CMA Awards causes sales celebration in Nashville

Steve Holstein at Interprep.com reports the big winner at The 38th Annual CMA Awards was the Country Music industry coming away from the November 9 event with a 166 percent jump in album sales of the Top 75 Country albums.

... The 2004 CMA Awards, which aired for the first time on a Tuesday night, posted an 11.5 rating with an 18 share. CBS estimates that 18.46 million people watched the entire broadcast and more than 37 million viewers watched all or part of the gala event.

... And the viewers liked what they saw enough to go out and invest in the music. In the week immediately following the broadcast, the Billboard Top 75 Country albums chart reflected a 166 percent increase (factoring in new releases from Shania Twain and Toby Keith). More than 30 other acts, who either performed or presented trophies on the CMA Awards, also enjoyed sales spikes according to Nielsen SoundScan.

... Artist - Album - Increase
Shania Twain - Greatest Hits - Debut
Toby Keith - Volume 2: Greatest Hits - Debut
LeAnn Rimes - What A Wonderful World - 87%
Billy Currington - Billy Currington - 76%
Gretchen Wilson - Here For The Party - 74%
Keith Urban - Be Here - 61%
Kenny Chesney - When The Sun Goes Down - 60%
Rascal Flatts - Feels Like Today - 59%
Martina McBride - Martina - 56%
Terri Clark - Greatest Hits - 55%
Big & Rich - Horse of a Different Color - 53%
Reba McEntire - Room To Breathe - 44%
Alan Jackson - Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - 42%
Jimmy Buffett - License To Chill - 40%
Josh Turner - Long Black Train - 40%
Sara Evans - Restless - 39%
Brad Paisley - Mud on the Tires - 38%
Brooks & Dunn - Red Dirt Road - 35%
Keith Urban - Golden Road - 35%
Tim McGraw - Live Like You Were Dying - 31%
Alan Jackson - Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - 28%
Dierks Bentley - Dierks Bentley - 20%
Alan Jackson - What I Do - 18%
Big & Rich - Super Galactic Fan Pak - 17%
LeAnn Rimes - Greatest Hits - 17%
Brooks & Dunn - Greatest Hits Collection II - 16%
Toby Keith - Shock N Ya'll - 16%
Montgomery Gentry- You Do Your Thing - 15%
Julie Roberts - Julie Roberts - 14%
Willie Nelson - Essential Willie Nelson - 13%
Lonestar - Greatest Hits - 11%
Randy Travis - Very Best of Randy Travis - 10%

With first week sales of 530,000 copies, SHANIA TWAIN's Greatest Hits CD tops the Billboard Country Albums chart and comes in at #2 on the Top 200 all formats chart, behind the new release from rapper Eminem, which sold just over 700,000 copies.

... Shania's first-week sales are the best for any country greatest hits and the second best debut for a hits package in all styles of music, following The Beatles's #1's collection.With first week sales of 435,000 copies, TOBY KEITH's Greatest Hits 2 CD comes in at #2 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and scores the 3rd highest debut for a country greatest hits and fifth highest debut overall for any artist for a greatest hits package.