Weekly Register: Eric Paslay’s Noteworthy Debut

Albums

Both overall and Country album sales are down 3 percent from last week. Eric Paslay’s self-titled debut album (EMI Nashville) debuts at No. 4 (No. 31 overall), selling 11k units. Paslay is one of many artists scheduled to perform at the 2014 Stagecoach Country Music Festival in April. Meanwhile, indie artist Whiskey Meyers’ Early Morning Shakes (Wiggy Thump Records) debuts at No. 10 (No. 54 overall), selling 5.8k units, while The Haden Triplets’ self-titled album (Third Man Records) debuts at No. 67, with 551 units sold.

Two albums are enjoying a noteworthy surge in sales this week. Sales for Vince Gill and Paul Franklin’s Bakersfield soared 88 percent this week (3.2k last week, 6.1k this week), jumping to No. 7 on the chart (No. 47 overall) with 56k units sold RTD. Additionally, sales for Bruno Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox continue to rise following the singer’s Super Bowl XLVII halftime performance, increasing 92 percent this week (42k last week, 81k this week), moving to No. 3 with more than 2 million units sold RTD.

Florida Georgia Line’s Here’s To The Good Times is the top Country album (No. 19 overall), selling 14k units this week and 1.6 million RTD. Now 49 by Various Artists is the top overall album, debuting with 98k units sold. In comparison, Now 48 sold 114k units when it debuted in November 2013. YTD, overall album sales are down 14.8 percent, while Country album sales are down 20 percent. Around the same time last year, Josh Groban’s All That Echoes debuted, selling 145k units, while Tim McGraw’s Two Lanes of Freedom debuted, selling 107k units.

Tracks

Brantley Gilbert’s “Bottoms Up” is the top Country track this week (No. 28 overall), selling 49k units (354k RTD). The top Country debut is MusicRow’s inaugural Challenge Coin winner Cole Swindell, whose single “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey” debuts at No. 6 (No. 44 overall), with 34k units sold.

Katy Perry and Juicy’s “Dark Horse” reigns over the competition, remaining at No. 1 with another 291k units sold this week (2.9 million RTD). YTD, overall track sales are down 11.4 percent, while Country track sales are down 17.1 percent. Around the same time last year, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” sold 300k units (2.6 million RTD), while McGraw and Taylor Swift’s “Highway Don’t Care” debuted with 86k units sold.

Next week’s numbers will include Eric Church’s The Outsiders, Frankie Ballard’s Sunshine & Whiskey and  The Civil Wars’ Between the Bars.