Billboard 200/Top Album Sales 2/25/17- Big Sean No. 1

[HolidayGuy]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7686213/big-sean-scores-second-no-1-album-on-billboard-200-album-chart-with-i

Big Sean Scores Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 With 'I Decided'

Big Sean nabs his second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as I Decided. debuts atop the list, earning 151,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Feb. 9, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 65,000 were in traditional album sales. I Decided. was released on Feb. 3 through G.O.O.D./Def Jam Recordings.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Feb. 25, 2017-dated chart (where Big Sean debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full to Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Big Sean previously led the chart with his last album, 2015’s Dark Sky Paradise, which bowed with 173,000 units and 139,000 in traditional album sales. The new album also grants the hip-hop star his fourth top five-charting solo effort (and as one-half of the duo Twenty88, he notched another top five set with the act’s self-titled debut in 2016.

As expected, Lady Gaga’s Joanne album roars from No. 66 to No. 2 with 74,000 units (up 818 percent) and 48,000 copies sold (up 1,054 percent). The former No. 1 album gains following Gaga’s Super Bowl halftime show performance on Feb. 5, where she played six of her hits, including the Joanne single “Million Reasons.” Elsewhere in the top 10, Gaga’s The Fame re-enters the tally straight in at No. 6 with 38,000 units (up 986 percent) and 17,000 copies sold (up 1,920 percent). She also bounces back onto the list with Born This Way (No. 25 with 17,000 units; up 1,117 percent) and ARTPOP (No. 174 with 5,000 units; up 420 percent).

Back in the top 10, Migos’ Culture dips from No. 1 to No. 3 in its second week, earning another 68,000 units (down 48 percent).

Reba McEntire’s first inspirational album, Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope, starts at No. 4 with 54,000 units (52,000 from traditional album sales). The arrival grants the country superstar her 10th top 10-charting set on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, and a 13th leader on the Top Country Albums chart. Sing It Now also launches at No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums chart – McEntire’s first entrance on that tally.

The Weeknd’s Starboy falls one position on the Billboard 200 to No. 5 with 47,000 units (down 7 percent) and, below Gaga’s The Fame at No. 6, Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic is steady at No. 7 with 32,000 units (up 2 percent).

The original Broadway cast recording of Dear Evan Hansen makes a splashy debut in the top 10, as it arrives at No. 8 with 29,000 units (25,000 from traditional album sales -- all from downloads). It’s the highest debut on the chart by a cast recording since 1961, when the original Broadway cast recording of Camelot bowed at No. 4 on the mono albums chart (before Billboard combined its then-separate mono and stereo charts into one all-encompassing albums chart in 1963). Indeed, Dear Evan Hansen even outpaced the debut chart position of the successful Hamilton: An American Musical album, which bowed at No. 12 (later peaking at No. 3).

Dear Evan Hansen was released to digital retailers and streaming services on Feb. 3 through Atlantic Records (the same label that released Hamilton). The album’s CD edition will arrive to retailers on Feb. 24.

Dear Evan Hansen also logs the third-largest debut sales week for a cast recording since Nielsen Music began electronically tracking sales in 1991. It follows only the debuts of Hamilton: An American Musical (28,000; in 2015) and Rent (43,000 in 1996).

Remarkably, Dear Evan Hansen is just the fourth cast recording to reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200 in the last 50 years. In that span of time, the only cast albums to visit the region, before Dear Evan Hansen, were: Hamilton (No. 3 in 2016), The Book of Mormon (No. 3 in 2011) and Hair (No. 1 for 13 weeks in 1969).

Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway at Music Box Theatre on Dec. 4, 2016, following preview performances that began on Nov. 14. The show stars Ben Platt (of the first two Pitch Perfect films) and its music and lyrics were written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Pasek and Paul also wrote the bulk of the lyrics for the songs in the movie La La Land, which earned the duo a pair of Academy Award nominations for best original song (“Audition” and “City of Stars”).

Post Malone’s Stoney is a non-mover at No. 9 with 27,000 units (up less than 1 percent).

Rounding out the top 10 is the latest streaming-only compilation: The RCA-List, Vol. 4. It starts at No. 10 with 26,000 units — all from streams. The 36-song effort features a bevy of singles from the RCA label, including many that aren’t found on albums by the various songs’ respective artists.

[areyoureadytojump]

Wow at Dear Evan Hansen!

[HolidayGuy]

The numbers for Reba McEntire's album were stronger than projected- good on her.

[areyoureadytojump]

TOP ALBUM SALES
Week Ending: 02/09/17

1. BIG SEAN|I DECIDED.(EXPLICIT) 64.9k
2. MCENTIRE*REBA|SING IT NOW:SONG 52.0k
3. LADY GAGA|JOANNE 48.0k
4. DEAR EVAN HANSE|DEAR EVAN HANS 24.9k
5. VARIOUS ARTISTS|NOW 61 21.6k
6. GILBERT*BRANTLE|THE DEVIL DON'T 19.0k
7. JOBE*KARI|THE GARDEN 16.8k
8. LADY GAGA|FAME 16.8k
9. SOUNDTRACK|LA LA LAND 16.2k
10. MARS*BRUNO|24K MAGIC 15.2k

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

One thing I wanted to point out is that soundtrack albums had a nice little streak going on the BB 200 that was broken this week which consisted of having at least one soundtrack album in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. The streak started on the chart dated August 27, 2016 with the Suicide Squad: The Album debuting at #1 and lasted until last week, when both La La Land and Moana OST were in the Top 10. I wonder if next week's debut of the Fifty Shades Darker OST could be start of a new one.

[rimetm]

Feb 13, 2017 11:32:44 GMT -5 Baby Yoda Hot100Fan said:

One thing I wanted to point out is that soundtrack albums had a nice little streak going on the BB 200 that was broken this week which consisted of having at least one soundtrack album in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. The streak started on the chart dated August 27, 2016 with the Suicide Squad: The Album debuting at #1 and lasted until last week, when both La La Land and Moana OST were in the Top 10. I wonder if next week's debut of the Fifty Shades Darker OST could be start of a new one.

If you count cast recordings as soundtracks (yes, I know the Soundtracks chart doesn't, but I don't get why since it's the same concept: music from a visual work), then the streak's still going thanks to Dear Evan Hansen. In fact, since Hamilton started its top 10 run in the summer, this has been quite the momentous chain.

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

Feb 13, 2017 12:15:44 GMT -5 rimetm said:

Feb 13, 2017 11:32:44 GMT -5 Baby Yoda Hot100Fan said:

One thing I wanted to point out is that soundtrack albums had a nice little streak going on the BB 200 that was broken this week which consisted of having at least one soundtrack album in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. The streak started on the chart dated August 27, 2016 with the Suicide Squad: The Album debuting at #1 and lasted until last week, when both La La Land and Moana OST were in the Top 10. I wonder if next week's debut of the Fifty Shades Darker OST could be start of a new one.

If you count cast recordings as soundtracks (yes, I know the Soundtracks chart doesn't, but I don't get why since it's the same concept: music from a visual work), then the streak's still going thanks to Dear Evan Hansen. In fact, since Hamilton started its top 10 run in the summer, this has been quite the momentous chain.

What Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton accomplished as Original Cast Recordings in reaching the Top 10 within the last year is unprecedented. Especially the former, since it didn't have a Tony Awards' boost. Maybe this will set a precedent and other ones can accomplish the same in the near future.

[HolidayGuy]

hot100- to boot, both Moana and La La land have topped the Album Sales chart. :)

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

Feb 13, 2017 12:42:16 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

hot100- to boot, both Moana and La La land have topped the Album Sales chart. :)

So did Suicide Squad. :) Also, Trolls got to #3 and Sing #4 during the streak.

[Enigma.]

so there's new RCA-List a week after vol. 3? What's that all about?

[HolidayGuy]

Indeed, hot100fan- so, si, soundtracks are on a chart roll. :)

[Gary]

Chart Watch
Chart Watch: Gaga Is the Real Super Bowl Champ
[Yahoo Music]
Paul Grein
Writer
Yahoo MusicFebruary 13, 2017

Tom Brady was named MVP at Super Bowl LI, but Lady Gaga also came away a winner. In the wake of her half-time show, Gaga has two albums in the top 10 on The Billboard 200 for the first time in more than seven years. She also has a single in the top 10 on the Hot 100 for the first time in more than three years.

Gaga’s current album, Joanne, rebounds from No. 66 to No. 2 in its 16th week. Her 2008 debut album, The Fame, re-enters the chart at No. 6. And “Million Reasons,” the second single from Joanne, re-enters the Hot 100 at No. 4. It had previously peaked at No. 52. It’s Gaga’s first top 10 hit since “Applause” in late 2013.

I believe sports fans would call this a “save.” Joanne spent just two weeks in the top 10 last fall before it fell out. Many pundits (me included) dismissed Joanne as one of the sales disappointments of 2016. The album’s resurgence is a useful reminder that—in the immortal words of baseball legend Yogi Berra—”It ain’t over till it’s over.”

“Million Reasons” is Gaga’s 14th top 10 hit on the Hot 100. This extends Gaga’s streak of landing at least one top 10 single from each of her solo studio albums. That streak seemed to have ended when “Perfect Illusion,” the lead single from Joanne, peaked at No. 15.

The ballad sold 149K copies this week, which enables it to vault from No. 63 to No. 1 on Top Digital Songs. It displaces “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)” by Taylor Swift and Zayn. It’s Gaga’s fifth No. 1 hit on the digital sales chart; her first since “Born This Way” in 2011.

Gaga’s other two solo studio albums also re-entered The Billboard 200, though not as high. Born This Way re-opened at No. 25. ARTPOP (rudely called ARTFLOP in the tabloid press) returned at No. 174.

Gaga last had two albums in the top 10 the week of Dec. 12, 2009, when The Fame Monster debuted at No. 5 and The Fame surged from No. 34 to No. 6.

The Fame re-enters Top Catalog Albums at No. 1. It displaces New Edition’s All the Number Ones. This is the first time that a Gaga album has ranked No. 1 on the catalog chart.

This is the second year in a row in which the latest album by the Super Bowl headliner returned to the top 10 on The Billboard 200 in the week following the game. Last year, Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams rebounded from No. 16 to No. 4.

Top Songs

Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” tops the Hot 100 for the third week in its fifth week on the chart. That’s the longest run at No. 1 for a record that isn’t a collaboration since Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” had three weeks on top early last year.

“Shape of You” tops the Official U.K. Singles Chart for the fifth straight week. Sheeran also holds the No. 2 spot in the U.K. for the fifth straight week with “Castle on the Hill.” This marks the first time in U.K. chart history that an artist has held down both of the top two spots for five weeks running. The old record was held by Justin Bieber, whose hits “Love Yourself” and “Sorry” were No. 1 and No. 2 for four weeks in November and December 2015.

Migos’ “Bad and Boujee” (featuring Lil Uzi Vert) holds at No. 2 in its 13th week. The song logged three weeks at No. 1.

The Taylor Swift/Zayn collabo “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)” holds at No. 3 in its ninth week. The song is from Fifty Shades Darker, the sequel to the 2015 hit, Fifty Shades of Grey. That movie spawned a pair of hits that peaked at No. 3—The Weeknd’s “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)” and Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do.”

“Bad Things” by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello dips from No. 4 to No. 5 in its 15th week.

Big Sean lands his third top 10 hit as “Bounce Back” jumps from No. 15 to No. 6 in its 12th week. It follows “Dance (A$$)” (featuring Nicki Minaj), which reached No. 10 in 2011, and “As Long As You Love Me,” on which Big Sean was featured (No. 6 in 2012).

The Chainsmokers’ “Closer” (featuring Halsey) drops from No. 5 to No. 7 in its 28th week. It’s the first song in Hot 100 history to spend its first 28 weeks in the top 10. It logged 12 weeks at No. 1.

Alessia Cara’s “Scars to Your Beautiful” jumps from No. 10 to No. 8 in its 24th week.

Maroon 5’s “Don’t Wanna Know” (featuring Kendrick Lamar) drops from its No. 6 peak to No. 9 in its 18th week.

The Chainsmokers’ “Paris” rebounds from No. 11 to No. 10 in its fourth week. The song has climbed as high as No. 7. The duo thus has two songs in this week’s top 10.

Two former No. 1 hits—The Weeknd’s “Starboy” (featuring Daft Punk) and Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” (featuring Gucci Mane)—drop out of the top 10 this week. So does a third hit, Drake’s “Fake Love.”

Two songs—Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” (featuring Sean Paul) and The Chainsmokers’ “Don’t Let Me Down” (featuring Daya)”—each log their 52nd week on the Hot 100. Both songs still have a long way to go to catch the all-time leader, Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” which spent 87 weeks on the chart. The all-time record for a collaboration is LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” (featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock), which spent 68 weeks on the chart.

Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life” tops the 3 million mark in digital sales this week. The song reached No. 5 in June 2003.

Top Albums

Big Sean lands his second No. 1 album in a row as I Decided. enters The Billboard 200 in the top spot. His previous album, Dark Sky Paradise, debuted at No. 1 in March 2015. I Decided. displaces Migos’ Culture, which bowed at No. 1 last week. This marks the first time that hip-hop albums have debuted at No. 1 in successive weeks since the fall of 2015, when Drake & Future’s What a Time to Be Alive and Fetty Wap’s Fetty Wap achieved the feat.

Big Sean is the second rapper named Sean to land a pair of No. 1 albums. Sean Combs topped the chart with 1997’s No Way Out (as Puff Daddy) and 2006’s Press Play (as Diddy).

This is Big Sean’s fifth top five album. All four of his solo albums have cracked the top five, as did a 2016 album he recorded as one half of Twenty88 (alongside Jhené Aiko).

Migos’ Culture drops from No. 1 to No. 3 in its second week.

Reba McEntire lands her 10th top 10 album as Sing it Now: Songs of Faith and Hope debuts at No. 4. Sing it Now enters Top Country Albums at No. 1, displacing Brantley Gilbert’s The Devil Don’t Sleep. It’s McEntire’s 13th No. 1 country album. It’s the seventh collection of inspirational songs to top the country chart. It follows Joey & Rory’s Hymns (2016), Alabama’s Songs of Inspiration (2015), Alan Jackson’s Precious Memories (2006), Le Ann Rimes’ You Light Up My Life—Inspirational Songs(1997), Charley Pride’s Did You Think to Pray (1971) and Buck Owens’ Dust on Mother’s Bible (1966).

The Weeknd’s Starboy dips from No. 4 to No. 5 in its 11th week. The album spent five non-consecutive weeks on top.

Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic holds at No. 7 in its 12th week. The album has climbed as high as No. 2.

The Original Broadway cast album to Dear Evan Hansen debuts at No. 8. That’s the highest debut by a Broadway cast album since Billboard merged separate mono and stereo charts in 1963. Between 1956 and 1963, two cast albums opened in the top 10. Camelot entered the Mono Action Albums chart at No. 4 in January 1961. The Music Man entered the Best Selling Pop Albums chart at No. 6 in February 1958.

Moreover, Dear Evan Hansen instantly becomes one of the highest-charting (not just highest-debuting) Broadway cast albums of the past 50 years. It is topped only by Hair (No. 1 for 13 weeks in 1969), The Book of Mormon (No. 3 in 2011) and Hamilton (No. 3 last year). All three of those albums reached their peaks in the wake of the Tony Awards, which is traditionally Broadway’s biggest platform. The fact that Hansen is doing so well even before the Tonys (which are set for June 11 this year) is remarkable.

Dear Evan Hansen stars Ben Platt, who was featured in the first two Pitch Perfect films (both of which yielded hit soundtracks). Benj Pasek and Justin Paul collaborated on the songs. They also wrote most of the lyrics for the songs in La La Land.

Post Malone’s Stoney holds at No. 9 in its ninth week. The album peaked at No. 6.

The RCA-List, Vol. 4 debuts at No. 10. The album collects 36 songs that have been released on the RCA label.

Six albums drop out of the top 10 this week. They are Brantley Gilbert’s The Devil Don’t Sleep, Kehlani’s SweetSexySavage, Now 61, the La La Land soundtrack, Train’s A Girl A Bottle A Boat and the Moana soundtrack.

Coming Attractions: Look for the 50 Shades Darker soundtrack to be next week’s top debut on The Billboard 200. Also due: Prince Royce’s Five and Alison Krauss’s Windy City. On the Hot 100, look for a high debut by Katy Perry’s “Chained to the Rhythm” (featuring Skip Marley).

[areyoureadytojump]

^Link:

www.yahoo.com/music/chart-watch-gaga-is-the-real-super-bowl-champ-215204259.html

[areyoureadytojump]

roughstock.com/news/2017/02/41463-top-10-country-albums-chart-february-13-2017

Top 10 Country Albums Chart: February 13, 2017
Posted By Matt Bjorke

Place Artist Album Week Total Scans

1 Reba McEntire Sing It Now: Songs of Faith... 52,000 52,400
2 Brantley Gilbert The Devil Don't Sleep 19,000 85,400
3 Garth Brooks Ultimate Collection 11,100 445,700
4 Chris Stapleton Traveller 7,200 1,726,300
5 Keith Urban Ripcord 6,800 450,200
6 Miranda Lambert The Weight Of These Wings 4,200 270,500
7 Garth Brooks The Ultimate Hits 3,900 2,668,600
8 Jason Aldean They Don't Know 3,500 329,900
9 Maren Morris Hero 3,400 174,000
10 Luke Bryan Kill The Lights 3,000 1,107,900
11 Johnny Cash Legend of Johnny Cash 2,900 3,593,100
12 Florida Georgia Line Dig Your Roots 2,900 343,800
13 Kane Brown Kane Brown 2,900 102,700
14 Lauren Alaina Road Less Traveled 2,800 12,500
15 Sturgill Simpson A Sailor's Guide To Earth 2,500 173,200

-- Kelsea Ballerini The First Time 2,500 249,300
-- Thomas Rhett Tangled Up 2,400 538,600
-- Sam Hunt Montevallo 2,200 1,265,500
-- Jon Pardi California Sunrise 2,200 111,100
-- Blake Shelton If I'm Honest 2,100 559,000
-- Kenny Chesney Cosmic Halleujah 2,000 190,000
-- Eric Church Mr. Misunderstood 2,000 500,200
-- Carrie Underwood Storyteller 1,900 734,700
-- Joey+Rory Hymns 1,800 527,400
-- Various Aritsts To Joey With Love 1,700 15,200
-- Dierks Bentley Black 1,500 235,000
-- Garth Brooks Gunslinger 1,500 82,300
-- Justin Moore Kinda Don't Care 1,400 101,300
-- Aaron Lewis Sinner 1,400 105,400
-- Cole Swindell You Should Be Here 1,200 252,500
-- Hillary Scott/Scott Family Love Remains 1,200 127,100
-- Cody Jinks I'm Not The Devil 1,000 39,400
-- Chris Young I'm Comin' Over 1,000 259,100
-- Ronnie Dunn Tattooed Heart 1,000 37,500
-- Brothers Osborne Pawn Shop 1,000 99,800
-- Cypress Spring Denim 900 1,000
-- Old Dominion Meat And Candy 900 181,600
-- Bradley Walker Call Me Old Fashioned 800 26,600
-- Tim McGraw Damn Country Music 700 251,300
-- Dolly Parton Pure and Simple 700 111,000
-- Wheeler Walker Jr Redneck Shit 700 37,200
-- Drake White Spark 600 38,700
-- Luke Combs This One's For You 600 12,800
-- Blackberry Smoke Like An Arrow 500 38,900
-- Dylan Scott Dylan Scott 400 22,500
-- William Michael Morgan Vinyl 400 22,600
-- High Valley Dear Life 400 10,400
-- Chris Janson Buy Me A Boat 400 115,800
-- Cody Johnson Gotta Be Me 400 39,200
-- Home Free Country Evolution 400 59,100
-- Margo Price Midwest Farmer's Daughter 300 46,900
-- Joey+Rory Album Collection 300 36,200
-- Chris Lane Girl Problem 300 17,300
-- Jennifer Nettles Playing With Fire 300 99,400
-- Loretta Lynn Full Circle 300 73,700

[Gary]

Lady Gaga's - The Fame is in the top 10 for a 51st week, moving into 22nd all-time for most weeks in he top 10 for one album

First week in the top 10 since August 2010

[Gary]

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Extends Reign as Highest Certified Album in U.S. History

Michael Jackson’s blockbuster album Thriller just keeps on getting bigger. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certified the set at 33-times platinum in the U.S., extending Thriller’s record as the highest certified album in history.

That means Thriller -- released in 1982 -- has earned 33 million equivalent album units in the U.S. That sum blends traditional album sales (one album sale equals one unit), tracks sold from an album (10 tracks sold equals one unit) and on-demand audio and/or video streams (1,500 streams equals one unit).

A plaque commemorating the milestone was presented at the home of Epic Records chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid over Grammy weekend, where Sony Music CEO Doug Morris, Columbia Records chairman and incoming Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer, Sony president, commercial group Richard Storey, attorneys Karen Langford and John Branca toasted the certification.

The RIAA revamped its Gold & Platinum Awards Program on Feb. 1, 2016, growing from a pure album sales certification process to one that includes tracks and streams. That same day, Thriller’s certification was raised from 30 million to 32 million.

Read more: Michael Jackson's Top 50 Billboard Hits

Thriller continues to maintain its place as the highest-certified album ever, ahead of Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, with 29 million. (It was last certified on Jan. 30, 2006.)

Thriller was released through Sony Music Entertainment’s Epic Records and spent 37 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The mega-successful set was the first to generate a record seven top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including two No. 1s: “Billie Jean” (No. 1 for seven weeks) and “Beat It” (No. 1 for three weeks). In 2015, Thriller was named the biggest album of all time by a male artist on the Billboard 200 chart, and the No. 3 title overall.

Simultaneous with Thriller’s raised certification, its follow-up, Bad, climbs to 10-times platinum (the RIAA’s Diamond award). Jackson is one of just 22 acts with more than one Diamond-certified album.

Representatives for Sony and Jackson’s estate say that Thriller has sold 105 million copies globally.

[areyoureadytojump]

^ www.billboard.com/articles/news/7693419/michael-jackson-thriller-highest-certified-album

[KeepDeanWeird]

Thriller continues to maintain its place as the highest-certified album ever, ahead of Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, with 29 million. (It was last certified on Jan. 30, 2006.)

Even though I'm certain Thriller is still significantly ahead, I wonder how close the gap is - it's been 11 years since 71-75 was certified and it's usually on the annual Top 100 bestselling lists. In 2016, it outsold Thriller 192K to 127K in pure sales.

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

Feb 16, 2017 9:08:42 GMT -5 KeepDeanWeird said:

Thriller continues to maintain its place as the highest-certified album ever, ahead of Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, with 29 million. (It was last certified on Jan. 30, 2006.)

Even though I'm certain Thriller is still significantly ahead, I wonder how close the gap is - it's been 11 years since 71-75 was certified and it's usually on the annual Top 100 bestselling lists. In 2016, it outsold Thriller 192K to 127K in pure sales.

Although not for the 2016 calendar per se, but for the 2016 Year-End melody56 estimated about 210k and 160k SPS respectively, which sounds about right. Sadly, The Eagles' album got a bit more SEAs due to Glenn Frey's death last year.

[Gary]

Lady Gaga's Super Week: Her Sales & Streaming Gains After the Big Game

By Gary Trust and Keith Caulfield | February 16, 2017 9:53 AM EST
Lady Gaga performs onstage during the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show at NRG Stadium on Feb. 5, 2017 in Houston.



What a comeback by that athletic performer who shined during Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5. No, not Tom Brady (although, yes, him too, as he quarterbacked the New England Patriots to a stunning 34-28 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons, erasing a 28-3 deficit, in the game), but Lady Gaga, who headlined the halftime show.

In honor of the Super Bowl's musical winner, here's a roundup of Gaga's sales and streaming gains for her songs and albums in the tracking week ending Feb. 9.

SONGS

Following Gaga's performance, her catalog of songs soared by a whopping 1,850 percent to 410,000 downloads sold in the week ending Feb. 9, according to Nielsen Music. Notably, of her total song download sales in 2017, the latest frame accounts for 75 percent of the sum.

Additionally, Gaga's on-demand song streams grew 196 percent to 41.8 million for the week.


As previously reported, Gaga's current single "Million Reasons" roars back onto the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Feb. 25) at a new No. 4 peak, after initially reaching No. 52 in December, after she performed the ballad as part of her halftime spotlight. Her 14th Hot 100 top 10 returns to the Digital Song Sales chart at No. 1, up 1,334 percent to 149,000 sold (also boosted by a 69-cent sale price in the iTunes Store). The song is her first leader on the list since "Born This Way" in 2011.

Gaga's other top-sellers for the week, encompassing the rest of the six songs prominently featured during her halftime show: "Born This Way" (41,000, up 5,292 percent, as it re-enters Digital Song Sales at No. 7); "Bad Romance" (39,000, up 2,753 percent, No. 9); "Poker Face" (34,000, up 2,165 percent, No. 14); "Just Dance," featuring Colby O'Donis (25,000, up 2,718 percent, No. 26); and "Telephone," featuring Beyonce (20,000, up 3,226 percent, No. 39).

As for Gaga's top on-demand-streamed songs for the week, "Reasons" leads, surging 229 percent to 3.9 million on-demand U.S. streams. Next up: "Bad Romance" (1.7 million, up 223 percent) and "Poker Face" (1.7 million, up 183 percent).

ALBUMS

Mother Monster's albums likewise leap following the Super Bowl. In the week ending Feb. 9, Gaga's catalog of albums vaulted by 844 percent to 135,000 equivalent album units earned. Her albums sold 75,000 copies in that span, up 1,182 percent. Similar to her song sales, Gaga's 75,000 albums sold in the tracking week account for 69 percent of her 2017 total.

Gaga's most recent LP, Joanne (featuring "Reasons"), surges 66-2 on the Billboard 200 (74,000 equivalent album units, up 818 percent, as it reaches its highest rank since it debuted at No. 1 on Nov. 12). Meanwhile, her 2008 debut album The Fame re-enters the chart at No. 6 (38,000 units, up 986 percent). In terms of traditional album sales, the titles sold 48,000 (up 1,054 percent) and 17,000 (up 1,920 percent), respectively. Both sets also profit from iTunes sale-pricing during the tracking week, as they were marked down to $6.99.

Further, 2011's Born This Way jumps back onto the Billboard 200 at No. 25 with 17,000 units (up 1,117 percent) and 6,000 sold (up 1,605 percent), while 2013's ARTPOP returns at No. 174 with 5,000 units (up 420 percent) and 2,000 sold (up 1,414 percent).

[areyoureadytojump]

Bad is Diamond:

RIAA.com:

MICHAEL JACKSON
Title: BAD
Certification Date: February 16, 2017
Label: EPIC/LEGACY
Format: ALBUM
10xP

MICHAEL JACKSON
Title: THRILLER
Certification Date: February 16, 2017
Label: EPIC RECORDS
Format: ALBUM
33xP

KENNY CHESNEY
Title: WELCOME TO THE FISHBOWL
Certification Date: February 13, 2017
Label: BLUE CHAIR RECORDS / COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
Format: ALBUM
1xP

KENNY CHESNEY
Title: THE BIG REVIVAL
Certification Date: February 13, 2017
Label: BLUE CHAIR RECORDS / COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
Format: ALBUM
Gold

KENNY CHESNEY
Title: LUCKY OLD SUN
Certification Date: February 13, 2017
Label: BNA RECORDS LABEL
Format: ALBUM
1xP

KENNY CHESNEY
Title: LIFE ON A ROCK
Certification Date: February 13, 2017
Label: BLUE CHAIR RECORDS / COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
Format: ALBUM
Gold

FOREIGNER
Title: HOT BLOODED AND OTHER HITS
Certification Date: February 10, 2017
Label: RHINO ENTERTAINMENT
Format: ALBUM
Gold

LITTLE BIG TOWN
Title: PAIN KILLER
Certification Date: February 10, 2017
Label: CAPITOL RECORDS NASHVILLE
1xP

[areyoureadytojump]

Feb 16, 2017 9:08:42 GMT -5 KeepDeanWeird said:

Thriller continues to maintain its place as the highest-certified album ever, ahead of Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, with 29 million. (It was last certified on Jan. 30, 2006.)

Even though I'm certain Thriller is still significantly ahead, I wonder how close the gap is - it's been 11 years since 71-75 was certified and it's usually on the annual Top 100 bestselling lists. In 2016, it outsold Thriller 192K to 127K in pure sales.

As we all know, Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is a GH album.

The streaming from 71-75 would count for a new certification.

But, what about the digital single sales for the songs on 71-75?

The Eagles' label can choose what album the single sales can be applied to for certification purposes.

A recent example of this is Eminem's Curtain Call being certified 7xP when it had sold 4 million copies. The digital single sales were applied to Curtain Call and not other Eminem albums.

It's a confusing mess.

71-75 is on Elektra which is part of Warner Bros. Warner has not been certifying albums with the RIAA. They did more last year because of the updated requirements.

It would be nice if labels would certify albums when they are due for a new certification, but they don't.

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours went 20xP in 2014 probably because Fleetwood Mac asked for it.

The Eagles are going to have ask Warner to start the certification process.

Some artists do not care about RIAA awards and tell labels not to bother.

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

Feb 16, 2017 17:00:33 GMT -5 areyoureadytojump said:

Feb 16, 2017 9:08:42 GMT -5 KeepDeanWeird said:

Thriller continues to maintain its place as the highest-certified album ever, ahead of Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, with 29 million. (It was last certified on Jan. 30, 2006.)

Even though I'm certain Thriller is still significantly ahead, I wonder how close the gap is - it's been 11 years since 71-75 was certified and it's usually on the annual Top 100 bestselling lists. In 2016, it outsold Thriller 192K to 127K in pure sales.

As we all know, Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is a GH album.

The streaming from 71-75 would count for a new certification.

But, what about the digital single sales for the songs on 71-75?

The Eagles' label can choose what album the single sales can be applied to for certification purposes.

A recent example of this is Eminem's Curtain Call being certified 7xP when it had sold 4 million copies. The digital single sales were applied to Curtain Call and not other Eminem albums.

It's a confusing mess.

71-75 is on Elektra which is part of Warner Bros. Warner has not been certifying albums with the RIAA. They did more last year because of the updated requirements.

It would be nice if labels would certify albums when they are due for a new certification, but they don't.

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours went 20xP in 2014 probably because Fleetwood Mac asked for it.

The Eagles are going to have ask Warner to start the certification process.

Some artists do not care about RIAA awards and tell labels not to bother.

One such song that got stuck at 4X Platinum since 2013 is What You Makes You Beautiful. Plus now you get songs that weren't really hits becoming gold and platinum which devalues the certification, IMHO. Probably in the side of albums getting certified is tougher in spite of the help they are getting from SEAs and TEAs.

[areyoureadytojump]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7694135/billboard-200-chart-moves-dear-evan-hansen-hamilton?utm_source=twitter

Billboard 200 Chart Moves: 'Dear Evan Hansen' & 'Hamilton' Give Broadway Two Albums in Top 20 for First Time in More Than 50 Years
2/17/2017 by Keith Caulfield

Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the action on the latest Billboard 200 chart:

— Original Broadway Cast Recording, Dear Evan Hansen - No. 8 — For the first time in more than 51 years, there are two cast recordings in the top 20 of the Billboard 200 chart. The original Broadway cast recording of Dear Evan Hansen debuts at No. 8 with 29,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Feb. 9, while still-hot Hamilton: An American Musical, moves from No. 12 to No. 13 (25,000 units; down 1 percent). The chart last housed a pair of top 20-charting cast albums way back in 1965, when the Broadway cast recordings of Hello, Dolly! and Fiddler on the Roof both occupied the region for 11 consecutive weeks, between Jan. 16 and March 27, 1965. Hello, Dolly! topped the chart for one week in 1964, while Fiddler On the Roof peaked at No. 7 in January of 1965. Both albums were particularly strong performers on the list, with Hello, Dolly! spending 90 weeks on the tally, and Fiddler charting 206 frames on the list.

As previously reported, Dear Evan Hansen’s bow at No. 8 is the highest debut for a cast recording on the chart since 1961, and marks just the fourth cast recording to reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200 in the last 50 years. In that span of time, the only previous cast albums to visit the region were: Hamilton (No. 3 in 2016), The Book of Mormon (No. 3 in 2011) and Hair (No. 1 for 13 weeks in 1969).

— J. Cole, 4 Your Eyez Only - No. 23 — J. Cole nabs his fourth half-million-selling album, as 4 Your Eyes Only sold another 5,000 copies in the week ending Feb. 9, bringing its cumulative total to 503,000 sold. All four of Cole’s studio efforts have reached the half-million sales mark: his debut set Cole World: The Sideline Story, has sold 863,000 since its arrival in 2011. He then followed it up with Born Sinner (801,000; 2013), 2014 Forest Hills Drive (1.27 million, 2014) and last year’s 4 Your Eyez Only.

— Alessia Cara, Know-It-All – No. 30 — Alessia Cara’s two major TV appearances during the tracking week (NBC’s The Tonight Show on Feb. 3 and Saturday Night Live on Feb. 4) yield a 42 percent unit gain for her album, which rises 58-30 with 13,000 units.

— LeAnn Rimes, Remnants – No. 88 — Rimes returns to the Billboard 200 with her 17th chart entry, and first for RCA U.K., as Remnants bows at No. 88. The set starts with 7,000 units earned (6,000 from traditional album sales). The bulk of Rimes’ album catalog was released through Curb Records from 1996 through 2014, including eight top 10 sets – two of which reached No. 1 (Unchained Melody/The Early Years, and You Light Up My Life – Inspirational Songs).

— Prince, 4Ever - No. 189 — Following the return of Prince’s Warner Music-era music to streaming services on Feb. 12, the Purple One’s streams gained 6,323 percent in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. Prince’s music (including his non-Warner output) claimed 4.77 million on-demand streams on Feb. 12 and 13 -- up from just 74,000 streams in the two previous days. Those robust numbers could bode well for this 4Ever compilation in the coming weeks, as the greatest hits package gathers together Prince’s most familiar tunes during his time with Warner Bros. Records -- including classics like “When Doves Cry,” “1999” and “Purple Rain.”

[KeepDeanWeird]

Feb 16, 2017 17:00:33 GMT -5 areyoureadytojump said:

Feb 16, 2017 9:08:42 GMT -5 KeepDeanWeird said:

Thriller continues to maintain its place as the highest-certified album ever, ahead of Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, with 29 million. (It was last certified on Jan. 30, 2006.)

Even though I'm certain Thriller is still significantly ahead, I wonder how close the gap is - it's been 11 years since 71-75 was certified and it's usually on the annual Top 100 bestselling lists. In 2016, it outsold Thriller 192K to 127K in pure sales.

As we all know, Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is a GH album.

The streaming from 71-75 would count for a new certification.

But, what about the digital single sales for the songs on 71-75?

The Eagles' label can choose what album the single sales can be applied to for certification purposes.

A recent example of this is Eminem's Curtain Call being certified 7xP when it had sold 4 million copies. The digital single sales were applied to Curtain Call and not other Eminem albums.

It's a confusing mess.

I didn't realize labels could pick and choose where to apply tracks (I get it for soundtracks), but since those sales/streams are be tracked - for example, if someone buys or streams WW from 71-75, The Very Best of the Eagles, the Eagles, Selected Works, the label knows. But, then again, the whole application is a bit elastic, e.g., Taylor Swift's Bad Blood Remix, which didn't appear on 1989 and yet it's sales, which were significant, were applied to 1989. It's not that big of a deal, just another example how album consumption is measured far differently than physical albums - I'd argue that all the physical single sales should now be added to parent albums: all 7 Thriller physical single sales should be added to parent album - because those sales are no different than a digital sale.

[areyoureadytojump]

^I'm sure all off Thriller's digital single sales are part of Thriller's 33xP.

'The Essential MJ' is eligible for 4xP. 'Number Ones' is eligible for 5xP. Both were not certified.

It's nice to see some exciting Catalog certs.

Still waiting on the 'Grease' Sdtk. and 'Dark Side Of The Moon.' LOL

None of David Bowie's albums were re-certified. Same with Prince. 'Purple Rain' could be 16-17xP.

[Gary]

From Ask Billboard 2006

'GREASE' IS THE WORD

Keith,

As the manager of Billboard's Pop Catalog and Soundtracks charts, you must certainly be aware of how well the "Grease" soundtrack continues to sell 27 years after its initial release. Although it has not appeared on the Catalog chart since 1999, it does still periodically appear on the Soundtracks chart.

Yet, the U.S. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sales certification of "Grease" has not been updated in over two decades.

This is particularly surprising since the soundtrack spent 52 weeks at No. 1 on the Pop Catalog chart and was the top-selling Pop Catalog album of 1997 and 1998. In fact, I recall reading an article in Billboard when the film was re-released in 1998 that "Grease" would have ranked in the Top 20 on the Billboard 200 albums chart if it was eligible to chart!

Why have Polydor/Universal/UMe (the current labels for the soundtrack) not submitted its shipments to the RIAA for certification? I would imagine that "Grease" could possibly rank as the best selling soundtrack ever if its certification was updated. This is especially perplexing since another Polydor soundtrack, "Saturday Night Fever," was updated in 1999.

Since its certification is not up to date, I was wondering if you could instead provide the Soundscan sales for "Grease."

Thanks for reading and happy 2006!

Dan White
New York

Hello Dan,

Believe me, the mystery of why the "Grease" soundtrack has not been recertified since 1984 is perplexing. The 1978 album was last certified by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1984, when it claimed 8 million copies shipped to U.S. retailers.

More than 21 years later, the album continues to maintain a certification of only 8 million copies shipped in the United States, according to the RIAA. As you pointed out, in the '90s, "Grease" was a huge selling album. It was an especially strong seller around the time when Paramount re-released the film to theaters in 1998.

All told, since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in 1991, "Grease" has sold 5.3 million. Therefore, one would assume the "Grease" soundtrack is due for at least a few more million in its platinum count.

In order to receive a gold or platinum certification, one must apply to the RIAA and pay an auditing fee. There is sometimes a lot of paperwork and research involved, especially with older titles. However, you'd have to think that with certain albums, and the level of achievement that is anticipated, the work involved would be worth it.

We contacted the RIAA regarding the "Grease" soundtrack, and they did not know why the album's certification had not been updated since 1984. We also reached out to Universal Music Enterprises, though they had "no comment" on the matter.

Really, it's baffling. "Grease" may be the biggest selling soundtrack of all time, but right now, we don't definitively know. As it stands, 1992's "The Bodyguard" is the biggest selling soundtrack, with a certification of 17 million in the U.S. by the RIAA. "Saturday Night Fever" is in second place with 15 million. Prince and the Revolution's "Purple Rain" is third with 13 million.

[Gary]

I believe the cert issue with the Grease Soundtrack has something to do with RSO, the original Grease label which went under in the early 80s

Cert records likely got lost in the shuffle when RSO was absorbed by Polydor

[areyoureadytojump]

^But with 6 million in confirmed SoundScan sales equals an easy 14xP certification!

Polydor just doesn't care.