With 65.26% of reports in, the Zac Brown Band is owning it. “Jekyll and Hyde” will be their third number one album after “Uncaged” in 2012 and “Get What You Give” in 2010. Their first album was in 2008 for Atlantic records and was called “Foundation”. It did create a “Foundation” getting them lots of critical acclaim and gaining them an audience. It also won them the Grammy Award for the Best New Artist (so much for that award being a curse – it’s not, just ask Carrie Underwood). Zac and the gang parted ways with Atlantic after their last album and “Jekyll and Hyde” is their first album with Idol Mentor Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine. They are predicted to do around 210K in sales and another 10K in TEAs/SEAs. Their latest single peaked at the right time with “Homegrown” topping the Country Airplay chart for three weeks in April. They also recently had the rare achievement of topping both the Country and Mainstream Rock chart (only Bon Jovi has done that before).
Josh Groban is another act set to have a big opening week. He was predicted to sell 125-135K, but if he’s already at 134.7K, he may exceed predictions (one cannot extrapolate from HDD numbers, though. Sometimes I think they make up those percentages). Josh Groban is frequently pointed to by the fans of singing competitions as an example of how one doesn’t need a hit single to move albums. It is true for Josh, but probably not true for your favourite singing show competitor. It’s like pointing to that guy who won $350M in the lottery and using it as an example of why you don’t have to get a job – you’ll just win the money. Josh has built himself a truly unique career with a large, strong, album buying fan base and he is the exception rather than the rule. “Stages” will be his 8th top 10 album and features songs from Broadway. It also features a duet with Idol Kelly Clarkson – “All I ask From You” from “Phantom of the Opera”. Josh Groban was one of the judges on ABC’s singing competition show “Rising Star” (the show with the wall that came up when you got enough votes).
Tyler Farr is another Country music dude and he’s heading to debut far back at number 3 if he can hold back Alabama Shakes who topped the chart next week. He’ll get swamped on the combined charts because other artists will have TEAs/SEAs almost as high as his album sales. Taylor Swift (country->pop, signed with Scott’s Big Machine) is 5th, Drake (actor->Rap star) is 6th, Sam Smith (UK->world) is 7th, the Fifty Shades Soundtrack (fan fic->best selling album->movie) is 8th, Meghan Trainor (13 year old songwriter->retro success) is 9th and Reba (country star+sitcom star) is 10th.
Miranda Lambert from Nashville Star is the only singing show competitor in the top 50 right now (she is at 43). Her husband Blake who judges for the Voice is at 42 and his bro-mate on the show is at 19 (Adam Levine with Maroon 5). Now 53 features a track from X-Factors One Direction and it is at 18th while the Empire Cast Soundtrack is still on the board at 17. Now ACM features Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood and it is at 31.
Chart Date: 05/05/2015
Last Updated: 05/04/2015 16:53:15
Status: Building 65.26%
LW TW Artist / Album Label Sales Index
— 1 ZAC BROWN BAND JEKYLL + HYDE SOUTHERN GROUND/VARVATOS/BMLG/REPUBLIC 202,229
— 2 JOSH GROBAN STAGES REPRISE 134,659
— 3 TYLER FARR SUFFER IN PEACE COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 32,127
1 4 ALABAMA SHAKES SOUND & COLOR ATO 22,165
6 5 TAYLOR SWIFT 1989 BIG MACHINE 17,351
3 6 DRAKE IF YOU’RE READING THIS, IT’S TOO LATE YMCMB/REPUBLIC 14,063
10 7 SAM SMITH IN THE LONELY HOUR CAPITOL 13,798
17 8 FIFTY SHADES OF GREY SOUNDTRACK REPUBLIC 13,448
15 9 MEGHAN TRAINOR TITLE EPIC 13,172
5 10 REBA MCENTIRE LOVE SOMEBODY NASHVILLE ICON 12,734
19 17 EMPIRE CAST SOUNDTRACK, SEASON 1 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX/COLUMBIA 10,187
30 18 NOW 53 VARIOUS ARTISTS NOW/LEGACY 9,038
26 19 MAROON 5 V 222/INTERSCOPE 8,359
21 38 NOW ACM AWARDS 50TH ANNIVERSARY VARIOUS ARTISTS NOW/UME 4,841
— 42 BLAKE SHELTON BRINGING BACK THE SUNSHINE WARNER BROS. NASHVILLE 4,659
23 43 MIRANDA LAMBERT PLATINUM RCA NASHVILLE 4,603
All Access is reporting that Apple has drawn the attention of DoJ for anti-competitor tactics. They have apparently been throwing their weight around by not approving the latest “Tidal” app for IOS, threatening to not promote artists on iTunes that have exclusive deals with “Tidal” and pushing “Spotify” to get rid of their free tiers. If you become the biggest music retailer in the country (and Apple is), then you kind of have to play fair.
