What More Should I Say, the most recent Pinecastle release for Michelle Nixon & Drive, debuted this week on the Billboard Magazine bluegrass chart at #46. This chart is compiled using Soundscan reports, a service of the Nielsen Company – the same folks who compile viewer data for television and radio broadcasting.
Soundscan compiles their data based on the actual sale of CDs at over 14,000 retailers in the US and Canada, using the bar code scan at the register (hence the name). Of particular interest to bluegrass artists and labels, Soundscan also allows bands who sell directly to consumers at their shows to report those sales to Nielsen via a portable hand held scanner. There is no cost to submit a title to Soundscan, but obtaining the reports requires a hefty subscription fee, which may be the reason why only a few bluegrass-oriented record companies are taking advantage of the service.
