Blake Shelton’s $0.99 Album Keeps Cody Johnson Out of #1 Spot
There will be no #1 for Texas country artist Cody Johnson’s new album Gotta Be Me, even though if all things were equal, he’d would be the rightful owner of the distinction. Cody is being blocked by Blake Shelton who is running a big new promotion behind his recent album If I’m Honest, selling it for only $0.99 at certain online outlets, unnaturally inflating sales, and putting The Voice coach at the top spot of Billboard’s Country Albums chart.
After a rash of releases in 2011 shot up the charts due to super low prices looking to make a splash on the charts, Billboard implemented a rule that states, “Albums priced below $3.49 … will not count towards sales data presented by Nielsen SoundScan.” However the rule only applies to titles “during their first four weeks of release,” excluding Blake Shelton from having to suffer the penalty. Blake’s If I’m Honest was released on May 20th, 2016.
Cody Johnson would have been the latest in a string of independent country artists to disrupt the album charts at #1. Though listeners are consuming albums at a much smaller rate these days, the fans of independent artists still prefer buying the records whole as opposed to streaming the hit single on Spotify. This also means more revenue for these independent artists, while they’re still besting their mainstream counterparts on an equal playing field.
Sales for Shelton’s If I’m Honest shot up 109% due to the promotion according to HITS Daily Double, and he sold roughly 25,000 copies more than Cody Johnson because of it. The sales were also good enough to put Shelton in the Top 5 overall in music, and to allow the album to go Gold. “Just found out that ‘If I’m Honest’ has gone back to #1 this week AND went gold already!!!!” Blake Shelton tweeted out Monday morning. “This calls for a drink! I love y’all seriously.”
Why is Blake Shelton’s If I’m Honest so cheap at the moment? Windmills Country opines it has to do with the 2nd round of CMA Awards voting coming up, and Shelton looking to cement his chances at the bigger nominations with a strong sales showing. No matter what the motivations, it’s a bit of a surreptitious way to top the Country Albums chart, and a shallow victory for Shelton to say the least.
Daniel
August 15, 2016 @ 8:00 am
Congrats on the #1 Cody Johnson. Blake and his team can screw off.
DimM
August 15, 2016 @ 8:13 am
I’d say congrats to Shelton. What a victory against a country giant like Johnson!
Scotty J
August 15, 2016 @ 8:02 am
‘Cody is being blocked by Blake Shelton who is running a big new promotion’
While technically true I guess you make it sound like he came up with this idea himself when it is really the record label that comes up with these things and then partners with Google, iTunes, Amazon, etc.
But I agree with the problem here and there needs to be a higher minimum price if you want to be eligible for charting. That way if you want to give your product away then have at it but it won’t count towards chart tabulations.
Summer Jam
August 15, 2016 @ 8:07 am
I’m absolutely sure Shelton and his label had no intent of doing this, it just happened to at the wrong time.
Trigger
August 15, 2016 @ 8:27 am
I didn’t mean to imply that Shelton was purposely trying to block Cody Johnson. I seriously doubt it had anything to do with Johnson or anyone else except for Blake and his team wanting to inflate his numbers.
Todd
August 15, 2016 @ 6:49 pm
This is a damn shame…Cody is one of the most genuine and nicest guys ever, and he and his band put on what is possibly the BEST live show you will see this year. Also, unlike Blake, Cody can actually SING…lol!
albert
August 15, 2016 @ 8:11 am
Wow 25,000 units at a buck a unit is only $25,000.00 . That is basically a complete marketing move cuz that ‘pocket change’ wouldn’t keep gas in the tour bus . This business has REALLY taken a huge hit in ten years or so .
Trigger
August 15, 2016 @ 8:30 am
Blake Shelton can afford to sell his record for $0.99 cents because he’s got plenty of money, where an artist like Johnson NEEDS to make the full amount on albums to recoup his investment and operational costs. For Shelton, the money he will lose will likely be less than what he would spend on a promotional campaign anyway, and he gets to boast being at #1 again, and a Gold certification. It’s a total manipulation of the system slanted towards the deep pockets of a major label artist.
Also, charging $0.99 for an album is a significant devaluation of music that is dangerous for the marketplace.
seak05
August 15, 2016 @ 9:36 am
Apparently when they do these deals Amazon & google still pay for the cd. So Blake, and more importantly the song writers, are still getting paid. It’s basically a promo campaign for Blake and for Google play. With the rise of streaming & declines in album sales the big acts mostly make money on touring at this point. (which has led to an over saturation of the concert market, but that’s a subject for another day).
Big Cat
August 16, 2016 @ 7:05 pm
Yep and I think Blake is a pussy for allowing that price.
And that’s how I feel about it
seak05
August 15, 2016 @ 8:28 am
The flip side is that this is also a move by google to undercut amazon & amazon does the same to undercut google. Those two are fighting for space in the album market & they use cheap deals like this to lure them in. Google still has to pay a (probably discounted) rate for the album. So they’re losing money on the deal.
Using sales to score chart positions/sales seems to be back in vogue this year. Recently Sia ran a big sale on her single to get the #1 spot on the hot 100.
I think the better thing to do is to be happy that Cody sold so many albums.
seak05
August 15, 2016 @ 8:32 am
On a related note, the CMA/awards politicking is completely out of control. I am so over the country awards. Aldean for the ACM’s with his massive promo campaign, Blake with this sale to get his album to gold, and Dierks has been wining and dining media folks for several months now, even getting Bobby Bones into the act.
I hope Carrie wins like every award this year because a) she deserves it and b) she doesn’t play the game. It won’t happen though because she has the wrong voting blocks. So congrats to Miranda on her 7th CMA female vocalist award.
Dobe Daddy
August 15, 2016 @ 8:39 am
I would pay $0.99 to NOT hear Blake Shelton’s album.
I miss Steve Gaines
August 15, 2016 @ 8:56 am
Hold Your tickets, We got a Winner!
MH
August 15, 2016 @ 8:42 am
99 cents for something worth a penny.
Blake’s making a killing.
Mo Crawford
August 15, 2016 @ 9:11 am
Only thing Blake Shelton has going for him is that every asshole stupid hillbilly here’s him talk and thinks “he’s just like me!!” ..worthless human being and horrible for music
blakes a classic n yaller all just sissys
August 15, 2016 @ 9:18 am
Lil Dale (2016 savin country music comentar of the yeer?)
Charlie
August 15, 2016 @ 10:05 am
Man oh man–I got to get me an accordion one of these days. Love me some cajun music, yessiree! That looks like a nice one.
Jordan
August 15, 2016 @ 9:59 am
Still not gonna buy Shelton
Wes
August 15, 2016 @ 10:45 am
Guarantee that the Radio country labels did this on purpose to show their dominance. The last thing they want is more talk about how traditional country is rising in popularity and how some people think things need to change. Not to mention that before to be majorly successful on the charts and record sales you had to be signed with a major label in country music. With Aaron Watson and now Cody Johnson record labels are losing control on the industry where they received most of the profits for making artists. There is no way they would have started this promotion for Blake if Justin Moore’s album was released last week. With Cadillac Three’s album underachieving I believe this was a big screw you to Texas country and anyone who is different stealing the thunder I you will. There is most certainly other motives in this move for Blake like going gold and the CMA’s but the timing is too obvious in my opinion. Cody Johnson shocked a lot of people starting off the week going number 3 on iTunes. I bet he couldn’t have even seen that coming in his wildest dreams because the fan numbers for followers are not near the same levels as Randy Rogers or Aaron Watson but the amount of streams for his music are even higher and that may have been a precursor to this. I believe midweek that corporate country wanted to stomp this out cause the less you hear about Cody Johnson the better things are for mainstream radio country..
Trigger
August 15, 2016 @ 1:00 pm
Another theory I’m hearing is that Cody Johnson is rumored to have turned down a deal by Blake Shelton’s label, and this is a way to get back at him. I’m not really sure if either of these theories are true, and if it’s worth it to a major label to go through that kind of effort just to be vindictive. Maybe that could be a secondary reason to discount the album.
BwareDWare94
August 15, 2016 @ 11:00 am
ROFL. Blake Shelton is on country music’s Dollar Menu.
Trigger
August 15, 2016 @ 12:55 pm
Good one!
Nadia Lockheart
August 15, 2016 @ 12:42 pm
I don’t understand why it was even necessary in the first place.
“If I’m Honest” has been a fairly solid seller, all things considered. Its opening-week sales eclipsed those of “Bringing Bang The Sunshine” by about 50%. It was already appearing to eclipse the total sales of that album to date before the discount came into effect.
Besides that, Blake Shelton is…………………….well…………………..Blake Shelton! Most everyone is aware of his personality and what he’s known for, so he’s essentially a living, breathing infomercial for any awards show.
It’s pointless to me.
Trigger
August 15, 2016 @ 12:50 pm
I guess the theory is now he can boast a #1 album again and going gold right as CMA voters are casting 2nd round ballots, making it more likely he will be nominated for Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and maybe Entertainer. I can’t really think of another reason to do it, but there’s also no smoking gun that this is the motivation.
Nadia Lockheart
August 15, 2016 @ 1:15 pm
Perhaps.
It astonishes me how gullible some committee members truly are if they’re merely looking at superficialities like that to make their cases.
There’s no question Blake Shelton had an underwhelming 2015 despite keeping his #1 airplay singles streak intact. But he’s had a rebound this year and I think even though part of the timeframe for the CMAs predates “Came Here To Forget”, his latest album and his broader cultural impact via “The Voice” and “The Angry Birds Movie”……….he already established enough of a convincing case to at least make the top three.
I can see there being a total toss-up for both the Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year categories this time around. I’d have to gather Chris Stapleton will win one of these categories (more likely “Male Vocalist of the Year”) but I’m not convinced the airplay and touring statistics will translate to an Entertainer win as well.
So, if that is the case, I can see a potential three-way split between Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Blake Shelton.
And I can easily see Eric Church positioned best among the three of them. On the surface, Luke Bryan would be viewed as the de facto favorite, but he has been hemorrhaging momentum this past year with the lack of a hit that has had a broader cultural impact. Blake Sheltton, meanwhile, has regained momentum but much of the relevant timetable for this year’s CMAs resides outside of the “If I’m Honest” album cycle. Eric Church, on the other hand, released “Mr. Misunderstood” last November and so he is best positioned from a timing standpoint as well as off of a combination of excellent touring numbers, critical acclaim and, though not great, respectable sales for the album.
seak05
August 15, 2016 @ 1:36 pm
EOY should go to Carrie, who had a hit & good album, several #1’s, and a huge tour. Dierks is making a massive marketing push for an EOTY nod, (+AOY and MVOY) & is being pushed by the WME/LN conglomerate that tends to dominate CMA’s. Luke’s 2015 album is also in this CMA cycle.
Nadia Lockheart
August 15, 2016 @ 1:47 pm
I can see Dierks Bentley having plenty of support for “Male Vocalist of the Year”, but I don’t feel he has amassed enough clout to seize Entertainer of the Year.
His sales are certainly on an upward trajectory, and he is well-liked in the industry as well. The problem is he lacks the sort of broader cultural appeal Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan have in a commercial sense and Eric Church in a critical sense as well as having fans well outside the confines of mainstream country. And though his touring draw is near career highs, his peak of 15,000 in attendance for a single show is still short of Church, Aldean and Bryan’s crowds.
I think it’s pretty clear Carrie Underwood is largely out of luck as long as she isn’t signed to William Morris Endeavor Entertainment: who have a massive advantage in lobbying at award show circuits.
seak05
August 15, 2016 @ 1:44 pm
I think it also comes down to not really caring about profits off of albums (or at least Warner has made that decision) vs sales numbers & marketability for tours. And it makes sense. If this promo sells 50,000 additional albums, & Warner would normally make 3 dollars an album, it’s only $150,000 loss. One of Blake’s tour dates brings in just under 1mil in revenue.
Jason
August 15, 2016 @ 2:06 pm
One dollar is way too much for the shit Blake’s selling.
Jacob Ware
August 15, 2016 @ 5:21 pm
This is bullshit! We know he’s not trying to block Cody Johnson, he is just such big douchebag every action he takes adversely affects country music.
BlackHawgDown
August 15, 2016 @ 8:18 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised if this Price Fixing was a scheme to keep Cody from getting recognize. The last thing Nashville wants is for Texas country to become popular and mainstream, it would cut into their profits.
Brandon F
August 16, 2016 @ 9:57 am
Cody shared his thoughts on Twitter today https://twitter.com/CodyJohnsonBand/status/765586343305080832
MWB
August 16, 2016 @ 2:29 pm
I can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic or not with that tweet – part of me can see him as a genuinely nice guy just ‘being the bigger man’ and congratulating the other guy instead of getting embroiled in a controversy – whereas the other part of me feels like the capitalization of ‘ENTIRE’ record for 99 cents is his way of taking a lighthearted shot. Haha.
Brandon F
August 17, 2016 @ 6:55 am
Yeah I think including “ENTIRE” in caps or just including the statement about the album being 99 cents was taking a shot at Blake. There’s an article at Rolling Stone Country that mentions Blake’s album being 99 cents as the only reason he didn’t get a number 1 and that he actually had multiple major labels wanting to be a part of this release and he turned them down. Maybe Blake’s label was one of them and really is blocking him from a number 1. That’s pure speculation on my part but it wouldn’t surprise me.
karl
August 16, 2016 @ 10:43 am
This has been 99 cents for over two weeks now. It has nothing to do with Cody or Blake. Its just something the labels do with certain retailers. I am in favor of it because I have poor money management skills and this is a good way to get affordable music.
karl
August 16, 2016 @ 11:14 am
I thought I posted a comment that is now gone. What gives?
karl
August 16, 2016 @ 11:14 am
Nevermind, now it’s there. Weird!
Pete Marshall
August 18, 2016 @ 1:12 pm
Blake Shelton oh maybe he should have his cd’s sell for a penny.
Camie Jo
August 22, 2016 @ 11:20 am
It’s the olive branch for the twitter mess and maybe free concert tickets are forthcoming.
Julia Will
September 17, 2016 @ 5:35 pm
If you were to ask anybody to name a country music star they would say Blake Shelton. All the rest of Nashville is jeoulous and petty. His fans love him and any time he takes the stage he makes a million dollars. Who wins the People’s Choice awards? For the rest of it- blab,blab,blab who cares?