Next Country Singles book from Record Research

[paulhaney]

My name is Paul Haney and I work for Joel Whitburn's Record Research company.  We are planning to update the Hot Country Songs book sometime next year (2018).  We are planning on using Billboard's Country Airplay chart as the "main" chart for the new edition.  We are also planning on incorporating the Hot Country Songs chart numbers in some fashion.  We would probably show the Airplay peak position/weeks charted in the main columns on the left-hand side and the Hot Country Songs peak position on the right-hand side, after the title.  For those rare titles that did NOT chart on the Airplay chart, but managed to make the HCS chart, we would show the info on the left-hand side with some type of symbol indicating that the song didn't make the Airplay chart.  Therefore, the Airplay numbers would be the ones that drove the artist rankings in the back of the book.

Since most of you that post here are rabid chart fans, I'd love to hear some feedback on this idea and whether or not you'd purchase such an updated book.

Thanks!

[mep]

I'm a big Whitburn fan, and this is awesome news!!! I own the 2012 country book, but wasn't sure i I would purchase any further editions if they were going to just use the Hot Country Songs chart. I love the idea of using Airplay as the main chart, but also showing the HCS numbers in a secondary way.

I also love the Country Annual book, and really wish you would continue those updates past 1997, but not sure if that is something you guys have considered.

[paulhaney]

Sept 23, 2017 8:39:06 GMT -5 mep said:

I also love the Country Annual book, and really wish you would continue those updates past 1997, but not sure if that is something you guys have considered.

The Country Annual was not a very good seller for us.  We still have several cartons of that 1997 edition in our warehouse.  I love that book myself, but we have to print books that will sell to stay in business.

[seak05]

Awesome to hear. And I prefer the airplay chart to HCS.

[someguy]

I'm so glad that you're sticking to the airplay chart.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

I think this is a great compromise: using Country Airplay as the "main" chart and parenthetically indicating the Country Songs peaks. Most people treat Country Airplay as the "main" chart anyway, but there has to be some acknowledgement that the "new" chart exists, since some titles charted on it but not Airplay or vice-versa (e.g. Accidental Racist).

[bboat11]

Jonsolo, if you're still lurking around here, you will definitely like to hear this!!! You can start to have joy in following the charts again!!!

[gardyfan]

paulhaney thank you for posting this. I consider the airplay chart to be the more important one, as i don't buy digital songs.

[CoJoFan]

Yes I'd definitely purchase the book!

[dawhite76]

That's wonderful news. I expected the 2012 edition would be the last one I purchased since, five years later, the current methodology is still flawed to me. I would like to see the Sales component included separately in the book again as it was in some editions prior to 2012. Although format - from physical to digital - has changed, it has always been interesting to see how sales and country radio can sometimes diverge.

I am curious - what will Billboard think of this approach? Will they consider this a rebuke of their current methodology when the foremost resource for Billboard chart history will not chronicle the chart in the manner they define as best? Clearly, Billboard must realize the current methodology is not widely embraced. You rarely see achievements on the Songs chart feted by artists or record labels in advertisements and Billboard's weekly newsletter featured an article several months ago that seemed to still try to justify the new methodology all these years later.

[paulhaney]

Well, we'll be showing the peak HCS position for each song, so it will be chronicled.

The bottom line is we have to sell books to stay in business.  Our customers, including many that have commented here, have let us know that they prefer the Airplay chart over the HCS chart, by a wide margin.  The Airplay chart is still a key Billboard chart, so I don't see why they would have a problem with us using it as the "main" source of the chart numbers.  It certainly keeps the continuity of the information from 1990-present.  Again, the HCS info will also be accounted for, so I think it's a "win-win" for everyone involved.

[jhomes87]

Sept 25, 2017 21:46:32 GMT -5 dawhite76 said:

I am curious - what will Billboard think of this approach? Will they consider this a rebuke of their current methodology when the foremost resource for Billboard chart history will not chronicle the chart in the manner they define as best? Clearly, Billboard must realize the current methodology is not widely embraced. You rarely see achievements on the Songs chart feted by artists or record labels in advertisements and Billboard's weekly newsletter featured an article several months ago that seemed to still try to justify the new methodology all these years later.

I think Billboard has definitely realized that the HCS chart is not the one that fans and the industry prefer. I take great interest in seeing how well songs are selling and streaming, but I've never understood the logic of combining those categories with airplay. How do you decide how many sales are equivalent to a certain level of airplay? Those ratios are always going to fluctuate based on market/consumer trends, so I just don't think it makes a lot of sense to combine airplay, sales, and streaming into a points-based overall ranking. I like keeping the three separate.

As for why I think Billboard has realized that HCS is not all that preferred, one needs only to look at the Billboard Country Update. When Hot Country Songs and Airplay first diverged 5 years ago, Billboard began publishing two newsletters...we got the airplay chart on Mondays like normal, and the HCS chart came out in a separate newsletter on Thursdays. That didn't last long, though, and soon all of the charts were released in one giant newsletter on Monday evenings. Hot Country Songs was initially the first chart you came to when scrolling down through the newsletter, but for a good while now, the HCS chart been buried down near the bottom of the newsletter, and the Airplay chart is the first chart. Take this week's BCU, for example. The Airplay chart comes first, on pages 6-8. Hot Country Songs is way down on pages 14-15. Page 16 has the charts for Top Country Albums, Country Streaming Songs, Country Digital Song Sales, and also the Americana/Folk Albums chart. And then the Indicator chart is on pages 18-19. And taking it a step further, after the top article on pages 1-2, we have Jim Asker's "On The Charts" column on page 4, and the headline is all about the Country Airplay chart and the Top Country Albums chart. Asker's write-up does mention that Sam Hunt remains #1 on HCS, and also lists the new top 10s on both Country Airplay and HCS, but that info all comes last, after a much bigger write-up about Dustin Lynch's 4-week stay at #1 on Country Airplay and Big & Rich's solid opening on the Top Country Albums chart. Also, like you said, labels rarely mention the HCS chart in any of their advertisements. Ads typically reflect when labels are going for "max spins" on the airplay chart, or they'll mention when songs will go for adds at radio, or they're thanking radio for a certain peak (#1, top 5, top 10, etc).

I don't care if Billboard keeps publishing the current Hot Country Songs chart. I think it's flawed, but it can still be somewhat interesting, and at the very least, it's a second chart (much different from the airplay-only chart) that allows them to measure success in other ways (besides radio success). The airplay chart is of course flawed as well, mainly because record labels and radio stations have gotten too cozy with each other and we end up with a revolving door of #1s. It's the labels' job to promote their songs, but hopefully radio can stand tall and draw a line in the sand, and not allow chart manipulation to be as bad as it has been in recent years. Radio shouldn't allow a song to be pushed to #1, just because it's that song's "push week" and because the label wants a #1. If the research and sales and other data suggests that the song is worthy of going #1 at radio, then radio can and should move it into the top spot before it peaks. But if it's not researching and/or not selling well, radio shouldn't allow a song to go to #1 just because the label is doing some sort of ridiculous push for last-week spins and airplay.

[dawhite76]

I would also like to see published - someday! - a Record Research book compiling the Cashbox country charts. Record World has already been published...how about Cashbox?!? I also hope that someday Record Research will publish reference books for the R&R charts.

[paulhaney]

I've been lobbying for a book based on the R&R charts (starting with the CHR charts). Hopefully that will happen at some point. I loved researching the Record World Country charts, but that book hasn't been a very big seller, so I wouldn't hold my breath on a Cash Box book. However, if it's one thing I've learned working at Record Research for over 25 years now, is to never say "never"!

[dajross6]

This is fantastic news, and SOOOO glad you're sticking with the Airplay chart! This will be a must buy day 1.

[paulhaney]

Just a quick update. We (Record Research) are currently working on a brand new edition of the Country Singles book. We will be using the Airplay numbers as the "main" numbers in the book, with the HCS peak position off to the side. For those songs that ONLY made HCS, they will be the "main" numbers, with a symbol designating those titles. The artist rankings therefore will be mainly based on the Airplay stats. I may give a little "preview" of the new artist rankings as we progress with the book. We hope to have it out by late summer/early fall.

[ChrisDodson]

Apr 13, 2018 13:31:13 GMT -5 paulhaney said:

Just a quick update. We (Record Research) are currently working on a brand new edition of the Country Singles book. We will be using the Airplay numbers as the "main" numbers in the book, with the HCS peak position off to the side. For those songs that ONLY made HCS, they will be the "main" numbers, with a symbol designating those titles. The artist rankings therefore will be mainly based on the Airplay stats. I may give a little "preview" of the new artist rankings as we progress with the book. We hope to have it out by late summer/early fall.

Great news! Very much looking forward to this. Will the Country Albums book be updated soon as well?

[paulhaney]

Apr 13, 2018 23:41:11 GMT -5 ChrisDodson said:

Apr 13, 2018 13:31:13 GMT -5 paulhaney said:

Just a quick update. We (Record Research) are currently working on a brand new edition of the Country Singles book. We will be using the Airplay numbers as the "main" numbers in the book, with the HCS peak position off to the side. For those songs that ONLY made HCS, they will be the "main" numbers, with a symbol designating those titles. The artist rankings therefore will be mainly based on the Airplay stats. I may give a little "preview" of the new artist rankings as we progress with the book. We hope to have it out by late summer/early fall.

Great news! Very much looking forward to this. Will the Country Albums book be updated soon as well?

Not any time soon.  Just wasn't a big enough seller for us.

[dawhite76]

That's disappointing ... it's been a decade since the last Top Country Albums book. To me, the debate between Hot Country Songs and the Country Airplay chart can be made between the Top Country Albums and Country Album Sales chart. I appreciate album sales are absolutely dismal these days. But, an album should not chart high simply because one of its songs is selling and streaming well. It's the song that is successful, not the album. The best example of this was when a Bonnie Tyler compilation charted on the Billboard 200 during last summer's eclipse only because "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" was selling and streaming well that week. I would have loved to see how the other tracks on that compilation performed that week to see just how many chart points the album earned due to the popularity of just that one track.

Has Record Research ever pondered developing a subscription database? I previously requested that RR publish a Cashbox country singles book, but was advised that this was not being considered since the similar Record World book did not sell well. For dormant publications (Cashbox, Record World, R&R) as well as Billboard charts that do not generate book sales, this would be an ideal and evolving reference that I would think many chart geeks would pay for. There would be concerns such as copyrights, data security (i.e. preventing the data from being shared all over the internet), etc. But, I always thought this was something Record Research should ponder....

[paulhaney]

Now taking pre-orders for the new Top Country Singles 1944-2017 book!

www.recordresearch.com/country/top_country_singles_1944_2017.php

[paulhaney]

The book was sent off to the printer yesterday (6/28). Barring any printing delays, we should have it in stock around the first week of August. I'm happy to report that sales have been very brisk so far. Due to the high cost of printing and binding, we are doing a limited print run. So if you've been thinking about it, please don't delay. Thanks to everyone here that has already ordered a copy!  www.recordresearch.com/country/top_country_singles_1944_2017.php

[cloudeleven]

Do you still sell the Top Pop Singles book? I have the 1955-1999 9th edition that I bought new about 16 years ago and it is SO amazing: www.amazon.com/Top-Pop-Singles-1955-1999-Ninth/dp/089820139X. I also have several other Record Research books.

My favorite piece of data in there is the peak positions on the Hot 100 Airplay and Hot 100 Sales charts, so I was disappointed to see that removed starting with the 2008 edition (I think). It'd be great if you guys could include that data again (the Airplay and Sales peaks of each song, and maybe add in Streaming peaks).

Also, my opinion is the more data the better! I love the idea of using Country Airplay as the main chart for the Country book with Hot Country Songs peak off to the side, but it would also be nice to see the Country Single/Digital Sales peaks and Country Streaming peaks!

Thanks.

[cloudeleven]

Sept 26, 2017 15:53:15 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

I think Billboard has definitely realized that the HCS chart is not the one that fans and the industry prefer. I take great interest in seeing how well songs are selling and streaming, but I've never understood the logic of combining those categories with airplay.

I don't have a problem with Billboard combining sales, streaming, and airplay on the Hot Country Songs chart as long as they are using COUNTRY-only airplay. It's never made sense to me and many others that pop, rock, R&B, and every other type of airplay counts in the Country Songs chart!

It makes it so that if, say, Beyonce did a song that got tons of play on R&B and pop radio, and was shipped to country radio, got some spins on country radio but only peaked at, say, #58, but Billboard decided to include it on the Country Songs chart because it was sent to country radio and charted at #58 on country airplay, Beyonce could have the #1 on Country Songs due mostly to her R&B and pop airplay (and big sales & streaming due to that pop & R&B airplay)!

And it could stay #1 for 6+ months. Yet it wasn't a country hit at all. I was afraid that was going to happen with "Never Be The Same" by Camila Cabello feat. Kane Brown that was actually sent to country radio a few months ago, but didn't have an add date. Fortunately Billboard didn't include that song on the Hot Country Songs chart or it would've probably been #1 for the past 2 months despite no airplay on country radio.

[gardyfan]

My copy showed up today!!!!!

[CoJoFan]

So I ordered this finally a couple days ago. My question is does it show every charted single by each artist or top 40 singles only?

[gardyfan]

Sept 12, 2020 21:42:44 GMT -5 CoJoFan said:

So I ordered this finally a couple days ago. My question is does it show every charted single by each artist or top 40 singles only?

All charted songs are in it.

[davidcountry]

I think a book comparing Country Airplay and Country Airplay Indicator charts could have been a good idea. Shows the difference on the different music of country songs from the large markets and the small markets. Neilson took over R&R before they shut it down, but if I remember right? R&R going for Adds and countdown link from their page redirected you to Billboard. Billboard's Country Indicator was more of what R&R was like, but it was large and small markets while Billboard's country airplay charts was their own large and market. The Country Airplay format changed to large markets while Indicator became small. It hurt the smaller guys big time.

[dajross6]

Sept 13, 2020 6:00:31 GMT -5 davidcountry said:

I think a book comparing Country Airplay and Country Airplay Indicator charts could have been a good idea. Shows the difference on the different music of country songs from the large markets and the small markets. Neilson took over R&R before they shut it down, but if I remember right? R&R going for Adds and countdown link from their page redirected you to Billboard. Billboard's Country Indicator was more of what R&R was like, but it was large and small markets while Billboard's country airplay charts was their own large and market. The Country Airplay format changed to large markets while Indicator became small. It hurt the smaller guys big time.

I think you're right. Now, I will say these charts were quite a bit different from #30 on down, but the top half of the charts were (and honestly still are) relatively close. Some artists probably squeaked a couple more or less #1 songs, but I loved looking at the bottom of the indicator chart to see what was charting and getting airplay in rural America.

[davidcountry]

Sept 16, 2020 1:41:12 GMT -5 dajross6 said:

Sept 13, 2020 6:00:31 GMT -5 davidcountry said:

I think a book comparing Country Airplay and Country Airplay Indicator charts could have been a good idea. Shows the difference on the different music of country songs from the large markets and the small markets. Neilson took over R&R before they shut it down, but if I remember right? R&R going for Adds and countdown link from their page redirected you to Billboard. Billboard's Country Indicator was more of what R&R was like, but it was large and small markets while Billboard's country airplay charts was their own large and market. The Country Airplay format changed to large markets while Indicator became small. It hurt the smaller guys big time.

I think you're right. Now, I will say these charts were quite a bit different from #30 on down, but the top half of the charts were (and honestly still are) relatively close. Some artists probably squeaked a couple more or less #1 songs, but I loved looking at the bottom of the indicator chart to see what was charting and getting airplay in rural America.

I remember both Casey Kasem and Bob Kingsley did not liked how Billboard was handling the charts. They both tried both Mediabase and then R&R. It is the R&R that had Sammy Kershaw with more than number 1 hits then Billboards. My high school friend's group Point of Grace got 3 top 60 R&R singles while they hardly scratched Billboards.

[CoJoFan]

Sept 16, 2020 9:12:29 GMT -5 davidcountry said:

Sept 16, 2020 1:41:12 GMT -5 dajross6 said:

I think you're right. Now, I will say these charts were quite a bit different from #30 on down, but the top half of the charts were (and honestly still are) relatively close. Some artists probably squeaked a couple more or less #1 songs, but I loved looking at the bottom of the indicator chart to see what was charting and getting airplay in rural America.

I remember both Casey Kasem and Bob Kingsley did not liked how Billboard was handling the charts. They both tried both Mediabase and then R&R. It is the R&R that had Sammy Kershaw with more than number 1 hits then Billboards. My high school friend's group Point of Grace got 3 top 60 R&R singles while they hardly scratched Billboards.

If I’m not mistaken Mediabase and R&R are the same charts.