"I Hold On" Holds on For #1!

On Monday, March 24th, "I Hold On" became Dierks Bentley's 11th chart-topper, reaching the summit on both the Mediabase/Aircheck and Billboard Airplay charts. It was, to some, a sweet victory after radio essentially rejected "Bourbon in Kentucky" last year, but that didn't make the climb to the top any easier while it was happening. After 31 long weeks, it finally made it to the top. Woohoo!

I was a bit surprised he snagged the #1 this week, since Blake Shelton's "Doin' What She Likes" was sitting pretty at #1 up until Thursday morning. Apparently Dierks calling to request "I Hold On" on the Bobby Bones Show multiple times - and Bobby kindly playing it - did the trick! As it was, Dierks *just* squeaked ahead and finished a mere 141,000 in audience ahead of Blake on Billboard. Whew, that was close! (No worries, Blake fans - he'll be at #1 this coming week.)

"I Hold On" isn't quite done yet - in sales, that is. After his televised performance during January's Orange Bowl, the sales picked up big time, and the song is just a mere week or two away from hitting 500,000 in sales and GOLD certification. Woohoo, again!

As we all know, this is a hugely personal song for Dierks, and we all knew that the song going to #1 would be a moment filled with immense pride. Sure enough, Dierks tweeted the following on Monday morning:

thank YOU for calling/tweeting Country Radio. I Hold On is the number 1 song in the country today! this one means more to me than any other.

Later on Monday, he posted the following message for his fans (see video below).

Congratulations, Dierks! We know your Dad is smiling in Heaven!

Now we just wait to see what the next single will be. Any ideas, Congress? We should know within the next two weeks... and hopefully this single won't take 31 weeks to make it to the top! ;)

~ Carrie Srebro
DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC:

Post by Dierks Bentley.

Heading "Four" Home

Ad from this week's Billboard Country Update

 

In its 21st week on the charts, the critically acclaimed "Home" jumped two spots to #4 on Billboard, while holding steady at #5 on Mediabase.


Right now is very much about waiting to see if Kenny Chesney's "Reality" will move to the #1 spot at all (which is still very much in question), or if Dierks will catch him before that happens to block Kenny from #1. On Mediabase, Dierks is currently 800 points behind Kenny, who is 1000 points behind Keith Urban (currently #1). On Billboard, Dierks is roughly 1 million audience impressions behind Kenny, who is 3 million back from Keith. I tend to think he's got a better shot at Kenny on Billboard first, but it's going to be a close race. 


In the meantime, keep requesting the song and above all, thanking your stations for playing the song. It's definitely important they know we aren't tired of hearing this great song! 


~ Carrie Srebro (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

Am I the Only (Number) One?

This week, Dierks Bentley is the "only one" sitting at Number One! Congratulations, Dude, on your 8th #1 hit, and a huge thank you to all the DB Congress for helping to get him there! 

Here is what Billboard had to say in their chart roundup:

Dierks Bentley closes a gap of more than two years at No. 1, as “Am I the Only One” draws 39.2 million audience impressions and becomes his first leader since “Sideways” ruled for two weeks in July 2009. The new chart-topper is Bentley’s eighth, a list that boasts three consecutive No. 1s between December 2005 and November 2006. He first led with debut single “What Was I Thinkin’” in September 2003. Reaching the summit in its 22nd chart week “Am I the Only One” is the artist’s second-longest No. 1 climb—he needed 24 weeks with “What Was I Thinkin’.” His best time to No. 1 was 17 weeks with “Every Mile a Memory” in late 2006.

And from Mediabase/Country Aircheck:

Congrats to Dierks Bentley, Steve Hodges, Shane Allen and the entire Capitol/Nashville promotion team on scoring this week’s No. 1 with “Am I The Only One.” The chart-topper is the first single from a new album expected early next year.

 Here are the final numbers for those of you who are curious:

• Billboard 39.2 million audience impressions/5539 spins up 198 over LW
• Mediabase 40.6 million audience impressions/5934 spins up 231 over LW/854 points gain 

Now, we're pushing for a 2nd week, but it's going to be more difficult. The song is still picking up gains over last week (which is better than Lady A was doing this time last week when they were #1) but it's starting to lose points to Remind Me on Mediabase and the audience appears to have peaked. So, we'll see! But keep calling and requesting it - just don't drive the DJs TOO crazy - we'll need them in a few weeks when "Home" is released. (As of today, there is not an official radio date for the next single.) 

Thank you all again for your hard work! We rocked it out - pat yourselves on the back! 

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

Ready "2" Top the Charts

Well, fellow Dierks fans, this is the week we've been waiting for. The week we push "Am I the Only One" to NUMBER ONE!

On the current charts, "Am I the Only One" is #2 on both Mediabase and Billboard. On Billboard, it currently holds about a 1.5 million audience lead over "Remind Me" from Brad Paisley/Carrie Underwood. Though "Remind Me" is gaining at a slightly faster rate than "AITOO," Dierks should have enough of a jump to carry him to #1 by the time the chart runs on Sunday. 

On Mediabase, it's a similar story. Dierks held a 615-point advantage over "Remind Me" when the chart ran on Sunday, and his advantage has been increasing ever-so-slightly each day so far this week. Hopefully, he'll be able to hold off Brad and Carrie through Sunday to snag his 8th #1 hit! 

My Twitter feed has been FULL of tweets from dedicated DBC reps tweeting their local radio stations to play the song - keep it up! I got a shoutout from my fave DJ last night because I tweeted how much I loved my "AITOO" car dance as he played it. With Dierks doing a round of radio interviews this week, it's a great chance to contact your local stations any way you can to tell them to PLAY MORE DIERKS! 

Unfortunately, I'll be taking inventory at work on Monday when the charts publish (the timing could NOT be more worse), but I should know about Mediabase on Sunday evening - I'll keep you all posted! 

C'mon, c'mon get your NUMBER ONE on! 

EDIT: This is what I woke up to! Just have to keep it there through Sunday!

Yay! Congrats to our Prez, and thanks to all of you who requested and drove your DJs crazy!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

AITOO Eyes Top 20

Am I the Only One has continued its march up the charts in the past two weeks, and now sits just outside the Top 20 on both charts: #21 on Mediabase, and #22 on Billboard. 

The song is poised to jump into the Top 20 on both charts this week (I'm guessing #19 on Mediabase and #20 on Billboard), and is hot on the heels of a few songs in front of it. An interesting note about making it into the Top 20: On last week's Billboard chart, the difference in audience between 18th and 19th was 5 million! That indicates that songs 1-18 have been in the top 18 for a while, garnering more airplay at radio, whereas #19 and #20 are fairly new additions, so are just starting to reap the rewards of being in the Top 20. 

Additionally, the (hilarious) Am I the Only One video made its debut on CMT's Top 20 countdown at #13 this week, which helps add to the songs exposure! 

Now that the song is firmly within the Top 30, it will be on all surveys, so make sure you sign up at Rate The Music and Nashville Country Club and make sure radio knows you LOVE the song and you're NOT tired of hearing it. And, of course, text, tweet, call, and email your DJs and let them know you're not the only one who wants to get your good time on ... in the car! 

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

Am I the Only One Continues Fast Rise

Dierks Bentley's latest single, Am I the Only One, continued its march up the charts this week, moving up 4 spots to #33 in its 3rd week on Billboard, and moved to #34 (also up 4 spots) on Mediabase in its 2nd week. Additionally, it was on 21 new Billboard-monitored stations, and 19 new Mediabase-monitored stations. Across the broad spectrum of all country stations (some of which are not monitored and therefore don't report), there are only about 50 stations that aren't playing it. After 3 weeks, I don't think that's half bad. (It's already out-performed Draw Me a Map.) 

Am I the Only One is likely to move into the Top 30 next week, so for those of you whose radio stations are a "top 30 only" format, your time should come soon! Top 30 will also mean syndicated spins on the weekly countdown shows, as well as being added to radio surveys such as Rate The Music. Another great survey you might be interested in signing up for is over at Nashville Country Club, and those survey results are actually used in a chart that is included with the Billboard release every week, so in a few weeks we'll be able to get a sense of the survey audience reaction toward the song, as well. 

And CMT's news that the new video (featuring Jake!) will debut during their Big New Music Weekend April 22-24 should be welcome, too, and will only help add to the exposure for the song. 


If your station is one of the few still not playing the song, don't stop calling, tweeting, texting, and emailing your DJs to let them know you're ready to get your good time on with Dierks! Surely they don't want to be the only one not playing it! 

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

Ridge is Greatest Gainer on the Bluegrass Album Chart

After 44 weeks on the Billboard, Dierks Bentley's Up On The Ridge album grasped the "Greatest Gainer" CD for week ending April 16, 2011.  The project that released June 8, 2010 spent months at #1 on the bluegrass chart, and comes in this week at #2, from #3 last week.  It also charted at #43 on the Country Album charts. Pretty impressive for a collection of songs that country radio didn't see fit to push to the top 20 in either single released (Up On The Ridge nor Draw Me A Map).

Fortunately, the next album is sure to be radio-friendly if the new single, "Am I The Only One?" is any indication.  Already at #37 in it's second week on the Billboard charts, AITOO is sure to shoot to the top of the singles just in time for the album to release in August.  Keep calling radio, congress!

Best Bluegrass of 2010: Dierks Bentley, Up On the Ridge

According to the Billboard Bluegrass charts, Dierks Bentley's Up On The Ridge CD held the #1 spot for the year end of 2010!

Popmatters.com listed the album as #10 in their Best of Bluegrass top ten list.

"2010 was a year that saw a variety of progressive bluegrass bands pushing the borders of bluegrass further than ever into genre-defying directions. Purists will continue to argue that bluegrass instrumentation alone does not bluegrass make, but everywhere you looked this year, string-band musicians kicked against (or became bored by) traditionalism’s rigid boundaries and delved into subspecies like jamgrass, jazzgrass, chambergrass, avant-gardegrass, etc. At the same time, mainstream country acts, both young (Dierks Bentley) and old (Joe Diffie), made bluegrass-influenced records in seeming reaction to the pop-metal revolution underway over on country radio. "

#10 Dierks Bentley Up on the Ridge

"Not authentically bluegrass enough, you say? Oh, stop it. Sure, Up on the Ridge has the slick sheen of a major-label Nashville release and incorporates as much country as genuine bluegrass, but give Bentley credit for his about-face return to acoustic music. Plus, there’s still enough barn-burning bluegrass here to put you in the shade. By including a wealth of first-rate material (Dylan, Kristofferson, U2) and by accumulating a busload of the world’s best pickers (Sam Bush, the McCourys, Punch Brothers, Bryan Sutton, Tim O’Brien, Alison Krauss), this thoroughly entertaining album is a bluegrass celebration."

Draw Me a Map: Is Your Station Playing It?

Week 11: "Draw Me a Map" statistics:

Billboard: Moved up 1 spot to #36, with a slight audience gain of 17,000.
Mediabase: Fell 2 spots to #37, with an audience loss of 6,000 (though this chart is based on points).

(Keep in mind that different stations report to each chart panel, though there is some overlap.)

Last night, my husband uncovered some very enlightening and interesting information regarding Draw Me a Map and the stations that are and are not playing it. Each radio station is part of a market, and markets vary in size based on the amount of people -- audience -- listening. Generally speaking, the larger your city, the higher your audience. Different times of day have varying sizes of audience, too. Commute times are generally higher than overnight, for instance. So the time of day a song is played has a lot to do with how many people are hearing the song overall. Right now, the majority of Draw Me a Map's plays are late at night, or very early in the morning -- the lowest audience times. But not only that, it's not receiving ANY play in some very significant and very large markets.

Calling ALL Reps in Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Philadelphia, PA; Boston, MA; Miami, FL; Phoenix, AZ; and Minneapolis, MN: You represent the Top 20 markets that are either NOT playing the song AT ALL (no adds), or are only playing it once or twice per week. 1 morning or afternoon commute spin in your markets is roughly equal to 4 spins at any time on any other station. Not only that, but you're also in influential markets. An add at KKGO in Los Angeles, and actual airplay there, could prompt other stations that are holding out to follow suit. We need the adds and we certainly need the spins! And the easiest market to hit should be Phoenix -- after all, it is our President's hometown (I will be emailing Tim & Willy for sure -- they once made me sing on air, so they owe me one)!

We have our work cut out for us, Congress, but we can certainly get this done. Call, email, tweet, comment on facebook -- whatever it takes to get the word out there. Thankfully, some help is on our side: live performances on Good Morning America and the CMAs next week will hopefully get more people listening, the video is at CMT and GAC, and a win on the CMAs would be a big boost as well (fingers crossed!). Essentially, casual fans don't know the song is out there right now -- we need more people listening, liking, and asking for it. If Draw Me a Map can get to the Top 30 before Thanksgiving, it's more likely to survive the Holiday music onslaught.

On a sidenote, "Up on the Ridge" is still doing well, now up to 165,000 units sold. Last week it saw a 9% jump in sales to overtake the top of the Bluegrass Albums chart, and I think his "residency" in NYC and his appearance on Regis & Kelly helped prompt that boost. Imagine what a CMA win could do! There is still interest in the CD, and there should be equal interest in the music coming off that CD. Let's keep it up! (Thanks to DBC Rep Janet in San Diego for the UOTR info!)

PS. If you'd like to know if your specific station(s) is playing or has added Draw Me a Map, just comment on this post and I'll let you know! :)

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

Holding the "Map" Steady

This week, Dierks Bentley's latest single "Draw Me a Map" holds steady on the charts, at #34 on Billboard, and #36 on Mediabase. It's now on 182 of approximately 220 stations, so it seems as though more stations are in fact playing it, I just don't think they are "quality" spins (meaning a lot of it's current airplay is likely in the overnight hours, rather than during the morning/evening drives and workday). However, in spite of not moving on the charts this week, it *is* still seeing modest growth in both its audience and spins, which indicates that radio hasn't quite given up on this one.

Billboard's update includes the Callout America chart, which is a music opinion chart similar to that of RateTheMusic.com (though RTM only panels people online). The difference, so far as I can tell, is that RTM gets opinions on the top 30 songs on Mediabase (so start looking for "Map" on your surveys soon!) whereas Callout compiles a list of the top 35 songs based on opinions. Last week, "Map" was #31, and this week, it moves to #27, with only .9% of the sample (450 persons) saying they "strongly dislike" the song. Roughly 51% said they like the song, and 35% are "neutral" on the song -- which could indicate that they aren't that familiar with it. "Map" is already higher on this chart than "Ridge" was, and I suspect that as more and more people become more familiar with it, it should go higher. Many program directors use charts like Callout America to get the "pulse" of what listeners want (though, personally, I think they could use it a bit more), and can use it to help determine what new music to play, etc. I'm optimistic that the higher "Map" can go on the Callout chart, the more it will help the song climb the charts as well.

Keep pushing for the Top 30, Congress. I'm fairly certain we should get there within the next few weeks. Aside from the fact that the song will then get more exposure on syndicated countdown shows, it will also be a part of the RateTheMusic surveys, and should get more exposure just by being a Top 30 song (the current difference between between #34 and #30 is 1.5 - 2 million people). We are oh-so-close!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

"Draw Me a Map" Rebounds

In its 7th week on the charts, Dierks Bentley's latest single "Draw Me a Map" rebounded some on the charts, moving up 5 spots on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart to #36! Unfortunately, even though it gained in both spins AND audience, it fell 1 spot to #40 on the Mediabase chart (it was leap-frogged by the latest single from Toby Keith).

You might remember that last week I mentioned how few stations it was receiving airplay on, and there is good news on that front this week, as well: On Billboard, it received "Breaker" status, meaning that it is now on 60% or more of the reporting panel's stations. Not only that, but it also made Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40 countdown on Sunday evening (after the chart run), which resulted in a substantial boost in spins, audience, and stations playing! This week, Kix Brooks' American Country Countdown will pick up the song, as well (it's one week behind Bob Kingsley's CT40 Countdown). As of today, "Draw Me a Map" has been picked up on 150 of 228 stations -- amazing what a countdown show can do! I think the best thing about the countdowns is they are often played in markets where a new song hasn't been picked up for regular rotation yet, so it helps introduce newer music to new audiences as well.

I actually had an interesting email exchange with one of the local DJs in Charlotte, NC after I wrote my blog last week. I emailed him to ask when "Map" would be added to voting for the local countdown. He responded to say he didn't know, and he wasn't sure who else in the country was playing it. I thought that was really interesting, because at that point, it was only on about 90 of the stations (3 of which are in NC) -- but now that it's on 150, it should be on there soon. He did say he was passing the information on to the Music Director so ... *fingers crossed!*

I do have a couple of links for you guys, as well, which you might have already seen on Facebook or Twitter, but it doesn't hurt to post them again, right? Click here to vote on US 99.5 in Chicago's New Music Challenge -- it's Dierks vs. Jerrod Neimann! And click here to vote on 20 new songs -- "Map" included -- on Nashville Country Club's site. (Hint: When you get to "Map" make sure you say you love it and you don't hear it enough!)

Next week, I expect more positive movement, if only due to songs moving to recurrent status nearer the top of the charts. That opens up audience, and hopefully with our continued Congress efforts, we'll be able to get some of that audience to "Map!" The following week should be even better, with the addition of at least one new countdown show. Keep calling, voting, tweeting, and emailing!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

"Map" Draws Closer to Top 40

In its 4th week on the charts, Dierks Bentley's latest single "Draw Me a Map" creeped ever-so-close to the Top 40, coming in at #41 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and #44 on the Mediabase chart. As its trend has been, the small-market charts continue to outpace their "big sisters," and it came in at #29 (!) on Billboard's Indicator chart, and #31 on Mediabase's Activator chart.

The next few days will tell whether a prestigious Songwriter/Artist of the Year award from ASCAP (congrats, Mr. President!) will help garner additional plays and interest in Bentley's latest single, but I'm confident that either way, "Map" will draw its way into the Top 40 next week. After that, our sights must be set on the Top 30 to get the song added to Rate the Music surveys, Callout America surveys, and various syndicated countdown shows.

Slow and steady wins the race to the top of the charts for us, Congress. Continue to create demand!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

"Draw Me a Map" Continues Modest Chart Growth

In its third week on the charts, "Draw Me a Map" moved one spot closer to the Top 40, up to #43 on BIllboard's Hot Country Songs. In its second week on the Mediabase chart, it moved three spots to #45. It also saw growth on the small-market charts: up to #31 on Billboard's Indicator (where it is top-10 for most-added, increased audience, and increased plays) and up to #33 on Mediabase's Activator chart (where it's also amongst the 10 most-added).

Although the song is seeing rather modest growth, the reviews have been nothing but complimentary. Over on Urban Country Blog, writer "UC" says "Hopefully 'Draw Me a Map' will enjoy the commercial success it deserves" while also saying that they hope Dierks stays within the Bluegrass genre. Roughstock.com gave "Draw me a Map" 5 stars, and reviewer Bobby Peacock says that for a while, he thought that Bentley's lead-off single "What Was I Thinkin?" set the bar too high, "but "Map" has managed to raise it. Radio may not take a liking to it, but fans should quite easily." And writer "Occasional Hope" on the "My Kind of Country" blog simply says that DMAM is "certainly one of my favorite singles of the year."

Now that the onslaught of new music from Country's heavy hitters has subsided somewhat, quite a few songs will start moving to recurrent status, which will help "Map" continue to "draw" its way up the charts. Not only will those songs fall off the chart, automatically equaling growth, it should allow for radio to start playing a different mix of music as well, and I foresee "Map" getting a healthy push as program directors look for something new to play.

The best way for them to think of "Draw Me a Map" is for us to keep requesting it, keep voting on local countdowns (WYCD Detroit's Top 7 at 7 and WMZQ's (Rockville, MD) Hot 9 at 9 for instance), and demanding that it be played, no matter how it gets played. Keep up the great work!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

"Draw me a Map" Sees Healthy Chart Jump

In its second week on the chart, Dierks Bentley's "Draw me a Map" jumped a healthy 16 spots on the Billboard chart to come in at #44 this week, with an audience gain of just under 700,000. On Mediabase, it made its official debut at #48 (up from #66 last week). The smaller-market charts continue to outpace their "big brothers," though: on Billboard's Indicator chart it moved 3 spots to #34, and on Mediabase's Activator chart it's up to #35 from #46 last week.

7 new Mediabase-panel stations added "Draw me a Map" this week, and 15 Billboard Indicator stations added it as well. It looks like adds will continue to be fairly modest, but if it sees audience growth similar to this past week, it's quite possible our Prez will have a Top 40 song on his hands, which should get it some more adds and growth, and more Congress members should be able to hear it and thank their local stations!

Keep up the great work, Congress! I know you're creating that demand and asking for the song. Hopefully some CMA nominations tomorrow will help prompt some unexpected adds and plays this week!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

"Draw me a Map" Makes its Debut

“The wistful ‘Draw Me A Map’ ranks
among Bentley’s most poignant ballads,

with its aching lead vocal performance.”
- Paste

"’Draw Me a Map’ finds Bentley softly pining for a route

back to his lost lover's doorstep, those clarion pipes
sounding more genuine than ever.”
- Washington Post

"All in all, it’s one of the most earnest and tuneful “I’m sorry’s” you’ve ever heard. “Help me find the road you’re on,” he sings, “I just need directions home.” If this clueless cad has a chance at patching up his woman’s heart, a gently-rolling melody and a gentleman’s apology is a fine place to start."
- The 9513 (Thumbs Up Review!)

With two weeks of early radio adds under its belt, Dierks Bentley's newest single "Draw me a Map" makes its debut on the Billboard Chart, coming in at #60. It's just on the outside of debuting on the published Mediabase Chart (at #66 this week), and should make its debut there next week. As with "Up on the Ridge," though, "Map" is getting quite a bit of its early help from the two smaller-market charts: On Billboard's Indicator chart, it actually debuted last week at #57 -- and this week it jumped TWENTY spots to #37! And on Mediabase's Activator chart, it debuted this week at #46.

Although it officially went for adds on Monday, it was the 5th most-added song on Mediabase's panel (15 adds), 6th-most added on Billboard's panel (10), and it was the 3rd most-added on Billboard's Indicator panel (which now includes satellite radio) with 18 new adds! Make sure you're calling your radio stations to ask for this great, critically-acclaimed song! Vote for it on your local countdowns! Get on Yes.com! Creat demand! And if your station is one of the ones that's already picked it up, make sure you're saying thank you, too.

Let's draw our Prez a map ... straight to #1!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

"Draw Me a Map" Announced as Next Single

The above full-page ad was featured in both Billboard and Country Aircheck's weekly updates yesterday. (Click on the picture to see a larger version.) It's official: "Draw Me a Map" will be the next single from the critically-acclaimed CD "Up on the Ridge." It was sent to radio yesterday, and the official add date is August 23rd.

I don't know about you, but I am unbelievably excited that this is the next single. I think it's going to perform well at radio, and should certainly outperform UOTR. That being said, it's being released during a virtual barrage of new music from Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, and the Zac Brown Band, so don't be surprised or discouraged if the song experiences very slow growth at first. With the sheer number of heavy hitters breaking new songs at radio, the charts will be in a strangle hold for the next few weeks until they peak and move off the charts. Only at that point will newer music from Country's apparent "B list" be truly picked up and promoted. But I'll be here to keep everybody updated week to week!

And just to give a quick chart update for the album itself, Up on the Ridge has been #1 on the Bluegrass Album Chart since its release in June, and it's holding steady at #7 on the Country Album Chart. I don't have exact album sales information, but it seems to be holding its own and the sales remain steady 2 months after the release. (Of course, we all know that when it wins the Grammy for Album of the Year it will sell like crazy!)

Let's get ready, Congress! The song went to radio yesterday -- start asking for it and creating demand! I'll be back next week with adds information!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

HAS "RIDGE" REACHED ITS PEAK?

After a brief appearance in the Top 20 on Mediabase last week, Dierks Bentley's "Up on the Ridge" slipped back to #22 this week, thanks to a high debut from Kenny Chesney and being overtaken by the newest single by Darius Rucker. It didn't fare any better over on Billboard, where it held steady at #23.

As optimistic as I try to be when it comes to all things charts, I fear the end of the run might be near for UOTR. The coming weeks are going to prove to be equally tumultuous as the past two. UOTR has already proven to be cast somewhat to the wayside in favor of the new songs from Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, and Kenny Chesney. But in the coming weeks, Sugarland, Luke Bryan, Taylor Swift, and Zac Brown Band will be releasing new singles, and most of them are first releases from new albums (the Sugarland single already charted in the mid-40s this week -- 2 weeks before its add date).

It has somewhat leveled back out on Mediabase, after dropping in spins slowly but surely for the past 10 days or so. At this point, it looks like we're going to need another act of Congress -- Let's Save Ridge! Tell radio you're tired of hearing the same old songs on the radio and you're enjoying that new track by Dierks Bentley. If it can survive the next 2-3 weeks, it's possible it can enjoy new growth. So get it on, Congress! Save Ridge!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

"AAALLLMMMOST" TOP 20: UOTR TO #21

@dbcongress UP ON THE RIDGE aaaalllllmmmmost top 20! banjos across america thank you...they are hoping this leads to more work

You might remember seeing that tweet on July 9th if you follow our Prez, Dierks Bentley, on Twitter. And, this week, "Up on the Ridge" inched ever-closer to that coveted Top 20. On Billboard, it's oh-so-close at #21, enjoying modest but healthy growth of nearly 1 million in audience. On Mediabase, it's #23, but will likely move to at least #21 this week due to songs moving to recurrent status.

It's hard to say if it'll hit Top 20 before Sunday on either chart. The new Darius Rucker song is flying up the charts behind it, already up to #26 in its 3rd week. It's possible that it will pass UOTR and sort of stall any movement for at least the next week. I don't think it's unreasonable to think UOTR will move into the Top 20 for the July 26th chart run, though.

It's worth noting that it's still holding steady with songs that charted at the same time. In their 13th week, "Roll With It" by Easton Corbin and "Hard Hat and a Hammer" by Alan Jackson are at #18 and #19 respectively, and UOTR is just behind Gary Allan's "Get Off on the Pain," in it's 16th week. So, its growth is extremely comparable to most of the songs released at the same time. It continues to improve on the Callout America chart, as well, which is still encouraging as more and more people start to get on board with the song!

Keep up the great work, "Congrass!"

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

ANOTHER BOOST "UP" FOR "RIDGE"

In its 12th week on the charts, Dierks Bentley's latest single "Up on the Ridge" moved up to #22 on Billboard, and up to #25 on Mediabase. Unfortunately, the news is not as good as it seems at first glance. Over on Billboard, while it did move up to #22, it only moved because of songs falling off the chart and moving to recurrent status. It was in fact down in audience (about 700,000) and slightly down in spins (-8). On Mediabase it did move up as well, posting a modest gain in spins (105) and a humble gain in audience (45,000). It is worth noting that it's having a better week on Mediabase, at least, and has seen an audience gain around 200,000 thus far. It's hard to say if that will help it move at all, but it should post a move next week on Mediabase as songs fall off that particular chart to recurrent status. With those positive gains, it's possible it could go Top 20, which could be the shot in the arm the songs needs for people to get on board a bit more. Thankfully, the chart is no longer as stagnant as it was a couple of weeks ago, which means it's the perfect time to keep stepping up our campaigns for the song.

I think it's worth noting, too, that it's no longer the least-well-received song at radio according to Callout America statistics. It's a small gain, but it's worth noting. It seems like less and less people each week are saying that they "strongly dislike the song" and the people who are either "neutral" or "like it" are growing somewhat steadily. Just the other day I received a text from a friend that said "might be late to the party here, but Up on the Ridge is super catchy and I am bouncing in my chair." My response? "Better late than never." So while we accept that there will likely forever be a contingent of people who will never accept the song, there are still people out there who are slowly but surely warming up to it.

We got this song to the Top 40 for our Prez, and then to the Top 30. Now, let's get his labor of love into the Top 20!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Repoter ~ NC)

"RIDGE" NEEDS HELP MOVING "UP"

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of good Chart news this week. In its 10th week on the charts, "Up on the Ridge" appears to have stalled somewhat. I don't necessarily think we should go into panic mode, but I do think we need to step up our efforts at radio. On Billboard, it fell back two spots to #26, while losing about 300,000 listeners in audience. It also fell to #26 on Mediabase, where it is up a mere 9 spins.

Pretty crazy information, I know. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I do recall "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" stalling around the top 20 as well. So, while I'm not entirely worried, I am concerned, and I am calling for an Act of Congress! Below you'll find a list of the 125 stations that report to Billboard for their Hot Country Songs (click the picture to enlarge). I want all 600 of us to commit to finding our closest radio station(s) on the list, and do the following:

1. Do they have a daily countdown show you can vote on? If so, vote for UOTR!
2. Find your favorite DJ's email address, and email them.
3. Call the request line, and request the song.
4. Find the station on Yes.com, thank them for supporting Dierks, and ask them to play UOTR more.

I think we have a lot we can learn from other fans, too. The Gary Allan fans, for instance, make a concerted effort on Yes.com to determine which stations aren't playing his current song as much as others. If it's about 15 or higher on a station, they "yes" the song and move on. If it's lower than 15, they make an effort to request it on that particular station, etc. They also know which stations have daily countdowns, and they all vote at least once a day (and trust me, they get Gary to #1 often!), and they all vote on GAC and CMT for the videos, too.

So what are we waiting for, Congress? Let's push "Ridge" up, up, UP the charts where it belongs! Hopefully I will be back next week with more positive news!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)