Used with permission of CMA Closeup News Service
By CMA Communications Staff
NASHVILLE - Early predictions of increased album sales of Country Music in 2004 proved true with 77,912,000 units sold from Jan. 5, 2004, through Jan. 2, 2005 - a 12 percent increase over 2003, which had sales of 69,311,000 units, according to figures released today by Nielsen SoundScan.
The news was promising with a 1.6 percent rebound of the total music industry following a four-year period of steady decline, which was stemmed slightly in 2003 once Internet and digital track sales were factored into the equation by Nielsen SoundScan research. Overall music purchases in 2004 exceeded 800 million for the fist time since 2000. And while the bulk of the industry slumped since that time, Country Music pushed to develop the next round of Country hitmakers. By mid 2004, the outlook was promising when for the first time in five years, Recording Industry Association of America shipments for the first half of the year increased (RIAA tabulates store shipments which are expected to be future sales to consumers and Nielsen SoundScan tracks point-of-purchase sales of recorded music product).
"Country Music held its own and even enjoyed growth during a very tumultuous period for the music industry over the past five years," said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "The vision of our industry leaders, the loyalty of our fan base, the caliber of our artists community and the breakthrough success of some of our bright new talent all contributed to this achievement."
Driving Country Music's gain in 2004 was the phenomenal success of Kenny Chesney, Gretchen Wilson and Tim McGraw, who all had albums in the Top 10 Selling Albums of the Year - Chesney's When The Sun Goes Down (No. 4 - 3,072,224), Wilson's debut Here For the Party (No. 5 - 2,931,097), and McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying (No. 6 - 2,786,840). Shania Twain's Come on Over continues to reign supreme atop the Top Ten Selling Albums of the SoundScan era with 15,267,050 units sold.
Rounding out the list of the Top 10 Country Albums of the Year according to Nielsen SoundScan were No. 4 Shania Twain Greatest Hits (2,336,048), No. 5 Toby Keith Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1,916,897), No. 6 George Strait 50 Number Ones (1,878,295), No. 7 Big & Rich Horse of a Different Color (1,778,247), No. 8 Toby Keith Shock 'N Y'All (1,649,358), No. 9 Jimmy Buffett License To Chill (1,260,380), No. 10 Brad Paisley Mud on the Tires (1,163,292). Together, the Top 10 Country albums of the year accounted for 20.8 million units or 27 percent of all Country album sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
What follows are Country Music highlights from 2004. This is not a comprehensive list, but just a sampling of some of the accomplishments and activities of Country Music artists.
Album Sales
* Albums making simultaneous No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200 and Country Albums chart included Kenny Chesney's When the Sun Goes Down, Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying, Alan Jackson's What I Do, Rascal Flatts' Feels Like Today and George Strait's 50 Number Ones. Jimmy Buffett's Country-oriented License to Chill topped the Billboard 200 in its first week of release to become his first No. 1 on any chart.
* Country Music Hall of Fame member Loretta Lynn's album Van Lear Rose premiered at No. 24 on the all-inclusive Billboard 200 and at No. 2 on the trade publication's Country Albums chart as her highest-debuting album since the start of her recording career in 1959. Jack White of The White Stripes produced the critically acclaimed album. Lynn wrote all 13 tracks.
RIAA Album Sales Certifications
* The RIAA certified 30 Gold, 19 Platinum and 28 multi-Platinum (including 1 Diamond) Country albums. Gold indicates sales of 500,000 units; Platinum indicates sales of 1 million units; multi-Platinum is for each successive million units sold; and Diamond indicates sales of 10 million albums. The RIAA continues to award these rankings throughout the life of the album; an album does not have to be released in the same year it achieves one or more of these rankings.
* Shania Twain's 2003 album UP! received the Diamond Award for reaching 10 million units sold in 2004. The album continued to appeal to music buyers, as later in the year it was certified for sales of 11 million units. Of special note is that Twain's 1997 album Come On Over was certified for sales of 20 million units this year, remaining the best selling Country album of all time.
* George Strait's recently released album 50 Number Ones was certified five times Platinum, making it the second highest certified recording of any genre (behind Usher's Confessions) and the highest certified Country title of 2004.
