Last week’s (12/29) Wall Street Journal Market Watch has reported on the success of the Cracker Barrel strategy of working with top bluegrass acts and labels – in this case Rounder Records.
Two of the label’s artists, the Grascals and Dailey & Vincent, each released a CD marketed by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. through their old country stores and restaurants. Both albums – The Grascals and Friends: Country Classics With a Bluegrass Spin (released in January; #6 on the chart) and Dailey & Vincent Sing The Statler Brothers (released in February 2010; #17 on the chart) – have earned Top 20 places on Billboard’s Year-end top-selling bluegrass albums, ranked by sales data as compiled by Neilsen SoundScan.
A Cracker Barrel press release quotes their Marketing Manager Julie Craig…
“We are thrilled with the success that these two outstanding bluegrass groups have earned. This type of recognition reinforces our commitment to offer authenticity and quality through the Cracker Barrel exclusive music program. The Grascals and Dailey & Vincent are exceptional in the world of bluegrass and we are honored to work with them.”
While the Dailey & Vincent CD was released early in 2010, the sales rating is based solely on 2011 sales.
It will interesting to see how Cracker Barrel’s soon-to-be-released album The Gospel Side of Dailey & Vincent fares in the early months of 2012.
