sabre14
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Vince Gill & the Muppets make everything better
Joined: October 2013
Posts: 26,919
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Post by sabre14 on Sept 21, 2015 14:05:51 GMT -5
The label will still celebrate this Mediabase #1 and advertise it as a success for Chris Janson, and of course there will be a #1 party, but given the smooth chart run, strong sales, and warm radio reaction "Buy Me a Boat" has had, I still view a Mediabase #1 with a Billboard #3 peak as quite a hollow victory. I also can't agree that Warner didn't care about the Billboard #1. If they were completely indifferent to the order of the songs on Billboard this week, they would not have placed an ad in Country Aircheck Today last week that requested maximum spins through Sunday, and they wouldn't have needed to do a "big push" for this song at all, since Chris' 1600-point lead over Kenny Chesney on Mediabase last week made him a lock for the Mediabase #1. I think WAR wanted to get that Billboard #1, but by Sunday they realized they had been shut out of the BB Top 2 and had no chance of making it past a #3 peak, so they pulled Chris' single a day early. Therefore I expect that Chris will not even be very close to #2 on tonight's Billboard chart. I think sometimes the importance of Billboard's chart to record labels can be understated. Of course a label will try to play up a Mediabase #1 as a huge accomplishment. It would be foolish for a label not to publicize its artists' accomplishments as much as it can and portray them in the best light possible, and just about every artist's discography looks better when you go by Mediabase chart history (with the exceptions, of course, of the A-list stars who often get multi-week #1s on Billboard's chart). And obviously if a Billboard #1 is not possible for a single, whether it be due to poor timing or a song simply struggling in the Top 5, a label will take a Mediabase #1. However, I can't imagine any label being completely indifferent to the Billboard chart. Billboard numbers are generally the ones the "average" person remembers years later, as they are the most easily accessible. Furthermore, I think radio stations do realize that the Mediabase chart is a bit...sleazy. The points system practically begs for manipulation and allows for a song to get several chart positions higher than it should be by racking up on spins overnight, when a significantly lower portion of radio's audience is listening, since on Mediabase a spin overnight counts as entirely equal to a spin during prime listening hours. Mediabase is kind of the "soft chart." It seems designed to help the "little guys." I've even seen quotes from record labels discussing how much the Mediabase points system helps them to break new artists by working the overnight spins more heavily. Billboard's audience-based rankings generally seem to "separate the men from the boys," if you will. In addition, streaks and records held on the Mediabase chart only are rarely recognized. Zac Brown Band never missed #1 on Mediabase until their tenth single "No Hurry," yet I never hear anyone say they hold the record for the most back-to-back career-starting #1s for a band since their fifth single "Whatever It Is" was a Mediabase-only #1. I don't ever hear anyone brag about Carrie Underwood's first twelve country singles hitting #1 on Mediabase since she had two Mediabase-only #1s in that mix. We also won't hear about Luke Bryan passing the "Brad Paisley" mark on his way to the record for longest #1 streak after "Strip It Down" becomes his eleventh #1 in a row on Mediabase only. (And who knows if Luke will ever catch up to Blake Shelton's #1 streak?) Speaking of Brad Paisley, everyone considers his #1 streak to have stopped after "Then" even though it continued through "Anything Like Me" on Mediabase. I don't expect to hear that Cole Swindell has any sort of record for most Mediabase #1s in a row to lead off his career since "Chillin' It" was a Mediabase-only #1, either. If Chris Janson does become a consistent hit-maker and sees all his future singles go to #1, which is entirely possible given the huge success of his debut single and the influx of new artists having huge radio success right out of the gate, he will not be recognized for any sort of record because of his debut single missing #1 on Billboard. I've even heard Kix Brooks mistakenly use Billboard records when talking about songs' accomplishments on his own countdown show, American Country Countdown, which uses the Mediabase chart. So I guess what I'm saying is that while I agree with everyone to the extent that record labels are happy with Mediabase #1s, I don't think they're perfectly content (a very fine difference, I know, lol) and I think in many cases there's a feeling of disappointment when a big hit just barely falls short of #1 on Billboard. Perhaps "don't care" was too strong (at least for labels). Warner knew early last week that a #1 Billboard was very unlikely. There wasn't one update this past week that led me to believe that Warner was gunning for #1 on both charts -- they were content the whole way.
I also cannot stress this enough. The average person doesn't care about chart accomplishments as much as we do -- it doesn't matter which chart we're talking about. Nobody I know that listens to country radio could tell you any peak of a song over the past five years, other than overhearing some radio deejay sputter it out once in a while.
Sometimes, people seem extremely defensive in regards to the Billboard chart. It would be nice to hit #1 on Billboard but it isn't the be all, end all to record labels. If there's too much effort to achieve them, they don't bother. The fact they put so much importance on MB #1's is a problem, don't get me wrong, but it really isn't the end of the world as some make it out to be.
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dm2081
7x Platinum Member
Joined: April 2014
Posts: 7,036
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Post by dm2081 on Sept 21, 2015 15:31:40 GMT -5
Really disappointed that this one won't peak at #1 on Billboard. I personally could care less about Mediabase peaks, and in my honest opinion their system is a joke. The problem is so many of these uneventful songs stay on the charts for 30+ weeks so they can get their stay at #1, leaving less weeks at #1 for the true big hits of the year. If "Hell Of A Night" had just accepted a natural top 10 peak, Chris wouldn't be missing out. Same goes for "Kiss You In The Morning", "Young & Crazy" and "Mean To Me". It's really frustrating for serious chart watchers such as ourselves. This issue doesn't happen on the Alternative charts or the Pop charts. Heck, go into other forums and they'll crack jokes about the revolving string of #1's on country radio. I know nothing is going to change anytime soon, but the charts really have become a joke. Anyways, I'm hoping "Save It For A Rainy Day" can block "JJJ" from the top spot as well. It'd be nice to get a couple of 2-week #1's at least, as I'm sure "Strip It Down" can easily secure 2 weeks at #1 if it wants. But out of the three songs, I would have preferred to see "Buy Me A Boat" hit #1. It just seems like it will be the most remembered song of the 3 (Although mostly because Keith and Kenny have so many other giant hits to water down their current successful singles), and it would have capped of the perfect ending to a great rising country star story. I'm certainly looking forward to Chris' next song as he seems to be pretty creative.
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Marv
6x Platinum Member
Joined: September 2004
Posts: 6,308
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Post by Marv on Sept 21, 2015 18:04:04 GMT -5
Sabre14 is spot-on as usual; the labels do not care which trade their tunes hit #1 as numerous ads in both CAW and BCU have pointed out for years. Rest assured that Scott Borchetta and his staff popped plenty of champagne corks when his label had the #1 single simultaneously with One Of Those Nights and his ought-to-be trademarked push which got Begin Again to #1.
You can also bet the rent money that he didn't care that that push for BA @ Mediabase 'cost' Tim's standout tune a second week at #1 at Mediabase--that three-week #1 stay for OOTN @ BB suited him just fine.
The hilarious assertion that Mediabase chart accomplishments are RARELY recognized is horse manure; when Mariah Carey burst into the scene in 1990 with TEN consecutive number one singles, Tommy Mottola promoted that accomplishment just as Borchetta or any other label executive and the weekly charts at both trades relentlessly does these days for all of his or her artists.
As previously stated, MB and BB have only agreed on the number one country single of the year FOUR times in the past FIFTEEN years, my point being that ALL of the tunes which wound up topping the year-end chart at either publication are celebrated as vigorously as any single which top the weekly charts on either chart
When Clint Black hit country radio in 1989 and lit the fuse to the format boom which propelled it to #1 in total listeners in 1992 where it's been ever since while top 40 fell apart due to numerous self-inflicted wounds from a music standpoint, his unprecedented accomplishment of having his first two singles wind up #1 and #2 was celebrated all up and down Music Row at his label as well as throughout the entire industry.
Granted Clint certainly had plenty of help from Garth, Lorrie Morgan and Alan Jackson who also hit the format that year while top 40 was crumbling in both number of stations and listening levels, but the avalanche of new artists who debuted in the early nineties and went on to become format stars as well as superstars generated explosive growth for the format nationwide.
I seriously doubt if Tim, George, Toby or any other format stars or megastar really cared if the number of number 1 singles they've enjoyed on either chart aren't identical; as a member of Miranda's promo team replied if they were disappointed that White Liar peaked at #2 at BB to go along with topping the Mediabase chart, the reply summed up the mindset of her labell which was 'We would have liked to topped both charts, BUT our objective was to get her a #1 single and that's what we accomplished!
All the labels celebrate and acknowledge chart accomplishments on both surveys, and so do ALL performers on the ACMs and CMAs as well as their label execs, not to mention all of the radio execs and personalities who've won awards in either publication over the years.
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mep
New Member
Joined: September 2012
Posts: 44
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Post by mep on Sept 21, 2015 18:29:03 GMT -5
If Chris Janson does become a consistent hit-maker and sees all his future singles go to #1, which is entirely possible given the huge success of his debut single and the influx of new artists having huge radio success right out of the gate, he will not be recognized for any sort of record because of his debut single missing #1 on Billboard. I've even heard Kix Brooks mistakenly use Billboard records when talking about songs' accomplishments on his own countdown show, American Country Countdown, which uses the Mediabase chart. So I guess what I'm saying is that while I agree with everyone to the extent that record labels are happy with Mediabase #1s, I don't think they're perfectly content (a very fine difference, I know, lol) and I think in many cases there's a feeling of disappointment when a big hit just barely falls short of #1 on Billboard. This was actually Chris's 4th Billboard chart single, so he wouldn't have been eligible for any type of "most consecutive #1's to start career" records anyway.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Sept 21, 2015 19:51:40 GMT -5
Misses out on BB #1. Sigh.
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2015 19:57:21 GMT -5
I'm quite surprised at how fast this one is falling. I know they announced his next single last week already, but it doesn't go for adds until the 19th, and I guess I figured that Warner Bros. would want to keep "Buy Me A Boat" at relatively high airplay levels through the first couple weeks of October, since Chris' album doesn't come out for another 4 1/2 weeks yet.
"Buy Me A Boat" will go recurrent on Billboard next week, but maybe its rate of decrease will start falling, and it'll be able to hold above 20 million or so (as a recurrent) until at least October 12. Who knows anymore, though. As predictable as the #1's have been lately (especially on Mediabase), there have been a few things over the last week or so that I definitely didn't see coming.
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