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CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards Seen By 6.3 Million Viewers; Performers Average 29 Percent Album Sales Increase for the Week

The numbers are in and country music's first-ever fan-voted video music awards continued to resonate with CMT viewers and with retail outlets throughout the weekend as the total viewers tuning in to see the inaugural CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards soared to 6.3 million. The entire live CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards programming block on June 12 was viewed by 3.4 million viewers. In addition to the June 12 telecasts, an additional 3 million viewers tuned in to the two retelecasts of the fan-voted awards on Saturday, June 15 and Sunday, June 16.

"The CMT Flameworthy Awards had a major impact on country album sales," said Fletcher Foster, sr. vice president of marketing, Capitol Records. "I loved the high energy and I feel that the show and the network are going to change the face of country music."

The excitement of the night was not only inside Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center and on television screens in CMT's 68 million homes in North America, but at retail outlets throughout the United States. In the four days following the CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards, according to Soundscan (week ending June 16), the country music sales chart increased by a whopping 28 percent. The legendary Earl Scruggs realized a huge 65 percent sales increase with his rousing bluegrass performance; Alan Jackson realized a 46 percent increase in album sales; Toby Keith saw a 47 percent increase in sales after his rockin' patriotic song; Brooks & Dunn experienced a 22 percent increase with their electric performance with surprise guests ZZ Top; Martina McBride's solid performance resulted in a 29 percent sales increase; Alison Krauss & Union Station's memorable performance resulted in a 49 percent increase; Sara Evans showed a 29 percent increase in sales after a rock solid performance; keith urban closed the week with a 55 percent increase after his bluegrass version of "Where the Blacktop Ends," as well as an energetic performance on CMT Most Wanted Live on June 14; and Travis Tritt closed the show with his hit "It's a Great Day to Be Alive," and closed the week with a 26 percent increase in sales.

"Not only did our CMT viewers log on by the millions to vote, but they obviously tuned in to watch the amazing performances and music videos being honored," said Chris Parr, vp, music and talent, CMT. "I feel like we all just received the most resounding vote of confidence from our young and active music fans ... they actually went out and laid down their hard-earned dollars at retail to own a piece of the action our industry created that night."

"The CMT Flameworthy Awards was a fun and ingenious way to recognize some great videos which have become a very important tool for country artists," said Allen Butler, president/CEO, Sony Music Nashville. "We certainly saw a healthy sales increase on Down the Road I Go as a result of Travis Tritt's amazing performance on the show, so everybody wins."

"We were thrilled with the increase in sales with our artists who performed, as well as our artists who won," said Joe Galante, Chairman, RCA Label Group. "This speaks well of the amount of promotion of the show on the part of CMT."

"Fan Fair, Father's Day and the CMT Flameworthy performances really drove the country consumer back into retail this past week," said Butch Waugh, executive vice president, RCA Label Group. "It is exciting to see the consumers reacting to the great performances of our acts on the CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards. Every act that participated in the CMT Flameworthy Awards saw an increase in scans. It's exciting to see CMT connecting the dots with the consumer and the acts."

The CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards swept multiple demographic groups during its Wednesday, June 12, debut telecast to make CMT the No. 1 rated basic cable network among women ages 18-49 and women ages 25-54 during the time period. In addition, the awards show premiere was the highest rated commercial telecast in CMT history among viewers ages 18-49 -- and it was the second highest rated telecast among viewers ages 18-49 when compared to all basic cable network shows for the entire day's programming on June 12.

The star-studded special featured appearances and performances by the Dixie Chicks, Jackson, Kenny Chesney, McBride, Keith, Evans, Tritt, Scruggs, keith urban, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Brooks & Dunn, ZZ Top, Glen Campbell, Najimy, Verne J. Troyer ("Mini-Me" from the Austin Powers films, including the soon to be released, Austin Powers in Goldmember), NFL superstar and Tennessee Titans' running back Eddie George, Billy Campbell (Enough, Once and Again), Carrot Top, Ali Landry (Spy TV), Rascal Flatts, Trace Adkins, Chely Wright, Jamie O'Neal, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Gary Allan, Chris Cagle, Cyndi Thomson, Cledus T. Judd and Montgomery Gentry. Cameo appearances via pre-taped segments included rockers Melissa Etheridge and Gene Simmons (Kiss), Ed Begley Jr., Dolly Parton and "Peggy Hill" from the animated series King of the Hill.

The premiere CMT event served as the unofficial kick-off to the 31st Country Music Fan Fair, the world's biggest country music festival where fans from all over the globe come to meet and greet their favorite country music stars. According to The Tennessean, fans attending the CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards "enthusiastically ushered in a looser kind of country music awards show."

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