Chart Scene: Cody Johnson Has Top Debut On Both LIVE75 & Artist Power Index

Cody Johnson performs during day two of CMA Fest 2023 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on June 9, 2023. (Photo by Jason Kempin / Getty Images)

Warner Nashville recording artist Cody Johnson has the highest-ranked debut on both LIVE75 and the Artist Power Index this week, landing at Nos. 9 and 24, respectively, following the launch of “The Leather Tour” in support of his latest album. The trek kicked off on Jan. 19 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, with 12,395 fans in attendance for the sold-out opening night.

The country singer’s top-10 ranking on LIVE75 is based on an average of 12,083 sold tickets at three sellouts including the Sacramento date along with two previous concerts in December. Early last month he performed for a crowd of 12,063 at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center, and then on Dec. 8, he played at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, moving 11,791 sold tickets. All three shows are eligible for inclusion in the LIVE75 chart tallies.

On the Artist Power Index, Johnson is one of only two performers to debut this week and the only one to rank in the top half of the 50-position chart. He has the 29th-best Live score among all artists, based on the first two shows on his new tour. Along with the performance at Golden 1 Center, his show at Honda Center in Anaheim, California, also adds to his chart eligibility. His performance there on Jan. 20 produced a sold-ticket count of 11,379.

Johnson’s Live score on APX lands among the 50 highest, yet so does his rank in the Airplay category. He has the 42nd-best showing this week, but his positions in Streaming and Social stretch beyond the top 100. Disturbed, the other act to debut on the chart, also does well in the Live category, taking the 18th-best ranking among the top performers.

The Artist Power Index has a new chart-topper as Ed Sheeran moves up one position to rank No. 1 overall based on top-15 results in three of the four metrics: Live, Streaming and Airplay. The resumption of his “Mathematics” tour makes him fifth highest in Live and bumps him to the top of the chart following performances at the first two venues on the trek’s 2024 schedule. He appeared on Jan. 15 at Al Dana Amphitheatre in Bahrain, followed by a two-night stint in the United Arab Emirates at Dubai’s rugby venue, Sevens Stadium.

LIVE75 sees a repeat appearance at No. 1 by Latin pop star Luis Miguel who averaged 24,863 sold tickets per show based on 10 performances on his 2023-24 world tour. With a gross average of $3.55 million, he joins Billy Joel (No. 2) and Madonna (No. 6) as the only three artists with averages in the $3 million range, but the highest belongs to U2. The band’s eight December performances at Sphere in Las Vegas averaged $6.25 million per show to earn “Heavy Hitter” status for the concert headliner with the top gross average.

The “Breakthrough” artist of the week on LIVE75 is indie band Mt. Joy based on a 100% sellout percentage from multiple shows in Chicago leading up to New Year’s Eve. The group played four nights, Dec. 28-31, at The Salt Shed, selling 13,200 tickets for a gross of $682,870.

Then, the “Noise Maker” tag on LIVE75 goes to the co-headlining tour starring R&B legends The Temptations and The Four Tops. The bands rank 10 positions higher than last week based on four December shows. They averaged 1,477 tickets per night at theaters in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.