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ARTISTS & MUSIC Thanks Mostly To Heavy Hitters, '97 THE CHART TOPPERS May End With Sales On The Upswing AFTER BOTTOMING out for two Smart bookings also reflect a straight years, sales 1997* IN* REVIEW change in touring: George Strait appeared to be rebounding in the played just eight dates in 1997 but fourth quarter and -although all fig- led all artists in average gross per ures for the year are not in- show. Strait averaged $648,000 per appeared to be headed to a better show by playing a festival and big year than 1996. outdoor dates. The Brooks & LeANN RIMES TIM McGRAW Buoyed especially by Garth Seem Dunn /McEntire package averaged Brooks' long- awaited "Sevens" $484,000 per show. Overall, average Following is a chronological list of albums that were No. 1 on the Top Coun- album, Shania Twain's follow -up to country gross was $157,000. try Albums chart for calendar year 1997. The figures in parentheses repre- her 10 -times platinum last outing, by Chett Flippo As with album sales, a few big art- sent the number of weeks the title spent at No. 1 during this period. Albums and LeAnn Rimes' remarkable ists accounted for the lion's share of that debuted at No. 1 this year are shown in boldface. (Note: "Blue" by LeAnn retail longevity, the country music tour money. The top acts continue to Rimes spent 19 weeks at No. 1 in 1996.) marketplace is cautiously optimistic try Assn. of America, country music be Brooks, McEntire, Brooks & Industry leaders here say a 2.5 % -3% was a $500 million industry in 1989. Dunn, Jackson, Gill, and Strait. "Blue," LeAnn Rimes, Curb (9). It jumped to $2 billion each year for The packaging trend appears to be "," LeAnn Rimes, Curb (10). THETOPSTORIES the years 1992 -1995 and slipped to escalating in 1998: Strait will head- "Carrying Your Love With Me," George Strait, MCA Nashville (6). $1.75 billion in 1996. Industry heads line a stadium tour that will include "Everywhere," Tim McGraw, Curb (11). here that 1997 will see an Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and John "(Songbook) A Collection Of Hits," , MCA Nashville (2). Withholds Album predict increase to about $1.8 billion. Michael Montgomery. "You Light Up My Life -Inspirational Songs," LeAnn Rimes, Curb (8). "Sevens." In one note of caution, industry Brooks' tour figures continue to "Come On Over," Shania Twain, Mercury (3). leaders point out that, increasingly, stagger the imagination. In 1997, he "Sevens," Garth Brooks, Capitol (3). Garth Brooks Plays New York's the majority of big -selling country played 114 shows in 30 cities -each Central Park, Broadcast On HBO. product is sold by fewer artists. Bill- show a sellout -and drew 1,562,107 board's chart whether it was his turbulent battles ing. Deana Carter and Trace Garth Brooks' Label, Capitol (see box), for example, shows that with EMI and Capitol Nashville, his Adkins firmly established them- Nashville, Undergoes Shake -Up. only six artists had No. 1 country winning the Country Music Assn. selves as major artists in the past albums this year. In 1994, the top 10 (CMA) entertainer of the year award year. , Mindy Garth Brooks Releases "Sev- albums amounted to 19% of total in absentia, his withholding "Sevens" McCready, Paul Brandt, and Kevin ens." country sales. This year, the top 10 from release, or his Central Park Sharp showed continuing signs of account for 27% of total country show and its HBO broadcast, both of longevity. New artist Michael Peter- Shania Twain Returns With sales. which focused world attention on son scored a No. 1 with only his sec- "Come On Over" Album. Brooks and on country music. ond single. New artist Lee Ann TOUR DOLLARS are down for Retired label head Jimmy Bowen Womack thrilled devotees of tradi- CMT And TNN Sold To CBS. 1997, but the figures actually show got into the act with a critical tional country with her debut album an encouraging trend. According to account of his battles with Brooks in and especially the hit single "The LeAnn Rimes Continues Mar- Amusement Business, total gross his memoir "Rough Mix." Fool." Lila McCann, age 15, made ket Domination. revenue for country shows in 1997 Established artists continued to inroads with two solid singles. Two was $122,315,887, down 23.5% from expand their careers. The wily old sets of twins -the Lynns and the DreamWorks And Disney 1996. veteran George Strait continued to Kinleys- turned heads and deliv- Come To Town. music. But the 1997 figure reflects far Strait Across The Board. Among the sell tickets and albums and gather ered solid a No. 1 In a dance, labels contin- fewer shows -775, as opposed to honors the veteran musician George awards. Yearwood finally got curious album with "(Songbook) A Collection ued to drop acts that they thought 1,032 in 1996. Why is that good Strait accrued in 1997 were male working and sign new ones rise has been consistent through the news? It reflects the trend in tour- vocalist of the year and album of the Of Hits," and her intensive interna- weren't they hope will. Some industry fourth quarter. ing to reduce market saturation; the year honors from both the Country tional touring paid off with gold that Taiwan (for fear that the vaunted If the Christmas shopping rush genre had reached near -saturation Music Assn. (CMA) and the Academy albums in Australia and executives and 25,000 country tradition of developing acts bears out the hopes of retailers and levels in 1996. Other trends in tour- of Country Music. Strait is pictured sales of 35,000 units, for the decades is eroding in favor of record labels, country may rise ing include packaging artists and co- displaying his CMA Awards. respectively). above 1996's total country sales of 67 headlining big artists; for example, Unclassifiable artist Delbert a quick- success, show -me- the -money million units. As of Dec. 10, total Reba McEntire and Brooks & McClinton finally declared for coun- mentality. country sales were at 59 million units Dunn toured together this year, as fans. The latter figure does not try and is a critical success, manag- Established star for 1997, according to SoundScan. did Vince Gill and Bryan White include his concert in New York's ing to sell the most records of his removed himself from Warner Bros. So, a lot of fingers are crossed. and Alan Jackson and LeAnn Central Park, crowd estimates for career along the way. and became the first signing with According to the Recording Indus- Rimes. which ranged from 250,000 to 1.1 A few newer artists are flourish- (Continued on page 45) million.

ARTISTS: This will end up as the year that Garth Brooks returned to reclaim his crown as the king of country music, but the industry should be thanking little LeAnn Rimes for carrying the load. She single -handedly sold 6.3 million albums this year, according to SoundScan, and -despite the grow- ing danger of overexposure- carried the country flag in public all year. Then, when country radio spurned her remake of "You Light Up My Life" and rejected her version of "" in favor of Trisha Yearwood's, Rimes took both to AC and cleaned house there. But there is no denying Brooks' triumphant return to the market- place and his significant impact. His of 1.5 of "Sev- A Command Performance. Country music fans President and Mrs. Clinton and figure million copies sold in its two weeks is an Vice President and Mrs. Gore dropped in on Kim Richey when she performed at ens" first all -time record, and, more important, Birchmere in Alexandria, Va. Richey had earlier played a reception at the vice Is She Happy? When Deana Carter won the single of the year award for "Straw- music president's residence. Says Richey, "lt was a night to remember." Shown, from it served notice that country berry Wine" at the Country Music Assn. Awards Show Sept. 24, she couldn't need take a back to no one. left, are President Clinton, Richey, and Vice President Gore. seat help but show award presenter her appreciation. He was also a constant news item,

42 BILLBOARD DECEMBER 27, 1997