Dylan, Henley, Creativity, Chaos And Country Music. Hunt rode Take Your Time, a country and by scheduling its

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1 Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS Opry s Pete Fisher Tops The Pie Chart >page 7 Weekend Live: Wiie, iheart & Steven Tyer >page 8 Eric Pasay Raies Behind The Pope >page 8 Makin Tracks: Jon Pardi s Head Over Boots >page 12 The Stark Report: The Reaity On TV Taent Winners >page 13 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE Tom.Roand@biboard.com Dyan, Heney, Creativity, Chaos And Country Music When the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band kicked off its 50th- nounced during the Sept. 16 event. anniversary concert on Sept. 14 with the Bob Dyan-penned That observation comes at a time when the mainstream seg You Ain t Going Nowhere, it ment of country music a genre was a fitting hint at the tone of that overaps with Americana s exthe Americana Music Festiva pansive umbrea is undergoing and Conference, which began in immense innovation. Jason Aearnest two nights ater with an dean turned arena-rock power awards show on the same Ryman chords into a brand. Forida GeorAuditorium stage. gia Line sipped hip-hop phrasing The Dirt Band syy moved durinto a party persona. And Sam ing the 1980s from pop cuture to Hunt rode Take Your Time, a country and by scheduing its quasi-recitation with synthetic show just ahead of the AMA caenpercussion, to Country Music dar seems to now be casting itassociation nominations for both sef as Americana. Musica evousinge and song of the year. tions, and N ashvie s reationship Many of country s veteran acts, to those changes, was a running executives and supporters are topic during the conference, which puzzed by those deveopments, incuded two pane discussions incuding Mere Haggard, who on Dyan, a one-hour Don Hen Heney tod interviewer Warey interview with a former Rock ren Zanes during his Sept. 17 conand Ro Ha of Fame executive versation at the Country Music and an awards show that tapped a Ha of Fame and Museum was traditiona country singer, Sturgi searching for answers when they Simpson, as its artist of the year. Don Heney (eft) met up with Americana Music worked on a duet for Heney s What is now tradition was Association executive director Jed Hiy when he forthcoming abum, Cass County. once i n novat ion, Honors & gave a keynote Q&A on Sept. 17 during the Ameri One of the first things he said Awards host Jim Lauderdae pro- cana Music Festiva and Conference. to me was, Don, what s happened RICK DIAMOND/GETTY IMAGES It s Kenny Chesney s Day On Country Airpay >page 3 SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 1 OF 17

2 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 2 OF 17 to the music? noted Heney. The answer, to borrow a phrase from Haggard, ies in the roots of their raisin. The younger generation has been infuenced, directy or indirecty, by Haggard, Heney and Dyan, but this generation aso has other infuences that differ from those performers. Like their eders, the new guys are finding ways to synthesize what has inspired them. The two Dyan panes, Going Eectric: The 50-Year Anniversary of Bob Dyan s Newport Fok Festiva Performance and Dyan Disc by Disc: The Nashvie Recordings with Author Jon Bream, expored the singer- songwriter s constant reinventions, beginning with the Newport show in Juy 1965, when he cast off a sort of cutura messiah mante. Though he had been pigeonhoed pubicy as a fok icon, Dyan Goes Eectric author Eijah Wad found eary concert-goers who had seen him paying hibiy music ike it was rock n ro before his image was ever estabished. The Newport shift was, in essence, an artist recaiming and reimagining his infuences. Heney subsequenty spoke of his youth in rura northeast Texas, where his transistor radio brought such disparate sounds as the country Louisiana Hayride show on KWKH Shreveport, La.; R&B on John R. s shifts at WLAC Nashvie; and top 40 from Wofman Jack on XERF Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. Those music sources, aong with the gospe and big band music Heney heard at home, gave him numerous threads to ruminate on in the cornfieds and ater buid upon when he was encouraged by a coege professor to, said Heney, do your own thing. The word, he noted, is a far different pace in Peope are more attached to the screens on their devices than to nature, and the popuation base has shifted from the country to urban and suburban regions. Not having much contact with the and has been one of the reasons for the change in the kind of music that we hear, he surmised. The intensity of it, the vioence and the anger in some of it, the ack of meody the genera abrasiveness of it, I think is refecting the increased [aggression] in our cuture. There s penty of intensity in the current country andscape, which seems to be evoving at a quicker pace styisticay than in the past. Heney pointed to the Randy Travis-ed ate-1980s as a moment when the genre took a step back toward simpicity. Wiie Neson took a simiar tack the previous decade when the Red Headed Stranger ushered in raw, stripped-down production techniques foowing the cosmopoitan era. Dyan made a simiar move in his own Nashvie trajectory. Noted music journaist Geoffrey Himes said during the Disc by Disc pane that in the ate 1960s, The Beates, The Byrds, The Beach Boys and Dyan a got weirder and weirder. It was during Dyan s string of Nashvie abums Bonde on Bonde, John Wesey Harding, Nashvie Skyine and Sef Portrait that Dyan simpified. There was this reaization that, no, it s not about how compicated music is, said Himes. It s about how true it is. That s the other esson of these Nashvie records, you know: Art is not about trickery. It s about what s at the core. Dyan, of course, was revied by the od guard. A portion of the audience booed him when he dared pay oud eectric music at Newport, defying their expectations of what his music shoud be. In notes that fok pioneer Pete Seeger wrote a week or two after the show, he referred to Dyan s new sound as the most destructive music this side of he. Some 50 years ater, Dyan is an icon. And younger country artists are now feeing the heat from an oder generation that s puzzed by what they re doing. Every 10 years somebody comes in, and they want to do something different, said Thomas Rhett recenty. Then you fast forward 20 years, and they re the reason that we re even here today. It s just kind of this big cyce. There are definitey peope who are iving in the past, and ife is not about the past. It s about the present. Choosing which parts of the past to buid on is the essentia question behind how we view the present. You have to get creative with the bues sometimes, said Heney. You have to take it to another eve and not just keep doing the same od things over and over again. I think in bues and country, we need to hang on to the foundations of it and yet modernize it a itte bit at the same time. Which foundations, and how we modernize out of the chaotic choices we get the Dirt Band and Sturgi Simpson in Americana and Thomas Rhett and Sam Hunt in mainstream country. More than 80,000 peope reportedy attended Chattanooga Unite on Sept. 16 as Brantey Gibert headined a tribute to five sodiers kied on their base in Juy. From eft: WUSY Chattanooga, Tenn., PD Gator Harrison, iheartmedia country team eader Rod Phiips, Brantey and Vaory senior vp promotion George Briner. Chris Young payed a sod-out show Sept. 14 at Shepherd s Bush Empire in London. From eft: Wiiam Morris Endeavor Nashvie cohead Rob Beckham, Young, Live Nation U.K. promoter Steve Homer and touring executive Anna-Sophie Mertens. Michae Ray appeared on CMT Hot 20 to ceebrate his Kiss You in the Morning video reaching No. 1 on the countdown. Ray (center) is fanked by CMT co-hosts Cody Aan (eft) and Katie Cook. The Mavericks swiped duo/group of the year during the Americana Honors & Awards Sept. 16 in Nashvie. From eft are group members Eddie Perez, Pau Deakin, Rau Mao and Jerry Dae McFadden. GILBERT: DUSTY BARKER TERRY WYATT/GETTY IMAGES

3 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 3 OF 17 ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER jim.asker@biboard.com Chesney, Bryan, Edredge Add New No. 1s Kenny Chesney scores his 26th No. 1 on Biboard s Country Airpay chart (dated Oct. 3) as Save It for a Rainy Day (Bue Chair/Coumbia Nashvie) jumps 4-1 in its 14th week with 48 miion audience impressions (up 10 percent), according to Niesen Music. Chesney ties Aan Jackson and George Strait for the second-most eaders in the chart s 25-year history. Tim McGraw eads with 27 No. 1s. The midtempo Day is Chesney s fourth Country Airpay eader from his abum The Big Reviva. Story-song American Kids ed the CHESNEY Sept. 20, 2014 ist, foowed by pop-rocker Ti It s Gone (Jan. 31) and the foky Wid Chid with Grace Potter (June 27). The set has sod 419,000 copies to date. Chesney ast notched four Country Airpay No. 1s from an LP with 2010 s Hemingway s Whiskey: The Boys of Fa, Somewhere With You, Live a Litte and Reaity. The Big Reviva represents a big risk for me as an artist, Chesney tes Biboard. To reinvent onesef without osing your roots requires a ot of focus, time and creative commitment. The response from both country radio and the fans makes me fee ike the year I spent writing, istening to songs, recording and rethinking everything about how we do it was worth it. I m bessed to have [producer] Buddy Cannon, Nashvie s writing community and the incredibe musicians on this abum to reaize what we were trying to do, he says. It amazes me and inspires me to start thinking about the next record... and where we re going to try to take it. Having worked Kenny s first No. 1, She s Got It A, I am proud to be invoved in his atest, says Sony Music Nashvie chairman/ceo Randy Goodman. It is rare for an artist to have this kind of success in this marketpace, but Kenny s commitment to the music and speaking to his fans has aways set him apart. DOWN IS UP: Luke Bryan scores his 11th No. 1 on Hot Country Songs as Strip It Down (Capito Nashvie) soars 5-1. The sutry track is the second singe, and second No. 1, from his abum Ki the Lights. Kick the Dust Up spent two weeks on top starting Aug. 8. Strip spends a third week atop Country Digita Songs (42,000 downoads sod, up 1 percent) and darts 8-4 on Country Streaming Songs (1.9 miion U.S. streams, up 7 percent) and 8-6 on Country Airpay (36.8 miion, up 17 percent). STATELY START: Brett Edredge posts his first Top Country Abums No. 1 as second studio set Iinois (Atantic/Warner Music Nashvie) opens with 43,000 sod in the week ending Sept. 17. His 2013 debut opened at its No. 2 peak on the ist (with 21,000 in its first week). Edredge co-wrote a 12 songs on the new abum, incuding ead singe Lose My Mind (up 6-5 on Hot Country Songs). He aso co-produced the project with Ross Copperman. This abum is something that I reay wanted to get right, so it s a big weight off my shouders to compete it, Edredge tes Biboard. I ve aways fet ike songs need to be rea. I need to beieve it and ive it before I can se mysef. The Paris, Iinois native (hence the abum tite) wi hit the road this fa on a co- headining tour with Thomas Rhett; it kicks off Oct. 27 in New York. My most important reationship is with my fans, says Edredge. I ove paying ive. There s no better feeing than knowing that the peope you re paying for ike what you do. ANN ALLISTER

4 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 4 OF 17 Country Airpay WKS ON CHART TITLE Imprint/Labe Artist AUDIENCE (IN MILLIONS) PLAYS AIRPLAY MONITORED BY +/ +/ RANK SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY Bue Chair/Coumbia Nashvie HH No. 1 (1 week) HH Kenny Chesney JOHN COUGAR, JOHN DEERE, JOHN 3:16 Hit Red/Capito Nashvie Keith Urban BUY ME A BOAT Warner Bros./WAR Chris Janson LOSE MY MIND Atantic/WMN Brett Edredge CRASH AND BURN Vaory Thomas Rhett STRIP IT DOWN Capito Nashvie HH Most Increased Audience HH Luke Bryan ANYTHING GOES Repubic Nashvie Forida Georgia Line GONNA WANNA TONIGHT Dack Janies/Coumbia Nashvie Chase Rice SMOKE BREAK 19/Arista Nashvie Carrie Underwood FLY Dot Maddie & Tae BREAK UP WITH HIM RCA Nashvie Od Dominion LET ME SEE YA GIRL Warner Bros./WMN Coe Swinde NOTHIN LIKE YOU Warner Bros./WAR Dan + Shay GONNA Warner Bros./WMN Bake Sheton I M COMIN OVER RCA Nashvie HH Airpower HH Chris Young LONG STRETCH OF LOVE Capito Nashvie Lady Antebeum REAL LIFE RCA Nashvie Jake Owen TOP OF THE WORLD McGraw/Big Machine HH Airpower HH Tim McGraw BURNING HOUSE Arista Nashvie Cam GONNA KNOW WE WERE HERE Broken Bow Jason Adean STAY A LITTLE LONGER EMI Nashvie Brothers Osborne RUN AWAY WITH YOU B$R/New Revoution Big & Rich ALREADY CALLIN YOU MINE Stoney Creek Parmaee DIBS Back River Kesea Baerini I LOVE LIFE Reviver LoCash I GOT THE BOY Eektra Nashvie/WAR Jana Kramer Atantic/WMN Hunter Hayes LIVE FOREVER Repubic Nashvie The Band Perry ( AIN T NO) DRUNK DIAL Repubic Nashvie A Thousand Horses LITTLE BIT OF YOU Red Bow Chase Bryant

5 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 5 OF 17 Country Airpay WKS ON CHART TITLE Imprint/Labe Artist AUDIENCE (IN MILLIONS) PLAYS AIRPLAY MONITORED BY +/ +/ RANK WE WENT Stoney Creek Randy Houser COUNTRY NATION Arista Nashvie HH Most Added HH Brad Paisey SOUTHERN STYLE Capito Nashvie Darius Rucker RISER Capito Nashvie Dierks Bentey SMOKIN AND DRINKIN RCA Nashvie Miranda Lambert Featuring Litte Big Town BLUE BANDANA Sea Gaye/Arista Nashvie Jerrod Niemann THAT DON T SOUND LIKE YOU Curb Lee Brice YUP Mercury Easton Corbin DRINKIN TOWN WITH A FOOTBALL PROBLEM Mercury Biy Currington NEW I LIKE THE SOUND OF THAT Big Machine HH Hot Shot Debut HH Rasca Fatts TOMORROW TONIGHT Red Bow Craig Campbe WHITE LIGHTNING Big Machine The Cadiac Three AIN T NO TRUCKS IN TEXAS Nash Icon/Vaory Ronnie Dunn BREAK UP IN A SMALL TOWN MCA Nashvie Sam Hunt HONEY, I M GOOD. S-Curve/Vaory Andy Grammer Duet With Ei Young Band BACKROAD SONG Wheehouse Granger Smith NIGHT S ON FIRE MCA Nashvie David Nai PAIN KILLER Capito Nashvie Litte Big Town BOY & A GIRL THING Curb Mo Pitney BEAUTIFUL DRUG John Varvatos/Repubic/BMLG/Southern Ground Zac Brown Band RE-ENTRY REAL MEN LOVE JESUS Atantic/WEA Michae Ray UNTIL THEY DON T LOVE YOU Starstruck/Nash Icon/Vaory Reba MOVE ON MCA Nashvie Care Dunn HOLE IN A BOTTLE Mercury Canaan Smith STONE COLD SOBER Vaory Brantey Gibert I AM INVINCIBLE Repubic Nashvie Cassadee Pope BAD FOR YOU Big Machine Wateroo Reviva NEW SOUTHERN BELLE 19/Interscope/Mercury Scotty McCreery NEW ROLLER COASTER RIDE EMI Nashvie Eric Church BETTER IN BOOTS Coumbia Nashvie Tyer Farr GOING FOR ADDS 9/28 10/5 AARON WATSON Getaway Truck BIG Labe/Thirty Tigers AMBER HAYES Hero s Heart AOK/GMV Nashvie JEREMY COWART 7 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE Anything Goes The fourth singe and tite track from the pair s sophomore set steps 9-7 on Country Airpay with a 13 percent increase to 32.5 audience impressions. ABI ANN FEAT. WALKER HAYES Truck Candy in2une DUSTIN LYNCH Mind Reader Broken Bow LAUREN ALAINA Next Boyfriend 19/Interscope/Mercury THOMAS RHETT Die A Happy Man Vaory GRANGER SMITH Backroad Song Wheehouse TYLER DIAL Damn Good Time Room To Run/WingHorse 10/12 CURTIS BRALY FEAT. KIMBERLY CALDWELL Sooner Or Later Studio God Nashvie

6 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 6 OF 17 Country Airpay AIRPLAY MONITORED BY MOST ADDED TITLE Imprint/Labe Artist ADDS COUNTRY NATION Arista Nashvie Brad Paisey 38 I LIKE THE SOUND OF THAT Big Machine Rasca Fatts 22 HEAD OVER BOOTS Capito Nashvie Jon Pardi 13 GONNA KNOW WE WERE HERE Broken Bow Jason Adean 12 BREAK UP IN A SMALL TOWN MCA Nashvie Sam Hunt 12 REAL MEN LOVE JESUS Atantic/WEA Michae Ray 12 THAT DON T SOUND LIKE YOU Curb Lee Brice 8 PAIN KILLER Capito Litte Big Town 8 STONE COLD SOBER Vaory Brantey Gibert 8 BEAUTIFUL DRUG Varvatos/Southern Ground/BMLG/Repubic Zac Brown Band 7 MOST INCREASED AUDIENCE TITLE Imprint/Labe Artist GAIN (IN MIILIONS) STRIP IT DOWN Capito Nashvie Luke Bryan SMOKE BREAK 19/Arista Nashvie Carrie Underwood SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY Bue Chair/Coumbia Nashvie Kenny Chesney GONNA WANNA TONIGHT Dack Janies/Coumbia Nashvie Chase Rice ANYTHING GOES Repubic Nashvie Forida Georgia Line GONNA KNOW WE WERE HERE Broken Bow Jason Adean COUNTRY NATION Arista Nashvie Brad Paisey BREAK UP WITH HIM RCA Nashvie Od Dominion LOSE MY MIND Atantic/WMN Brett Edredge TOP OF THE WORLD McGraw/Big Machine Tim McGraw TITLE Imprint/Labe NEW AND ACTIVE Artist RECURRENTS TOTAL AUDIENCE TOTAL STATIONS SOMEWHERE TONIGHT Baster/Otto Piot James Otto HEAD OVER BOOTS Capito Nashvie Jon Pardi HEY Y ALL Warner Bros./WMN Coe Swinde DIE A HAPPY MAN Vaory Thomas Rhett DIME STORE COWGIRL Mercury Nashvie Kacey Musgraves HIGH CLASS EMI Nashvie Eric Pasay TITLE Imprint/Labe Artist TOTAL AUD. (IN MILLIONS) 1 HOUSE PARTY MCA Nashvie Sam Hunt HELL OF A NIGHT Broken Bow Dustin Lynch KISS YOU IN THE MORNING Atantic/WEA Michae Ray YOUNG & CRAZY Warner Bros./WAR Frankie Baard TONIGHT LOOKS GOOD ON YOU Broken Bow Jason Adean HOMEGROWN John Varvatos/Repubic/BMLG/Southern Ground Zac Brown Band LOVING YOU EASY John Varvatos/Repubic/BMLG/Southern Ground Zac Brown Band KICK THE DUST UP Capito Nashvie Luke Bryan LOVE YOU LIKE THAT Mercury Canaan Smith SANGRIA Warner Bros./WMN Bake Sheton ADDS MOST INCREASED PLAYS TITLE Imprint/Labe Artist GAIN SMOKE BREAK 19/Arista Nashvie Carrie Underwood STRIP IT DOWN Capito Nashvie Luke Bryan +866 ANYTHING GOES Repubic Nashvie Forida Georgia Line +860 GONNA WANNA TONIGHT Dack Janies/Coumbia Nashvie Chase Rice +760 SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY Bue Chair/Coumbia Nashvie Kenny Chesney +758 COUNTRY NATION Arista Nashvie Brad Paisey +623 BREAK UP WITH HIM RCA Nashvie Od Dominion +555 I LIKE THE SOUND OF THAT Big Machine Rasca Fatts +514 I M COMIN OVER RCA Nashvie Chris Young +507 BUY ME A BOAT Warner Bros./WAR Chris Janson +470 BILLBOARD COUNTRY BOXSCORE Gross Artist Attendance Ticket Price(s) Venue/Date(s) Capacity Promoter(s) $888,554 SHANIA TWAIN 9,499 $136, $46 i wireess Center, Moine, I./Juy 26 9,824 $864,917 SHANIA TWAIN 8,517 $151, $50.50 SAP Center, San Jose/Aug ,290 $854,366 SHANIA TWAIN 11,677 $136, $46 EnergySoutions Arena, Sat Lake City/Aug. 15 seout $812,688 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE 21,216 $65.25, $30.50 Darien Lake Perf. Arts Center, Darien Ctr., N.Y./Aug. 8 seout $802,928 SHANIA TWAIN 9,003 $136, $46 Time Warner Cabe Arena, Charotte/Juy 19 10,386 AEG LIVE AEG LIVE AEG LIVE LIVE NATION AEG LIVE Reported wordwide boxscore figures for Country artists. Boxscore figures shoud be submitted to Bob Aen by phone ( ), fax ( ) or emai (bob.aen@biboard.com). TEXAS REGIONAL RADIO REPORT ENDING SEPTEMBER 20, 2015 WKS ON CHART TITLE (Labe) ARTIST TW SPINS LIVIN THE GOOD LIFE (RROC) HH 1 week at 1 HH Matt Kimbrow REAL COOL HAND (No Big Dea) Reckess Key DOWN HERE (Independent) Turnpike Troubadours EASY (Independent) Cody Canada & The Departed OLD WITH YOU (Independent) Cory Morrow SMILE THAT SMILE (Independent) Curtis Grimes WHILE I WAS AWAY (Independent) Pat Green LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST (Independent) Bart Crow Band DAMN OL HONKY TONK DREAM (KF) Kevin Fower & Dery Dodd SHELTER FROM THE RAIN (Independent) Whiskey Myers SPINS +/ WKS ON CHART TITLE (Labe) ARTIST TW SPINS TEASIN ME (Hammer Down) Mies Wiiams WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND (Independent) Kye Park LADY BUG (Independent) Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen LOSER (Amost Country) Casey Donahew Band PHONE CALLS (BGM) TJ Broscoff YOU DREAM I LL DRIVE (Independent) Josh Grider GIRLS I DATE (Independent) Mike Ryan DON T OWN THE RIGHT (Boo Cap/Thirty Tigers) Unce Lucius UNDONE (Independent) Statesboro Revue I DON T (Winding Road) Saints Eeven SPINS +/ Texas Regiona Radio Report Top 100 is compied from weeky onine payist reports from 86 radio stations ocated in Texas and surrounding states, incuding reports from speciaty shows, internet and sateite radio outets. Songs are ranked by tota pays. For tracking, compete chart methodoogy and more information, visit or contact Dave Smith at Copyright 2015, Texas Regiona Radio Report

7 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 7 OF 17 NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND RICK DIAMOND/GETTY IMAGES Eric Church joined in as the Country Ha of Fame and Museum unveied its new exhibit, Eric Church: Inside the Outsiders, to industry executives on Sept. 17. From eft: Ha of Fame vp museum services Caroyn Tate, Church, Q Prime management founder John Peets and Universa Music Group Nashvie chairman/ceo Mike Dungan. OPRY S FISHER LEADS PIE CHART It s not exacty what Don McLean had in mind when he wrote American Pie, and it probaby won t be the day the music died. But when Oct. 9 ros around, one Nashvie music executive wi be the target of a haf-baked idea: a pie in the face for charity. Through Oct. 2, music workers and creatives have the opportunity to exact good-natured revenge on the peope at the top of the food chain as they bid to have a pie tossed in the face of an executive in conjunction with the Oct. 9 Light the Night Wak in Nashvie. Proceeds from the event go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Grand Oe Opry vp/gm Pete Fisher tops the eader board with more than $1,300 donated in his name as of Sept. 21. Fisher s competition incudes Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Labe Group; Rob Beckham, Wiiam Morris Endeavor; Curt Motey, Paradigm; Troy Tominson, Sony/ATV; Ben Vaughn, Warner/Chappe; Kos Weaver, BMG Music; Jason Owen, Sandbox Management; Fetcher Foster, Iconic Entertainment; Mary Ann McCready, Food Bumstead McCready & McCarthy; John Esposito, Warner Music Nashvie; and John Huie, Creative Artists Agency. Go here to donate. MOVERS & SHAKERS Beasey Media Group tapped Soni Dimond as vp corporate communications, four months after joining the company. For 15 years, she ran her own PR firm, Soni Dimond Media. Beasey has country stations in five markets, incuding WQYK Tampa, WSOC Charotte and KCYE Las Vegas Midwest Communications fipped KDWZ Duuth, Minn., to its cassic-country Duke format from top 40, The Duuth News Tribune reported WUVA Charottesvie, Va., switched to Cumuus Nash Icon format from urban, according to The Charottesvie Daiy Progress Renee Vitae joined WDRQ Detroit as oca morning anchor, RadioInfo.com reported. She was previousy an air taent for top 40 WDZH Detroit Rhonda Roins was appointed genera saes manager for WKDF and WSM-FM Nashvie, according to The Nashvie Post. She previousy hed the same position at Cumuus urban sister WQQK. ROUND THE ROW David Friedman joined Universa Music Group Nashvie as vp promotion, fiing the post vacated by Katie Dean, who transitioned to MCA as vp promotions in June. Friedman arrives from Sony Music Nashvie, where he was most recenty Coumbia Nashvie director/nationa fied promotion. Reach him here Jean Wiiams moved to Show Dog Nashvie as Northeast promotion and marketing director. She was most recenty Westwood One director of affiiate saes. Reach her here Nikki Jimenez accepted a Big Loud Records position as Northeast region director of promotion. She spent the ast five years as Cumuus/Memphis director of marketing and promo- FRIEDMAN tions. Reach her here GrassRoots Promotion has estabished a second wing, GrapeVine Promotion, focused on sma-market radio, project management and bog and streaming promotion. Ji Tomaty eads the division. She was formery Provident Labe Group director of marketing. Reach Tomaty here SSM Entertainment appointed Patti Osen-Garafao as president of the abe, whose roster incudes Branch & Dean and Kaya Adams. She spent the previous 17 years as the owner of her own indie firm, Patti Osen Promotions & Marketing The Mitch Schneider Organization wi add a socia media division in October, with services provided by San Francisco-based Michae Brandvod Marketing. Among MSO s country cients are Wynonna Judd, Biy Ray Cyrus and Dee Jay Siver. Reach Brandvod here Bison Creek artist James Robert Webb hired Absoute Pubicity for media representation Tucker Beathard signed a pubishing dea with Big Machine Music and a recording contract with Dot Buegrass band IIIrd Tyme Out added Jerry Coe as bassist and tenor vocaist. The Band Perry made a surprise appearance during Tayor Swift s Sept. 16 show in Indianapois to perform If I Die Young. From eft are Kimbery Perry, Nei Perry, Swift and Reid Perry Circe S artist SaraBeth visited WBKR Owensboro, Ky., personaity Dave Spencer on Sept. 12 during the inaugura Country Con at the Owensboro Convention Center.

8 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 8 OF 17 NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND JOHN SHEARER/GETTY IMAGES MUSIC NOTES There were penty of events on the concert circuit during the weekend that were hed on stages both arge and sma. Bake Sheton, Kenny Chesney and Lee Brice brought a country contingent to the mutigenre iheartradio Music Festiva in Las Vegas. Wiie Neson cosed his 30th-anniversary Farm Aid benefit in Chicago with a version of Hank Wiiams I Saw the Light during a day that incuded performances from Kacey Musgraves, Jamey Johnson, Hoy Wiiams and Od Crow Medicine Show. Then there was The Cadiac Three. They deivered a show at Nashvie cub The Cannery Baroom and wedged in a surprise visit from some guy named Steven Tyer, who joined them on Sweet Emotion. The Grand Oe Opry officiay turns 90 in November, and the WSM-AM Nashvie show wi ceebrate its birthday during the first weekend of October. The ineup for Oct. 2-3 incudes Carrie Lee Brice (right) and Bobby Bones Show host Bobby Bones were on hand Sept. 19 for the iheartradio Music Festiva in Las Vegas. Underwood, the Oak Ridge Boys, Litte Big Town, Trace Adkins, Lorrie Morgan, Joe Diffie and Larry Gatin & The Gatin Brothers Band. When Pope Francis addresses Congress on Sept. 24 in Washington, D.C., Eric Pasay wi join a group of artists nearby on the Nationa Ma in a Mora Action on Cimate Justice Ray. Intended to show support for the pope s stance on preserving the panet, the event aso features Moby, Sean Pau, Natasha Bedingfied and Victoria Justice aong with a pethora of activists and ministers. The day wi aso incude a ive performance of Love Song to the Earth. The recorded version of that tite features Pau McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Shery Crow and Kesea Baerini. Bemont music business professor Don Cusic draws a connection between Nashvie and Liverpoo, Engand, with his 26th book, The Beates and Country Music. The 268-page voume examines the Fab Four s pre-stardom country roots, their cover of Buck Owens Act Naturay and country artists transations of Beate materia. Among the Beates songs that reached country s top 10 are Sweethearts of the Rodeo s I Fee Fine, Rosanne Cash s I Don t Want to Spoi the Party and Johnny Rodriguez s Something. GOOD WORKS The duo with the Start Here abum is the end game for a contest that promotes heathy hearing to midde- and high-schoo students. Maddie & Tae have teamed with the Starkey Hearing Foundation for the second annua Listen Carefuy campaign, which encourages students to create a 30-second video PSA about noise-reated hearing oss. The duo wi pay a free concert at the winner s schoo next May. More than 3,000 students participated in the first contest. Go here to earn more about the Listen Carefuy program. TWEET OF THE Kix Brooks (@KixBrooks) is probaby not changing his Cumuus show from Kickin It With Kix to Bumpin It With Kix, but he d certainy know how to promote it: Airport- If someone is waking with their head down in their phone, is it OK to stop and et them run in to you? #meetingpeope To foow BCU, go to Twitter.com/bbcountryupdate. ON DATE IN COUNTRY MUSIC Sept Parmaee is hed PARMALEE up after a concert at a cub in Rock Hi, S.C. Drummer Scott Thomas engages in a shootout and kis one of the two robbers. He s hit by three buets from the other assaiant and is unconscious for the next two weeks. Sept Wiie Neson sponsors the first Farm Aid concert in Champaign, I., with Mere Haggard, John Cougar Meencamp, Roger Mier, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aabama, George Jones, Bob Dyan, Tom Petty, B.B. King and Wayon Jennings, among others. Sept Coumbia reeases Kenny Chesney s abum The Big Reviva. Sept Sara Evans competes her run to No. 1 on the Biboard country singes chart with A Rea Fine Pace to Start Loretta Lynn is a doube winner at the Americana Music Awards, hed at the Nashvie Convention Center. Sept Tracy Lawrence sprains his anke jogging to his Memphis hote room. He s required to use crutches for two weeks KWKH goes on the air in Shreveport, La., taking its ca etters from founder Wiiam Kennon Henderson. The station ater sponsors The Louisiana Hayride. Sept Capito reeases Dierks Bentey s Home to radio Rasca Fatts aunches its first headining tour at the Raph Engestad Arena in Fargo, N.D. Joining the band on the CMT Most Wanted Live Tour are Chris Cage and Brian McComas. Sept Contestant Michae Ray covers Luke Bryan s Drunk On You during the CW music competition The Next. The show features ceebrity coaches John Rich, Joe Jonas, Ney and Goria Estefan George Strait records Bue Cear Sky at Emerad Sound Studios in Nashvie. Source: RoandNote.com, the Utimate Country Music Database Brad Paisey checked in with the staff at KSSN Litte Rock, Ark., when he brought his Country Nation Coege Tour to the University of Arkansas on Sept. 12. From eft: Sony Music Nashvie executive vp promotion and artist deveopment Steve Hodges, KSSN PD Chad Heritage, Paisey and KSSN assistant PD Kevin Mercer. PARMALEE: ED RODE PAISLEY: BEN ENOS

9 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 9 OF 17 Hot Country Songs SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY TWO S AGO WKS ON CHART TITLE PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) Artist IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL CERTIFIED STRIP IT DOWN HH No. 1 (1 week) HH Luke Bryan J.STEVENS,J.STEVENS (L.BRYAN,J.M.NITE,R.COPPERMAN) CAPITOL NASHVILLE JOHN COUGAR, JOHN DEERE, JOHN 3:16 Keith Urban D.HUFF,K.URBAN (S.MCANALLY,R.COPPERMAN,J.OSBORNE) HIT RED/CAPITOL NASHVILLE BUY ME A BOAT Chris Janson C.JANSON,C.DUBOIS,B.ANDERSON (C.JANSON,C.DUBOIS) WARNER BROS./WAR HOUSE PARTY Sam Hunt Z.CROWELL,S.MCANALLY (S.HUNT,Z.CROWELL,J.FLOWERS) MCA NASHVILLE LOSE MY MIND HH Streaming Gainer HH Brett Edredge R. COPPERMAN,B.ELDREDGE (B.ELDREDGE,H.MORGAN,R.COPPERMAN,B.BURTON,T.D.CALLAWAY,G.F.REVERBERI,G.P.REVERBERI) ATLANTIC/WMN CRASH AND BURN Thomas Rhett D.HUFF,J.FRASURE (J.FRASURE,C.STAPLETON) VALORY SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY Kenny Chesney B.CANNON,K.CHESNEY (A.DORFF,M.RAMSEY,B.TURSI) BLUE CHAIR/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE BURNING HOUSE Cam J.BHASKER,T.JOHNSON (C.OCHS,T.JOHNSON,J.BHASKER) ARISTA NASHVILLE FLY Maddie & Tae D.HUFF (M.MARLOW,T.DYE,T.VARTANYAN) DOT BREAK UP WITH HIM Od Dominion S.MCANALLY (M.RAMSEY,T. ROSEN,B.TURSI,G.SPRUNG,W.SELLERS) RCA NASHVILLE ANYTHING GOES Forida Georgia Line J.MOI (F.MCTEIGUE,C.G.TOMPKINS,C.WISEMAN) REPUBLIC NASHVILLE SMOKE BREAK HH Digita & Airpay Gainer HH Carrie Underwood J.JOYCE (C.UNDERWOOD,C. DESTEFANO,H.LINDSEY) 19/ARISTA NASHVILLE I M COMIN OVER Chris Young C.CROWDER,C.YOUNG (C.YOUNG,C.CROWDER,J.HOGE) RCA NASHVILLE KICK THE DUST UP Luke Bryan J.STEVENS,J.STEVENS (D.DAVIDSON,C. DESTEFANO,A.GORLEY) CAPITOL NASHVILLE LET ME SEE YA GIRL Coe Swinde M.CARTER (C.SWINDELL,M.CARTER,J.STEVENS) WARNER BROS./WMN NOTHIN LIKE YOU Dan + Shay C. DESTEFANO (D.SMYERS,S.MOONEY,A.GORLEY,C. DESTEFANO) WARNER BROS./WAR GONNA WANNA TONIGHT Chase Rice C. DESTEFANO (S.MCANALLY,J.M.NITE,J.ROBBINS) DACK JANIELS/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE GONNA Bake Sheton S.HENDRICKS (L.LAIRD,C.WISEMAN) WARNER BROS./WMN REAL LIFE Jake Owen S.MCANALLY,R. COPPERMAN (R.COPPERMAN,A.GORLEY,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE) RCA NASHVILLE LOVING YOU EASY Zac Brown Band Z.BROWN (Z.BROWN,N.MOON,A.ANDERSON) JOHN VARVATOS/REPUBLIC/BMLG/SOUTHERN GROUND STAY A LITTLE LONGER Brothers Osborne J.JOYCE (J. OSBORNE,T.J. OSBORNE,S.MCANALLY) EMI NASHVILLE TOP OF THE WORLD Tim McGraw B.GALLIMORE,T.MCGRAW (J.ROBBINS,J.M.NITE,J.OSBORNE) MCGRAW/BIG MACHINE LONG STRETCH OF LOVE Lady Antebeum N.CHAPMAN,LADY ANTEBELLUM (D.HAYWOOD,C.KELLEY,H.SCOTT,J.KEAR) CAPITOL NASHVILLE I GOT THE BOY Jana Kramer S.HENDRICKS (T.NICHOLS,C.HARRINGTON,J.L.SPEARS) ELEKTRA NASHVILLE/WAR DIBS Kesea Baerini F.G.WHITEHEAD,J.MASSEY (K.BALLERINI,J.KERR,R.GRIFFIN,J.DUKE) BLACK RIVER PEAK POSITION OLD DOMINION: DAVID MCCLISTER; KEITH: RICHARD MCLAREN 10 OLD DOMINION Break Up With Him The group s first chart entry rises on Hot Country Songs. It aso moves 11-9 on Country Digita Songs (409,000 sod to date) and cimbs on Country Airpay and on Country Streaming Songs. 45 TOBY KEITH Rum Is the Reason The track from 35 MPH Town (Oct. 9) debuts at No. 45 on Hot Country Songs, bostered by its No. 24 start on Country Digita Songs (8,000 sod). Keith performed it on CBS The Late Show With Stephen Cobert on Sept. 10.

10 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 10 OF 17 Hot Country Songs SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY TWO S AGO WKS ON CHART TITLE PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) Artist IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL CERTIFIED ALREADY CALLIN YOU MINE Parmaee NV (M.THOMAS,S.THOMAS,B.KNOX,P.O DONNELL,W.KIRBY) STONEY CREEK GONNA KNOW WE WERE HERE Jason Adean M.KNOX (B.BEAVERS,BRETT JAMES) BROKEN BOW Hunter Hayes D.HUFF,H.HAYES (D.DAVIDSON,K.LOVELACE,A.GORLEY,H.HAYES) ATLANTIC/WMN RUN AWAY WITH YOU Big & Rich J.RICH,B.KENNY (J.D.RICH,MICHAEL RAY) B$R/NEW REVOLUTION BREAK UP IN A SMALL TOWN Sam Hunt Z.CROWELL,S.MCANALLY (S.HUNT,Z.CROWELL,S.MCANALLY) MCA NASHVILLE I LOVE LIFE LoCash L.RIMES,P.BRUST,C.LUCAS (D.MYRICK,C.JANSON,C.LUCAS,P.BRUST) REVIVER SMOKIN AND DRINKIN Miranda Lambert Featuring Litte Big Town F.LIDDELL,C.AINLAY,G.WORF (N.HEMBY,L.LAIRD,S.MCANALLY) RCA NASHVILLE LIVE FOREVER The Band Perry REDONE,D.HUFF (N.KHAYAT,C.J.HARRIS, JR.,K.PERRY,R.PERRY,N.PERRY,J.ANDREWS,K.O.KJELLHOLM) REPUBLIC NASHVILLE WE WENT Randy Houser D.GEORGE (J.WILSON,M.ROGERS,J.KING) STONEY CREEK THAT DON T SOUND LIKE YOU Lee Brice J.STONE,L.BRICE (L.BRICE,R.AKINS,A.GORLEY) CURB RISER Dierks Bentey R. COPPERMAN (S.MOAKLER,T.MEADOWS) CAPITOL NASHVILLE LITTLE BIT OF YOU Chase Bryant D.GEORGE,C.BRYANT (C.BRYANT,D.GEORGE,A.GORLEY) RED BOW SOUNDS OF SUMMER Dierks Bentey R. COPPERMAN (Z.CROWELL,M.JENKINS,A.SANDERS) CAPITOL NASHVILLE WANNA BE THAT SONG Brett Edredge R. COPPERMAN,B.ELDREDGE (B.ELDREDGE,R.COPPERMAN,SCOOTER CARUSOE) ATLANTIC/WAR ( AIN T NO) DRUNK DIAL A Thousand Horses D.COBB (M.HOBBY,C.CROWDER,N.MASON,C.DODDS) REPUBLIC NASHVILLE BLUE BANDANA Jerrod Niemann J.L.SLOAS,J.L.NIEMANN (B.GOLDSMITH,C.J. SOLAR,A.S.WILLS) SEA GAYLE/ARISTA NASHVILLE COUNTRY NATION L.WOOTEN,B.PAISLEY (B.PAISLEY,C.DUBOIS,K.LOVELACE) SOUTHERN STYLE F.ROGERS (D.RUCKER,R.RUTHERFORD,T.JAMES) Brad Paisey ARISTA NASHVILLE Darius Rucker CAPITOL NASHVILLE WHITE LIGHTNING The Cadiac Three D.HUFF,J.NIEBANK (J.JOHNSTON) BIG MACHINE 45 NEW 1 RUM IS THE REASON HH Hot Shot Debut HH Toby Keith T.KEITH,M.MCANALLY (T.KEITH,S.EMERICK) SHOW DOG NASHVILLE BROKE MY HEART David Nai F.LIDDELL,C.AINLAY,G.WORF (D.NAIL,SCOOTER CARUSOE,J.SINGLETON) MCA NASHVILLE 47 RE-ENTRY 2 DRINKIN TOWN WITH A FOOTBALL PROBLEM Biy Currington D.HUFF (A.HENNINGSEN,B.HENNINGSEN,C.HENNINGSEN,E.MCDAVID ELKINS,V.A.OLIVAREZ) MERCURY 48 NEW 1 YUP Easton Corbin C.CHAMBERLAIN (S.MINOR,P.O DONNELL,W.KIRBY) MERCURY T-SHIRT Thomas Rhett D.HUFF,J.FRASURE (A.GORLEY,L.LAIRD,S.MCANALLY) VALORY 50 RE-ENTRY 8 HONEY, I M GOOD. Andy Grammer Duet With Ei Young Band B.WEST,N.W.SIPE,S.GREENBERG,M.DALY (A.GRAMMER,N.W.SIPE) S-CURVE/VALORY 2 37 The week s most popuar country songs, ranked by radio airpay audience impressions as measured by Niesen Music, saes data as compied by Niesen Music and streaming activity data from onine music sources tracked by Niesen Music. Descending tites beow No. 25 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks. PEAK POSITION Year-Over-Year Abum Saes DIGITAL TRACKS SALES miion 19.2 miion miion 84.9 miion For week ending Sept. 17, Figures are rounded. Compied from a nationa sampe of retai store and rack saes reports coected and provided by Niesen Music. COUNTRY MARKET WATCH A Weeky Nationa Music Saes Report Weeky Unit Saes ALBUMS DIGITAL ALBUMS* DIGITAL TRACKS This Week 419, ,000 1,717,000 Last Week 418, ,000 1,897,000 Change 0.2% 13.3% -9.5% This Week Last Year 489, ,000 2,247,000 Change -14.3% -7.6% -23.6% *Digita abum saes are aso counted within abum saes. YEAR-TO-DATE Overa Unit Saes CHANGE Abums 20,715,000 19,192, % Digita Tracks 101,294,000 84,905, % Saes by Abum Format CHANGE Physica 13,742,000 12,194, % Digita 6,973,000 6,998, % For inquiries about any Niesen Music data, pease contact Josh Bennett at or josh.bennett@niesen.com

11 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 11 OF 17 TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY COUNTRY DIGITAL SONGS SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY 2 S AGO S ON CHT ARTIST Tite IMPRINT & NUMBER / DISTRIBUTING LABEL 1 NEW BRETT ELDREDGE Iinois 1 ATLANTIC /WMN LUKE BRYAN Ki The Lights CAPITOL NASHVILLE /UMGN SAM HUNT MCA NASHVILLE /UMGN Montevao 0 ZAC BROWN BAND JOHN VARVATOS/SOUTHERN GROUND/BMLG /REPUBLIC JEKYLL + HYDE ERIC CHURCH EMI NASHVILLE */UMGN The Outsiders 1 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE REPUBLIC NASHVILLE /BMLG Anything Goes 0 MADDIE & TAE DOT/REPUBLIC /BMLG Start Here LITTLE BIG TOWN Pain Kier CAPITOL NASHVILLE */UMGN ALAN JACKSON Anges And Acoho ACR/EMI NASHVILLE /UMGN JASON ALDEAN Od Boots, New Dirt BROKEN BOW 7105/BBMG 1 BRANTLEY GILBERT Just As I Am VALORY BG0200A/BMLG 0 KIP MOORE MCA NASHVILLE /UMGN Wid Ones KACEY MUSGRAVES MERCURY */UMGN Pageant Materia CHRIS STAPLETON MERCURY */UMGN Traveer VARIOUS ARTISTS NOW That s What I Ca Country, Voume 8 SONY MUSIC/UNIVERSAL /UME ELVIS PRESLEY Evis Presey Forever USPS/RCA /SONY COMMERCIAL MUSIC GROUP ZAC BROWN BAND Greatest Hits So Far... ROAR/SOUTHERN GROUND/ATLANTIC /AG JASON ISBELL Something More Than Free SOUTHEASTERN 9986*/THIRTY TIGERS CHASE RICE COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 22573/DACK JANIELS Ignite The Night KELSEA BALLERINI BLACK RIVER 2015 The First Time WILLIE NELSON / MERLE HAGGARD LEGACY Django And Jimmie COLE SWINDELL Coe Swinde WARNER BROS /WMN CARRIE UNDERWOOD Greatest Hits: Decade #1 19/ARISTA NASHVILLE /SMN 0 DARIUS RUCKER Southern Stye CAPITOL NASHVILLE /UMGN VARIOUS ARTISTS Mud Digger, Voume 6 BACKROAD 272/AVERAGE JOES The week s most popuar country abums, ranked by saes data as compied by Niesen Music. Abums are defined as current if they are ess than 18 months od or oder than 18 months but sti residing in the Biboard 200 s top 100. Charts update weeky on Thurdays at Copyright 2015, Prometheus Goba Media, LLC and Niesen Music, Inc. A rights reserved. CERT. WKS ON CHART TITLE ARTIST (IMPRINT/LABEL) STRIP IT DOWN LUKE BRYAN (Capito Nashvie/UMGN) BURNING HOUSE CAM (Arista Nashvie/SMN) BUY ME A BOAT CHRIS JANSON (Warner Bros./WMN) JOHN COUGAR, JOHN DEERE, JOHN 3:16 KEITH URBAN (Hit Red/Capito Nashvie/UMGN) HOUSE PARTY SAM HUNT (MCA Nashvie/UMGN) CRASH AND BURN THOMAS RHETT (Vaory/BMLG) SMOKE BREAK CARRIE UNDERWOOD (19/Arista Nashvie/SMN) LIKE A WRECKING BALL ERIC CHURCH (EMI Nashvie/UMGN) BREAK UP WITH HIM OLD DOMINION (RCA Nashvie/SMN) KICK THE DUST UP LUKE BRYAN (Capito Nashvie/UMGN) I M COMIN OVER CHRIS YOUNG (RCA Nashvie/SMN) ANYTHING GOES FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE (Repubic Nashvie/BMLG) GIRL CRUSH LITTLE BIG TOWN (Capito Nashvie/UMGN) LOSE MY MIND BRETT ELDREDGE (Atantic/WMN) SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY KENNY CHESNEY (Bue Chair/Coumbia Nashvie/SMN) STAY A LITTLE LONGER BROTHERS OSBORNE (EMI Nashvie/UMGN) TAKE YOUR TIME SAM HUNT (MCA Nashvie/UMGN) FLY MADDIE & TAE (Dot/Repubic/BMLG) TONIGHT LOOKS GOOD ON YOU JASON ALDEAN (Broken Bow/BBMG) NOTHIN LIKE YOU DAN + SHAY (Warner Bros./WMN) BREAK UP IN A SMALL TOWN SAM HUNT (MCA Nashvie/UMGN) HELL OF A NIGHT DUSTIN LYNCH (Broken Bow/BBMG) LOVING YOU EASY ZAC BROWN BAND (John Varvatos/Southern Ground/BMLG/Repubic) 24 NEW RUM IS THE REASON TOBY KEITH (Show Dog Nashvie/UMGN) GONNA WANNA TONIGHT CHASE RICE (Dack Janies) WKS ON CHART TITLE ARTIST (IMPRINT/LABEL) LET ME SEE YA GIRL COLE SWINDELL (Warner Bros./WMN) DIBS KELSEA BALLERINI (Back River) I GOT THE BOY JANA KRAMER (Eektra Nashvie/WMN) REAL LIFE JAKE OWEN (RCA Nashvie/SMN) WHERE WERE YOU (WHEN THE WORLD STOPPED TURNING) 30 RE-ENTRY ALAN JACKSON (Arista Nashvie) GONNA BLAKE SHELTON (Warner Bros./WMN) SMOKIN AND DRINKIN MIRANDA LAMBERT FEAT. LITTLE BIG TOWN (RCA Nashvie/SMN) SANGRIA BLAKE SHELTON (Warner Bros./WMN) CHICKEN FRIED ZAC BROWN BAND (Home Grown/Bigger Picture/Atantic/AG) WANNA BE THAT SONG BRETT ELDREDGE (Atantic/WMN) CRAZY OVER ME DYLAN SCOTT (Curb) ALREADY CALLIN YOU MINE PARMALEE (Stoney Creek/BBMG) WE WENT RANDY HOUSER (Stoney Creek/BBMG) HARD TO LOVE 39 RE-ENTRY LEE BRICE (Curb) TOP OF THE WORLD 40 RE-ENTRY TIM MCGRAW (McGraw/Big Machine/BMLG) ONE HELL OF AN AMEN BRANTLEY GILBERT (Vaory/BMLG) I LOVE LIFE LOCASH (Reviver) 43 NEW YOURS, RUSSELL DICKERSON (Russe Dickerson) T-SHIRT THOMAS RHETT (Vaory/BMLG) PLAY IT AGAIN LUKE BRYAN (Capito Nashvie/UMGN) HOMEGROWN ZAC BROWN BAND (John Varvatos/Southern Ground/BMLG/Repubic) 47 NEW DRUNK ON YOUR LOVE BRETT ELDREDGE (Atantic/WMN) RE-ENTRY LIVE FOREVER THE BAND PERRY (Repubic Nashvie/BMLG) LOVE YOU LIKE THAT CANAAN SMITH (Mercury/UMGN) WAGON WHEEL DARIUS RUCKER (Capito Nashvie/UMGN) Top-seing paid downoad country songs compied from saes reports coected and provided by Niesen Music. Charts update weeky on Thurdays at Copyright 2015, Prometheus Goba Media, LLC and Niesen Music, Inc. A rights reserved. COUNTRY STREAMING SONGS STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY JACK GUY 25 JANA KRAMER I Got the Boy As the track ifts in its 30th week on Country Airpay, it bows on Country Streaming Songs at No. 25 with 1.2 miion streams (up 19 percent). Kramer s abum Thirty One arrives Oct. 9. WKS ON CHART TITLE ARTIST HOUSE PARTY SAM HUNT TAKE YOUR TIME SAM HUNT FLY MADDIE & TAE STRIP IT DOWN LUKE BRYAN KICK THE DUST UP LUKE BRYAN LOSE MY MIND BRETT ELDREDGE JOHN COUGAR, JOHN DEERE, JOHN 3:16 KEITH URBAN CRASH AND BURN THOMAS RHETT BUY ME A BOAT CHRIS JANSON I M COMIN OVER CHRIS YOUNG WKS ON CHART TITLE ARTIST GOD BLESS THE USA 11 ;- 5 LEE GREENWOOD LIKE A WRECKING BALL ERIC CHURCH SANGRIA BLAKE SHELTON BURNING HOUSE CAM GIRL CRUSH LITTLE BIG TOWN BREAK UP WITH HIM OLD DOMINION ANYTHING GOES FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE PLAY IT AGAIN LUKE BRYAN LOVING YOU EASY ZAC BROWN BAND BOTTOMS UP BRANTLEY GILBERT Country Streaming Songs -The week s top Country streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on eading onine music services. Charts update weeky on Thurdays at Copyright 2015, Prometheus Goba Media, LLC and Niesen Music, Inc. A rights reserved.

12 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 12 OF 17 MAKIN TRACKS TOM ROLAND Jon Pardi Brings Joy To The Job With Head Over Boots Everybody needs a happy song. And Jon Pardi is happy to obige, especiay if it means he can keep making music. His debut abum, 2014 s Write You a Song, estabished him as a guy with a strong honky-tonk background who knows how to pump up the groove. It yieded one top 10 singe, Up A Night, but as he began work on the next project, Pardi was stressed about deivering music that woud make him indispensabe to the executive team at Universa Music Group Nashvie (UMGN). Me and Jon fet a ot of pressure since that ast record, admits producer Bart Buter. You hear a ot of rumbings, and it s ike, What are you going to do next? If the goa is to do something that connects with the pubic, the best bet is to get on the radio, and the easiest way to do that is with something that s positive and catchy. That s exacty what Pardi deivered with Head Over Boots, a midtempo groove with a happy, earworm chorus. The sound owes a huge debt to the dancehas in Texas, where coupes shed the stress of a hectic work week by two-stepping to a country beat. Pardi spent some time at a cub or two near his father s home in Hi County, Texas, toward the end of 2014, and that energy found its way into a chorus meody that emerged whie he was at his dad s pace. It was sti banging around in his head when he showed up at the Creative Nation office on Nashvie s Music Row for a PARDI songwriting session with owner Luke Laird ( Taadega, Diamond Rings and Od Barstoos ) on Jan. 19. They both started chopping out the chords on acoustic guitar, ooking for the right yrics to convey the positive vibe in the tune. He s one of those guys that if you coaborate with him, you have to be wiing to kind of sit back and et him expore a ot of ideas and do a streamof-consciousness thing, says Laird. In the process, Pardi came up with the song s tite, which matched the track s cowboy danceha roots. Laird got a drum beat going on his aptop to keep the tempo driving as they wrote, and they aunched into a ove song from two perspectives. The unmarried Pardi went at it from the vantage point of someone who s sti fantasizing about what it might fee ike to be deep in a ong-term reationship, whie Laird who co-owns Creative Nation with his wife, Beth Laird approached it as a guy who s entrenched in a famiy and knows how important it is to rediscover the romantic spark on occasion. Most songs are about reationships in one way or another, so I m inspired by her a the time, whether it s eary on in our reationship when we first met or ike today, with one kid and one on the way, says Laird. I m aways drawing from that. Pardi has an inherent word-weary snar to his voice, and it provided a natura counterbaance to the song s cheer. Much ike Randy Travis did in the 1980s, Pardi fet Head Over Boots went against the grain just a bit, inserting a traditiona tone at a time when country has trended toward R&B. It reminded me of Forever and Ever, Amen or Deeper Than the Hoer, says Pardi. It just kind of has that od-schoo thing to it. They fashioned a four-ine first verse that acts amost ike an intro, speeding right into the singaong chorus. In the second verse, they added two extra ines, providing a itte extra respite before jumping into the hook again. Much as Forever and Ever, Amen used a forward-ooking reference to a woman who s sti an inspiration after her hair turns gray, the second verse of Head Over Boots imagines what it be ike to Rock in our chairs and tak about the weather. Test time and grow od together, says Pardi, quoting one ine. That kind of brings it to the point. The song woud take another turn before it was finished with a bridge that cuts back to haftime, practicay coming to a stop on a suspensefu chord. I m a guy who doesn t know the name of the chord, but I know that it sounds good, Pardi says with a augh. I just threw it in there. I know it s a D, but it s a minor and it s got a 7th [in it], et s just say that. Anytime I hear that change in a song, adds Laird, I think of That s the Way Love Goes by Mere Haggard. It s kind of weird, honesty, but it just seems to work, that one itte change. They buit the demo around Pardi s voice with a drum track, acoustic guitars and some hand caps and tambourine, and Pardi sent it to Buter fuy expecting the producer to say it was too country. I was totay opposite, recas Buter. No pun intended, I was head over boots with the song. It was the second one they recorded for the new abum at Ocean Way Studios, but Pardi and Buter strugged to find the right frame of mind about it. The pressure to give UMGN something it coud work successfuy was weighing on them. Head Over Boots is where we kind of had to ook at each other and go, Let s just reease some pressure right now and just do what we do best and keep it country and have fun again, says Buter. And we did. Pardi payed acoustic guitar for the tracking session, but even though he thought it was a good time, he wasn t certain that it worked. This one is a shuffe, but it s a hidden shuffe, expains Pardi. The first time we attempted it, it got a itte too shuffe-y. That s a I can reay say. But Buter knew where to go with it. Whie Pardi went on a hunting trip to Africa, Buter brought in Danny Rader to redo Pardi s acoustic part, overdubbed a few extra instruments incuding some key stee guitar and got Rob McNeey to pay a guitar soo that draws from the cassic sound that Pete Anderson added to Dwight Yoakam s best-known hits. That s who I ove, that s who Jon oves, says Buter. That s the direction. You re going to hear more of his Caifornia roots coming out. Pardi doubed his ead voca, Russe Terre added two harmony parts, and they sent it to the abe, which in turn payed it for some key broadcasters who came back with positive responses. Capito reeased it through Pay MPE on Aug. 31 with an add date of Sept. 14. It enters Biboard s Country Indicator chart this week at No. 56 as Pardi baances radio s upbeat preferences with his own trad-country history. This one s definitey next-eve, says Pardi. It s modern/traditiona. I don t want to be a hardcore traditionaist, but I want to aways have the traditiona country sou that meets the new standards, and I think we reay hit it. If it works ike he hopes, that woud make everyone happy.

13 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 PAGE 13 OF 17 THE STARK REPORT PHYLLIS STARK Country Radio Remains Wary Of Acts From TV Taent Shows: Are Its Fears Justified? Despite or perhaps because of the arge number of artists that have been channeed into the country format by way of reaity TV taent competitions country radio has ong had a fractious reationship with the genre. For every buit-to-ast star ike Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Chris Young that first rose to fame singing on TV, there s an artist ike The Voice winner Craig Wayne Boyd and X Factor winner Tate Stevens that came and went from the airwaves (and their major-abe record deas) seemingy in an instant. In some cases, abes have responded to country radio programmers wariness of acts with TV backgrounds by downpaying the issue. WEA, for instance, de-emphasized the fact that Michae Ray, who recenty anded his first No. 1 hit, was the winner of the first and ony season of the CW network competition The Next in WEA VP nationa promotion Jordan Pettit admits, It s something that was never reay taked about, or even acknowedged in a ot of ways. I m not sure how many peope even watched that show, and it was so ong ago that I don t think peope put two and two together. In addition to Underwood, Lambert, Young and Ray, acts with TV reaity show backgrounds currenty signed to significant Nashvie abes incude Nashvie Star aum Kacey Musgraves; American Ido s Scotty McCreery, Keie Picker and Lauren Aaina; and The Voice s Cassadee Pope, the Swon Brothers, RaeLynn and Daniee Bradbery. The new season of The Voice, starting this week, is ikey to bring even more. So other that an undeniabe hit song, what does it take for a reaity TV finaist to actuay make it at country radio? What created the stigma that radio has associated with TV taent show contestants, and does it sti exist? We took these questions to a group of prominent country radio programmers, who shared their perspectives. The ony thing these TV shows can do is raise a singer s profie, says CBS Radio Houston vp programming Bruce Logan. They can t make hit songs or even create asting fans. It a comes down to the music and the star quaity of the individua. He s not aone in thinking the quaity of the act s first singe matters more than their history on TV. You need a hit, and quick, says WLHK Indianapois PD Fritz Moser of TV taent show finaists making their way to radio. Peope have short attention spans and move on to bond with other contestants on a simiar show. WCTK Providence, R.I., PD Bob Waker aso beieves it s a about the strength of the singe chosen for radio. There is no jumping the ine, he says. You need a good enough song to even make the music meeting. Others say that s just the start, and agree with Logan that star quaity and other intangibe factors come into pay. WBEE Rochester, N.Y., operations manager Bob Barnett says an aura of authenticity and affinity for country music, or a perception that the artist has a ong-term investment in the format greases the whees of momentum. He is perpetuay wary of acts that seem to just want to experiment and pay in the country sandbox. To get that first break, they reay do have to have that first great hit song, says Sue Wison, vp/director of operations for WQMX Akron, Ohio. From that point, though, it s a about what comes next. The artist has to be with a abe and management that is abe to support them in every way, [from] proper promotion to advising them on the right steps, the radio tours, paying the right gigs and so on. In addition to a great song, they aso need the package the ooks, charisma and, franky, the desire to grind it out and get to know peope od-schoo, says Tom Hanrahan, operations manager/pd at WDXB Birmingham, Aa. Sometimes the artists just naturay expect us to know them and their music WILSON JAY JENNINGS because they assume we ve watched their journey and know everything about them. Not true. I don t have time to watch TV that much, and I think most programmers sti ike the one-on-one radio visit so we can get to know them Just because you ve won a big reaity TV show competition, that doesn t make me go, Oh wow, I have to add that record. Hanrahan aso beieves the artists need to be better prepared for radio. Some of the ones that didn t make it I think were iteray thrown in a car, handed a rushed project and tod to go and make it happen, he says. That s not on the artist that s someone s agenda of do it fast so [they] can seize the moment of nationa press. I get that, but these acts go from singing at church or oca cubs to a nationa stage, and then we expect them to have the emotiona IQ to be abe to hande radio, events, et cetera and do it fawessy. We hep them make it when we give them a itte more time to earn and mature rather than throw them into the bender. KNMB Minneapois PD Kenny Jay aso has concerns about rushed projects, as we as a worry that some acts were given to country because they didn t reay have a anding spot in other formats. For winners, I d rather wait for great music than try to ride the wave of the show with subpar music that was rushed, he says. In addition to star quaity and proper support, KZSN Wichita, Kan., PD Brian Jennings says there aso needs to be audience support for the act. It can t simpy be I was on TV. There has to be a cear demand, he says. A fierce SoundScan debut usuay heps us sort them out. But where does country radio s ongoing wariness about acts from TV come from? Jay thinks it has to do with the fact that some of the shows emphasize backstory over taent, which may pu you through with OK music something that works fine for TV, but not radio. Others say the probem stems from the perception that these artists have not yet paid their dues. Wison, for instance, favors singers and songwriters who pay the sma gigs, work ocay, then regionay, then make the move to Nashvie and work hard there to get that abe dea. Shoud I care that a hit song is deivered to me from a reaity show? Probaby not. But somehow, I do. There s a certain degree of resentment for those that are depicted as siding into fame without years of work, agrees Jennings. But TV is sti an overa positive if you are connecting with the audience. Sometimes [programmers] fee ike the taent sti has to prove themseves, adds Hanrahan. To our format s credit, everyone wants in [but] radio programmers are more ikey to be wait and see vs. just trusting these artists can sing because we know them from TV The reaity is, no one gets a free pass. Logan brings up two other concerns. First, he says, what history tes us about artists who create fan bases from TV shows is that typicay these TV shows have fan bases that are much oder than my stations target audience. Additionay, these shows cover a genres of music. So just because artist A gets a nation of adoring fans doesn t mean they are country fans. He aso notes that of the artists who have come from TV, the number that actuay hit and have staying power is miniscue. On a more positive note, Moser thinks artists who buid a fan base whie appearing on a TV show is a huge advantage for the act and part of their story. It s a big advantage for radio too. Those isteners who crave and discover new music wi instanty be famiiar with them. And Jay agrees that the fame from the show is a bonus for everyone invoved. But Moser cautions, If it s not a strong song for the performer, it won t outive the TV aftergow.