CMAS MOVE THE SALES NEEDLE AGAIN

The needle-moving CMAs combined with strategic value pricing on country titles caused a Nashville explosion at iTunes on the evening of 11/2. Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville's Kenny Chesney could go no higher, as he started at #1, and he remained there. Meanwhile, New Artist Maren Morris (Columbia Nashville) flew #48-2, Capitol Nashville's Keith Urban moved #12-3, Arista Nashville's Carrie Underwood zoomed from the lower recesses of the chart to #6 and Male Vocalist champ Chris Stapleton (Mercury Nashville's breakout from last year) remains in the Top 10. Eric Church's year-old Mr. Missunderstood (EMI Nashville) is #10.

On the singles side, five of the Top Six songs were country, led by Capitol Nashville's Little Big Town (with a tune penned by Taylor Swift) at #1, their labelmate Urban at #2 (up from 12), Tim McGraw's Song of the Year "Humble and Kind" (Big Machine) at #3, Morris at #4, and Kenny Chesney with P!nk at #6. Miranda Lambert's "Vice" bounced between #9 and 10. Thomas Rhett's "Die a Happy Man" (Valory/BMLG), the CMA Single of the Year, soared back up toward the Top 10 while Florida Georgia Line f/Tim McGraw's "May We All" is on the Top 10 fence.

Stay tuned for more updates.