"Thank You" on the charts

pasnthru wrote:

csprof....I love your morning posts!

LOL, I kind of feel like I'm listening to someone covering a horse race where I have a large bet on a horse named Matt

Hahaha this cracked me up! But it is so true! I also really appreciate your updates csprof! Thanks!

The song is up just one spin, but much of the songs around it did not gain any spins yesterday, so he is looking good. He is just 52 spins away from #20 today (closest ever!), which is now Lady Antebellum. A lot of nearby songs, particularly #17-19 and #21, are either dropping or not moving, so these are the "horses" I'm watching to stumble and make it possible for Matt to move up. There is also a possibility some of the Top 10 will go recurrent in the near future and be removed, but that does not look like it will happen for a few weeks. Meanwhile, I am hoping he can continue to stay ahead of Seal and Mike Posner for as long as possible.

Thanks for the nice notes yesterday. I'm glad people appreciate the chart watch. It is fun to see the daily progression of Matt on the radio. I think he is doing really well.

"Thank You" had a solid increase of 5 spins, and this week it has been played on a record 29 stations. Today it is 51 spins from #20 (closest ever again!), and 42 spins from #21. Seal and Mike Posner are slightly farther behind. So everything is looking really good compared to yesterday.

But a song has come out of nowhere to make it to #24 ("Strange Love" by Winter Gloves), and it is 10 spins behind "Thank You". I'm hoping it won't pass before tomorrow's chart!

For all you chart watchers, I found something interesting that is both reassuring and might help guide us as to what new stations to approach to play "Thank You". Jim Brickman's last hit called "Beautiful World" was about this time a year ago. If you do a side-by-side comparison of chart position and radio station adds, "Thank You" is tracking or slightly ahead of "Beautiful World" in chart position and behind in radio adds. "Beautiful World" made it to at least #11 on the AC chart after about 4 months! "Thank You" appears to be following the normal Jim Brickman path on radio, and if it continues to keep up with "Beautiful World", it will do very well! You can see this from the Mediabase add information:

http://addboard.mediabase.com/SongAddHistory.asp?Sngcde=BRICBW&ob=1&format=XX

Last Monday showed up as week #2 for "Thank You" on the chart. If you look at the stations that had added "Beautiful World" by week #2, many of them are identical to the ones that have added "Thank You". But "Beautiful World" had 21 adds at this point, and "Thank You" only had 16. So, which stations added "Beautiful World" by week #2 but have not added "Thank You" yet? These might possibly respond to requests from us, and are:

SiriusXM (The Blend), Albany NY (WYJB-FM), Pittsburgh PA (WSHH), Boston MA (WMJX), Middlesex NJ (WMGQ), ^^^Lansing MI (WFMK), Portsmouth NH (WBYY), Kansas City (KUDL), Corpus Christi TX (KKBA), Lafayette LA (KQIS)

Lansing was one of the stations that interviewed Matt this past week and is already playing the song. The rest are stations that as far as we know are not playing the song.

Of the stations that have added "Thank You", WLHT in Grand Rapids never added "Beautiful World" (so that add was because of Matt!), and the others added the song a little later.

As a starting point, Pittsburgh and Boston might be good targets since we might be able to find enough Matt fans in each to have an impact on requests. These are larger markets than any so far playing "Thank You", so it would help drive up sales too.

"Thank You" dropped 3 spins, but held its chart position, and the mysterious Winter Gloves song disappeared, so must have been an error. #22 is now "If It's Love" by Train, and it is dropping, so we can hope "Thank You" can pass it next. It is 49 spins away, and #20 is 58 spins away.

Today's update looks pretty good, with "Thank You" up 4 spins and closing the gap to #22, which is 38 spins away, but a slightly farther 59 spins away from #20. "Thank You" is maintaining its lead above songs below it, at least for now.

The chart is moving around a lot, and I think "Thank You" could move up in chart position this week if all goes well. Sarah McLachlan at #21 is dropping really fast -- her song used to be at #13, and it is down more than 100 spins for the week. Train at #22 is dropping slowly, so the only way "Thank You" will pass it is if Matt has a really strong week like he did week before last. This past week was not as strong, but maybe it will just take a little time for the radio stations he visited to start playing "Thank You". It will be interesting to see how the adds go today.

"Thank You" is up 3 spins and is now just 31 spins from #22. It is holding its lead of 25 spins over Seal's new song, but is much farther from #20 than it has been in a while at 74 spins away. This is because Sarah MacLachlan moved back up to #19.

In yesterday's adds, "Thank You" is now up to 18 stations, but Michael Buble who has only been on the radio a few days got 17 adds and is also up to 18 stations and currently already at #26, while Seal got 3 adds and is up to 19 stations. Also a few other new songs are coming up, so the competition is stiff.

This week's challenges will be to continue to hold off Seal and now Michael Buble, and hope for larger spin increases so he can pass Train at #22. Kris Allen's song may go recurrent this week, too, pushing "Thank You" up another position.

A few other random things:
* As mentioned in another thread, "Thank You" made HitPredictor's HitPotential chart!
* I did not mention USA Today Richard Rushfield's Idol Airplay chart, but last week "Thank You" was at #61, and this week it is up to #57.
* At chart week 3, "Beautiful World" was at #23 on the chart and had 26 adds, compared to "Thank You" showing at #22 (chart position Labor Day weekend) and with 18 adds. We need more adds!

"Thank You" is doing ok, up two spins, but it really needs a boost to increase in spins. It is still 31 spins away from Train at #22, so it is not looking likely it can move up to #22 that way unless it can grow more than 1 or 2 spins a day. Michael Buble at #25 is increasing 20+ spins per day and is just 41 spins away, so likely to pass "Thank You" in 2 or 3 days. Seal is also hovering nearby at #24 at 21 spins away. #20 is 72 spins away.

I think Kris Allen may go recurrent this week, so if "Thank You" can avoid being passed, it may still go up one chart position this week. We sure need everyone to push extra hard on requests to go up to the next level.

"Thank You" moved up another 3 spins, and is now 25 spins away from #22 (Train) and 67 spins from #20. It was also played on an additional station yesterday (Portsmouth, NH), so back up to 29 stations. And Kris Allen continues to look like he'll go recurrent this week giving "Thank You" a chance to move up a position. That's the good news. Unfortunately, Michael Buble is just 11 spins away, having moved up 30+ spins since yesterday. Unbelievable! So, I think "Thank You" will be at #24 tomorrow, and runs the risk of dropping to #25 as Seal closes in. Seal is now just 17 spins below "Thank You".

There is so much competition on the AC chart right now, so what "Thank You" needs is to get a little more momentum. I think the most important thing is to get new stations to play the song, since it seems that most stations once they play it start playing it more (once they hear Matt's voice!).

Now let's find out what that "GREAT news" is!!!

As expected, Michael Buble passed "Thank You" and we are now at #24. Seal is also now just 14 spins behind, and the Train song had a better day than it has been having so is 38 spins ahead. #20 is 79 spins ahead.

"Thank You" is doing fine and continues to gain spins, but it really needs something to boost its spin count or it will keep being passed by other songs. There are a whole bunch of songs below it that are gaining spins faster, and Seal is poised to pass probably next week.

"Thank You" is down 2 spins and remains at #24, but with Seal just 4 spins behind. It is at its lowest week-over-week increase (9) since we've been watching the chart. #23 is Sarah MacLachlan, and her song is 48 spins ahead. #20 is 79 spins ahead. Kris Allen is still looking like he'll go recurrent this week because he has dropped out of the Top 10, in which case it is possible for Matt to end the week at #23, but with Seal so close, he is likely to pass Matt for tomorrow's official chart. And Kris could easily pop back up into the Top 10. If both these things happen, we'll end the week at #25.

We need to find some more stations to play "Thank You". I think if we keep working on Columbus and Detroit they will start playing it, but we'll need other stations, too.

Nice update today! "Thank You" is up 7 spins, which is the largest single-day spin increase we've seen in two weeks. It is still at #24, but I believe Kris Allen will be removed from the list today for dropping out of Top 10 and "Thank You" will be at #23 again this week on the published chart. I'll post an update this afternoon if that happens.

I am relieved to see he is now 8 spins ahead of Seal, which is double yesterday's gap. Sarah Maclachlan at #23 is 33 spins ahead and dropping so is probably Matt's best chance in the near future for moving up. Pink and Train at #21 and #22 are bouncing up and down, but also not too far away. #20 is 85 spins away.

I think "Thank You" has an opportunity to move ahead this week, but it will need more stations so that the number of spins can continue to grow.

As expected, Kris Allen's song went recurrent and was removed from the chart because it is out of the Top 10 and has been on the chart for over 30 weeks. So, "Thank You" is back to #23!

"Thank You" is up just one spin and remains at #23. Sarah MacLachlan at #22 is ahaed by 29 spins, and Seal at #24 is behind by 9 spins. #20 is 88 spins away.

I am concerned that "Thank You" could be flattening out, so it is really important to get as many people requesting as possible, and geographically distributed. Some of the stations playing "Thank You" played it less last week, so we particularly need to request at the stations where the song has been added.

Here are ones that are barely playing "Thank You" (0-3 times per week):
Wichita, KS (1 time), Portsmouth, NH (2), Monterey-Salinas, CA (2), Jackson, MS (3), Huntsville, AL (3)

Here are additoinal stations that played it less this past week than the week before:
Chattanooga, TN, Shreveport, LA, Toledo, OH, Grand Rapids, MI (WLHT), Columbia, SC

Also, I discovered a few other stations that are playing "Thank You" but haven't added it, so please request there:
Pittsburgh, PA, Norfolk, VA, Denver, CO, Lansing, MI

And also keep sending requests to Detroit, MI (WNIC) and Columbus, OH (Sunny 95).

Ahh this is so frustrating!! I sent in both email requests this morning to Theresa Lucas and Kristin Burns at 100.3WNIC. I will send one to the Lansing station too.

Based on adds, "Thank You" is positioned to continue to grow this week. It received three more adds today, from Lansing, Denver and Pittsburgh. We started focusing on Pittsburgh a week or so ago, and although we'll never know whether our requests/tweets/etc. made a difference, I think they probably did and that we should find similar targets. Also, Lansing represents the first add that resulted from Matt's radio tour these past two weeks. It shows that there is a lag between a radio visit, which for Lansing was almost 2 weeks ago, and increased play or an add. So, even though Columbus and Detroit are not yet playing "Thank You", we should keep requesting so that he gets plays this week from them and possible adds next week.

Continuing the comparison of "Beautiful World", at chart week #4 it was at #22 and had 30 adds, as compared to "Thank You" at #23 with 21 adds. So we are close on chart position, but far off on adds. Here are the stations that had been added by week #4 for "Beautiful World" and may be open to playing "Thank You":

SiriusXM (The Blend), Albany NY (WYJB-FM), Boston MA (WMJX), Middlesex NJ (WMGQ), Portsmouth NH (WBYY), Kansas City (KUDL), Corpus Christi TX (KKBA), Lafayette LA (KQIS), Seattle (KRWM), Honolulu (KSSK), Oklahoma City (KGML), Flint MI (WCRZ), Knoxville TN (WJXB), Columbus OH (WSNY)

What is curious is that there were 7 more stations that played "Thank You" a total of 12 times this week, and other than Norfolk, we don't know who they are. If anyone knows a station that is playing it but hasn't added it, please tell us so we can get them to play the song more!

The big concern this week is whether Seal's song will pass "Thank You", as nothing else is likely to catch up to "Thank You" for at least another week. I think based on adds and current position that "Thank You" can possibly hold off Seal's song this week if it continues to grow in spins, since Seal only received 2 adds. "Thank You" is playing on more stations, but Seal is played more times per station. It will be close! We will need to continue to step up requests if we want to move up or avoid dropping in chart rank.

Back to #22! Can we keep it there all week???

"Thank You" had a 5 spin increase, and is for the first time above 6 spins per station per week. It passed Sarah MacLachlan who dropped by 80+ spins and is now #24 -- I think her song is probably done. So, "Thank You" just needs to stay ahead of Seal at 11 spins behind.

Train at #21 is 55 spins away, and #20 (Lady Antebellum) is 94 spins away. It will be a while before he can pass someone else, but Train or Pink may stumble again, and there are several songs that will probably go recurrent in the next month.

I am still requesting Thank You everyday with 100.3WNIC. I try to change up my emails and talk about Matt being on Jay Towers in the Morning (their show) and that the views of the video is 700+. I don't know what else to do, I just wish they would play it once!! Let other people hear it!! *still hoping*

Ugh, down a spin and back at #23. Seal picked up a lot of steam and is up 42 spins, and ahead of "Thank You" by 32 spins. Seal was played by 24 stations by Monday and 57 yesterday. I think this means Seal was played on Radio Delilah or some similar syndicated show. #20 is 85 spins away.

I have always known that Billboard/R&R publishes another chart, and I've noticed that both idolsnow and HitPredictor.com seemed to be quoting chart positions from another chart. I finally found where we can track the Billboard/R&R position, a chart-tracking thread at PulseBoard. Here is a link:

http://pulsemusic.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ac

On their last Billboard chart, "Thank You" was also at #23, but I think there may have been one since this was posted where it was at #24. The reason is that Billboard/R&R has different rules about when a song goes recurrent, so still has Kelly Clarkson on their list but she is off of Mediabase. They also supposedly track different radio stations.

On a different chart, the USAToday Idol Airplay chart, "Thank You" moved up to #52 this week, from #57 last week.

"Thank You" is up 3 spins today and solidly at #23, with 21 spins separating it from #24. Seal is 31 spins ahead today, but #20 is 104 spins away.

A positive boost that will come starting in about 2-1/2 weeks is that a number of songs in the Top 20 have been on the chart a long time and will go recurrent over the next 8 weeks, vacating up to 8 chart positions. So if "Thank You" keeps growing spins and holds its chart position, it will move up starting in 2-1/2 weeks.

"Thank You" is down 5 spins, the largest drop we have seen. It is still solidly at #23, but the songs below it are getting closer and the songs above it are getting farther away. #24 is 16 spins below, #22 is 38 spins above and #20 is 107 spins above.

I am trying, but still no luck with 100.3 (Detroit). I am beyond frustrated with them, I don't want to give up, but seriously...

Mary,

I cannot believe that Matt could sing LIKE THAT in their studio, and they still don't play the song. Honestly, could Matt (or anyone, for that matter) have sounded any better?

Please keep at it because from what I can tell sometimes it takes a while before they respond to a radio visit. Do we have some other folks from Detroit out there who can request, too???

I will keep requesting, I just hope they don't get sick of seeing my email address and stop paying attention. I try to change it up so it's not the same email and I always try to reference Matt being in the studio and the You Tube video. I am sure there are others requesting besides me, at least I hope so!! Power in numbers!!

I agree, how can they not play the song after Jay Towers and Renee loved his performance so much. I checked yesterday and the video had over 800 views, they need to start paying attention!!