Between the Bullets
Author: Geoff Mayfield
Publication: Billboard
Date: February 17, 1996
Abstract: Schmit represents the Eagles and the American Music Awards.
POST-AWARD REWARDS: To be sure, some artists were able to parlay their American Music Award exposure into noticeable sales gains. Both of The Billboard 200's sales awards were fed by the AMAs, with the Eagles (77-50) grabbing the Pacesetter with a 30.6% increase in sales, and Shania Twain (7-6), who sang on the broadcast, winning Greatest Gainer with an increase of more than 10,000 units, a 16.7% improvement (72,500 units for the week). Twain's first title makes a 5-3 jump on Top Country Catalog Albums, with a 20% gain, a bump that also might stem from her AMA slot.
The Eagles' rise is noteworthy because it defies the typical awards-show pattern. Normally, a performance is more likely to ignite sales than are award wins. The Eagles did not play the show and, in fact, were represented there only by Timothy B. Schmit. But it turns out that Schmit's trio of acceptance speeches turned a meaningful spotlight on the band's '94 reunion album.
