One of the year’s biggest nights in country music, the ACM awards not only offer fans a chance to catch some outstanding live performances from their favorite artists, but also give the artists a chance to experience a massive post-performance sales bump. Here we look at several of the artists lucky enough to see a spike in the consumption of their music.
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Guest post by Hugh McIntyre on Forbes
The ACM Awards (also known as the Academy of Country Music Awards) is one of the biggest nights of the year in the country music world, and rightfully so, performing during the telecast has become a fantastic way to pitch a new song to the public or push a current single up the charts, as millions of serious country music lovers are tuned in and ready for stellar live renditions.
This year didn’t disappoint, and some of the sales bumps enjoyed by the artists lucky enough to perform were truly massive. According to Nielsen Music, no less than five different musicians saw the song they chose to highlight grow by at least 500% in digital sales during the day following the program, with a handful of titles climbing by more than 1,000%.
Here is a rundown of the acts whose music jumped by the most in online sales following the 2017 ACM Awards.
Miranda Lambert
The big winner of the night (at least when it comes to day-after sales) is Miranda Lambert, who stunned the crowd with an emotional staging of her new single “Tin Man” from her most recent album The Weight of These Wings. After performing entirely on her own, sales of the song rocketed an incredible 12,215%, with the album, which previously peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 when it was released back in November, also rising in sales by just under 1,000%.
Reba McEntire
The country legend took to the stage to promote the first gospel offering of her career with a performance of the song “Back To God.” She was joined by fellow Christian artist Lauren Daigle, and the showing paid off in terms of sales of the tune, which exploded by 1,172% just after the special.
Little Big Town
The popular group, which unsurprisingly won Vocal Group of the Year, gave everybody watching at home a rollicking rendition of their The Breaker single “Happy People,” and fans responded in kind by buying it en masse. The track was the third song to experience a rise in sales of more than 1,000% following the show. That kind of attention could help the new single rise on the country-only charts, where their previous cut, the Taylor Swift-penned “Better Man,” hit No. 1.
Brothers Osborne
Familial duo Brothers Osborne finally took home a prize on Sunday night, and despite the fact that their debut full-length album Pawn Shop is now over a year old, those watching on TV still rushed out and bought “It Ain’t My Fault,” which is being promoted as the fourth official single from the record. The song’s sales rose by 517%, while the album itself grew by a very respectable 404%.
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
Just barely eeking into this category is married couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, who are gearing up to launch a joint album for the first time in the coming months. The two country standouts gifted the audience with a performance of their new collaborative single “Speak To A Girl,” and the track immediately enjoyed a 510% sales bump. The two musicians announced an upcoming album last month, but so far no release date has been made public.