Sturgill Simpson Sees Big Sales Spike After Saturday Night Live Performance
The dirty little secret about late night talk shows like The Tonight Show, The Late Show, and Saturday Night Live is that the reason more independent artists are finding opportunities to play them is due to these shows no longer being lucrative enough for many mainstream artists to expend the effort for, and they’re turning them down. If an artist happens to be located in New York or Los Angeles anyway, then perhaps they stop by. Otherwise, it’s a low-paying gig that doesn’t always result in a sales spike the late night shows used to deliver when they were appointment television.
Saving Country Music had a team member of a major mainstream country star recently explain that many big performers are purposely told not to play certain late night shows by their labels. Only up-and-coming artists in the mainstream are encouraged to do so to help increase their name recognition. The late night talk shows have a much smaller viewership these days with so many other choices in entertainment media, and it really takes a special moment to piggy back off an appearance and have it resonate further than the viewership of that episode.
A special moment is what Sturgill Simpson had when he played Saturday Night Live on January 14th. Since his performances, Sturgill has experienced a sales spike for his most recent album A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, and even more surprising, for his previous two records as well.
Though the two songs Sturgill played on SNL—“Keep It Between The Lines” and “Call To Arms”—have not registered a sales spike anywhere, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth hit #1 on the iTunes country albums chart shortly after Sturgill’s performance, and stayed there all day Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. It also registered at #5 on iTunes’ all genre albums chart through most of that period. A similar story unfolded on Amazon, where A Sailor’s Guide went to #2 in country shortly after the performance (only bested by Garth Brooks’ The Gunslinger, which is an Amazon digital exclusive), and spent all of Monday and Tuesday at #2, while sitting at #6 in all of music.
This is a pretty significant sales spike for A Sailor’s Guide, which has become a matter of great intrigue by the public after it shocked the world by getting nominated for the Grammy Awards’ Album of the Year. But what’s even more surprising is how the performance of Sturgill’s other records has been boosted by the SNL appearance.
Sturgill’s 2nd solo release Metamodern Sounds in Country Music appeared at the #3 spot on the country iTunes albums chart starting midday Sunday and staying there throughout Monday, bested just slightly by Chris Stapleton’s Traveller at #2. And maybe even more surprising, Sturgill’s first album High Top Mountain also shot to #10 on Sunday before settling into the #14 spot for most of the day Monday. Both of Sturgill’s titles slacked off a bit on Tuesday, but still stayed within the Top 10 and Top 20 respectively. Similarly, Metamodern Sounds came in at #3 on Amazon’s country albums list, and High Top Mountain came in at #4 during early portions of the week.
Many of the core country fans of Sturgill have been complaining that it’s unfortunate that his big moment of attention from the mainstream couldn’t come for one of his more country projects. But as the sales numbers show, a rising tide raises all boats, and both of Sturgill’s previous releases are seeing a serious spike in interest after the SNL appearance.
Will it be enough to put Sturgill Simpson in more serious contention for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards in February? We’ll have to see, but it certainly proves what many reviewers said after Sturgill’s performances on SNL—he hit a nerve and people liked what they saw.
January 17, 2017 @ 7:44 pm
People who complain suck
January 17, 2017 @ 8:11 pm
Before anyone else can do it: stop posting about Sturgill all the time, you freaking fan girl!! (And piss on anyone who was gonna say that with any degree of seriousness)
Now that’s out of the way, this is awesome news! Loved the performance and loved seeing his other albums up there, too. When I saw itunes was #1 Sturgill, #2 Stapleton, #3 Sturgill, it took me a second to realize what I was looking at. Had to double-check and make sure I was on the right page. I was indeed on the right page.
I imagine millions of bro-country douche bags either snuggling with their mothers crying and confused or (preferably) absolutely losing their shit over what they’ve been missing out on and 2nd guessing all of their major life choices up to this point.
January 17, 2017 @ 8:31 pm
I would think it makes sense that SNL is no longer lucrative enough for some mainstream performers. Wouldn’t think so with The Tonight Show though, Fallon seems to have that going strong. Anyways, glad Sturgill is benefiting from this, though it does have me worried that instead of his next project being more country, he will want to do something like ASGTE again, which was still a good album
January 17, 2017 @ 8:52 pm
Bully for Sturgill. I might have issues with him, but it’s hard to remain so disingenuous when they’re being rewarded so thoroughly for years of hard work (do I sound like a different person at this moment in time? — don’t ever remind me I made this comment as I’m sure I’ll be critical of him once again at some future point).
January 18, 2017 @ 3:03 am
Quick question:
Someone made the comment in the original thread that final Grammy ballots were due in the week before SNL. If true, doesn’t that mean no ‘Grammy bounce” for ASGTE?
Can anyone confirm either way?
Thx!
January 18, 2017 @ 8:59 am
Final ballots were due January 13th. A quick google search for “grammy ballots” had this answer as the very first search result shown.
January 18, 2017 @ 4:25 am
I really don’t understand all of the hype with Sturgill Simpson. While his style may be less offensive, he’s no more country than Sam Hunt or Luke Bryan.
January 18, 2017 @ 8:03 am
Because he makes great music while they make shitty music regardless of genre.
January 18, 2017 @ 8:21 am
Have you heard any album other than Sailor’s Guide? They are both country AF.
Unless you think anything other than vanilla George Strait is just too “out there”
January 18, 2017 @ 9:49 am
Yeah, well Sailor’s Guide isn’t country AF. There are plenty of artists who make great music regardless of the genre, but we aren’t praising them on here. All I’m saying is typically artist who stray away from the “tradional” sound are criticized on here, but he is always given a pass.
January 18, 2017 @ 10:17 am
I assume this is all a bit of troll post but if not it really makes one question the depth of knowledge you have on his library. BUT….but but but that said, I think naorrower views such as these from “country only” fans probably only continues to push him out further and further.
To me it’s simple….. I like a lot of good music. And Sturgill’s getting the recognition he deserves. I didn’t judge every greatful dead album for taking different turns. I liked some more than others but loved every minute of the ride.
January 18, 2017 @ 10:18 am
All I’m saying is typically artist who stray away from the “tradional” sound are criticized on here, but he is always given a pass.
I don’t think he’s getting a pass from the CFOs (Country Fan Only). I think the SCM community is a big tent containing various types of country music fans. For some of us who identify as “country loving roots music fans,” this album still resides somewhere in our wheelhouse.
January 18, 2017 @ 10:58 am
Sturgill Simpson was not given a pass by Saving Country Music from straying from his country roots. I posted numerous, highly-publicized articles on this very subject, including one titled, “You Have Every Right to Be Disappointed If Sturgill Simpson Chose Not to Make a Country Record”
https://savingcountrymusic.com/you-have-every-right-to-be-disappointed-if-sturgill-simpson-chose-not-to-make-a-country-record/
I spent 12 paragraphs delving into the subject in my review of “A Sailor’s Guide”:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-sturgill-simpsons-a-sailors-guide-to-earth/
From a personal standpoint, I wish Sturgill would have made a more country record because I am a country music fan. “A Sailor’s Guide” did not make my Top 10 of 2016. I understand the concerns some have from the record, genre aside. But I’m also not going to bury my head in the sand and not recognize greatness and achievement when it presents itself, or let these hardline ideas of genre get in my way of enjoying good music. We’re all music fans first, and then our tastes break down on genre lines. Sturgill has said numerous times he will make more country records, and he wanted to take a break and do something special for his son and family with “A Sailors Guide.”
I have more to say on this subject, but I’ll save it for a future post.
February 2, 2017 @ 3:51 pm
What planet do you live on? First off, Sturgill has a sound unlike most other mainstream artists; the musical elements are significantly more broad and risky than the commercial sound of today’s “country music.” As far as your comparison of him to Luke Bryan – that is the equivalent of comparing Ice Cream to Chicken Soup. Sure they’re foods but only one of ’em does you any good. As it is with Sturgill. Because of his background, he is labeled as Country, just as the music row knuckleheads do with Taylor Swift – but the sounds couldn’t be further from each other and to be honest, the spectrum in which they fall are not anywhere close to country. He may not win country album of the year – and he doesn’t need to… Album of the year is more fitting and certainly more deserving.
January 19, 2017 @ 12:13 pm
You deserve an award for the most idiotic post ever on this website.
January 19, 2017 @ 9:06 pm
You do, clown ass.
January 19, 2017 @ 9:07 pm
Clown ass? Are you 12?
January 18, 2017 @ 5:41 am
It won’t happen, but I really would love to see him win album of the year, just to watch the reaction from the Beyonce fans.
January 19, 2017 @ 10:35 am
I would love to see him win Album of the Year also, and I’m a BeyoncĂ© fan. Both albums are fantastic and the thing that tips me to Strugill’s side is it would have a bigger impact on our genre. The great thing about the BeyoncĂ©’s “country” song is RnB friends of mine are now asking about country music and who they should listen to.
January 18, 2017 @ 8:08 am
Sturgill’s melodies, and his vocal style, on all of his albums are one hundred percent traditional country.
January 19, 2017 @ 12:48 pm
That’s a great point, not to mention that there are other aspects of ASGTE that are very country. Vocals are a big part of the country equation, and people often forget that when analyzing whether or not ASGTE is “country” enough.
January 18, 2017 @ 9:04 am
Cool that he’s making money. Maybe he’ll make enough to make country music. His SNL performance will do squat to roll back the bro country tide, which is irreversible anyway. Sturgill himself likes EDM and has the usual young man’s habit of stiff-arming everything but himself.
The only thing that will diminish the dominance of “bro country” is a female Brad Paisley, a sort of new Dolly Parton. Alison Krauss did it for a while, but she was too wispy and skill-focused. Dolly was a bombshell and a first-rate story-teller. That’s the bro antidote.
January 18, 2017 @ 10:23 am
Now there’s an idea. A female Brad Paisley. Heck I’d take someone regardless of man or woman releasing something with the gut-punch that Brad’s early stuff had. I Wish You’d Stay, Part II, Who Needs Pictures, Cloud Of Dust, his remake of Is It Raining At Your House, man, now those are some damn good country songs.
January 18, 2017 @ 2:53 pm
“who needs pictures, with a memory like mine”
there’s a reason Brad is where he is, isn’t there? and he didn’t even need to smash a guitar
that’s country
January 18, 2017 @ 2:59 pm
Yessir, indeed. Fantastic songs top to bottom on his early albums. Lots of upbeat cleverly written songs, plus the ones that tear at my heart. I’ll see your who needs pictures lyrics and raise you this:
“I’m sorry for still holding on, I’ll try to let go and I’ll try to be strong and I wish you the best … but most of all, I wish you’d stay”
January 18, 2017 @ 9:21 am
Country or not, that performance was the most punk rock thing I’ve seen on SNL in years.
January 18, 2017 @ 9:57 am
Yep.
January 18, 2017 @ 9:45 am
His label must be doing back-flips..
In no possible way, could they have expected this..
He probably could go out now and quick tour, or do a select date tour, etc. and promote this thing even more successfully now, than last year.
It really is pretty amazing.
Happy for him..
January 18, 2017 @ 4:48 pm
Here’s a dream scenario:
Sturgill wins the best album Grammy. Just as he takes the stage to accept, Kanye pushes past him to protest that Beyoncé is more deserving.
What happens next?
January 19, 2017 @ 7:16 am
I think Sturgill would knock Kayne out if that happened. That would really boost his sales.
January 19, 2017 @ 9:41 am
Makes me think of an interview I saw on youtube with Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan. I think he was on an Australian TV show and he was asked about the Kanye Grammy incident with Beck. He said that he didn’t want to dog a fellow Chicagoan, but that if anyone steps on his stage, “I will knock you out.”
January 18, 2017 @ 6:14 pm
Brad Paisley? You people are actually discussing Brad Paisley, while running down Sturgill Simpson and mentioning he should be more like Brad and traditional country music? Trigger, this place is turning into an alternative universe sometimes brotha….
Brad Paisley is a joke. George Straight, who here recently has been being called King George…which is an insult to people who have much more of a right to be labeled king. Sturgill has more talent in his little finger than either one of those dudes. So what if the guy went and made an album that strayed from the inner sanctum of what some label “traditional country music” like Brad and King George make…give me a f**king break man.
You got every right to listen to whomever your little heart desires but don’t be hitching about Sturgill and how he hurt your feelings because he ventured outside the box and he sucks because he doesn’t sound like Brad and is it raining at your house? Dear Lord.
Hank Williams was the very first punk rock musician. Man went against the grain time and again..Willie and Waylon went against the grain. Hank Jr…again, at least until 1986, went against the grain. Merle, Johnny, Coe, Jimmy Martin and a whole host of others went against the grain….and Sturgill is by God closer to those guys I just mentioned than some Damn George Strait or Brad by God Paisley. He is the spirit of a whole lot of them, musically and with the same air of attitude.
January 19, 2017 @ 1:01 pm
Amen. Couldn’t have said it better!
January 19, 2017 @ 7:28 pm
Come on, man, Brad Paisley is incredibly talented. Why he chooses to mainly make the musical equivalents of either Hallmark greeting cards or Guy Fieri’s haircuts is beyond me, but the dude can shred and he can write a catchy tune.
‘Online’ is funny as hell and captures more of the critical ethos of our times than 99% of the stuff you see in NYC and LA art fine art galleries who show works by “social media artists”. And that song is 10 freaking years old!
January 19, 2017 @ 1:27 pm
https://charlierose.com/videos/29307
Listen to this, but make sure you listen to “Oh Sarah” at the end. Holy shit.
January 20, 2017 @ 7:54 am
Just Sturgill and his guitar….so good…..
Thanks a lot!
January 19, 2017 @ 5:21 pm
This has probably been posted in the past here, but I was just going back through some sunday valley stuff, and something struck me. Is Sturgill basically Eddie Vedder?
January 23, 2017 @ 12:50 am
Call to Arms was a great big “fuck you” to all the doubters.and detractors. Absolutely tore the mother down. Sat in a living room with a half dozen people who never heard him before and they were knocked out by that performance.
Great hearing him pull off horns and R&B too. Delbert McClinton would be proud.