Matthew Good's Hospital Music Tops Canadian Album Sales Chart

Matthew Good might have been depressed while creating the songs for his new Hospital Music album, but its early success should put him in a happy mood.

The Vancouver singer/songwriter's third solo album debuted at #1 on the Canadian SoundScan sales chart this week after moving more than 11,000 copies. It's his first solo effort to reach the top and duplicates the feat achieved by the Matthew Good Band's Beautiful Midnight in 1999.

Lead single "Born Losers" is doing well at Canadian rock radio stations and was downloaded more than 340,000 times while featured as the free download of the week on the iTunes USA store. Hospital Music reached #17 there last week, which is a major accomplishment since Good doesn't have an American record deal. Hospital Music was released domestically by Universal Music Canada.

Good is an avid blogger, and he posted this message about Hospital Music and iTunes on his website on Aug. 2:

"Why this is revolutionary is that no label was involved, nor were the usual difficulties of working with one present while putting the release for iTunes together. They contacted me directly some months ago and proposed the idea of releasing it on the same day in the US as in Canada, something that has never happened in my entire career. Their belief in the record, and the fact that they were fans of my work, speaks to the reality of what can be accomplished through unconventional means utilizing new technologies without having to endure the resistance of those that haven't the foresight to realize their importance (iTunes is, in fact, the third largest retailer in the United States)."

Good will launch a solo acoustic tour in September, and many of the shows are already sold-out. While more performances are expected to be added to the itinerary, here are the current dates:

Sept. 17-18 Victoria, BC @ McPherson Playhouse
Sept. 20 Vancouver, BC @ The Centre
Sept. 22 Red Deer, AB @ Red Deer Memorial Centre
Sept. 23-24 Edmonton, AB @ Myer Horowitz Theatre
Sept. 25 Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Hall
Sept. 27 Saskatoon, SK @ Lakeview Auditorium
Sept. 28 Winnipeg, MB @ Garrick Centre
Sept. 30 Thunder Bay, ON @ Community Auditorium
Oct. 9 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
Oct. 10 Quebec City, QC @ Dagobert
Oct. 11 Halifax, NS @ The Marquee Club
Oct. 12 Charlottetown, PEI @ University Of Prince Edward Island
Oct. 13 Fredericton, NB @ Playhouse Theatre
Oct. 17-18 Ottawa, ON @ Bronson Centre
Oct. 23 Peterborough, ON @ Showplace Theatre
Oct. 25 St. Catharines, ON @ Brock Centre For The Arts
Oct. 26 Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
Oct. 28 Sarnia, ON @ Imperial Oil Theatre
Oct. 30 Belleville, ON @ Empire Theatre