With the top ten completely frozen, the first interesting moves come later in the top twenty, with Josh Groban and Kelly Clarkson’s “All I Ask Of You” jumping 28-19 and R5’s “Let’s Not Be Alone Tonight” also entering the top twenty, up 31-20. It’s a quiet week for debuts as well, with Neon Trees scoring the highest of the four new entries with newly-released single “Songs I Can’t Listen To.” Sia and Little Big Town also re-enter with their current singles; the additional debuts come from American Idol‘s Clark Beckham, NEEDTOBREATHE featuring Gavin DeGraw, and another single from Allen Stone.

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While many people flocked south to Austin, Texas last week for this year’s South By Southwest festival, which showcases more than two thousand artist performances alongside label presentations, technology reveals, and discussion panels, some of us had to settle for attending Couch By Couchwest from home. I spent the past week digging through a spreadsheet of 2,121 artists who were slated to play during SXSW 2015, and after whittling down the list and listening to 622 of them, I have selected 76 independent acts that warrant further attention now that the festivities have ended. Read a short blurb on each artist below along with a prime track among their discography, or skip ahead to the full playlist on SoundCloud by clicking here. Continue reading “76 independent artists to watch following SXSW 2015”

The top ten is mostly the same, with Christina Perri grabbing another week at #1 with “Human.” The new Neon Trees single “Sleeping With A Friend” enters at #29, taking the lead among nine debuts. Stromae’s “Tous Les Mêmes” is the greatest gainer, moving 23 positions to #46; Great Good Fine OK’s “You’re The One For Me” falls the furthest, down 56 to #100.

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Adele and The Script maintain their positions in the top two, with P!nk’s “Perfect” ascending to #3. Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield make a top-ten achievement look “Easy” as they move into the #10 spot, with a big mover from Florence + The Machine just below. Neon Trees has the highest debut at #31 with “1983.”

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