iTunes Thread

[josh]

They used to affect the charts (see big drops for songs like, I believe, "Hold It Against Me"), but sometime the past year or two they changed it so it doesn't. It only affects the lifetime sales.

[Adonis the DemiGod!]

Jun 22, 2014 7:44:52 GMT -5 Gary said:

That is true. Kind of. When you pre-order Ed Sheeran's album and only 'Sing' has been released, that is all you get at the time you hit the pre-order button. However, as subsequent songs become available later you get them as they become available automatically.

That's kinda the point. No one has proved that this counts towards the iTunes Top Singles Chart when iTunes knows it's part of an album pre-order. The songs drop like stones...just like every other pre-release single even when you didn't get them automatically. I noticed his album is rather high on the album charts.

[Gary]

LOL - total cost iTunes charged me to buy the Ed Sheeran album upon release , including tax $1.48

[HolidayGuy]

Were that many tracks released individually in advance?

[Bluemargay]

Who the hell is Shawn Mendes?

[Deleted]

Life Of The Party - Shawn Mendes
New iTunes #1

Idk who he is but this song is amazing!

[surfy]

Where did this #1 come from???? :O

It's great!!!! Sounds like Austin Mahone mixed with the lead singer of the Vamps!!! :)

[chartfreak]

Jun 23, 2014 8:38:29 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

Were that many tracks released individually in advance?

At least 6 or 7, I think.

[Kris]

Shawn Mendes (Born August 8, 1998) is a popular Canadian music artist. Shawn started his music career by posting snippets of cover songs to Vine, and has seen rising mainstream success as a singer-songwriter and touring artist.

[ListenToItTwice]

Jun 26, 2014 10:33:26 GMT -5 Kris said:

Shawn started his music career by posting snippets of cover songs to Vine.

Marketing genius.

Edit: And the song is good :O

[surfy]

Jun 26, 2014 10:33:26 GMT -5 Kris said:

Shawn Mendes (Born August 8, 1998) is a popular Canadian music artist. Shawn started his music career by posting snippets of cover songs to Vine, and has seen rising mainstream success as a singer-songwriter and touring artist.

Oh My Gosh! I knew he sounded familiar, I watch his Vines and I'm in love with his Voice! If you haven't watched them yet, DO IT!!!! <3

[josh]

"Rude" #1.

[Gary]

Why is 'We Are One' a flop?





There’s been a lot of spirited debate on the merits (or not) of “We Are One (Ole Ola),” the official FIFA World Cup Song, performed by Pitbull with guests Jennifer Lopez and Brazilian Claudia Leitte.

Reviews of the track run the gamut, with some calling it spirited, festive and catchy, and others deriding it for a lack of authentic Brazilian flavor, limited use of Lopez and Leitte, and overall triteness.

Pitbull Debuts Official World Cup Song: Listen

But all that is tangential. A hit is a hit, but “We Are One” just isn’t a hit, a fact made even more apparent by its marquee roster and huge promotion.

These are the facts:

“We Are One,” released in early April, has sold 105,000 downloads in the U.S. to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan, but has struggled, spending only three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Following its performance at the World Cup Opening ceremony, the track did spike to sell 22,000 downloads that week, its biggest-selling week.

And, the official “We Are One” video has been viewed 131 million times on Pitbull’s VEVO channel, nothing to scoff at.

These stats are far from a failure. But they trail the performance of “Waka Waka,” the 2010 World Cup song performed by Shakira with Freshlyground.

Pitbull, Lopez World Cup Song a Flop?

“Waka Waka” spent a total of 18 weeks on the Hot 100, selling 57,000 downloads its best week. Indeed, sales of the track never dipped below 31,000 on any given week of the World Cup. All told, “Waka Waka” went on to sell 1.8 million downloads in the U.S. alone. Even taking into consideration that only 274,000 of those downloads were sold during World Cup weeks, the Pitbull track is not near approaching those numbers.

And as far as the video goes, “Waka Waka” has nearly 800,000 million YouTube views, and at one point, it held the record for the most-viewed video on YouTube.

And then there’s the other Shakira track—“Dare (La la la),” billed as this year’s official World Cup anthem with a featuring from Carlinhos Brown. Shakira has yet to perform the track on any of the World Cup ceremonies, but it’s outpaced “We Are One” on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 53. And although it’s sold 78,000 downloads--less than “We Are One”—it’s poised to overtake those numbers, particularly with the looming closing ceremony performance featuring Shakira.

On the video end, “Dare” boasts 165 million views on Shakira’s official VEVO channel (the original, non World Cup version has 33 million views), far more than “We Are One.”

And here’s the real kicker: A massive 20% of the 774,000 people that rated “We Are One” (as of June 23) gave it a thumbs down. Meantime, the dislike rate for the “Dare” video sits at a low 6%, same as with “Waka Waka.”

All of which begs the question: Why?

Quite simply, it’s just not a very good song.

"We Are One” has no chorus, no hooks, and lacks a memorable melody to sing along to.

Neither soccer nor the tried and true pairing of Pitbull and Lopez (Whose “On The Floor” is a showstopper), have been able to push this track to the next level.

Many critics have panned “We Are One” because it’s not “Brazilian” enough; because it’s meant to celebrate one of the most musically rich countries in the planet with pseudo Brazilian elements and only the token participation of a Brazilian artist.

But that thoroughly misses the point. Beyond the fact that “Waka Waka” was panned for exactly the same reason—not representing South Africa adequately—World Cup songs are not meant to reflect on a single country and their success really predicates upon global acceptance.

Ricky Martin’s “The Cup of Life,” perhaps the most emblematic World Cup song of all, has nary a French element in it, save for “Allez, allez, allez.” But not a peep was uttered about the lack of French savoir fair, because “Cup” was such a monumentally kick-ass song.

"Waka Waka” wasn’t quite up to par, but its video, featuring Shaki shimmying with Freshlyground and cameos of all the soccer players that mattered, was irresistible.

“We Are One” tries way too hard, covering up its flaws in the video with an overdose of Brazilian flags(to the detriment of all other countries), Brazilian drums and scantily-clad Brazilian dancers. The soccer shots are a generic collage of plays.

“Dare,” instead, smartly emulates the “Waka Waka” aesthetic, prompting viewers to look out for their favorite players in what is finally a way cooler visual experience.

Of course, not all World Cup songs become hits.

Remember Anastacia’s “Boom” from 2002, or Il Divo and Toni Braxton’s “The Time of Our Lives” from 2006? We don’t either.

And while hindsight is 20-20, looking back, “One World” was a gamble. You have two huge superstars—three if you count Leitte’s clout in Brazil—and nine writers vying for relevance in a single song while attempting to adequately represent a host country synonymous with both soccer and music.

But second-guessing has never been a friend of hit-making.

Years ago, Pitbull scored his first mega radio hit, “I Know You Want Me,” by cleverly sampling—solo--“75 Street Brazil,” a track by Italian DJ Nicola Fasano featuring Pat Rich.

It was a cornucopia of styles and nationalities and beats, but it worked.

If only.


Questions? Comments? Let us know: billboard

[surfy]

Oh if only charismatic could see this... :)

[mluv]

Well there's always Wild Wild Love which I think is a fun song.

[HolidayGuy]

Sia's "Chandelier" has climbed to near top 10 territory. Any peformances as of late?

EDIT: RE the CMA situation: when they occur, those sales still count toward the Hot 100 for that week, from what I gather- but the "negative" sales are impacted for Digital Songs chart. Which is why you'll see a track gain big on the Hot 100, but not even apepar on the digital chart. I think that's how it works, anyhow.

[Deleted]

I just heard the new 5SOS song (that's at #1 and #8 on iTunes).

I really like it, I think it is one of the best songs on that album.

They're going to have a huge opening week of sales.

[Carlitoz]

The iTunes singles top 10 in the last couple of days or so has had Sam Smith, Iggy and Charli XCX each of them appearing in two tracks. Don't know if this happens often for 3 artists at the same time or more, but first time I remember it.

[Deleted]

Jun 29, 2014 19:37:18 GMT -5 Gary said:

Why is 'We Are One' a flop?





There’s been a lot of spirited debate on the merits (or not) of “We Are One (Ole Ola),” the official FIFA World Cup Song, performed by Pitbull with guests Jennifer Lopez and Brazilian Claudia Leitte.

Reviews of the track run the gamut, with some calling it spirited, festive and catchy, and others deriding it for a lack of authentic Brazilian flavor, limited use of Lopez and Leitte, and overall triteness.

Pitbull Debuts Official World Cup Song: Listen

But all that is tangential. A hit is a hit, but “We Are One” just isn’t a hit, a fact made even more apparent by its marquee roster and huge promotion.

These are the facts:

“We Are One,” released in early April, has sold 105,000 downloads in the U.S. to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan, but has struggled, spending only three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Following its performance at the World Cup Opening ceremony, the track did spike to sell 22,000 downloads that week, its biggest-selling week.

And, the official “We Are One” video has been viewed 131 million times on Pitbull’s VEVO channel, nothing to scoff at.

These stats are far from a failure. But they trail the performance of “Waka Waka,” the 2010 World Cup song performed by Shakira with Freshlyground.

Pitbull, Lopez World Cup Song a Flop?

“Waka Waka” spent a total of 18 weeks on the Hot 100, selling 57,000 downloads its best week. Indeed, sales of the track never dipped below 31,000 on any given week of the World Cup. All told, “Waka Waka” went on to sell 1.8 million downloads in the U.S. alone. Even taking into consideration that only 274,000 of those downloads were sold during World Cup weeks, the Pitbull track is not near approaching those numbers.

And as far as the video goes, “Waka Waka” has nearly 800,000 million YouTube views, and at one point, it held the record for the most-viewed video on YouTube.

And then there’s the other Shakira track—“Dare (La la la),” billed as this year’s official World Cup anthem with a featuring from Carlinhos Brown. Shakira has yet to perform the track on any of the World Cup ceremonies, but it’s outpaced “We Are One” on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 53. And although it’s sold 78,000 downloads--less than “We Are One”—it’s poised to overtake those numbers, particularly with the looming closing ceremony performance featuring Shakira.

On the video end, “Dare” boasts 165 million views on Shakira’s official VEVO channel (the original, non World Cup version has 33 million views), far more than “We Are One.”

And here’s the real kicker: A massive 20% of the 774,000 people that rated “We Are One” (as of June 23) gave it a thumbs down. Meantime, the dislike rate for the “Dare” video sits at a low 6%, same as with “Waka Waka.”

All of which begs the question: Why?

Quite simply, it’s just not a very good song.

"We Are One” has no chorus, no hooks, and lacks a memorable melody to sing along to.

Neither soccer nor the tried and true pairing of Pitbull and Lopez (Whose “On The Floor” is a showstopper), have been able to push this track to the next level.

Many critics have panned “We Are One” because it’s not “Brazilian” enough; because it’s meant to celebrate one of the most musically rich countries in the planet with pseudo Brazilian elements and only the token participation of a Brazilian artist.

But that thoroughly misses the point. Beyond the fact that “Waka Waka” was panned for exactly the same reason—not representing South Africa adequately—World Cup songs are not meant to reflect on a single country and their success really predicates upon global acceptance.

Ricky Martin’s “The Cup of Life,” perhaps the most emblematic World Cup song of all, has nary a French element in it, save for “Allez, allez, allez.” But not a peep was uttered about the lack of French savoir fair, because “Cup” was such a monumentally kick-ass song.

"Waka Waka” wasn’t quite up to par, but its video, featuring Shaki shimmying with Freshlyground and cameos of all the soccer players that mattered, was irresistible.

“We Are One” tries way too hard, covering up its flaws in the video with an overdose of Brazilian flags(to the detriment of all other countries), Brazilian drums and scantily-clad Brazilian dancers. The soccer shots are a generic collage of plays.

“Dare,” instead, smartly emulates the “Waka Waka” aesthetic, prompting viewers to look out for their favorite players in what is finally a way cooler visual experience.

Of course, not all World Cup songs become hits.

Remember Anastacia’s “Boom” from 2002, or Il Divo and Toni Braxton’s “The Time of Our Lives” from 2006? We don’t either.

And while hindsight is 20-20, looking back, “One World” was a gamble. You have two huge superstars—three if you count Leitte’s clout in Brazil—and nine writers vying for relevance in a single song while attempting to adequately represent a host country synonymous with both soccer and music.

But second-guessing has never been a friend of hit-making.

Years ago, Pitbull scored his first mega radio hit, “I Know You Want Me,” by cleverly sampling—solo--“75 Street Brazil,” a track by Italian DJ Nicola Fasano featuring Pat Rich.

It was a cornucopia of styles and nationalities and beats, but it worked.

If only.


Questions? Comments? Let us know: billboard

Wow! "Waka Waka" has 400 times as many views at Gangnam Style! That's impressive!

[josh]

Problem has a 2nd version at #125. Wonder if they will remove the single version. The album version doesn't seem to be cutting into it much, if at all, on the pop bars, other than shortly after midnight.

Also, My Everything deluxe at #2 and standard at #35. Plus Yours Truly at #56.

[Deleted]

Jul 2, 2014 12:57:47 GMT -5 @markg94 said:

Jun 29, 2014 19:37:18 GMT -5 Gary said:

Why is 'We Are One' a flop?





There’s been a lot of spirited debate on the merits (or not) of “We Are One (Ole Ola),” the official FIFA World Cup Song, performed by Pitbull with guests Jennifer Lopez and Brazilian Claudia Leitte.

Reviews of the track run the gamut, with some calling it spirited, festive and catchy, and others deriding it for a lack of authentic Brazilian flavor, limited use of Lopez and Leitte, and overall triteness.

Pitbull Debuts Official World Cup Song: Listen

But all that is tangential. A hit is a hit, but “We Are One” just isn’t a hit, a fact made even more apparent by its marquee roster and huge promotion.

These are the facts:

“We Are One,” released in early April, has sold 105,000 downloads in the U.S. to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan, but has struggled, spending only three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Following its performance at the World Cup Opening ceremony, the track did spike to sell 22,000 downloads that week, its biggest-selling week.

And, the official “We Are One” video has been viewed 131 million times on Pitbull’s VEVO channel, nothing to scoff at.

These stats are far from a failure. But they trail the performance of “Waka Waka,” the 2010 World Cup song performed by Shakira with Freshlyground.

Pitbull, Lopez World Cup Song a Flop?

“Waka Waka” spent a total of 18 weeks on the Hot 100, selling 57,000 downloads its best week. Indeed, sales of the track never dipped below 31,000 on any given week of the World Cup. All told, “Waka Waka” went on to sell 1.8 million downloads in the U.S. alone. Even taking into consideration that only 274,000 of those downloads were sold during World Cup weeks, the Pitbull track is not near approaching those numbers.

And as far as the video goes, “Waka Waka” has nearly 800,000 million YouTube views, and at one point, it held the record for the most-viewed video on YouTube.

And then there’s the other Shakira track—“Dare (La la la),” billed as this year’s official World Cup anthem with a featuring from Carlinhos Brown. Shakira has yet to perform the track on any of the World Cup ceremonies, but it’s outpaced “We Are One” on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 53. And although it’s sold 78,000 downloads--less than “We Are One”—it’s poised to overtake those numbers, particularly with the looming closing ceremony performance featuring Shakira.

On the video end, “Dare” boasts 165 million views on Shakira’s official VEVO channel (the original, non World Cup version has 33 million views), far more than “We Are One.”

And here’s the real kicker: A massive 20% of the 774,000 people that rated “We Are One” (as of June 23) gave it a thumbs down. Meantime, the dislike rate for the “Dare” video sits at a low 6%, same as with “Waka Waka.”

All of which begs the question: Why?

Quite simply, it’s just not a very good song.

"We Are One” has no chorus, no hooks, and lacks a memorable melody to sing along to.

Neither soccer nor the tried and true pairing of Pitbull and Lopez (Whose “On The Floor” is a showstopper), have been able to push this track to the next level.

Many critics have panned “We Are One” because it’s not “Brazilian” enough; because it’s meant to celebrate one of the most musically rich countries in the planet with pseudo Brazilian elements and only the token participation of a Brazilian artist.

But that thoroughly misses the point. Beyond the fact that “Waka Waka” was panned for exactly the same reason—not representing South Africa adequately—World Cup songs are not meant to reflect on a single country and their success really predicates upon global acceptance.

Ricky Martin’s “The Cup of Life,” perhaps the most emblematic World Cup song of all, has nary a French element in it, save for “Allez, allez, allez.” But not a peep was uttered about the lack of French savoir fair, because “Cup” was such a monumentally kick-ass song.

"Waka Waka” wasn’t quite up to par, but its video, featuring Shaki shimmying with Freshlyground and cameos of all the soccer players that mattered, was irresistible.

“We Are One” tries way too hard, covering up its flaws in the video with an overdose of Brazilian flags(to the detriment of all other countries), Brazilian drums and scantily-clad Brazilian dancers. The soccer shots are a generic collage of plays.

“Dare,” instead, smartly emulates the “Waka Waka” aesthetic, prompting viewers to look out for their favorite players in what is finally a way cooler visual experience.

Of course, not all World Cup songs become hits.

Remember Anastacia’s “Boom” from 2002, or Il Divo and Toni Braxton’s “The Time of Our Lives” from 2006? We don’t either.

And while hindsight is 20-20, looking back, “One World” was a gamble. You have two huge superstars—three if you count Leitte’s clout in Brazil—and nine writers vying for relevance in a single song while attempting to adequately represent a host country synonymous with both soccer and music.

But second-guessing has never been a friend of hit-making.

Years ago, Pitbull scored his first mega radio hit, “I Know You Want Me,” by cleverly sampling—solo--“75 Street Brazil,” a track by Italian DJ Nicola Fasano featuring Pat Rich.

It was a cornucopia of styles and nationalities and beats, but it worked.

If only.


Questions? Comments? Let us know: billboard

Wow! "Waka Waka" has 400 times as many views at Gangnam Style! That's impressive!

800 Million not Billion

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2014 1:50:37 GMT -5 @icantthinkofaname said:

Jul 2, 2014 12:57:47 GMT -5 @markg94 said:

Wow! "Waka Waka" has 400 times as many views at Gangnam Style! That's impressive!

800 Million not Billion

1000 million = 1 billion; therefore 800,000million = 800 billion.

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2014 8:54:28 GMT -5 @markg94 said:

Jul 3, 2014 1:50:37 GMT -5 @icantthinkofaname said:

800 Million not Billion

1000 million = 1 billion; therefore 800,000million = 800 billion.

oh lol, you're right.

[Au$tin]

Except "Waka Waka" does not have 800 billion views. The official video upload only has 698,501,085 views. I doubt the rest of its uploads have 799,301,498,915 views.

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2014 10:56:16 GMT -5 Au$tin said:

Except "Waka Waka" does not have 800 billion views. The official video upload only has 698,501,085 views. I doubt the rest of its uploads have 799,301,498,915 views.

it was a typo.

[josh]

Single version of "Problem" removed from iTunes. Deluxe album version currently at #49. Should make top 10 again pretty quickly, I would imagine.

[applechic]

Ariana Grande #1 again.

Amusing how the 5 Seconds Of Summer songs drop as rapidly as they rise. I see them at #1 one second and the next second, they are out of the top 20. Odd. The popularity of their songs on the charts seem to be living up to their name.

[rimetm]

It's because they're song-a-week reveals or something like that. The fanbase anticipating the album eats the new track up all at once, topping the iTunes chart but giving the song no staying power. That's why they keep getting Hot Shot Debuts on the Hot 100 but not lasting (except for She Looks So Perfect, but even that is following the trajectory of a viral hit that won't finish a 20 week run)

Well, the good news is that there's apparently only 1 more promo single, then it'll just be the album release to worry about flooding the charts, most probably the Bubbling Under like with One Direction's album at the end of 2012.

[HolidayGuy]

A little late, but "America/USA/Firework" songs. I cannot guarantee this is all of them- I searched for U.S.A., USA, America and firework. :)

12. Kenny Chesney - American Kids
25. Lee Greenwood - God Bless The U.S.A.
54. Bruce Springsteen - Born In the U.S.A
77. Miley Cyrus - Party In the U.S.A.
85. Katy Perry - Firework
130. Toby Keith - Made In America
135. Neil Diamond - America
159. Team America - America, F**k Yeah
161. Don McLean - American Pie
236. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - American Girl
237. James Brown - Living In America
246. The Hit Crew - God Bless the USA
279. Bruce Springsteen - Born In the U.S.A.
301. Lenny Kravitz - American Woman
360. Demi Lovato - Made in the USA
387. Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert - America the Beautiful
404. Toby Keith - Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)
436. Brooks & Dunn - Only In America
437. John Philip Sousa - Stars and Stripes Forever
466. MKTO - American Dream
549. Céline Dion - God Bless America
569. Toby Keith - American Ride
573. Martina McBride - God Bless America
574. Stingray Music - America the Beautiful
589. Kid Rock - American Bad Ass
644. Brad Paisley - American Saturday Night
654. Carrie Underwood - All-American Girl
669. Bonnie McKee - American Girl
700. Rick Derringer - Real American (Hulk Hogan)
737. Neil Diamond - America
789. Estelle - American Boy (feat. Kanye West)
797. Katy Perry - Firework
836. The Beach Boys - Surfin' U.S.A.
862. Lee Greenwood - God Bless the U.S.A.
883. Macklemore - American
898. Patriotic Songs of America - You're a Grand Old Flag
907. Lady Antebellum - American Honey
968. Patriotic Songs of America - God Bless the USA
1,035. Justin Moore - Small Town USA
1,064. Kate Smith - God Bless America
1,072. Rodney Atkins - It's America
1,083. The Guess Who - American Woman1,111. National Anthem - U.S.A.
1,096. United States Air Force Heritage of America Band - Star Spangled Banner1,304. The Barden Bellas - Bellas Finals: Price Tag / Don’t You (Forget About Me) / Give Me Everything / Just the Way You Are / Party In the U.S.A. / Turn the Beat Around
1,106. Green Day - American Idiot
1,207. Kim Wilde - Kids in America
1,265. Patriotic Songs of America - God Bless America
1,335. Lee Greenwood - God Bless the U.S.A.
1,449. Brooks & Dunn - Only In America

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