHVILLE
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CGRAW/BIG MACHINE
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MERCURY
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CAPITOL NASHVILLE
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Eric Church
E MI NASHVILLE
Kelsea Ballerini
BLACK RIVER
J.CATINO,J.KING (M.PEIRCE,J.SINGLETON,B.TURSI)
14
16
★★Airplay Gainer★★
R. COPPERMAN (M.RAMSEY,S.MCANALLY,T. ROSEN)
10
21
1
CAPITOL NASHVILLE
F.ROGERS (D.RUCKER,C.KELLEY,N.CHAPMAN)
12
20
0
W
ARNER BROS./WMN
M.CARTER (C.SWINDELL,A.SANDERS,J.MARTIN)
11
19
PEAK
POSITION
V
ARVATOS/REPUBLIC/BMLG/SOUTHERN GROUND
J.JOYCE,Z.BROWN (Z.BROWN,W.DURRETTE,N.MOON)
J.JOYCE (L.ROSE,L.MCKENNA,H.LINDSEY)
CERTIFIED
Sam Hunt
M
CA NASHVILLE
Zac Brown Band
HOMEGROWN
GIRL CRUSH
SALES, AIRPLAY &
STREAMING DATA
COMPILED BY
3
5
6
10
5
12
13
10
15
2
17
18
5
20
1
22
23
24
25
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
APRIL 2, 2015 | PAGE 6 OF 7
Hot Country Songs
THIS
WEEK
LAST
WEEK
26
l
27
l
28
l
27
29
30
l
31
29
31
28
32
30
32
l
33
l
34
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l
36
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37
l
3
l8
35
39
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41
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42
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43
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44
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45
l
46
l
47
l
48
49
50
36
34
TWO
WEEKS WKS ON TITLE
AGO
CHART PRODUCER (SONGWRITER)
31
21 BABY BE MY LOVE SONG
Artist
IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
C.CHAMBERLAIN (J.COLLINS,BRETT JAMES)
34
35
—
36
23
40
43
37
CRUSHIN’ IT
8
L.WOOTEN,B.PAISLEY (B.PAISLEY,K.LOVELACE,L.T.MILLER)
LAY LOW
19
F.ROGERS (R.COPPERMAN,T.MARTIN,M.NESLER)
BISCUITS
2
K.MUSGRAVES,L.LAIRD,S.MCANALLY (K.MUSGRAVES,S.MCANALLY,B.CLARK)
ONE HELL OF AN AMEN
13
D.HUFF (B.GILBERT,M.DEKLE,B.DAVIS)
GAMES
5
J.STEVENS (L.BRYAN,A.GORLEY)
KISS YOU IN THE MORNING
3
S.HENDRICKS (J.WILSON,M.WHITE)
GOING OUT LIKE THAT
12
T.BROWN (B.HAYSLIP,R.AKINS,J.SELLERS)
HARD TO BE COOL
16
M.J.CONES (R.HATCH,J.SELLERS)
YOUNG & CRAZY
39
46
5
37
45
12
M.J.CONES (Z.CROWELL,A.SANDERS,J.BOYER)
41
42
12
J.DEMARCUS,RASCAL FLATTS (J.BOYER,S.HAZE)
40
41
8
B.JAMES (K.MOORE,J.WEAVER,W.DAVIS)
38
38
6
C. DESTEFANO (J.SOMERS-MORALES,D.C.TARPLEY JR.)
33
42
44
43
46
—
47
—
48
50
RE-ENTRY
RE-ENTRY
48
47
45
49
—
32
33
—
M.ALTMAN,S.HENDRICKS (A.GORLEY,S.MCANALLY,R.AKINS)
HELL OF A NIGHT
RIOT
I’M TO BLAME
RIDE
Chris Janson
C
HRIS JANSON
Maddie & Tae
D
OT
Chase Rice
33
Gloriana
42
Jana Kramer
33
Jason Aldean
B
ROKEN BOW
Blake Shelton
8
FLY
D.HUFF (M.MARLOW,T.DYE,T.VARTANYAN)
12
TROUBLE
I GOT THE BOY
TONIGHT LOOKS GOOD ON YOU
M.KNOX (D.DAVIDSON,R.AKINS,A.GORLEY)
SANGRIA
2
BREAK UP WITH HIM
34
35
36
37
31
38
41
34
35
47
RaeLynn
VALORY
Luke Bryan
32
J.MOI (RAELYNN,L.VELTZ)
SPRING BREAKDOWN
33
CAPITOL NASHVILLE
Sam Hunt
M
CA NASHVILLE
J.STEVENS (L.BRYAN,A.GORLEY,Z.CROWELL)
SPEAKERS
10
28
Old Dominion
FOR A BOY
5
32
REESMACK/CRESCENDOMUSICPROJECTS
S.MCANALLY (M.RAMSEY,T. ROSEN,B.TURSI,G.SPRUNG,W.SELLERS)
3
23
W
ARNER BROS./WMN
S.HENDRICKS (J.T.HARDING,J.OSBORNE,T. ROSEN)
3
30
E LEKTRA NASHVILLE/WAR
S.HENDRICKS (T.NICHOLS,C.HARRINGTON,J.L.SPEARS)
4
28
EMBLEM/WARNER BROS./WAR
M.SERLETIC (R.REINERT,M.GOSSIN,R.COPPERMAN,J.M.NITE)
6
28
DACK JANIELS/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
C. DESTEFANO (S.MCANALLY,J.M.NITE,J.ROBBINS)
13
27
DACK JANIELS/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
GONNA WANNA TONIGHT
PEAK
POSITION
26
C.JANSON,C.DUBOIS,B.ANDERSON (C.JANSON,C.DUBOIS)
6
CERTIFIED
Easton Corbin
M
ERCURY
Brad Paisley
ARISTA NASHVILLE
Josh Turner
MCA NASHVILLE
Kacey Musgraves
MERCURY
Brantley Gilbert
VALORY
Luke Bryan
C
APITOL NASHVILLE
Michael Ray
W
ARNER BROS./WEA
Reba
NASH ICON/VALORY
Joe Nichols
R
ED BOW
Frankie Ballard
W
ARNER BROS./WAR
Dustin Lynch
B
ROKEN BOW
Rascal Flatts
B
IG MACHINE
Kip Moore
MCA NASHVILLE
Chase Rice
BUY ME A BOAT
2
SALES, AIRPLAY &
STREAMING DATA
COMPILED BY
Z.CROWELL,S.MCANALLY (S.HUNT,B.HOOD,K.SACKLEY)
40
The week’s most popular country songs, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music, sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music and streaming activity data from online music sources tracked by
Nielsen Music. Descending titles below No. 25 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks.
COUNTRY MARKET WATCH
A Weekly National Music Sales Report
YEAR-TO-DATE
Year-Over-Year Album Sales
’14
7.4 million
’15
6.2 million
’13
DIGITAL TRACKS SALES
’14
’15
Weekly Unit’14
Sales
35.2
million
000.0
million
29.2 million
For week ending March 29, 2015. Figures are rounded. Compiled from
a national sample of retail store and rack sales reports collected and
provided by Nielsen Music.
Overall Unit Sales
ALBUMS
DIGITAL
ALBUMS*
DIGITAL
TRACKS
This Week
463,000
172,000
2,271,000
Last Week
445,000
153,000
2,143,000
4.0%
12.4%
6.0%
569,000
176,000
2,536,000
-18.6%
-2.3%
-10.4%
Change
This Week Last Year
Change
Albums
Digital Tracks
2014
2015
CHANGE
7,441,000
6,201,000
-16.7%
35,223,000
29,251,000
-17.0%
Sales by Album Format
2014
2015
Physical
4,885,000
3,872,000
9.0%
Digital
2,556,000
2,329,000
-8.9%
*Digital album sales are also counted within album sales.
For inquiries about any Nielsen Music data, please contact Josh Bennett at 615-807-1338 or josh.bennett@nielsen.com
CHANGE
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
APRIL 2, 2015 | PAGE 7 OF 7
SALES, AIRPLAY &
STREAMING DATA
COMPILED BY
CAPITOL NASHVILLE 022540/UMGN
SAM HUNT
2
l
3
l
4
l
2
5
3
4
ALDEAN
25 JASON
BROKEN BOW 7105/BBMG
6
4
6
GEORGIA LINE
24 FLORIDA
REPUBLIC NASHVILLE /BMLG
7
l
8
l
2
22
1
NEW
1
NEW
3
2015 Academy Of Country Music Awards ZinePak
ZINEPAK 70255 WMEX
4
Old Boots, New Dirt
1
1
Anything Goes
0
1
BIG TOWN
15 18 23 LITTLE
CAPITOL NASHVILLE 021360*/UMGN
Pain Killer
6
8
CHURCH
59 ERIC
EMI NASHVILLE 019402*/UMGN
9
5
7
RICE
32 CHASE
COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 22573/DACK JANIELS
10
7
9
UNDERWOOD
16 CARRIE
19/ARISTA NASHVILLE 500876/SMN
Greatest Hits: Decade #1
0
1
11
l
9
BRYAN
12 86 LUKE
CAPITOL NASHVILLE 018733/UMGN
Crash My Party
2
1
12
8
LAMBERT
10 43 MIRANDA
RCA NASHVILLE 379278/SMN
Platinum
0
1
COLE SWINDELL
13 14 15 58 WARNER BROS. 541372/WMN
Cole Swindell
l
14
l
The Outsiders
3
Ignite The Night
BROOKS
16 14 20 GARTH
PEARL/RCA NASHVILLE 501135/SMN
Man Against Machine
BROWN BAND
15 13 13 20 ZAC
ROAR/SOUTHERN GROUND/ATLANTIC 546369/AG
16
l
17
l
18
l
1
NEW
19 22 27
CANAAN SMITH
KENNY CHESNEY
5
22 11
4
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
3
LUKE BRYAN
30
23 12
5
NEW
1
16
2
l
20
5
3
3
40
l
5
l
4
57
6
2
3
7
6
53
8
l
9
l
8
66
4
10
5 104
11 20
7
9
6
11
3 25
9
9 13
l
10 23
l
11 10
l
7
5
22
29
12 11 23
13 15
l
14 18
l
15 16
l
16 17
l
17 24
l
19
10
7
15
27
7
20 8
2
Still The One: Live From Las Vegas
2
21 26
l
6
I Dont Dance
1
22 22 14
Still The King: Celebrating The Music Of Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys
11
23 5
5
24 12 21
BISMEAUX 1314/MAILBOAT
Spring Break… The Set List: The Complete Spring Break Collection ZinePak
CAPITOL NASHVILLE 022774 WMEX/UMGN
Riser
STRIKING MATCHES
I.R.S. NASHVILLE 2547146373/CAPITOL (2547146373)
Nothing But The Silence
1
25
TAKE YOUR TIME
AM HUNT
S
GIRL CRUSH
LITTLE BIG TOWN
LEAVE THE NIGHT ON
SAM HUNT
THIS IS HOW WE ROLL
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE FEAT. LUKE BRYAN
CRUISE
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
LITTLE RED WAGON
MIRANDA LAMBERT
PLAY IT AGAIN
LUKE BRYAN
BOTTOMS UP
BRANTLEY GILBERT
DRINKING CLASS
LEE BRICE
11
l
12
l
13
l
WKS ON
CHART
ARTIST
LAST
WEEK
TITLE
12 38
14
5
15 10
14 10
6
15
9
16
16
l
21
8
17 16 85
18
l
18 17
19 13 10
2
25 21 30
GIRL CRUSH
L ITTLE BIG TOWN (Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
TAKE YOUR TIME
SAM HUNT ( MCA Nashville/UMGN)
HOMEGROWN
ZAC BROWN BAND (Varvatos/Southern Ground/BMLG/Republic)
BACKROAD SONG
GRANGER SMITH ( Pioneer)
AIN’T WORTH THE WHISKEY
COLE SWINDELL ( Warner Bros./WMN)
LIKE A WRECKING BALL
ERIC CHURCH ( EMI Nashville/UMGN)
SMOKE
A THOUSAND HORSES (Republic Nashville/BMLG)
LITTLE RED WAGON
MIRANDA LAMBERT ( RCA Nashville/SMN)
SIPPIN’ ON FIRE
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE (Republic Nashville/BMLG)
LOVE YOU LIKE THAT
CANAAN SMITH ( Mercury/UMGN)
DRINKING CLASS
LEE BRICE ( Curb)
LONELY EYES
CHRIS YOUNG ( RCA Nashville/SMN)
A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR
TYLER FARR ( Columbia Nashville/SMN)
LITTLE TOY GUNS
CARRIE UNDERWOOD ( 19/Arista Nashville/SMN)
DON’T IT
BILLY CURRINGTON ( Mercury/UMGN)
SHE DON’T LOVE YOU
ERIC PASLAY ( EMI Nashville/UMGN)
HOMEGROWN HONEY
DARIUS RUCKER ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
RIDE
CHASE RICE ( Dack Janiels)
LOVE ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT
KELSEA BALLERINI ( Black River)
BUY ME A BOAT
CHRIS JANSON ( Chris Janson)
DIAMOND RINGS AND OLD BARSTOOL
TIM MCGRAW WITH CATHERINE DUNN (McGraw/Big Machine/BMLG)
SAY YOU DO
DIERKS BENTLEY ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
BISCUITS
KACEY MUSGRAVES ( Mercury/UMGN)
JUST GETTIN’ STARTED
JASON ALDEAN ( Broken Bow/BBMG)
MEAN TO ME
BRETT ELDREDGE ( Atlantic/WMN)
SUN DAZE
26 28 27 F LORIDA GEORGIA LINE (Republic Nashville/BMLG)
LONELY TONIGHT
27 20 23 BLAKE SHELTON FEATURING ASHLEY MONROE (Warner Bros./WMN)
RAISE ‘EM UP
28 27 10 KEITH URBAN FEATURING ERIC CHURCH (Hit Red/Capitol Nashville)
ARTIST (IMPRINT/LABEL)
LAST
WEEK
WKS ON
CHART
7
8
11
NEW
19 19
l
CURB 79392*
23 SUN DAZE
F LORIDA GEORGIA LINE
2
1
THIS
WEEK
WKS ON
CHART
LAST
WEEK
THIS
WEEK
13
3
l
4
l
5
l
6
l
7
l
0
COUNTRY
STREAMING SONGS
1
1 22
0
BRINGING BACK THE SUNSHINE
The week’s most popular country albums, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music. Albums are
defined as current if they are less than 18 months old or older than 18 months but still residing in the Billboard
200’s top 100. Charts update weekly on Thurdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright 2015, Prometheus
Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
STREAMING DATA
COMPILED BY
1
2
18 14 12
Just As I Am
BENTLEY
24 24 25 57 DIERKS
CAPITOL NASHVILLE 019404/UMGN
25
l
5
14
1
MERCURY 022017 WMEX/UMGN
21 20 20 29
1
4
1
SHANIA TWAIN
LEE BRICE
1
The Big Revival
BLUE CHAIR/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 306274/SMN
SHELTON
19 18 17 26 BLAKE
WARNER BROS. 544918/WMN
3
2
Canaan Smith (EP)
MERCURY 022847 VSEX/UMGN
1
1
Greatest Hits So Far...
GILBERT
17 16 45 BRANTLEY
VALORY BG0200A/BMLG
20 10
1
LAST
WEEK
CERT.
1
ABC STUDIOS/LIONS GATE/BIG MACHINE DIGITAL EX/BMLG
VARIOUS ARTISTS
l
Nashville: On The Record, Volume 2
MCA NASHVILLE 021502/UMGN
VARIOUS ARTISTS
1
Montevallo
1
TITLE
THIS
WEEK
3
Spring Break... Checkin’ Out
THIS
WEEK
1
LUKE BRYAN
PEAK
POSITION
1
WEEKS
ON CHT
2 WEEKS
AGO
LAST
WEEK
THIS
WEEK
1
Title
IMPRINT & NUMBER / DISTRIBUTING LABEL
WKS ON
CHART
COUNTRY
DIGITAL SONGS
TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS
ARTIST
SALES, AIRPLAY &
STREAMING DATA
COMPILED BY
TITLE
ARTIST (IMPRINT/LABEL)
l
WILD CHILD
5 K ENNY CHESNEY WITH GRACE POTTER (Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville/SMN)
GAMES
25 5 LUKE BRYAN ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
MAKE ME WANNA
29 26 THOMAS RHETT ( Valory/BMLG)
LEAVE THE NIGHT ON
33 41 SAM HUNT ( MCA Nashville/UMGN)
TALLADEGA
32 27 ERIC CHURCH ( EMI Nashville/UMGN)
GOING OUT LIKE THAT
48 3 REBA (Nash Icon/Valory/BMLG)
BURNIN’ IT DOWN
38 35 JASON ALDEAN ( Broken Bow/BBMG)
SHOTGUN RIDER
34 28 TIM MCGRAW ( McGraw/Big Machine/BMLG)
BETTER THAN YOU LEFT ME
30 3 MICKEY GUYTON ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
WHAT WE AIN’T GOT
36 31 JAKE OWEN ( RCA Nashville/SMN)
PLAY IT AGAIN
43 70 LUKE BRYAN ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
I SEE YOU
37 21 LUKE BRYAN ( Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
BORROW MY HEART
NEW J . JACKSON, S. PALLADIO & C. BOWEN (ABC Studios/Lions Gate/Big Machine/BMLG)
SOMETHING IN THE WATER
39 26 CARRIE UNDERWOOD ( 19/Arista Nashville/SMN)
CRUISE
40 142 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE (Republic Nashville/BMLG)
I GOT THE BOY
46 6 JANA KRAMER ( Elektra Nashville/WMN)
LAY LOW
44 8 JOSH TURNER ( MCA Nashville/UMGN)
THIS IS HOW WE ROLL
42 70 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE FEATURING LUKE BRYAN ( Republic Nashville/BMLG)
ONE HELL OF AN AMEN
49 3 BRANTLEY GILBERT ( Valory/BMLG)
DAY DRINKING
RE-ENTRY
LITTLE BIG TOWN (Capitol Nashville/UMGN)
FOR A BOY
35 3 RAELYNN (Valory/BMLG)
NEW WE GOT A LOVE
LENNON & MAISY (ABC Studios/Lions Gate/Big Machine/BMLG)
29 31
l
30
31
32
33
34
l
35
l
36
37
38
39
l
40
41
l
42
43
44
l
45
46
47
l
48
l
49
50
l
Top-selling paid download country songs compiled from sales reports collected and provided by Nielsen
Music. Charts update weekly on Thurdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright 2015, Prometheus
Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
BUILDING AIRPLAY GAINERS
TITLE LabelArtist
SAY YOU DO C
apitol Nashville
TITLE
TONIGHT LOOKS GOOD ON YOU B
roken Bow
DIRT
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
AIN’T WORTH THE WHISKEY
COLE SWINDELL
LONELY TONIGHT
BLAKE SHELTON FEAT. ASHLEY MONROE
HOMEGROWN
ZAC BROWN BAND
I SEE YOU
LUKE BRYAN
MEAN TO ME
BRETT ELDREDGE
THAT’S MY KIND OF NIGHT
LUKE BRYAN
TALLADEGA
ERIC CHURCH
MAKE ME WANNA
THOMAS RHETT
TAKE YOUR TIME MCA Nashville
GAIN
Dierks Bentley
+353
Jason Aldean
+248
Sam Hunt
+224
Little Big Town
+214
B
illy Currington
+194
Frankie Ballard
+187
Tyler Farr
+181
Eric Paslay
+175
Florida Georgia Line
+156
Kelsea Ballerini
+142
ARTIST
20 17 64 YOU BELONG WITH ME
T AYLOR SWIFT
Country Streaming Songs -The week’s top Country streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos
on leading online music services. Charts update weekly on Thurdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright
2015, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
GIRL CRUSH C
apitol Nashville
DON’T IT M
ercury
YOUNG & CRAZY W
arner Bros./WAR
A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR C
olumbia Nashville
SHE DON’T LOVE YOU E MI Nashville
SIPPIN’ ON FIRE R
epublic Nashville
LOVE ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT B
lack River
Building Gainers reflects titles with the top increases in plays from Monday through 5pm ET Wednesday, as
compared to the same period in the previous week, according to Nielsen Music.