• Madonna and 'Rebel Heart' Trump 'Empire' Soundtrack on Albums Chart, Luke Bryan Debuts New 'Spring Break' Chapter

    Yesterday we reported that the Empire Season One Soundtrack had topped Madonna's Rebel Heart on the Billboard 200, thanks to the number of additional downloads and streams that it got, allowing it to take advantage of Billboard's new metrics and top the iconic chart. However pure album sales tell a different story. While Empire edged Rebel Heart by around 9,000 copies on the 200, the opposite was true on the Albums Chart, where Rebel Heart placed no. 1 with 116,500 copies sold and Empire took no. 2 with 107,000 copies moved.

  • 'Empire' Edges Madonna for Billboard 200 Top Spot, but Did New Metrics Steal a Landmark Accomplishment from Pop Star?

    This week's Billboard 200 was topped by the Empire Soundtrack: Season 1, but it touches off an interesting battle between it and Madonna's Rebel Heart, which finished no. 2. The current Billboard metrics place Empire at no. 1 with 130,000 "equivalent" albums sold—a count that includes total single downloads and album streams as well. Madge's album only sold 121,000 "equivalent" albums but unofficial tracking of pure album sales—or what the Billboard 200 used to be based on—suggest that Rebel Heart actually sold more albums than Empire did as a whole.

  • George Strait Debuting New Music at ACM Awards; Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and More Also Performing

    George Strait may have travelled off the touring horizon with his "The Cowboy Rides Away" farewell concert at AT&T Stadium in Dallas last year but that doesn't mean he's done with performing, or even new music. In fact, the Academy of Country Music confirmed that the icon would be playing just that, new music, when he appears at the ACM Awards on April 19. Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban will also be performing that night.

  • Luke Bryan Is Caring for His Orphaned Nephew Following the Death of His Brother-in-Law

    Luke Bryan seems like a pretty nice guy. He has the whole good ol' boy vibe going for him, but he is also truly dedicated to his family. Last year, the country star missed the CMT Artists of the Year ceremony due to the death of his brother-in-law Ben Lee Cheshire. Now it turns out the singer and his wife, Caroline, have been caring for Bryan's orphaned nephew Til, whom Bryan took to the American Country Countdown Awards in December.

  • Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and More Mashed Up into "Bro Country" Mix That's Undeniably Similar Sounding

    All genres have combatting subsets, one of which will claim the other isn't "true" or "hardcore" enough. There is no genre where this is more in play than country music, which features constant battles between the fans of more popular mainstream country and those who stick to the "outlaw" country method of operation. It's reached a peak with the rise of the derisively nicknamed "bro country"—your Luke Bryans and Florida Georgia Lines. A songwriter from Nashville, Greg "Sir Mashalot" Todd, has used Pro Tools to make a hybrid song from those acts plus Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell, Chase Rice and Parmalee just to demonstrate how similar their music is.

  • One Direction, George Strait, Luke Bryan Top StubHub's Ticket Sales List for 2014

    StubHub released its year-end list recently and it serves as more proof that country music is one of today's most popular genres. While One Direction took the number one spot in ticket sales for their touring this year, George Strait and Luke Bryan were right behind the boy band. Justin Timberlake locked down the fourth slot, and even he had a big country year, performing with Garth Brooks in Nashville.
View More
Festivals
Popular Now