BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 1 OF 18 INSIDE Dustin Lynch’s ‘Good’ News >page 4 Garth Fan Gets Settlement >page 8 Loretta Lynn’s All-Star Birthday >page 9 Brad Paisley Has A Field Day >page 9 Makin’ Tracks: Kane Brown’s ‘Good As You’ >page 13 Country Coda: Conlee’s ‘Eyes’ In Focus >page 18 Buy it. Stream it. Watch the video. Fans have multiple ways to consume music in 2019, and in appropriate fashion, three different artists led four year- end Nielsen Music country lists for 2018 with Luke Combs, Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean feeling the love on different platforms. Actual product sales were down by double digits as consumers continue to move in overwhelming numbers to streaming. On balance, overall consumption — measured through audio-equivalent album units, which is a combination of album sales, track- equivalent album sales and on-demand audio streaming — grew by 10 percent for country, which racked up 48.38 million audio-equivalent album units. Combs, Aldean, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton titles fared best in that multipoint hybrid measurement, with Stapleton landing two albums — 2015’s Traveller and 2017’s From A Room: Volume 1 — among the top 10. Combs topped the heap with 1.075 million audio-equivalent units of This One’s for You. Country moved in the same direction as the total industry, though not as dramatically. Total industry audio-equivalent albums hit 617.98 million, up a whopping 23 percent from 2017 . Streaming growth contributed mightily to those bumps. Country amassed 50.88 billion streams, a 46 percent inflation over the 2017 numbers. That performance slightly outpaced the overall industry, which counted 901 billion streams, a 43 percent increase. FGL’s collaboration with pop singer Bebe Rexha, “Meant to Be,” benefited most from that growth as a runaway winner in both on-demand streaming and digital downloads. It racked up 721.6 million streams, outpacing Brown’s “Heaven,” which landed at No. 2 with 470.5 million streams. (Due to an internal technical error, the original version of this story omitted “Meant to Be” from the list.) Brown’s “What Ifs,” a duet with Lauren Alaina, was listed as No. 5 among 2018’s on-demand country streams, just a year after placing at No. 3. “Meant to Be” easily owned the Digital Songs championship for the year, accruing more than 1 million downloads. Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” earned 598,000 downloads to claim the No. 2 slot, edging out “Heaven,” which accumulated 589,000 downloads. Country registered 46.05 million track sales in 2018, a Country Consumption Up In 2018 As Shift To Streaming Continues #1 NEW AND ACTIVE 51 First Week Stations WNSH – KKGO – WEBG – WUBL – WXTU – WBWL – WKLB – KMLE – KNIX – KYGO WFUS – WQYK – WJVC – KUPL – WKKT – WSOC – WDSY – WPGB – WOGI – KSOP KUBL – KCYE – KWNR – KBEQ – KRTY – WMIL – WUSH – WGNE – WQIK – WTQR – WIRK WNOE – WWYZ – WKHK – WKMK – WKLI – KHGE – WCTQ – WRBT - WOGK – KXLY WTHT – KJUG – WKXC – WXBQ – WQHK – KKIX – WKML – KPLM – KTOM – KBUL FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE and REXHA BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected]Country Update DONN JONES / COURTESY COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION
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BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 1 OF 18
INSIDE
Dustin Lynch’s ‘Good’ News
>page 4
Garth Fan Gets Settlement
>page 8
Loretta Lynn’s All-Star Birthday
>page 9
Brad Paisley Has A Field Day
>page 9
Makin’ Tracks: Kane Brown’s ‘Good As You’
>page 13
Country Coda: Conlee’s ‘Eyes’
In Focus >page 18
Buy it. Stream it. Watch the video.Fans have multiple ways to consume music in 2019, and
in appropriate fashion, three different artists led four year-end Nielsen Music country lists for 2018 with Luke Combs, Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean feeling the love on different platforms.
Actual product sales were down by double digits as consumers continue to move in overwhelming numbers to streaming. On balance, overall c o n s u m p t i o n — measured through audio-equivalent album units, which is a combination of album sales, track-e q u i v a lent a lb u m sales and on-demand audio streaming — grew by 10 percent for country, which racked u p 4 8 . 38 m i l l i o n audio-equivalent album units.
Combs, Aldean, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton titles fared best in that multipoint hybrid measurement, with Stapleton landing two albums — 2015’s Traveller and 2017’s From A Room: Volume 1 — among the top 10. Combs topped the heap with 1.075 million audio-equivalent units of This One’s for You.
Country moved in the same direction as the total industry, though not as dramatically. Total industry audio-equivalent
albums hit 617.98 million, up a whopping 23 percent from 2017.Streaming growth contributed mightily to those bumps.
Country amassed 50.88 billion streams, a 46 percent inflation over the 2017 numbers. That performance slightly outpaced the overall industry, which counted 901 billion streams, a 43 percent increase.
FGL’s collaboration with pop singer Bebe Rexha, “Meant to Be,” benefited most from that growth as a runaway winner
in both on-demand s t r e a m i n g a n d digital downloads. It racked up 721.6 m i l l i o n s t r e a m s , outpacing Brown’s “He aven ,” w h ic h l a n d e d a t N o . 2 with 470.5 million streams. (Due to an internal technical error, the original version of this story
omitted “Meant to Be” from the list.) Brown’s “What Ifs,” a duet with Lauren Alaina, was listed as No. 5 among 2018’s on-demand country streams, just a year after placing at No. 3.
“Meant to Be” easily owned the Digital Songs championship for the year, accruing more than 1 million downloads. Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” earned 598,000 downloads to claim the No. 2 slot, edging out “Heaven,” which accumulated 589,000 downloads.
Country registered 46.05 million track sales in 2018, a
Country Consumption Up In 2018 As Shift To Streaming Continues
steep 33 percent drop from the prior year. The industry’s total volume of downloaded tracks likewise dipped with the 411.5 million total, representing a 27 percent decline.
Aldean’s Rearview Town ruled country’s album sales, the most traditional form of transactions in the current consumption scheme. It accrued 463,000 purchases to outdistance Carrie Underwood’s Cry Pretty (No. 2, 401,000 sales) and Keith Urban’s Graffiti U (No. 3, 273,000 sales). Stapleton nailed down the No. 4-6 positions with Traveller and both volumes of From A Room.
Country totaled 14.14 million album sales in 2018, receding 28.5 percent from its 2017 numbers. That percentage was larger than the industry as a whole, which logged 141.4 million album sales, a 17.7 percent decline.
Nielsen Music’s 2018 tracking year ran from Dec. 29, 2017, through Jan. 3, 2019, a quirk in the calendar that covered 53 chart weeks instead of the usual 52. For comparison, Nielsen Music used a 53-week year to represent 2017: Dec. 30, 2016, through Jan. 4, 2018. Thus, the 2017 statistical base for this story is slightly different than the numbers that were compiled a year ago, based on the official 52-week calendar.
Following are the 10 best-selling country albums and tracks for 2018, as well as the genre’s 10 most-streamed titles:
Top Country Albums, Total Audio-Equivalent Units, 20181) Luke Combs, This One’s for You 1,075,0002) Jason Aldean, Rearview Town 915,0003) Kane Brown, Kane Brown 820,0004) Chris Stapleton, Traveller 733,0005) Thomas Rhett, Life Changes 635,0006) Carrie Underwood, Cry Pretty 590,0007) Dan + Shay, Dan + Shay 570,0008) Brett Young, Brett Young 523,0009) Chris Stapleton, From A Room, Volume 1 441,00010) Luke Bryan, What Makes You Country 441,000
Top-Selling Country Albums, 20181) Jason Aldean, Rearview Town 463,0002) Carrie Underwood, Cry Pretty 401,0003) Keith Urban, Graffiti U 273,0004) Chris Stapleton, From A Room, Volume 2 249,0005) Chris Stapleton, Traveller 245,0006) Chris Stapleton, From A Room, Volume 1 230,0007) Luke Combs, This One’s for You 223,0008) Kane Brown, Kane Brown 199,0009) Alan Jackson, Precious Memories Collection 186,00010) Dierks Bentley, The Mountain 181,000
Top-Selling Country Digital Songs, 20181) Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, “Meant to Be” 1,042,0002) Jason Aldean, “You Make It Easy” 598,0003) Kane Brown, “Heaven” 589,0004) Dan + Shay , “Tequila” 509,0005) Thomas Rhett, “Marry Me” 365,0006) Florida Georgia Line, “Simple” 364,0007) Brett Young, “Mercy” 352,0008) Chris Stapleton, “Broken Halos” 334,0009) Chris Stapleton, “Tennessee Whiskey” 332,00010) Kenny Chesney, “Get Along” 320,000
Most-Streamed Country Songs, 2018 (By Total On-Demand Streaming, Audio and Video Combined)
1) Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, “Meant to Be” 721,618,0002) Kane Brown, “Heaven” 470,494,0003) Dan + Shay, “Tequila” 354,587,0004) Chris Stapleton, “Tennessee Whiskey” 340,814,0005) Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina, “What Ifs” 313,430,0006) Thomas Rhett, “Marry Me” 308,375,0007) Sam Hunt, “Body Like a Back Road” 272,741,0008) Jason Aldean, “You Make It Easy” 249,390,0009) Luke Combs, “When It Rains It Pours” 232,052,00010) Brett Young, “In Case You Didn’t Know” 226,996,000
Chris Young stopped by Cumulus’ Nashville office to promote his new single, “Raised On Country,” on The Ty Bentli Show. From left: Bentli, Young and Cumulus personality Chuck Wicks.
Carlton Anderson dropped by the Billboard office in Nashville to play new music for the staff. From left: Anderson, Billboard contributor Deborah Evans Price and Morris Higham day-to-day manager Robert Filhart. A
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 2 OF 18
Jimmie Allen (right) met with WQMX Akron, Ohio, PD Ken Steel when he played the Dusty Armadillo in nearby Rootstown.
Maren Morris visited with SiriusXM host Buzz Brainard on the satcaster’s channel The Highway.
IMPACTING NOW
“STUNNING! It’s an acoustic ballad that will hit you smack in the middle of your
heart. Exquisitely written and performed.
An illustration of country music
greatness drawn by a master of the genre.”
–ROBERT K. OERMANN
Dustin Lynch’s “Good Girl” (Broken Bow) ascends 2-1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Jan. 19), up 11 percent to 41.2 million audience impressions in the tracking week ending Jan. 13, according to Nielsen Music.
The song becomes his sixth Country Airplay No. 1 and first as a writer. He co-authored it with Justin Ebach, who notches the second No. 1 he has penned, and Andy Albert, who achieves his first.
“Shout-out to all of you who continue to support and believe,” Lynch tells Billboard. “Before we even had the lyric finished on this song, I knew it was a special one, and, man, it has been. What a way to kick off 2019.”
“Good Gi rl ” — t he lead si ngle f rom h is upcoming fourth full-studio album — is Lynch’s first Country Airplay No. 1 since “Small Town Boy,” which led for fou r weeks star t ing in September 2017. Before that, he reigned with “Seein’ Red” (February 2017, one week), “Mind Reader” (2016, one), “Hell of a Night” (2015, one) and “Where It’s At (Yep, Yep)” (2014, two). He first reached the chart’s top 10 with his debut hit, the No. 2-peaking “Cowboys and Angels,” in 2012.
A s “Gi rl ” reaches t he C ou nt r y A i r play penthouse in its 37th week on the chart, Lynch completes his second-longest trip to No. 1: “Hell of a Night” rose to the top in its 44th frame.
The song concurrently climbs 10-8 for a new peak on the airplay-, streaming- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart.
DYNAMIC DUO Dan + Shay’s “Speechless” (Warner Bros./WAR) leads for an eighth week atop Hot Country Songs while their previous single, “Tequila,” resides at its No. 2 peak for an 18th week, extending its mark for the most weeks peaking at the runner-up spot. The duo place at Nos. 1 and 2 simultaneously for a fifth week, the most among duos or groups and second only to Luke Bryan, who concurrently controlled the top two spots on Hot Country Songs for nine weeks in 2014.
“Speechless” scores a 10th week atop Country Digital Song Sales (14,000 sold, down 13 percent), holds at its No. 2 high on Country Streaming Songs (11.3 million U.S. streams, up 8 percent) and dips to No. 2 after four weeks atop Country Airplay (38.4 million audience impressions).
BRYAN ‘MAKES’ TOP 10 Luke Bryan’s “What Makes You Country” (Capitol Nashville) rises 11-10 on Country Airplay, increasing by 4 percent to
26.6 million audience impressions.It is Bryan’s 27th Country Airplay top 10,
a total that includes 20 No. 1s. He ties Carrie Underwood for 15th place among all acts for the most top 10s, dating to the chart’s launch 29 years ago this week (Jan. 20, 1990). George Strait leads, with 61 top 10s.
Bryan is working on a streak of 13 straight Country Airplay leaders, the longest active run among all artists. His previous single, “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset,” topped the chart for two weeks in September 2018.
HERE’S DOLLY Legend Dolly Parton achieves her 44th Top Country Albums top 10 as her 2003 album Ultimate Dolly Parton re-enters the chart for the first time since 2004, surging by 172 percent to 8,000 equivalent album units. The set debuted at its former No. 20 peak in June 2003.
Why the boost? The album includes Parton’s 1977 five-week Hot Country Songs No. 1 “Here You Come Again,” which is being used to promote
all-you-can-eat riblets, shrimp and chicken tenders in a TV commercial for Applebee’s Grill & Bar. The song surges by 39 percent to 3,000 downloads sold in the tracking week.
Parton extends her record for the most Top Country Albums top 10s among women and ranks second overall only to Willie Nelson, with 51.
Dustin Lynch Lands Sixth No. 1 On Country Airplay Chart — And First
60 59 5 GOT MY NAME CHANGED BACK RCA Nashville Pistol Annies 0.942 -0.040 488 28 53
Country Airplay AIRPLAY MONITORED BY
1/21
MATT STELL Prayed For You Wide Open/GCE/RECORDS
RYAN DANIEL Bring On The Night Spin Doctors/Ryan Daniel
1/28
CHRIS YOUNG Raised On Country RCA Nashville
HALEY & MICHAELS Taking Off Hickory
JIMMIE ALLEN Make Me Want To BBR/Stoney Creek/BMG
2/4
AARON WATSON Kiss That Girl Goodbye BIG Label
LOGAN MIZE Better Off Gone Big Yellow Dog
GOING FOR ADDS
HALEY & MICHAELS
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 7 OF 18
MOST ADDED®TITLE Imprint/Label Artist ADDSGOOD AS YOU RCA Nashville Kane Brown 24BEAUTIFUL CRAZY River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs 14MISS ME MORE Black River Kelsea Ballerini 11SOME OF IT EMI Nashville Eric Church 10LOVE SOMEONE Atlantic/WMN Brett Eldredge 9EYES ON YOU Dack Janiels/Broken Bow Chase Rice 9HERE TONIGHT BMLG Brett Young 8ON MY WAY TO YOU CoJo/WMN Cody Johnson 8LOVE AIN’T Valory Eli Young Band 8RAISED ON COUNTRY RCA Nashville Chris Young 8
MOST INCREASED PLAYSTITLE Imprint/Label Artist GAINGOOD GIRL Broken Bow Dustin Lynch +692BEAUTIFUL CRAZY River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs +626GOOD AS YOU Zone 4/RCA Nashville Kane Brown +455WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan +425GIRL LIKE YOU Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean +420SIXTEEN Valory Thomas Rhett +391BURNING MAN Capitol Nashville Dierks Bentley Feat. Brothers Osborne +390HERE TONIGHT BMLG Brett Young +277MISS ME MORE Black River Kelsea Ballerini +277THIS IS IT Triple Tigers Scotty McCreery +276
MOST INCREASED AUDIENCETITLE Imprint/Label Artist
GAIN(IN MIILIONS)
GOOD GIRL Broken Bow Dustin Lynch +4.179BEAUTIFUL CRAZY River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs +2.872GIRL LIKE YOU Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean +2.619SIXTEEN Valory Thomas Rhett +2.521THIS IS IT Triple Tigers Scotty McCreery +2.259GOOD AS YOU Zone 4/RCA Nashville Kane Brown +1.850BURNING MAN Capitol Nashville Dierks Bentley Feat. Brothers Osborne +1.843MAKE IT SWEET RCA Nashville Old Dominion +1.558HERE TONIGHT BMLG Brett Young +1.280NIGHT SHIFT Capitol Nashville Jon Pardi +1.140
AIRPLAY MONITORED BY
Reported worldwide boxscore figures for Country artists. Boxscore figures should be submitted to Bob Allen by phone (615-891-1976), fax (615-891-2054) or email ([email protected]).
TEXAS REGIONAL RADIO REPORTWEEK ENDING JANUARY 13, 2019
Texas Regional Radio Report Top 100 is compiled from weekly online playlist reports from 86 radio stations located in Texas and surrounding states, including reports from specialty shows, internet and satellite radio outlets. Songs are ranked by total plays. For tracking, complete chart methodology and more information, visit www.texasregionalradio.com, or contact Dave Smith at 817-283-7984. Copyright 2019, Texas Regional Radio Report
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
WKS ON CHART TITLE (Label) ARTIST
TW SPINS
SPINS +/–
l1 1 20 ON MY WAY TO YOU (CoJo Music) HH 3 weeks at 1 HH Cody Johnson 1697 0
l2 2 15 RIO (Independent) Kyle Park 1696 0
l3 3 25 MY SOUTH (Independent) Natalie Rose 1661 0
l4 4 19 MIRROR, MIRROR (Independent) Randall King 1636 0
l5 5 14 SHE REMAINS (Independent) Jamie Richards 1627 0
(IN MILLIONS)1 LAST SHOT MCA Nashville Kip Moore 21.940
2 BLUE TACOMA Triple Tigers Russell Dickerson 18.884
3 HEAVEN Zone 4/RCA Nashville Kane Brown 18.000
4 ONE NUMBER AWAY River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs 17.117
5 TEQUILA Warner Bros./WAR Dan + Shay 15.861
6 GET ALONG Blue Chair/Warner Bros./WEA Kenny Chesney 15.712
7 HANGIN’ ON RCA Nashville Chris Young 15.402
8 DRUNK ME Riser House/Columbia Nashville Mitchell Tenpenny 14.039
9 HOTEL KEY RCA Nashville Old Dominion 13.867
10 YOU MAKE IT EASY Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 12.803
Country AirplayNEW AND ACTIVE
TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistTOTAL
AUDIENCETOTAL
STATIONS ADDSNOTHING TO DO TOWN Curb Dylan Scott 0.790 13 7
WHEN IT COMES TO LOVING YOU 32 Bridge/EMI Nashville Jon Langston 0.770 30 1
SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER Columbia Nashville Tenille Townes 0.726 24 1
DANCING AWAY WITH MY HEART Riser House Dillon Carmichael 0.432 18 0
GROWIN’ UP Stoney Creek Walker McGuire 0.425 17 0
GIVE UP THE GHOST Big Machine Lauren Jenkins 0.354 0 0
BILLBOARD COUNTRY BOXSCOREGross Artist AttendanceTicket Price(s) Venue/Date(s) Capacity Promoter(s)
$2,298,931 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE 22,927 CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT/ LIVE NATION$188, $145, $92, $66, $53 Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, Dec. 1-11 24,966
$625,721 JOHN PRINE 4,257 NS2 $256.50, $81.50 Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, Dec. 31 4,257$302,901 COLE SWINDELL 7,397 LIVE NATION $56, $50.75, $36.75, $25.75 TaxSlayer Center, Moline, Ill., Dec. 7 10,364$262,674 CHRIS YOUNG 4,272 CONCERTS WEST $79.50, $39.50 Ford Center, Evansville, Ind., Oct. 25 8,982$260,706 KANE BROWN 6,170 AEG $95, $42.50 The Park Theater at Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Dec. 15 6,170
INJURED GARTH FAN COMPENSATEDA Kentucky woman who nearly lost an eye in a freak accident at a Garth Brooks concert is counting her blessings after receiving a $65,000 balloon payment.
Jean Ann Crenshaw thought she had an ideal seat when she and four friends drove to Nashville for a Dec. 9, 2017, concert at Bridgestone Arena, the first show in the final city on Brooks’ three-year tour. But a planned balloon-and-confetti drop honoring songwriter Mitch Rosell (who penned Brooks’ No. 1 Country Airplay single “Ask Me How I Know”) went awry. When the balloons failed to drop, a worker used a metal pole to pry the rigging loose, but dropped the shaft into the audience in the process. Crenshaw was looking up, attempting to collect one of the balloons, but never saw the pole until it hit her below the eye, requiring stitches and surgery.
Iden Entertainment, the balloon company, took responsibility for the mishap. (In a fan video posted on YouTube, the pole can briefly be seen in the right-hand portion of the crowd just after the 4:05 mark.)
Crenshaw’s nose was broken, scar tissue blocked her tear ducts, and she still feels occasional shooting pain from nerve damage near the eye. Her face remained bruised and swollen for several months, and her husband received nasty glares from strangers who, presumably, thought he had beaten her.
Iden’s insurance company, State Farm, agreed to a $65,000 settlement, covering $25,000 in medical fees and $40,000 for additional damages.
The employee who dropped the pole was shaken by the incident, according to Iden GM/vp R.J. Monds, who said it was the first accident the company had experienced among 2,000-plus balloon drops in over two decades of business. The employee was reprimanded, though he continues to work for Iden. Monds said the company never tried to deny its responsibility.
“We do something wrong, we take ownership,” he said. Crenshaw and her friends all received refunds for the show, and arena
representatives reached out to her two days after the accident. Someone from Brooks’ team took down her contact info at the concert before she was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center, though the team never contacted her after that. She admits she was “disappointed,” and though she’s less enthusiastic about seeing a full Brooks concert, she says she might still end up going to one of his upcoming stadium shows. Since most stadiums do not have roofs, she’s less likely to be injured by overhead objects.
“The worst that could happen,” she says, “is a bird could poo on you.”
RADIO & RECORDSReviver Entertainment Group executive vp/GM Gator Michaels gained the role of president for the Reviver imprint … BBR Music Group made two adjustments to the Stoney Creek promotion team. Stan Marczewski was promoted to director of national promotion from director of Midwest regional promotion. Stefani Waters was hired as director of Southeast regional promotion following a run as Los Angeles-based Republic director of pop and rhythm promotion. Reach Marczewski here and Waters here … Building on their relationship with Luke Combs, R iver House and Sony Music Nashville created a long-term joint venture. First signee in the deal is River House/Columbia Nashville singer-songwriter Jameson Rodgers … WXTU Philadelphia promoted afternoon-drive host Mark Razz to PD from assistant
PD/music director … Sean Varicalli started Jan. 14 as WKXC Augusta, Ga., morning host. He was most recently WQDR Raleigh-Durham, N.C., assistant PD/midday personality … Beasley/Tampa-St. Petersburg (Fla.) appointed Steve Triplett vp/market manager for the cluster, which includes country WQYK. He joined the station group four years ago as director of sales before receiving an interim market manager title … Beasley added centralized digital content managing editor Brian Ives to oversee editorial on the company’s websites and social media. He had served as editor-in-chief for Townsquare’s rock platform Loudwire.com … Duhamel Broadcasting sold its five Rapid City, S.D., stations to Riverfront Broadcasting, The Rapid City Journal reported. The cluster includes country KZZI … Entercom chief marketing officer Ruth Gaviria left the company, according to InsideRadio.com. Senior vp ad sales and marketing Jenny Nelson will oversee the department until a replacement is found … Townsquare/Danbury, Conn., hired Mike Rich as market president/chief revenue officer, Talkers.com reported. He was CEO of digital media company Irish Studio. Stations now under his guidance include country WDBY … WYRK Buffalo, N.Y., welcomed Dave Fields as brand manager/afternoon-drive host, according to Talkers.com, shifting him from mornings at adult contemporary sister WMSX. The move allows former WYRK brand manager Chris Crowley to focus on programming WMSX.
’ROUND THE ROWThe Country Music Association added three new staffers: live events coordinator Emily Arvanitis, integrated marketing director Michelle Kirk and sales development and strategy director Megan Sykes. Arvanitis was most recently Sandbox Entertainment executive assistant, Kirk was William Morris Endeavor brand partnerships agent, and Sykes was Creative Artists Agency music brand partnerships agent. Reach Arvanitis here, Kirk here and Sykes here … Jim Murphy joined New York-based Music Choice as head of country programming. He spent the previous five years as Brahmin Broadcasting/Cheyenne, Wyo., group PD … Marty Brown signed a recording deal with Plowboy … Songwriter Josh Osborne (“Turnin’ Me On,” “Burn Out”) agreed to a publishing contract with Sony/ATV Nashville … Warner/Chappell Nashville and Cornman Music signed Will Bundy to a joint publishing agreement … Bluegrass singer-songwriter Ronnie Reno announced plans to retire at the close of 2019 … SOURCE Nashville unveiled a new 12-person board for 2019. Officers include president Alicia Lanier Jones, Fourward; vp Kari Barnhart, Regions Bank; treasurer Catherine Stein Moore, Farris, Self & Moore; and secretary Jennifer Turnbow, Nashville Songwriters Association International … The Academy of Country Music’s charitable wing, ACM Lifting Lives, awarded nearly $280,000 in grants to 33 beneficiaries. Go here for the full list … Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Sanger D. “Whitey” Shafer died Jan. 12. His legacy includes George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” Moe Bandy’s “Bandy the Rodeo Clown,” Keith Whitley’s “I Wonder Do You Think of Me” and Merle Haggard’s “That’s the Way Love Goes.” Go here for funeral details as they become available … Songwriter Phil Thomas died Jan. 5. A former quarterback for Oklahoma State and Mississippi State, he authored Gene Watson’s “Drinkin’ My Way Back Home” and Johnny Paycheck’s “Me and the I.R.S.,” as well as cuts by Randy Travis, Alabama and Montgomery Gentry.
NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND
Several Hee Haw alumni, touring as the Kornfield Friends, visited with SiriusXM during the Association of Performing Arts Convention in New York. From left: Misty Rowe, Buck Trent, SiriusXM PD Jeremy Tepper, Jana Jae and Lulu Roman.
BMI hosted a No. 1 party to celebrate Jason Aldean’s “Drowns the Whiskey” on Jan. 8 at Nashville’s Cambria Hotel. From left: Songwriter Josh Thompson, producer Michael Knox, Aldean and songwriters Brandon Kinney and Jeff Middleton.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 8 OF 18
MUSIC NOTESWhen Loretta Lynn turns 87 on April 14, blowing out the candles on the cake will be nothing next to the blowout that’s planned earlier in the month. She will be the subject of an April 1 tribute, Loretta Lynn: An All-Star Birthday Celebration Concert, at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Garth Brooks helped announce the event on Jan. 14, with Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Little Big Town, Kacey Musgraves and Alan Jackson among a boatload of artists planning to perform. Tickets go on sale Jan. 18, with net proceeds benefiting the Opry Trust Fund and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Craig Morgan officially inducted Mark Wills into the Grand Ole Opry on Jan. 11 during an installment of the WSM-AM Nashville show held at the Ryman Auditorium. It was also a landmark moment for Arista Nashville artist Carlton Anderson, who made his Opry debut. “I did a lot of playing downtown when I moved down here,” Anderson told Billboard staff during a Jan. 9 visit to the Nashville office. “I’ve walked by that building and rubbed my hands on it a million times, just hoping and praying all this work down there and on the road was going to pay off.” Coinciding with the Opry debut, Arista released two new Anderson tracks to digital providers: “Country Music Made Me Do It” and “Keep Abilene Beautiful.” With the title track already at radio, Curb will issue Dylan Scott’s next EP, Nothing to Do Town, on April 26. The six-song project is among a handful of newly announced titles that have received release dates. Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert’s When the Sun Goes Down arrives March 20, and Steve Earle & The Dukes’ Guy — a tribute to the late Guy Clark with guests Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker and Rodney Crowell — comes out March 29. Additionally, Columbia Nashville/Legacy slipped a 40-track retrospective, The Essential Janie Fricke, into the marketplace on Dec. 28. “Hit” means something different to Brad Paisley than it does to a baseball player or a quarterback. But he and a bunch of athletes were a hit at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., on Jan. 13 with a sold-out softball game that raised more than $1 million for victims of local fires and the November shooting at the Borderline club. Paisley took the field with two NFL quarterbacks — Baker Mayfield and Matt Leinert — plus a bundle of MLB players, including Christian Yelich, Ryan Braun, Mike Moustakas and Justin Turner.
LYNN
Opry Entertainment launched its Opry NextStage campaign with a Jan. 8 concert featuring its four inaugural acts. From left: Riley Green, Tegan Marie, Opry Entertainment senior vp programming and artist relations Sally Williams, Tenille Townes and Travis Denning.
ON THIS DATE IN COUNTRY MUSIC
Jan. 15 • 2016 — Dan + Shay record “From the
Ground Up” and “How Not To” at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville.
• 2002 — Arista releases Alan Jackson’s album Drive.
Jan. 16 • 1999 — Ricky Skaggs asks Trisha
Yearwood to join the Grand Ole Opry during a performance on the show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Jan. 17 • 2018 — Kenny Chesney announces he has signed a recording deal
with Warner Bros., ending a relationship of more than two decades with Sony.
• 2017 — RCA releases “What Ifs” by Kane Brown (featuring Lauren Alaina) to radio.
Jan. 18 • 2004 — LeAnn Rimes sings the national anthem when the New
England Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts in the American Football Conference title game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots win, 24-14.
Jan. 19 • 1994 — VH1 premieres Travis Tritt’s “Take It Easy” video, which
reunites the Eagles following a 14-year split. • 1990 — Reba McEntire’s first movie, the sci-fi picture Tremors,
debuts, with Kevin Bacon in the leading role.
Jan. 20 • 1989 — Country stars appear en masse for the George Bush
inauguration. Performing for the occasion are The Oak Ridge Boys, Crystal Gayle, Moe Bandy, Steve Wariner, Lee Greenwood, Jody Miller, Randy Travis and Loretta Lynn.
• 1979 — Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler rides to No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart, where it remains for 24 of the next 25 weeks.
Jan. 21 • 2009 — Rascal Flatts’ “My Wish” receives a platinum single from
the RIAA.
Source: RolandNote.com, the Ultimate Country Music Database
NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND
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RIAA Chief Mitch Glazier Talks 2019 Priorities, Lobbying The New ‘Napster Generation’
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‘The Mood Has Changed’: As The Business Grows, Labels Are Redefining Their Role
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How Spotify Is Scooping Up Indie Artists And Edging In On Label Territory
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Top Headlines from .com
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 9 OF 18
The track returns to its No. 13 Hot Country Songs high. It hops 10-7 on Country Airplay, up 7 percent to 32.7 million in radio reach, while gaining by 18 percent to 4.1 million
U.S. streams.
13SCOTTY
McCREERYThis Is It
“Down” holds at No. 30 on Hot Country Songs. It bullets at No 21 on Country Airplay
(12.3 million, up 1 percent) and corralled 1.5 million U.S. streams in the tracking
week, a 20 percent surge.
30KEITH
URBANNever
Comin’ Down
20
18 G
ET
TY
IM
AG
ES
.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 10 OF 18
Hot Country SongsSALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
TWO WEEKS
AGOWKS ON CHART
TITLE Artist PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
COUNTRY AIRPLAY
RANKPEAK
POSITION
1 1 1 34 SPEECHLESS HH No. 1 (8 weeks) HH Dan + Shay D.SMYERS,S.HENDRICKS (D.SMYERS,S.MOONEY,J.REYNOLDS,L.VELTZ) WARNER BROS./WAR
2 1
2 2 2 52 TEQUILA Dan + Shay D.SMYERS,S.HENDRICKS (D.SMYERS,J.REYNOLDS,N.GALYON) WARNER BROS./WAR RC 2
3 3 3 59 MEANT TO BE Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line WILSHIRE (B.REXHA,T.HUBBARD,J.MILLER,D.A.GARCIA) WARNER BROS./BMLG RC 1
4 4 4 30 SHE GOT THE BEST OF ME Luke Combs S.MOFFATT (L.COMBS,R.SNYDER,C.WILSON) RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 6 2
5 5 5 32 LOSE IT Kane Brown D.HUFF (K.BROWN,C.MCGILL,W.WEATHERLY) ZONE 4/RCA NASHVILLE 9 1
6 6 6 35 BEST SHOT Jimmie Allen A.BOWERS (J.ALLEN,J.LONDON,J.P.WILLIAMS) STONEY CREEK 8 5
l7 11 10 36 BEAUTIFUL CRAZY HH Streaming Gainer HH Luke Combs S.MOFFATT (L.COMBS,W.B.DURRETTE,R.WILLIFORD) RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
l19 20 21 17 HERE TONIGHT Brett Young D.HUFF (B.YOUNG,B.CAVER,J.EBACH,C.KELLEY) BMLG 22 18
l20 22 22 14 MAKE IT SWEET Old Dominion S.MCANALLY (M.RAMSEY,T. ROSEN,W.SELLERS,G.SPRUNG,B.TURSI,S.MCANALLY) RCA NASHVILLE 17 20
l21 21 20 30 BURN OUT Midland D.HUFF,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE (J.CARSON,C.DUDDY,M.WYSTRACH,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE) BIG MACHINE 13 19
l22 23 26 11 MISS ME MORE Kelsea Ballerini F.G.WHITEHEAD,J.MASSEY (K.BALLERINI,D.H.HODGES,B.MCLAUGHLIN) BLACK RIVER 25 22
l23 26 24 21 NIGHT SHIFT Jon Pardi B.BUTLER,J.PARDI (T.BROWN,P.LARUE,B.MONTANA) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 20 23
l24 25 23 22 ON MY WAY TO YOU Cody Johnson T.W.WILLMON (BRETT JAMES,T.LANE) COJO/WMN 24 23
l25 24 25 20 THERE WAS THIS GIRL Riley Green D.HUFF (R.GREEN,ERIK DYLAN) BMLG 14 22
Hot Country Songs
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 11 OF 18
For week ending January 10, 2019. Figures are rounded. Compiled from a national sample of retail store and rack sales reports collected and provided by Nielsen Music.
For inquiries about any Nielsen Music data, please contact Josh Bennett at 615-807-1338 or [email protected]
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 WATCHA Weekly National Music Sales Report
Hot Country Songs
ALBUMSDIGITAL
ALBUMS*DIGITAL TRACKS
This Week 208,000 64,000 702,000
Last Week 240,000 80,000 809,000
Change -13.3% -20.0% -13.2%
This Week Last Year 265,000 75,000 931,000
Change -21.5% -14.7% -24.6%
*Digital album sales are also counted within album sales.
Weekly Unit SalesYear-Over-Year Album Sales2018 2019 CHANGE
Albums 301,000 208,000 -30.9%
Digital Tracks 1,032,000 702,000 -32.0%
YEAR-TO-DATE
Overall Unit Sales
2018 2019 CHANGE
Physical 218,000 160,000 -26.6%
Digital 83,000 80,000 -3.6%
Sales by Album Format
SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
TWO WEEKS
AGOWKS ON CHART
TITLE Artist PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
COUNTRY AIRPLAY
RANKPEAK
POSITION
l26 27 29 16 ONE THAT GOT AWAY Michael Ray S.HENDRICKS (J.FRASURE,T. ROSEN,M.RAMSEY,J.OSBORNE) ATLANTIC/WEA 19 26
l27 28 27 18 RUMOR HH Digital Gainer HH Lee Brice L.BRICE,J.STONE,K.JACOBS,D.FRIZSELL (L.BRICE,K.JACOBS,A.GORLEY) CURB
31 27
l28 29 30 18 TALK YOU OUT OF IT Florida Georgia Line J.MOI (M.HARDY,H.PHELPS,J.ROGERS,A.VANDERHEYM) BMLG 32 19
l29 31 28 13 WHISKEY GLASSES Morgan Wallen J.MOI (B.BURGESS,K.KADISH) BIG LOUD 33 28
l30 30 33 14 NEVER COMIN DOWN Keith Urban J.KERR,K.URBAN (K.URBAN,J.KEAR,J.ABRAHART,SHY CARTER) HIT RED/CAPITOL NASHVILLE 21 30
l31 33 34 21 EYES ON YOU Chase Rice C. DESTEFANO (C.RICE,C. DESTEFANO,A.GORLEY) DACK JANIELS/BROKEN BOW 27 31
32 32 31 14 NEON CHURCH Tim McGraw B.GALLIMORE,T.MCGRAW (B.GOLDSMITH,R.E.LIPSEY,B.M.STENNIS) MCGRAW/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 23 24
l34 35 35 14 I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU Chris Lane J.MOI (A.GORLEY,M.HARDY,H.PHELPS,J.RODGERS) BIG LOUD - 34
l35 42 42 12 GOOD AS YOU Kane Brown D.HUFF (K.BROWN,B.BERRYHILL,S.CARTER,T.PHILLIPS,W.WEATHERLY) ZONE 4/RCA NASHVILLE 37 17
l36 38 39 16 LOVE AIN’T Eli Young Band D.HUFF (R.COPPERMAN,A.GORLEY,S.MCANALLY) VALORY 29 36
l37 37 41 3 PRAYED FOR YOU Matt Stell A.BOWERS,M.STELL (M.STELL,A.BOWERS,A.VELTZ) WIDE OPEN/RECORDS/GOOD COMPANY - 37
l38 36 38 11 LOVE SOMEONE Brett Eldredge R. COPPERMAN,B.ELDREDGE (B.ELDREDGE,R.COPPERMAN,H.MORGAN) ATLANTIC/WMN 28 36
l39 39 37 25 CAUGHT UP IN THE COUNTRY Rodney Atkins Featuring The Fisk Jubilee Singers R.ATKINS,T.HEWITT,B.BOLLINGER (C.HARRINGTON,J.M.SCHMIDT,M.WALKER) CURB 30 37
l40 40 43 5 STRONGER THAN ME Garth Brooks G.BROOKS (R.W.TERRY,M.A.ROSSI) PEARL 48 40
l41 43 47 3 RULES OF BREAKING UP Brandon Ratcliff S.MCANALLY,P.GOOD (B.RATCLIFF,A.J.BABCOCK,BUSBEE,P.GOOD) MONUMENT/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE - 41
l42 NEW 1 RAISED ON COUNTRY HH Hot Shot Debut HH Chris Young C.CROWDER, C.YOUNG (C.YOUNG, C.R.BARLOWE, C.CROWDER) RCA NASHVILLE
- 42
l43 44 45 4 WHAT HAPPENS IN A SMALL TOWN Brantley Gilbert + Lindsay Ell D.HUFF (B.GILBERT,R.AKINS,B.BERRYHILL,J.DUNNE) VALORY 40 31
l44 47 — 5 BRING IT ON OVER Billy Currington D.HUFF,J.FRASURE (D.DAVIDSON,R.AKINS,B.HAYSLIP,J.FRASURE) MERCURY 49 44
45 45 44 18 HOMESICK Kane Brown D.HUFF (K.BROWN,B.BERRYHILL,M.J.MCGINN,T.PHILLIPS) ZONE 4/RCA NASHVILLE - 24
The collaboration arrives at No. 25 on Country Streaming Songs, up 10 percent to 4.5 million U.S. streams. “Man” moves 7-5 on Country Airplay and bullets at No. 10 on
Hot Country Songs.
25DIERKS
BENTLEY FEATURING BROTHERS OSBORNE
Burning Man
20
18 J
AS
ON
ME
RR
ITT/A
CM
A20
18
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 12 OF 18
The week’s top-streamed and top-selling paid download country songs, respectively, from sales reports collected and provided by Nielsen Music. Charts update weekly on Tuesdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright 2019, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS COUNTRY DIGITAL SONG SALES
Americana/Folk Albums ranks the most popular Americana/folk albums of the week, as compiled by Nielsen Music, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums). Copyright 2019, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
AMERICANA/ FOLK ALBUMS
SALES, DATA COMPILED BY
COUNTRY STREAMING SONGS
STREAMING & SALES DATA COMPILED BY
THIS
W
EEK
LAST
W
EEK
WKS
ON
CH
ART
TITLEARTIST
1 1 29 SPEECHLESS DAN + SHAY
2 2 51 TEQUILA DAN + SHAY
l3 4 36 BEAUTIFUL CRAZY LUKE COMBS
4 5 20 DOWN TO THE HONKYTONK JAKE OWEN
5 3 23 SHE GOT THE BEST OF ME LUKE COMBS
6 7 10 MISS ME MORE KELSEA BALLERINI
l7 NEW RAISED ON COUNTRY CHRIS YOUNG
8 9 157 TENNESSEE WHISKEY CHRIS STAPLETON
l9 18 4 RUMOR LEE BRICE
10 12 22 BURNING MAN DIERKS BENTLEY FEAT. BROTHERS OSBORNE
11 13 15 MILLIONAIRE CHRIS STAPLETON
12 10 25 DRUNK ME MITCHELL TENPENNY
13 6 59 MEANT TO BE BEBE REXHA & FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
14 16 13 GIRL LIKE YOU JASON ALDEAN
15 11 28 LOSE IT KANE BROWN
16 15 6 SIXTEEN THOMAS RHETT
17 21 4 THIS IS IT SCOTTY MCCREERY
18 22 7 GOOD GIRL DUSTIN LYNCH
l19 RE-ENTRY LAST SHOT KIP MOORE
20 20 7 WHISKEY GLASSES MORGAN WALLEN
21 17 57 HEAVEN KANE BROWN
l22 RE-ENTRY ON MY WAY TO YOU CODY JOHNSON
23 8 29 SIMPLE FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
l24 RE-ENTRY JOLENE DOLLY PARTON
25 19 16 BEST SHOT JIMMIE ALLEN
SALES DATA COMPILED BY
THIS
W
EEK
LAST
W
EEK
WKS
ON
CH
ART
TITLEARTIST
l1 1 59 MEANT TO BE BEBE REXHA & FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
l2 2 25 SPEECHLESS DAN + SHAY
l3 3 46 TEQUILA DAN + SHAY
l4 5 22 SHE GOT THE BEST OF ME LUKE COMBS
l5 6 31 LOSE IT KANE BROWN
l6 4 22 DRUNK ME MITCHELL TENPENNY
l7 9 36 BEAUTIFUL CRAZY LUKE COMBS
l8 7 92 TENNESSEE WHISKEY CHRIS STAPLETON
l9 8 62 HEAVEN KANE BROWN
l10 10 16 BEST SHOT JIMMIE ALLEN
l11 11 50 YOU MAKE IT EASY JASON ALDEAN
l12 12 115 IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW BRETT YOUNG
l13 15 88 WHAT IFS KANE BROWN FEAT. LAUREN ALAINA
l14 17 42 MERCY BRETT YOUNG
l15 16 101 BODY LIKE A BACK ROAD SAM HUNT ()
l16 19 116 HURRICANE LUKE COMBS
l17 20 89 DIE A HAPPY MAN THOMAS RHETT
l18 21 71 WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS LUKE COMBS
l19 22 2 HERE TONIGHT BRETT YOUNG
l20 RE-ENTRY SIMPLE FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
l21 23 55 MARRY ME THOMAS RHETT
l22 24 39 ONE NUMBER AWAY LUKE COMBS
l23 NEW LAST SHOT KIP MOORE
l24 25 84 SMALL TOWN BOY DUSTIN LYNCH
l25 NEW BURNING MAN DIERKS BENTLEY FEAT. BROTHERS OSBORNE
l24 24 — 15 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE (EP)BMLG DIGITAL EX 10
l25 29 — 158 TIM MCGRAW NUMBER ONE HITSCURB 79205 (13.98) 1 6
Amid all of the holiday bustle at the end of last year, Kane Brown and his team had an extra layer of activity to address.
As the first week of December drew to a close, they had set “Homesick” — a sweet midtempo ballad that already had a military-themed welcome-home video in circulation — as a first single for 2019. Brown even did an interview or two to make it official.
By Dec. 10, “Good As You” — bolstered by a video that incorporates scenes from Brown’s Oct. 12 wedding to Katelyn Jae — took the slot, and “Homesick” was shelved for likely future release.
“ ‘Good As You’ just felt more January,” reasons Brown. “It’s not summer yet, but you’re waiting for it to get warm, like closer to March, and once that warmth starts to come around, it’s just a happy song, and I want people to have a smile on their face.”
“Homesick” co-writer Matthew McGinn may have been disappointed with the move, but it was great news for “Good As You” co-writers Shy Carter and Will Weatherly. And, perhaps, a wash for Taylor Phillips and Brock Berryhill, who co-wrote both songs. But even those two were mildly shocked at the change in single, in part because it came without warning.
“My stomach dropped,” says Phillips, noting that his mother actually spotted the switch online. “I looked on his Facebook, and that was the first time I saw it. By the grace of God, I had co-written both of them. It didn’t devastate me too much. It just kind of caught me off guard.”
It might well have surprised listeners a hair, too, since “Good As You” is a slight departure. Brown’s rich, deeper tones have become a trademark in his swift ascent to stardom, but this song — the second track on new album Experiment — reaches into his basement only for a note or two at a time. The meat of the melody is pitched in a much higher and more vulnerable range than he typically mines.
“With this record, I wanted something that sounded different, and ‘Good As You’ is one of those songs that’s outside the box for me,” he says. “It’s a different tone of my voice and everything, and that’s what I wanted to start 2019 with: something that doesn’t sound like anything that I’ve released yet.”
“Good As You” came together in a f lurry once they had the basic core, though it took hours to find the starting point. Brown took Phillips, Berryhill and Weatherly with him for a weekend tour run that started at Riverfront Park in Peoria, Ill., on June 16. Minutes after the bus left Nashville, Brown messaged Carter and encouraged him to swoop over from St. Louis and pitch in on the writing session.
They tried several other musical ideas first, and none of them really jelled. The guys were, believes Phillips, trying too hard to write a wedding song. Adding to the pressure, he knew that whatever they created would need to satisfy the bride, too.
“Katelyn is a hard critic,” says Phillips. “I’ve learned that. If she loves it, then he’s going to love it. I don’t feel like I write songs for Kane Brown. I feel like I write songs for Kane and Katelyn Brown.”
As the afternoon turned into early evening, they still had nothing of substance. Finally, Carter and Brown retreated to the back of the bus, and Carter found a leisurely groove on the mandolin that matches his personality.
“He just has this vibe and energy to him that’s really special,” notes Berryhill. “He’s very chill.”
When Carter replayed that initial thread for the full group, Berryhill re-created it on a Stratocaster, filling in the chord structure and emphasizing its Memphis soul feel. Weatherly captured that on a laptop, adding in some slappy percussive effects on the downbeat. Then the words came pouring out in two batches: liquid, conversational verses that contrast with more stringent, on-the-beat chorus rhythms.
“I feel like we wrote a verse to one song, and we wrote a different chorus to a different song, and we had to make them work together,” says Phillips.
“They were a little bit off.”So were some of the words. “Girl, you’re
more than just the surface” compliments the woman’s depth in a way that’s unconventional, maybe even grammatically incorrect, but still gets the job done.
“I didn’t know what it meant, but it doesn’t sound wrong,” notes Brown.
And the hook — “I just wanna be good as you” — would likely be “as good as you” if the writers were concerned about their grades in English class. They tried to do it correctly but didn’t feel it worked.
“The ‘as’ would have thrown the syncopation of that melody off a little bit,” says Phillips. “Still would have worked, but it would have felt a little more cluttered. I don’t know. I felt like it hit.”
Likewise, the song’s overall message comes through, though if the premise is taken literally,
“I just wanna be good as you” seems more appropriate to say to a mentor or role model than to someone in an equal partnership.
“That was a discussion that came up,” recalls Berryhill. “But with the three of us I know that are married out of the people who wrote this song, we all would agree that we’re not as good as our wives. There’s a bigger message hidden in that. I can’t say that’s wrong.”
They finished a rough demo quickly while Brown played the show that night, and back on the bus, Brown took a quick video of the guys singing along with it. He was so enamored that he shared it on social media a little before 1 a.m.
Producer Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Brantley Gilbert) kept the spirit of that demo intact, making only subtle changes in the final recording. He slowed the tempo a hair and delayed drummer Aaron Sterling’s full arrival until the second verse. Huff used Berryhill’s introductory notes from the demo’s guitar solo as a building block before changing up the back half. And he added some echo to the vocal production, though the bulk of it got removed.
“He was using this delay, so every time I would say, ‘Good as you,’ it would say, ‘Good as you’ again,” remembers Brown. “It made it feel a little more pop than what it already sounds, and Katelyn is the one that pointed that out. I usually always go with what she says.”
Once “Good As You” replaced “Homesick” as the single, RCA released it to country radio via PlayMPE on Dec. 17. It debuted at No. 55 on the Country Airplay chart dated Jan. 12, 2019 (it made a quick splash at No. 17 on Hot Country Songs even before it became a single). It’s currently at No. 37 on Country Airplay, with “Homesick” very much in the mix as a possible later single.
“When I hear that song, there’s something that just puts a smile on my face, and I just hope that for other people as well,” says Brown. “It’s that thing guys want to tell their girls and they don’t really know how to do it, and hopefully, if they hear that song, they can be like, ‘Hey, here’s what I feel about you.’ ”
Kane Brown Gets 2019 Off To A “Good” Start With A Nod To His 2018 Wedding
BULLETSl Awarded on Country Airplay to titles gaining audience or remaining flat from the previous week. A song will also receive a bullet if its percentage loss in audience does not exceed the percentage of monitored
station downtime for the format. Titles that decline in audience but increase in detections will also receive a bullet if the total audience erosion for the week does not exceed 3%. Bullets are awarded on Country Indicator to titles gaining plays or remaining flat from the previous week.
TIESOn Country Airplay, if two songs are tied in total audience, the song with the larger increase in audience is placed first. On Country Indicator, if two songs are tied in total plays, the song with the larger increase in plays is placed first.
RECURRENTSOn Country Airplay, descending titles below No. 10 in either audience or detections are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks, provided that they are not still
gaining enough audience points to bullet or if they rank below No. 10 and post a third consecutive week of (non-bulleted) audience decline, regardless of total chart weeks. On Country Indicator, descending, non-bulleted titles below No. 10 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks or if they post a third consecutive week of decline in plays after 10 weeks.
HOT SHOT DEBUTAwarded to the highest-ranking new entry on Country Airplay and Country Indicator, respectively.
MOST ADDEDThe total number of new adds officially reported to Billboard by each reporting station, or by an automatic-add threshold (seven plays for the first time in a chart tracking week, according to Nielsen BDS) for stations that do not report adds.
MOST INCREASED AUDIENCE/PLAYSMost Increased Audience on Country Airplay and Most Increased Plays on Country Indicator list the songs with the greatest week-to-week increases in total audience or plays, respectively.
AIRPOWERAwarded on Country Airplay to titles ranking inside top 20 in plays and audience rankings for the first time, with increases in both plays and audience.
BREAKERAwarded on Country Airplay to titles achieving airplay (at least one detection) at 60% of reporting stations for the first time.
l50 49 9 FINE BY ME Dreamlined/Nightlife Marty Heddin 332 +13 0.397
l51 55 2 DON’T LET THE OLD MAN IN Show Dog Nashville Toby Keith 317 +42 0.386
l52 57 5 THE ONES THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT BACK HOME Valory Justin Moore 293 +37 0.340
l53 NEW RUINED THIS TOWN HH Lee Gantt 291 +99 0.463
l54 54 7 WONDER WOMAN Show Dog Nashville Waterloo Revival 283 +3 0.310
l55 56 8 WHEN IT COMES TO LOVING YOU 32 Bridge/EMI Nashville Jon Langston 274 +4 0.255
56 31 22 AMERICAN GIRLS Sea Gayle CJ Solar 273 -514 0.283
l57 NEW KISS THAT GIRL GOODBYE BIG Label Aaron Watson 268 +111 0.314
58 53 5 STRONGER THAN ME Pearl Garth Brooks 268 -21 0.481
l59 NEW LOVE YOU TOO LATE Warner Bros./WMN Cole Swindell 266 +58 0.260
l60 59 2 A LITTLE ON THE REDNECK SIDE Dream Walkin’ Smith & Wesley 264 +29 0.296
Country Indicator
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 16 OF 18
Country Airplay Index90’S COUNTRY Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing
America, Inc., BMI/Spark In Your Pocket, BMI/Songs Of Smack, BMI/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/LYRX Publishing, LLC, BMI (W.Hayes, S.McAnally, LYRX) 58
B
BACK TO LIFE W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Bennett’s Dad’s Songs, SESAC/Songs Of Rhythm House Black, SESAC/Niko Moon Publishing, SESAC/Roc Nation US Music, SESAC/Shay Mooney Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Farm Thang Music, BMI/Me Gusta Music, BMI (C.R.Barlowe, N.Moon, S.Mooney, F.Wilhelm) 39
BEAUTIFUL CRAZY Big Machine Music, BMI/Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Works Of RHA Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Rowdy Rob Music, BMI (L.Combs, W.B.Durrette, R.Williford) 15
BEST SHOT Red Lining Music, SESAC/Amplified Hour Songs, SESAC/Castle Bound Music, Inc., SESAC/Rio Bravo Music, Inc., BMI/Blonde Leading Blind, BMI (J.Allen, J.London, J.P.Williams) 8
BRING IT ON OVER Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Natalia’s Music Money, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Ritten by Rhettro, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/Pinetucky Road Publishing, ASCAP/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI (D.Davidson, R.Akins, B.Hayslip, J.Frasure) 49
BUCKED OFF New House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Own My Own Music Publishing, ASCAP (B.Paisley, C.DuBois, K.Lovelace) 52
BURNING MAN Emileon Songs, BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/Not A Track Guy Music, BMI (L.Dick, B.Pinson) 5
BURN OUT WB Music Corp., ASCAP/TipTop Music, ASCAP/Tropical Cowboy Publishing, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Kitt Cass Publishing Corporation, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/One Little Indian Creek Music, ASCAP (J.Carson, C.Duddy, M.Wystrach, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 13
BUY MY OWN DRINKS BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/BMG Silver Songs, SESAC/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Rezonate Music, ASCAP/BIRB Music, ASCAP/Champagne Whiskey Publishing, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP/Legends Of Magic Mustang Music, SESAC/Music Of Platinum Pen, SESAC/Wild Wild West Songs, SESAC/Thunder Cookie, SESAC/Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI/Songwriters of Platinum Pen Publishing, BMI/Hannah Mulholland Music, BMI (H.Mulholland, J.Wayne, N.Cooke, H.Lindsey, J.Kear) 38
C
CAUGHT UP IN THE COUNTRY WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Freshy Music, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP/Goes Something Like THIS Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Make It Matter Music, BMI/Sixteen Stars Music, BMI (C.Harrington, J.M.Schmidt, M.Walker) 30
CLOSER TO YOU BIRB Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/1217 Songs, ASCAP/Still Working For The Woman, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Low Z Music, BMI (H.Lindsey, G.Sampson, T.Verges) 43
D
DAY DRUNK Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/SongsbyME, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/CDS Words And Music, ASCAP/Hey Kiddo Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (M.Evans, C. DeStefano, L.Robbins) 45
THE DIFFERENCE Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Ritten by Rhettro, BMI/Mr. Buck Lucky, BMI/Bump Into Genius Music, BMI/Neon Cross Music, BMI/Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI (R.Akins, B.Burgess, D.Dawson, J.Durrett) 26
DON’T LET THE OLD MAN IN Tokeco Tunes, BMI (T.Keith) 41
DOWN TO THE HONKYTONK Round Hill Works, BMI/Big Loud Proud Crowd, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Shirt At Work, BMI/Sony/ATV Story Music Publishing, GMR/We Are Creative Nation, GMR/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (R.Clawson, L.Laird, S.McAnally) 16
TITLE Publishing-Licensing Org. (Songwriter) Chart Position
E
EVERY LITTLE THING BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/Kailey’s Dream, BMI/So Essential Tunes, SESAC/Not Just Another Song Publishing, SESAC/Hillbilly Science And Research Publishing, SESAC/Trailerlily Music, SESAC (R.Dickerson, P.Welling, C.Brown) 50
EYES ON YOU Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Dack Janiel’s Publishing, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/CDS Words And Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP (C.Rice, C. DeStefano, A.Gorley) 27
F
FEELS LIKE A PARTY ole Purple Cape Music, BMI/Mars Marley Music, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/T Hubb Publishing, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP (P.Brust, C.Lucas, T.Hubbard, C.Crowder) 34
FRIENDS DON’T Super Big Music, ASCAP/Seven Red Brids Publishing, ASCAP/Jehovah Nissi, BMI/Big Machine Music, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Memory Days, SESAC/Wordspring Music, LLC, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC (M.Marlow, T.Dye, J.M.Nite, J.Ebach) 36
G
GIRL GOIN’ NOWHERE Songs Of Song Factory, BMI/Universal Tunes, SESAC (A.McBryde, J.Bussey) 59
GIRL LIKE YOU Peertunes, Ltd., SESAC/MTNoize, SESAC/Jaron Boyer Music, SESAC/Music Of The Corn, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (M.Tyler, J.Boyer, J.Mirenda) 4
GOOD AS YOU Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd., PRS/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, PRS/TDP Publishing, BMI/Track House Worldwide Entertainment, BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI (K.Brown, B.Berryhill, S.Carter, T.Phillips, W.Weatherly) 37
GOOD GIRL Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Wordspring Music, LLC, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Memory Days, SESAC/Buzz Light Beer Music, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP (D.Lynch, J.Ebach, A.Albert) 1
GOT MY NAME CHANGED BACK Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Pink Dog Publishing, BMI/Monroe Suede Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Mountain Girl Songs 3, ASCAP (M.Lambert, A.Monroe, A.Presley) 60
H
HERE TONIGHT Super Big Music, ASCAP/Caliville Publishing, ASCAP/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/Wordspring Music, LLC, SESAC/Memory Days, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/The Best I Could Do Publishing, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (B.Young, B.Caver, J.Ebach, C.Kelley) 22
HOW DOES IT SOUND Two Black Dogs, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/Songs For Buddy.ASCAP/Songs From The Rose Hotel, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (D.Schneider, J.Johnston, C.Crowder) 54
I
I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/Relative Music Group, BMI/One77 Songs, ASCAP/Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (A.Gorley, M.Hardy, H.Phelps, J.Rodgers) 55
I DON’T REMEMBER ME (BEFORE YOU) Trampy McCauley, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Songstein Publishing, ASCAP/All The Kings Pens, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Matt Drag Music, ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (J. Osborne, T.J. Osborne, M.Dragstrem, S.McAnally) 53
I WON’T BE SORRY Old Desperados, LLC, ASCAP/N2D Publishing Company, Inc., ASCAP/Carol Vincent And Associates, LLC., ASCAP/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP (D.L.Murphy, P.Jenkins, J.Sellers) 57
L
LADIES IN THE ‘90S Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Lylas Music, BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Cookie Jar Music LLP, PRS (Lauren Alaina, J.Frasure, A.Wadge) 47
LOSE IT Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Plum Nelly, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI/Track House Worldwide Entertainment, BMI (K.Brown, C.McGill, W.Weatherly) 9
LOVE AIN’T EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Plain Jane Songs, BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (R.Copperman, A.Gorley, S.McAnally) 29
LOVE SOMEONE Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Paris Not France Music, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/Plain Jane Songs, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Heather Feather Songs, BMI (B.Eldredge, R.Copperman, H.Morgan) 28
LOVE WINS Carrie-Okie Music, BMI/Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing, ASCAP/D Soul Music, ASCAP/Capitol CMG Genesis, ASCAP/Songs Of Brett, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (C.Underwood, D.A.Garcia, Brett James) 18
LOVE YOU TOO LATE Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Colden Rainey Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/243 Music, ASCAP/Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Whiskey Tub Music, BMI (C.Swindell, Michael Ray, B.Kinney) 42
M
MAKE IT SWEET Carrot Seed Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Rezsongs, ASCAP/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Smack Blue, LLC, ASCAP/Unfair Entertainment, ASCAP/MeGusta Music, ASCAP/Tiny Handstand, ASCAP/Sharkules Music, ASCAP/We’re Really Doin’ It Publishing, ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (M.Ramsey, T. Rosen, W.Sellers, G.Sprung, B.Tursi, S.McAnally) 17
MISS ME MORE Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/KNB Music, ASCAP/3 Weddings Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Bob Ochoa’s Homemade Salsa, ASCAP (K.Ballerini, D.H.Hodges, B.McLaughlin) 25
N
NEON CHURCH BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Go For The Goldsmith, ASCAP/Big Deal Beats, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Dead Aim Music, BMI/The Stennis Mightier Music, BMI/Young Guns Publishing, LLC, BMI (B.Goldsmith, R.E.Lipsey, B.M.Stennis) 23
NEVER COMIN DOWN Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/MAROMA Music, BMI/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/Whistlepig Winners, ASCAP/James Abrahart Publishing Designee, SESAC/Artist 101 Publishing Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd., PRS/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, PRS/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/Lets Get Brunch Publishing, BMI (K.Urban, J.Kear, J.Abrahart, Shy Carter) 21
NIGHT SHIFT Maxx Music, BMI/Let The Road Pave Itself, BMI/Razor And Tie Music Publishing, BMI/Mike Curb Music, BMI/Rain Town Music, BMI (T.Brown, P.LaRue, B.Montana) 20
O
THE ONES THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT BACK HOME Big Music Machine, BMI/Double Barrel Ace Music, BMI/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Paulywood Music, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Plum Nelly, BMI/Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Real Big Red Tunes, ASCAP (J.Moore, P.DiGiovanni, C.McGill, J.S.Stover) 46
ONE THAT GOT AWAY Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Telemitry Productions, BMI/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Carrot Seed Songs, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Anderson Fork In The Road Music, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (J.Frasure, T. Rosen, M.Ramsey, J.Osborne) 19
ON MY WAY TO YOU WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Songs Of Brett, ASCAP/Atlas Music Publishing, ASCAP/External Combustion Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Heytone Music, ASCAP (Brett James, T.Lane) 24
SHE GOT THE BEST OF ME Big Music Machine, BMI/50 Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Little Extra Songs, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/No Cats Round Here Music, ASCAP/Heart Scarred Songs, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Super LCS Publishing, BMI (L.Combs, R.Snyder, C.Wilson) 6
SIXTEEN EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Sony/ATV Ballad, BMI/Eastman Pond Publishing, BMI/Big Deal Beats, BMI/Brodsky Spensive Publishing, BMI/Nice Life, BMI (Thomas Rhett, S.M.Douglas, Joe London) 3
SOME OF IT Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Longer And Louder Music, BMI/Mammaw’s Fried Okra Music, BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/Not A Track Guy Music, BMI (E.Church, J.Hyde, C.Daniels, B.Pinson) 51
SPEECHLESS Beats And Banjos, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Shay Mooney Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Buckeye26, ASCAP/Jreynmusic, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/Never Veltz So Good Publishing, BMI (D.Smyers, S.Mooney, J.Reynolds, L.Veltz) 2
STRONGER THAN ME Terry And Tom Music, ASCAP/Bedroll Music, ASCAP/Major Bob Music, Inc., ASCAP (R.W.Terry, M.A.Rossi) 48
T
TAKE IT FROM ME Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Jordan Davis Music, ASCAP/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/MeGusta Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Red Bandana, BMI (J.Davis, J.Davis, J.Gantt) 12
TALK YOU OUT OF IT Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/One77 Songs, ASCAP/Castle Bound Music, Inc., SESAC (M.Hardy, H.Phelps, J.Rogers, A.Vanderheym) 32
THERE WAS THIS GIRL Riley Green Publishing Designee, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Tawnes Van Hawke Publishing, BMI (R.Green, Erik Dylan) 14
THIS IS IT Dagum Music, BMI/Austintatious Tunes, BMI/Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Fluid Tunes, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Ice House Tunes, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (S.McCreery, F.Rogers, A.Eshuis) 7
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WHAT HAPPENS IN A SMALL TOWN Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Indiana Angel Music, BMI/Ritten by Rhettro, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Revelry Music, BMI/Badlandsmgmt, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (B.Gilbert, R.Akins, B.Berryhill, J.Dunne) 40
WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Peanut Mill Songs, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Natalia’s Music Money, BMI/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP (L.Bryan, D.Davidson, A.Gorley) 10
WHAT WHISKEY DOES EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Little Britches Music, BMI/Gattis Music, BMI/Rezonate Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/BIRB Music, ASCAP (R.Houser, K.Gattis, H.Lindsey) 35
WHISKEY GLASSES Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Mr. Buck Lucky, BMI/Bump Into Genius Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Allegro, ASCAP/Over-Thought Under-Appreciated Songs, ASCAP/Rezven Music, ASCAP/Moving Targest In The Dark, ASCAP (B.Burgess, K.Kadish) 33
Y
YADA YADA YADA Mid South Mood Maker Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Heather Feather Songs, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI (B.Lay, H.Morgan, M.Reeves) 44
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 17 OF 18
Hot Country Songs IndexB
BEAUTIFUL CRAZY Big Machine Music, BMI/Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Works Of RHA Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Rowdy Rob Music, BMI (L.Combs, W.B.Durrette, R.Williford) 7
BEST SHOT Red Lining Music, SESAC/Amplified Hour Songs, SESAC/Castle Bound Music, Inc., SESAC/Rio Bravo Music, Inc., BMI/Blonde Leading Blind, BMI (J.Allen, J.London, J.P.Williams) 6
BRING IT ON OVER Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Natalia’s Music Money, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Ritten by Rhettro, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/Pinetucky Road Publishing, ASCAP/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI (D.Davidson, R.Akins, B.Hayslip, J.Frasure) 44
BURNING MAN Emileon Songs, BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/Not A Track Guy Music, BMI (L.Dick, B.Pinson) 10
BURN OUT WB Music Corp., ASCAP/TipTop Music, ASCAP/Tropical Cowboy Publishing, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Kitt Cass Publishing Corporation, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/One Little Indian Creek Music, ASCAP (J.Carson, C.Duddy, M.Wystrach, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 21
C
CAUGHT UP IN THE COUNTRY WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Freshy Music, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP/Goes Something Like THIS Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Make It Matter Music, BMI/Sixteen Stars Music, BMI (C.Harrington, J.M.Schmidt, M.Walker) 39
D
DIE FROM A BROKEN HEART Super Big Music, ASCAP/Seven Red Brids Publishing, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/Jehovah Nissi, BMI/Jet Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/Doc And Maggie Music, SOCAN (M.Marlow, T.Dye, J.Singleton, D.Ruttan) 50
THE DIFFERENCE Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Ritten by Rhettro, BMI/Mr. Buck Lucky, BMI/Bump Into Genius Music, BMI/Neon Cross Music, BMI/Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI (R.Akins, B.Burgess, D.Dawson, J.Durrett) 33
DOWN TO THE HONKYTONK Round Hill Works, BMI/Big Loud Proud Crowd, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Shirt At Work, BMI/Sony/ATV Story Music Publishing, GMR/We Are Creative Nation, GMR/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (R.Clawson, L.Laird, S.McAnally) 17
DRUNK ME Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Freshy Music, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP/Legends Of Magic Mustang Music, SESAC/BMG Silver Songs, SESAC (M.Tenpenny, J.M.Schmidt, J.T.Wilson) 12
E
EYES ON YOU Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Dack Janiel’s Publishing, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/CDS Words And Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP (C.Rice, C. DeStefano, A.Gorley) 31
F
FEELS LIKE A PARTY ole Purple Cape Music, BMI/Mars Marley Music, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/T Hubb Publishing, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP (P.Brust, C.Lucas, T.Hubbard, C.Crowder) 49
TITLE Publishing-Licensing Org. (Songwriter) Chart Position
FRIENDS DON’T Super Big Music, ASCAP/Seven Red Brids Publishing, ASCAP/Jehovah Nissi, BMI/Big Machine Music, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Memory Days, SESAC/Wordspring Music, LLC, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC (M.Marlow, T.Dye, J.M.Nite, J.Ebach) 46
G
GIRL LIKE YOU Peertunes, Ltd., SESAC/MTNoize, SESAC/Jaron Boyer Music, SESAC/Music Of The Corn, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (M.Tyler, J.Boyer, J.Mirenda) 11
GOOD AS YOU Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd., PRS/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, PRS/TDP Publishing, BMI/Track House Worldwide Entertainment, BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI (K.Brown, B.Berryhill, S.Carter, T.Phillips, W.Weatherly) 35
GOOD GIRL Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Wordspring Music, LLC, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Memory Days, SESAC/Buzz Light Beer Music, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP (D.Lynch, J.Ebach, A.Albert) 8
H
HERE TONIGHT Super Big Music, ASCAP/Caliville Publishing, ASCAP/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/Wordspring Music, LLC, SESAC/Memory Days, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/The Best I Could Do Publishing, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (B.Young, B.Caver, J.Ebach, C.Kelley) 19
HOMESICK Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Smackworks Music, SESAC/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/Smack Blue, LLC, SESAC/TDP Publishing, BMI (K.Brown, B.Berryhill, M.J.McGinn, T.Phillips) 45
I
I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/Relative Music Group, BMI/One77 Songs, ASCAP/Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (A.Gorley, M.Hardy, H.Phelps, J.Rodgers) 34
L
LOSE IT Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Plum Nelly, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI/Track House Worldwide Entertainment, BMI (K.Brown, C.McGill, W.Weatherly) 5
LOVE AIN’T EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Plain Jane Songs, BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (R.Copperman, A.Gorley, S.McAnally) 36
LOVE SOMEONE Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Paris Not France Music, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/Plain Jane Songs, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Heather Feather Songs, BMI (B.Eldredge, R.Copperman, H.Morgan) 38
LOVE WINS Carrie-Okie Music, BMI/Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing, ASCAP/D Soul Music, ASCAP/Capitol CMG Genesis, ASCAP/Songs Of Brett, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (C.Underwood, D.A.Garcia, Brett James) 18
M
MAKE IT SWEET Carrot Seed Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Rezsongs, ASCAP/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Smack Blue, LLC, ASCAP/Unfair Entertainment, ASCAP/MeGusta Music, ASCAP/Tiny Handstand, ASCAP/Sharkules Music, ASCAP/We’re Really Doin’ It Publishing, ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (M.Ramsey, T. Rosen, W.Sellers, G.Sprung, B.Tursi, S.McAnally) 20
MEANT TO BE BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Kiss Me If You Can Music, BMI/T Hubb Publishing, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Songs Of The Corn, BMI/Jack 10 Publishing, BMI/Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing, ASCAP/D Soul Music, ASCAP/Capitol CMG Genesis, ASCAP (B.Rexha, T.Hubbard, J.Miller, D.A.Garcia) 3
MISS ME MORE Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/KNB Music, ASCAP/3 Weddings Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Bob Ochoa’s Homemade Salsa, ASCAP (K.Ballerini, D.H.Hodges, B.McLaughlin) 22
N
NEON CHURCH BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Go For The Goldsmith, ASCAP/Big Deal Beats, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Dead Aim Music, BMI/The Stennis Mightier Music, BMI/Young Guns Publishing, LLC, BMI (B.Goldsmith, R.E.Lipsey, B.M.Stennis) 32
NEVER COMIN DOWN Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/MAROMA Music, BMI/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/Whistlepig Winners, ASCAP/James Abrahart Publishing Designee, SESAC/Artist 101 Publishing Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd., PRS/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, PRS/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/Lets Get Brunch Publishing, BMI (K.Urban, J.Kear, J.Abrahart, Shy Carter) 30
NIGHT SHIFT Maxx Music, BMI/Let The Road Pave Itself, BMI/Razor And Tie Music Publishing, BMI/Mike Curb Music, BMI/Rain Town Music, BMI (T.Brown, P.LaRue, B.Montana) 23
O
ONE THAT GOT AWAY Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Telemitry Productions, BMI/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Carrot Seed Songs, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Anderson Fork In The Road Music, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (J.Frasure, T. Rosen, M.Ramsey, J.Osborne) 26
ON MY WAY TO YOU WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Songs Of Brett, ASCAP/Atlas Music Publishing, ASCAP/External Combustion Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Heytone Music, ASCAP (Brett James, T.Lane) 24
P
PRAYED FOR YOU Pedal Down Music, ASCAP/Big Spaces Music, BMI/Tunes Of Big Deal Music, SESAC/Songs Of Porterfied Music, SESAC (M.Stell, A.Bowers, A.Veltz) 37
R
RAISED ON COUNTRY Not Listed (Not Listed) 42
RULES OF BREAKING UP Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Haus Of Kings, ASCAP/Twin Spires, ASCAP/King Pen Songs, SESAC/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/Porchlight, SESAC/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/7189 Music Publishing, BMI/Music Of Big Deal, BMI/Songs Of Downtown, SESAC/Garda Songs, SESAC (B.Ratcliff, A.J.Babcock, busbee, P.Good) 41
SHE GOT THE BEST OF ME Big Music Machine, BMI/50 Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Little Extra Songs, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/No Cats Round Here Music, ASCAP/Heart Scarred Songs, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Super LCS Publishing, BMI (L.Combs, R.Snyder, C.Wilson) 4
SIXTEEN EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Sony/ATV Ballad, BMI/Eastman Pond Publishing, BMI/Big Deal Beats, BMI/Brodsky Spensive Publishing, BMI/Nice Life, BMI (Thomas Rhett, S.M.Douglas, Joe London) 9
SPEECHLESS Beats And Banjos, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Shay Mooney Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Buckeye26, ASCAP/Jreynmusic, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/Never Veltz So Good Publishing, BMI (D.Smyers, S.Mooney, J.Reynolds, L.Veltz) 1
STRONGER THAN ME Terry And Tom Music, ASCAP/Bedroll Music, ASCAP/Major Bob Music, Inc., ASCAP (R.W.Terry, M.A.Rossi) 40
T
TAKE IT FROM ME Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Jordan Davis Music, ASCAP/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/MeGusta Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Red Bandana, BMI (J.Davis, J.Davis, J.Gantt) 15
TALK YOU OUT OF IT Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/One77 Songs, ASCAP/Castle Bound Music, Inc., SESAC (M.Hardy, H.Phelps, J.Rogers, A.Vanderheym) 28
TEQUILA WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Beats And Banjos, ASCAP/Buckeye26, ASCAP/Jreynmusic, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/A Girl Named Charlie, BMI (D.Smyers, J.Reynolds, N.Galyon) 2
THERE WAS THIS GIRL Riley Green Publishing Designee, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Tawnes Van Hawke Publishing, BMI (R.Green, Erik Dylan) 25
THIS IS IT Dagum Music, BMI/Austintatious Tunes, BMI/Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Fluid Tunes, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Ice House Tunes, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (S.McCreery, F.Rogers, A.Eshuis) 13
TO A T Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Lake Allegan Pub Club, ASCAP/Red Like The Sunset Music, ASCAP/Spicer And Everyting Nicer, ASCAP/Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/Never Veltz So Good Publishing, BMI (R.J.Hurd, N.Spicer, L.Veltz) 47
W
WHAT HAPPENS IN A SMALL TOWN Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Indiana Angel Music, BMI/Ritten by Rhettro, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Revelry Music, BMI/Badlandsmgmt, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (B.Gilbert, R.Akins, B.Berryhill, J.Dunne) 43
WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Peanut Mill Songs, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Natalia’s Music Money, BMI/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP (L.Bryan, D.Davidson, A.Gorley) 16
WHAT WHISKEY DOES EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Little Britches Music, BMI/Gattis Music, BMI/Rezonate Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/BIRB Music, ASCAP (R.Houser, K.Gattis, H.Lindsey) 48
WHISKEY GLASSES Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Mr. Buck Lucky, BMI/Bump Into Genius Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Allegro, ASCAP/Over-Thought Under-Appreciated Songs, ASCAP/Rezven Music, ASCAP/Moving Targest In The Dark, ASCAP (B.Burgess, K.Kadish) 29
On Jan. 21, 1984, John Conlee’s “I n My E yes” ro s e 3-1 on Hot
Country Songs. Penned by Barbara Wyrick, the ballad became his fifth of seven No. 1s (among 22 top 10s) that he banked on the list between 1978 and 1987.
Conlee’s debut chart appearance, 1978’s N o . 5 - p e a k i n g “ R o s e C o l o r e d G l a s s e s ,” b e c a m e a signature hit for him, followed by his first No. 1, “Lady Lay Down,” which led 40 years ago (Jan. 13 1979).
Born Aug. 11, 1946, in Versailles, Ky., C on lee was ra ised on h is family’s tobacco farm. By age 10,
he was singing and learning guitar, a nd later joi ned a ba rbershop quar tet as a tenor. As an adult, Conlee didn’t pursue his musical dreams right away. Early on, he became a licensed mortician. He eventually moved to Nashville and was an on-air personality at what was then an AM top 40 powerhouse, WLAC, from 1971 to 1978.
C o n l e e b e c a m e a m e m b e r o f t h e G r a n d O l e O p r y i n 1982. Now 72, he still performs regularly. When not on the road, he resides on his 32-acre Kentucky farm with wife Gale.
—JIM ASKER
35 Years AgoJohn Conlee Had His ‘Eyes’ On No. 1In 1984, the Kentucky native earned his fifth leader onHot Country Songs
A photo of Conlee from his 1986 album Harmony.
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JANUARY 14, 2019 | PAGE 18 OF 18
