When you hear about record companies facing grim sales these days, it’s big news when a rock band creates major buzz in advance of an album release. Universal Republic rock icons 3 Doors Down are putting up massive radio numbers with their first single, Its Not My Time, from their soon-to-be released self-titled album, due in-stores on May 27.

Their fourth studio album has spawned rock’s biggest radio hit of the year so far, with the debut single becoming the fastest moving song at Active Rock radio in the past five years.

Fans are drooling for more radio-friendly rock songs like Kryptonite and the going-to-Iraq sendoff anthem When I’m Gone – tunes which received such airplay that hearing them surely evokes a memory or two for most people.

The #1 most added song at alternative radio the past 3 weeks in a row, It’s Not My Time was also the biggest gainer at the coveted rock radio format, leaping from #20 to #16 as it closes in on the prestigious 50,000 mark in digital sales in less than a month of release.

“The early radio success of It’s Not My Time is an incredible indication of more great things to come from this band and this album,” said Monte Lipman, President & CEO of Universal Republic Records. “3 Doors Down have become a signature presence in rock through hard work and passionate songwriting that speaks directly to their audience. They have delivered a career-defining album that we cannot wait to get into the hands of fans.”

A record company exec excited that a lot of us may want to buy this album rather than illegally downloading a song here or there? Go figure!

The new CD has already got internet fans buzzing, with talk of other choice tracks such as the adrenalin-fueled Train, and the rousing It’s The Only One You’ve Got, pointing to more milestones from the Mississippi fivesome, from a new album steeped in rock anthems and power-driven radio hits.

The follow-up to their #1 debut album, 2005’s Seventeen Days, lead singer Brad Arnold cites this effort as perhaps the most communal band effort. “3 Doors Down has always been about every band member giving everything we’ve got,” says the singer/songwriter. “On this album we really wanted to make every song count. We owe it to our fans who have been there to support us from day one.”

The group’s followers have embraced It’s Not My Time in record numbers, making it one of the bigger request records of the new year. The single’s jump from #10 to #4 on the active rock chart marks one of the fastest launches into the Top Ten of any 3 Doors Down song in their history.

With nearly 13 million albums sold worldwide, the fiery group has rewritten the rock script on maintaining commercial success and securing rabid fan appeal without bowing to trends or compromising their grassroots approach. Braced by front-man Arnold’s enduring vocal power, 3 Doors Down has put together an amazing streak of powerful albums and chart-topping singles, including their 6 million selling 2000 breakthrough effort, The Better Life, and epic mega-hit signature songs such as the #1 Kryptonite, and When I’m Gone, from 2003’s 4 million selling epic Away From The Sun.

The group also broke with convention when writing the songs for the new album, holing up in a Nashville cabin together until the songs were completed, and then hightailing it down to Orlando, Fla., to record the new CD with producer Johnny K. (he also helmed Seventeen Days).

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On the Road Again

The group kicked off a spring tour in Panama City Beach, Fla. on March 20th. The band is also lined up to appear at the Gridiron Bash in Tempe, Ariz. on April 18th. On May 17th Dale Jr. will drive his third 3 Doors Down car in NASCAR’s All Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.

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On the Web:

http://www.3doorsdown.com/news/