Weekly Register: A Trip To Bakersfield

Vince Gill & Paul Franklin‘s Bakersfield debuted Top Five this week with 12k units sold. Thirty-four percent of the units sold were digital, landing the project at No. 4 on the top Country albums chart. The collaborative tribute album from MCA Nashville/Universal Music Group not only honors the city’s biggest artists, Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, but also the guitar and steel players that helped create and define the Bakersfield, Calif., country sound.

The No. 1 top Country album this week continues to be the unstoppable Florida Georgia Line as Here’s To The Good Times sells another 28k units for a RTD of 945k.  (On FGL’s track side, “Cruise,” combined versions, also keeps the hammer down at No. 1 on the Country tracks chart with another 108k sold this week for a RTD total of 5.5 million.) Blake Shelton‘s Based On A True Story album sells another 16k units this week in the No. 2 spot while Hunter Hayes‘ self-titled album at No. 3 sells 13k (921k RTD).

Paul Franklin and Vince Gill

Luke Bryan‘s “Crash My Party” single sells 62k this week, accumulating an impressive 1.2 million RTD in 18 weeks and perching at No. 2 on the Country tracks. Another 18-week success story is Hayes’ “I Want Crazy” selling 57k this week with a total 1.1 million RTD at No. 3.

Upcoming album releases in August to watch out for include Warner Music Nashville artists Brett Eldredge (Aug. 6, Bring You Back) and Charlie Worsham (Aug. 20, Rubberband); Bryan’s Capitol Nashville project, Crash My Party on Aug. 13 and the Show-Dog Universal project Alabama & Friends, set for release Aug. 27. Carrie Underwood‘s The Blown Away Tour:LIVE [DVD] is set to release from Sony Nashville on Aug. 13.