Published Sales Totals

[Gary]

Thought I would start a thread for "published" sales totals.

These would be totals in industry articles such as "Ask Billboard" and others.

"Leaked" Soundscan data pops up from time to time but this thread is for the legal stuff.  Rather than have them scattered across threads - to put them in one place


Starting with Mariah Carey





Ask Billboard: Mariah Carey's Career Sales, Ariana Grande Fun Facts & More

11/18/2018 by Gary Trust



Hi Gary,

Can we please have an update of Mariah Carey's U.S. album sales?

Thank you,

Jamie Coogan
London, United Kingdom

Mariah Carey
Read More
Mariah Carey's 'Caution' Is Here: Stream It Now

Hi Jamie,

In honor of Friday's arrival of Caution, let's look at the U.S. sales, according to Nielsen Music, of all 20 of Carey's Billboard 200 entries to date. (Note that her first LP debuted nearly a year before the advent of Nielsen data, and, regarding her more recent releases, that overall album sales continue to decline.)

Mariah Carey, 4.9 million (No. 1 Billboard 200 peak, for 11 weeks; 1990 debut); Emotions, 3.5 million (No. 4; 1991); MTV Unplugged EP, 2.8 million (No. 3; 1992); Music Box, 7.3 million (No. 1, eight weeks; 1993); Merry Christmas, 5.6 million (No. 3; 1994)

Daydream, 7.7 million (No. 1, six weeks; 1995); Butterfly, 3.8 million (No. 1, one week; 1997); # 1's, 3.9 million (No. 4; 1998); Rainbow, 2.9 million (No. 2; 1999); Glitter, 661,000 (No. 7; 2001)

Greatest Hits, 1.23 million (No. 52; 2001); Charmbracelet, 1.17 million (No. 3; 2002); The Remixes, 289,000 (No. 26; 2003); The Emancipation of Mimi, 6.1 million (No. 1; two weeks, 2005); E=MC2, 1.3 million (No. 1, two weeks; 2008)

The Ballads, 395,000 (No. 10; 2009); Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, 555,000 (No. 3; 2009); Merry Christmas II You, 587,000 (No. 4; 2010); Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse, 127,000 (No. 3; 2014); #1 to Infinity, 86,000 (No. 29; 2015)

Mariah Carey poses in the press room at the American Music Awards on Oct. 9, 2018 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Read More
Mariah Carey's 'Caution' Is the Perfect 2018 Mariah Carey Album

Carey's career U.S. album sales stand at 55.3 million (led by 1995's Daydream, at 7.7 million), making her the best-selling female album artist, and fourth-best-selling album act overall, of the Nielsen Music era, since 1991. The three acts above her? Garth Brooks (72.3 million), The Beatles (69.3 million) and Metallica (56 million). Directly below Carey, Celine Dion rounds out the top five (53 million).

We'll see if Caution can arrive as Carey's 18th Billboard 200 top 10 … and her seventh No. 1? … on the chart dated Dec. 1. A week before that, Glitter is likely to return to the Soundtracks chart (dated Nov. 24), sparked by the power of the Lambily's #JusticeforGlitter social media campaign.

Another Carey feat to anticipate: Caution's "With You" jumps 14-11 on the latest Adult Contemporary chart. If it can move up at least one more notch (either before or after the annual seasonal takeover of holiday music), Carey will collect her 23rd AC top 10. It would mark her first with an original, non-holiday song since "We Belong Together," which hit No. 3 in 2005.

Carey, thus, could soon be unwrapping multiple chart presents just before Christmas. "People think I'm making this up, but this is actually true: I have real reindeer come to my house," Carey said this week of her holiday habits. "I don't play around."

[Gary]

Ask Billboard: Britney Spears' Career Album & Song Sales, on the 20th Anniversary of '...Baby One More Time'

1/13/2019 by Gary Trust

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Britney Spears photographed in 1998 in New York City.
Plus, Louis Bell chimes in atop the Hot 100 & Lauren Daigle is the latest Christian-to-pop crossover.

Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to [e-mail]. Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S. Or, tweet @gthot20


Hi Gary,

Jan. 12 marked the 20th anniversary of Britney Spears' debut album, ...Baby One More Time. In honor of the set's two decades, can we please get her U.S. sales updated?

Thank you,

Paul Callaghan
Portland, Oregon

Hi Paul,

…Baby One More Time has sold 10.6 million copies in the U.S. to date, making it the 17th-best-selling album since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991. It's one of just 24 albums to break the 10 million-sold barrier.

Meanwhile, 2000 follow-up Oops…I Did It Again has sold 9.2 million, a sum that ranks it No. 32.

Let's recap the sales of all 15 Spears albums that have hit the Billboard 200 chart:

10.6 million, …Baby One More Time; 9.2 million, Oops…I Did It Again; 4.4 million, Britney; 3 million, In the Zone; 1.8 million, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative

1.7 million, Circus; 1 million, Blackout; 803,000, Femme Fatale; 276,000, Britney Jean; 266,000, The Singles Collection

161,000, Playlist: The Very Best of Britney Spears; 154,000, Glory; 138,000, B in the Mix: The Remixes; 55,000, The Essential Britney Spears; 30,000, B in the Mix: The Remixes: Vol. 2

Spears has sold 33.6 million albums in the U.S. and ranks as the 18th-best selling album artist in the Nielsen era. Her songs have drawn 25 billion in cumulative radio airplay audience and 2.6 billion on-demand U.S. audio and video streams combined and she's sold 39.8 million singles (36.9 million via downloads).

On Jan. 12, 1999, "…Baby One More Time" held at its then-No. 4 high on the Billboard Hot 100, on its way to No. 1 on Jan. 30, the same date that the album would debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Britney Spears, "...Baby One More Time"
Read More
Britney Spears' '...Baby One More Time' at 20: All the Songs, Ranked

Also in the Jan. 30 issue, Billboard reviewed the album, a recap that stands up well 20 years later: "The teenage heartthrob who cut through the fourth-quarter clutter with the pop/R&B single '... Baby One More Time' delivers her debut album, a top 40-ready workout filled with hook-laden songs from the same bag as the title cut.

"Blessed with a sweet voice and a wholesome, girl-next-door image, Spears has hit a nerve among a teen fan base primed by the likes of Hanson, 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. ('Baby' was written and produced by Max Martin, best known for his work with the Backstreet Boys and Robyn.)

"Among this album's other highlights are the bouncy 'Sometimes,' the heartbreak ballad 'From the Bottom of My Broken Heart,' the rocking 'I Will Be There' and 'I Will Still Love You,' a duet with Don Philip.

"Although much of the world will be introduced to Spears by this album, she already tasted the limelight in a two-year run on Disney's Mickey Mouse Club.

"A talent to watch."

So was Martin: "…Baby One More Time" became the first of his 22 Hot No. 1s as a writer, and the only leader that he solely wrote. His most recent No. 1? By one of those guys from that group 'N Sync, Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling!" in 2016.

[Gary]

Ask Billboard: Lady Gaga's Career Sales & Streams; Ariana Grande Takes '7' to 1
2/10/2019 by Gary Trust


Hi Gary,
Could us Little Monsters please get an update on Lady Gaga's album and single sales?
Thank you,
Jorge L.
Phoenix, Arizona


Read More
Will Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga & Camila Cabello Win & More Grammy Predictions: Chart Beat Podcast

Hi Jorge,
With Gaga likely needing to create more trophy space thanks to the Grammy Awards tonight (Feb. 10) and the Academy Awards (Feb. 24), with multiple nominations for her Bradley Cooper duet "Shallow," among others, let's update her career U.S. sales and streams, according to Nielsen Music.
Notably, 17 chart weeks in, the A Star Is Born soundtrack, featuring "Shallow," is already her fifth-best-selling album.

Albums
The Fame, 4.8 million; Born This Way, 2.4 million; The Fame Monster (EP), 1.6 million; ARTPOP, 781,000; A Star Is Born (soundtrack), 780,000; Cheek to Cheek (with Tony Bennett), 773,000; Joanne, 649,000; The Remix, 316,000; Born This Way: The Remix, 62,000; A Very Gaga Holiday, 46,000

Top-Selling Songs
"Poker Face," 7.5 million; "Just Dance" (feat. Colby O'Donis), 7.2 million; "Bad Romance," 5.9 million; "Born This Way," 4.3 million; "Paparazzi," 3.6 million; "Telephone" (feat. Beyonce), 3.5 million; "The Edge of Glory," 3 million; "Applause," 2.7 million; "LoveGame," 2.67 million; "Alejandro," 2.63 million; "You and I," 2.4 million; "Do What U Want" (feat. R. Kelly), 1.3 million; "Million Reasons," 1.1 million; "Judas," 1 million

Most-Streamed Songs (on-demand U.S.)
"Bad Romance," 395 million; "Poker Face," 322 million; "Million Reasons," 234 million; "Applause," 232 million; "Just Dance," 197 million; "Shallow," 178 million; "Born This Way," 158 million; "The Cure," 142 million; "Paparazzi," 118 million; "Alejandro," 103 million

As for the best-selling and most-streamed songs to-date from A Star Is Born after "Shallow" (which has sold 596,000): "Always Remember Us This Way," 248,000 sold/71 million streams, and "I'll Never Love Again," 226,000 sold/66 million streams.

No radio follow-up single to "Shallow" has yet been announced from the set. If a second song is promoted, what do you think it should be? Is "Always Remember Us This Way" the safest, and best, choice, given its consumption totals and hook? "I'll Never Love Again"? Another track? ("Remember" seems smartest, although a personal favorite is "Hair Body Face," but not sure how well that would fit on radio in a time of largely low-tempo pop.)

[areyoureadytojump]

^ www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8497475/lady-gaga-sales-streams-ariana-grande-ask-billboard

[areyoureadytojump]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8499721/ariana-grande-halsey-shawn-mendes-ask-billboard

Ask Billboard:

Album Sales

Handwritten, 466,000
Illuminate, 376,000
Shawn Mendes, 281,000;
The Shawn Mendes EP, 105,000
MTV Unplugged, 8,000
Live at Madison Square Garden, 8,000

Top-Selling Songs

"Stitches," 2.7 million
"Treat You Better," 1.1 million
"There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back," 1.1 million
"Mercy," 1.1 million; "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (with Camila Cabello), 807,000
"Life of the Party," 750,000
"Something Big," 558,000
"In My Blood," 450,000
"Show You," 164,000
"The Weight," 150,000

Most-Streamed Songs (on-demand U.S. audio & video)

"Stitches," 787 million
"Treat You Better," 609 million
"There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back," 561 million
"Mercy," 398 million
"In My Blood," 294 million
"I Know What You Did Last Summer," 268 million
"Lost in Japan" (with Zedd), 182 million
"Life of the Party," 149,683,014
"Something Big," 121 million
"Youth," 98 million.

[Gary]

Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper's 'A Star Is Born' Soundtrack Passes 1 Million in U.S. Sales

3/29/2019 by Keith Caulfield

Gaga tallies her fourth million-selling album and first since 2011.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born soundtrack surpasses 1 million copies sold in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. Star sold 16,000 copies in the tracking week ending March 21, bringing the soundtrack’s cumulative sales sum to 1,003,000 after 24 weeks.

Gaga earns her fourth million-selling album, and her first to reach the million mark since May 2011, when Born This Way launched with 1.11 million sold in its first week. Born This Way has sold 2.43 million in total.

Gaga’s other million sellers: The Fame (4.83 million) and The Fame Monster (1.65 million).

The most recently released album before A Star Is Born to sell a million was another soundtrack: The Greatest Showman. It was released on Dec. 8, 2017 and reached the million mark in its 23rd week of release. Its total sales now stand at 1,682,000.

A Star Is Born has spun off the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Shallow," which became Gaga's fourth leader on the list (and Cooper's first). She had last reigned with "Born This Way" in 2011.

A Star Is Born continues to be the top-selling album of 2019, with 298,000 copies sold. Just five albums have cleared 100,000 copies sold so far this year. Comparatively, at this point a year ago (week ending March 22, 2018), 10 albums had each sold 100,000 copies, with The Greatest Showman leading the pack with 624,000 sold.

[Gary]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8504717/a-star-is-born-soundtrack-passes-1-million-us-sales

[areyoureadytojump]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8504717/a-star-is-born-soundtrack-passes-1-million-us-sales

Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper's 'A Star Is Born' Soundtrack Passes 1 Million in U.S. Sales
3/29/2019 by Keith Caulfield

Gaga tallies her fourth million-selling album and first since 2011.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born soundtrack surpasses 1 million copies sold in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. Star sold 16,000 copies in the tracking week ending March 21, bringing the soundtrack’s cumulative sales sum to 1,003,000 after 24 weeks.

Gaga earns her fourth million-selling album, and her first to reach the million mark since May 2011, when Born This Way launched with 1.11 million sold in its first week. Born This Way has sold 2.43 million in total.

Gaga’s other million sellers: The Fame (4.83 million) and The Fame Monster (1.65 million).

The most recently released album before A Star Is Born to sell a million was another soundtrack: The Greatest Showman. It was released on Dec. 8, 2017 and reached the million mark in its 23rd week of release. Its total sales now stand at 1,682,000.

A Star Is Born has spun off the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Shallow," which became Gaga's fourth leader on the list (and Cooper's first). She had last reigned with "Born This Way" in 2011.

A Star Is Born continues to be the top-selling album of 2019, with 298,000 copies sold. Just five albums have cleared 100,000 copies sold so far this year. Comparatively, at this point a year ago (week ending March 22, 2018), 10 albums had each sold 100,000 copies, with The Greatest Showman leading the pack with 624,000 sold.

[Gary]

Ask Billboard: Taylor Swift's Career Sales & Streaming Totals, From 'Tim McGraw' to 'You Need to Calm Down'
7/14/2019 by Gary Trust


We could look at the sales and streams of many artists, but, as Brendon Urie points out, she's the only one of her, so let's recap Swift's. Here is a look at the superstar's U.S. album sales, best-selling songs and top on-demand-streamed songs, according to Nielsen Music (through June 27).

Taylor Swift's Album Sales
7.18 million, Fearless / 6.19 million, 1989 / 5.72 million, Taylor Swift / 4.68 million, Speak Now / 4.45 million, Red / 2.23 million, Reputation / 1.08 million, The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (EP) / 368,000, Speak Now: World Tour Live CD + DVD / 359,000, Beautiful Eyes (EP)
Swift's career U.S. album sales stand at 32.7 million. She's the 23rd-best-selling album artist since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991, and the fifth-best-selling woman, after Mariah Carey (55.5 million), Celine Dion (53 million), Shania Twain (35 million) and Britney Spears (33.6 million). Garth Brooks leads all artists with 72.4 million albums sold in that span.

Taylor Swift's Best-Selling Digital Songs
6.1 million, "Love Story" / 5.42 million, "I Knew You Were Trouble." / 5.4 million, "Shake It Off" / 4.9 million, "You Belong With Me" / 4.6 million, "Blank Space" / 4.1 million, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" / 3.4 million, "Our Song" / 3.2 million, "Bad Blood" (feat. Kendrick Lamar) / 3 million, "Teardrops on My Guitar" / 2.5 million, "Mean"

And …
Taylor Swift's Most-Streamed Songs (On-Demand)
1.09 billion, "Shake It Off" / 721 million, "Look What You Made Me Do" / 628 million, "Blank Space" / 527 million, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" (with Zayn) / 442.1 million, "Bad Blood" (feat. Kendrick Lamar) / 442 million, "I Knew You Were Trouble." / 409 million, "You Belong With Me" / 371 million, "Delicate" / 316 million, "Love Story" / 311 million, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"
As for more Swift …

[Gary]

20 YEARS OF CHRISTINA AGUILERA

Hi Gary,

As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Christina Aguilera's debut album, we, her fighters (her fans) would love an update of her album sales.

Thank you in advance. Have a great rest of summer!

Carlos Mella
Spain

Hi Carlos,

Thanks, you too!

Here is a rundown of Aguilera's U.S. album sales, according to Nielsen Music (through Aug. 22).

Christina Aguilera's Album Sales
8.3 million, Christina Aguilera / 4.4 million, Stripped / 1.7 million, Back to Basics / 1 million, My Kind of Christmas / 779,000, Burlesque (soundtrack) / 614,000, Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits / 489,000, Mi Reflejo / 332,000, Bionic / 303,000, Lotus / 129,000, Just Be Free / 100,000, Liberation

Aguilera's career U.S. album sales (including the Burlesque soundtrack) stand at 18.3 million.

In a May 2018 Billboard cover story, Aguilera gave … her reflection … of her first two decades in the spotlight, and how she's evolved. "When I'm onstage, there's not a bigger high, when I'm in connection with my voice and my heart and my soul," she mused. "But, at the end [of a performance], I want to wipe it all off, get in my sweatpants, make silly noises with my kids and have someone comfort and cuddle me."

[Gary]

Britney Spears' Career Sales & Streams, In Honor of 20 Years of 'Oops!...I Did It Again': Ask Billboard Mailbag
5/15/2020 by Gary Trust



The set was released on May 16, 2000.
Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to [e-mail]. Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S. Or, tweet @gthot20.

Let's open the latest mailbag.


BRITNEY SPEARS' CAREER SALES & STREAMS

Hi Gary,

May 16 marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Britney Spears' sophomore album, Oops!...I Did It Again. The set broke the record for the biggest debut-week sales for an album by a female artist, which it held it for 15 years.

In celebration of Oops' two decades, could you please update Spears' album sales and streaming totals?

Thank you!

Derek Murawski
Minneapolis, Minnesota

www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9378793/britney-spears-oops-i-did-it-again-ask-billboard-mailbag

Hi Derek,

May 2000 was big for pop culture, as that month also brought us the premiere of Survivor, on May 31.

(Speaking of, I met Survivor host Jeff Probst briefly in 2014, as we were filing out of New York's Hammerstein Ballroom after Howard Stern's 60th birthday celebration, which I covered for Billboard. Attendees had been given cupcakes, in honor of Stern's big day, and I hadn't eaten mine yet. After awkwardly gushing how big a Survivor fan I was [Probst was very appreciative], I was on such a high. I was walking behind my boss, cupcake in hand, frosting and all, when he suddenly stopped short. Guess what smushed right into the back of his nice, wool/velvety jacket? Somehow, he didn't vote me out …)

Back to Britney … Let's recap the sales of all 15 Spears albums that have hit the Billboard 200 chart, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data:



10.7 million, …Baby One More Time; 9.2 million, Oops…I Did It Again; 4.4 million, Britney; 3 million, In the Zone; 1.7 million, Circus

1.6 million, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative; 1 million, Blackout; 805,000, Femme Fatale; 280,000, Britney Jean; 268,000, The Singles Collection

170,000, Playlist: The Very Best of Britney Spears; 157,000, Glory; 138,000, B in the Mix: The Remixes; 60,000, The Essential Britney Spears; 30,000, B in the Mix: The Remixes: Vol. 2

Spears has sold 33.8 million albums in the U.S. to date.

As for her most-streamed songs (on-demand audio and video combined) in the U.S.? Here are her top five:

448 million, "Toxic"; 285 million, "…Baby One More Time"; 240 million, "Oops! I Did It Again"; 212 million, "Circus"; 202 million, "Womanizer"

Spears' songs overall have drawn 3.7 billion on-demand U.S. streams. Plus, her radio reach stands at 25.9 billion in cumulative airplay audience.

You Have to See Chloe Fineman's Pitch-Perfect Impression of Britney Spears in Quarantine on 'SNL'
As you note, Derek, Oops! I Did It Again held the record for 15 years for the biggest sales week ever for an album by a female artist, as it debuted atop the June 3, 2000-dated Billboard 200 with 1,319,000 copies sold in its first week. Adele's 25 broke the mark, among all albums, when it launched with 3,338,000 sold on charts dated Dec. 12, 2015. To date, Oops' opening frame ranks as the seventh-biggest sales week for an album (and remains second, below 25, among sets by women) since Nielsen Music/MRC Data began tracking U.S. sales in 1991.

My boss's former boss, Geoff Mayfield (whose wardrobe I never accessorized with any baked goods), recapped Oops' arrival in the June 3, 2000, Billboard issue, highlighting numerous achievements that the set earned that week:

DID SHE EVER: Britney Spears indeed "did it again," as her sopho- more album, like her first, debuts at No. 1 on The Billboard 200. But with a 1.3 million -unit opener this time around shattering several SoundScan records, there is no comparison with this first week and the one she had last year (see story, page 1).

In January 1999 her "... Baby One More Time" sneaked into the top slot with 120,500 units, the smallest first -week sum by any of the 118 albums that have debuted at No. 1 since The Billboard 200 switched to SoundScan data in May 1991. Not only does the new "Oops! ... I Did It Again" exceed that first week by more than tenfold, it also sets several high -water marks. Exceeded only by the 2.4 million -unit debut that fel- low Jive act `N Sync accomplished just 10 weeks ago, Spears now has the second -largest sales week in SoundScan history.

Thus, she not only accomplishes Jive's original goals of the largest first week for a female solo album (which was held by Alanis Morissette's "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" with 469,000 units) and the biggest sales week by a solo female (Mariah Carey's "Daydream," 760,000 units), she also, obviously, now owns the largest first week of any solo act, a dis- tinction previously held by Garth Brooks' "Double Live," no small feat considering that Brooks was the most prolific album seller of the '90s.



Meanwhile, Billboard reviewed the album in the May 20, 2000, issue. The title track went on to hit No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Lucky" reached No. 23 and "Stronger" climbed to No. 11, while "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know," as shouted out below, became a global hit, and has drawn 8.8 million on-demand U.S. streams to date.

The review read, "How does a teen phenomenon follow a trend-setting debut that's sold 9-plus million copies in the U.S. alone? With a little more of the same, while also mining new ground that leaves the listener pleasantly intrigued. Oops percolates with a carefully measured blend of familiar pop/funk, R&B and power-balladry.



"Spears may not be a vocal acrobat à la colleagues Jessica Simpson and Christina Aguilera, but she does have an instantly recognizable style, and Oops indicates that she's developing a soulful edge and emotional depth that can't be conjured with a glass-shattering note. This is particularly apparent on the hit-worthy, Shania Twain-[co-]penned ballad 'Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know.'

"As she evolves, Spears is wisely sticking with age-appropriate material that her teen constituency can bond with. And, unlike several of the key songs on her breakthrough debut, ...Baby One More Time, Oops consistently casts Spears as a young woman coming to terms with her inner power, and that's a darn good message to offer an impressionable audience."

[Gary]

Ariana Grande's Career Streams & Sales, From 'The Way' to 'Rain on Me': Ask Billboard
6/26/2020 by Gary Trust


An update of her album sales & most-streamed & top-selling songs.
Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to [e-mail].
Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S.
Or, tweet @gthot20.

For Ariana Grande's 27th birthday, here's a present for the Arianators!
Let's recap the U.S. sales of Grande's albums and her on-demand most-streamed and top-selling songs (through the week ending June 18), according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

Album Sales

759,000, My Everything; 615,000, Yours Truly; 429,000, Dangerous Woman; 321,000, Sweetener; 302,000, Thank U, Next; 52,000, Christmas & Chill (EP); 4,000, k bye for now (swt live)

Most-Streamed Songs (on-demand)
1.25 billion, "7 Rings"; 1.2 billion, "Thank U, Next"; 890 million, "Side to Side" (feat. Nicki Minaj); 791 million, "Bang Bang" (with Jessie J & Minaj); 787 million, "No Tears Left to Cry"
681 million, "Into You"; 628 million, "Problem" (feat. Iggy Azalea); 590 million, "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored"; 582 million, "God Is a Woman"; 571 million, "Dangerous Woman"
495 million, "Break Free" (feat. Zedd); 465 million, "Love Me Harder" (with The Weeknd); 452 million, "One Last Time"; 444 million, "The Way" (feat. Mac Miller); 416 million, "Breathin"
289 million, "Santa Tell Me"; 280 million, "Focus"; 243 million, "Imagine"; 241 million, "Everyday" (feat. Future); 192 million, "Let Me Love You"

Top-Selling Songs
3.7 million, "Problem"; 3.5 million, "Bang Bang"; 2.4 million, "The Way"; 1.9 million, "Break Free"; 1.3 million, "Love Me Harder"
1.17 million, "Side to Side"; 1.15 million, "Dangerous Woman"; 918,000, "One Last Time"; 792,000, "Into You"; 532,000, "No Tears Left to Cry"
Perhaps Grande's two latest hits, both of which launched atop the Billboard Hot 100, will work their way into the latter two tallies above. So far, "Stuck With U," with Justin Bieber, has drawn 88.2 million on-demand U.S. streams and sold 137,000. "Rain on Me," with Lady Gaga, sports totals of 79.7 million U.S. streams and 98,000 sold to date.
Both collaborations are also in the top 20 of Billboard's Pop Songs radio airplay chart, as "Rain" jumps 16-12 (up 14% in plays), leapfrogging "Stuck," which dips from its No. 14 high to No. 16, although with a 1% gain.

"Stuck" and "Rain" drew 65 and 54 plays, respectively, on Pop Songs reporter WBBM-FM (B96) Chicago in the week ending June 21, and assistant program director/music director Erik Bradley says that there's room for both at the same time. "No worries on that," he shares.
Grande is actually one of five acts each with two songs currently in the station's top 15 in the tracking week, joining Bieber, The Black Eyed Peas, Dua Lipa and Harry Styles. "In a perfect scenario, we'd have 15 smashes by 15 artists, but that's not realistic," Bradley notes, citing radio's general avoidance of leaning on any one sound too heavily. "We tend to toss out the standard artist separation preferences and become more concerned with playing hits."

Grande has collected 15 Pop Songs top 10s, starting with "Problem" (her first of six No. 1s) in June 2014. The sum is the most of any act in that span, ahead of Bieber (12), Taylor Swift (11) and Maroon 5, Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd (10 each).

"Two current hits, with Gaga and Justin," Bradley muses, "She's strongly on the A-list."
As for Grande's 27th, what does she have in common with Whitney Houston's "Run to You," Radiohead's "Creep" and Toby Keith's "Should've Been a Cowboy"? They all debuted on June 26, 1993; Grande on Earth, and those three hits on the Hot 100.
Here's a look back at the Hot 100 on that date. (Fittingly, a predecessor diva was at No. 1. And, the name of the act at No. 100? New Born.)

[Gary]

Jennifer Lopez's Career Bests, From 'If You Had My Love' to 'On the Floor' & More: Ask Billboard
7/24/2020 by Gary Trust


Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S.


J-LO'S CAREER BESTS


In honor of Jennifer Lopez's big day, let's recap the U.S. sales of her albums, her most-streamed songs and her most-heard hits on radio, through the week ending July 16, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

Album Sales
3.8 million, J. Lo / 2.9 million, On the 6 / 2.6 million, This Is Me...Then / 1.5 million, J to Tha L-O! The Remixes

746,000, Rebirth / 353,000, Love? / 254,000, The Reel Me / 218,000, Como Ama Una Mujer / 173,000, Brave / 126,000, Dance Again… The Hits / 81,000, A.K.A.



Top 10 Most-Streamed Songs (on-demand)
325 million, "On the Floor" (feat. Pitbull) / 195 million, "Booty" (feat. Iggy Azalea or Pitbull) / 184 million, "Ain't Your Mama" / 181 million, "I'm Real" (feat. Ja Rule) / 125 million, "Dance Again" (feat. Pitbull)

124 million, "Dinero" (feat. DJ Khaled & Cardi B) / 105 million, "Back It Up" (Prince Royce feat. Lopez & Pitbull) / 100 million, "Jenny From the Block" (feat. Styles & Jadakiss) / 94 million, "We Are One (Ole Ola) (The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Song)" (Pitbull feat. Lopez & Claudia Leitte) / 89 million, "Adrenalina" (Wisin feat. Lopez & Ricky Martin)



Top 10 Most-Heard Songs on Radio
3.9 billion, "I'm Real" / 3.3 billion, "If You Had My Love" / 3 billion, "Ain't It Funny" (feat. Ja Rule) / 2.8 billion, "Waiting for Tonight" / 2.7 billion, "Love Don't Cost a Thing"

2.44 billion, "On the Floor" / 2.4 billion, "All I Have" (feat. LL Cool J) / 1.53 billion, "Jenny From the Block" / 1.5 billion, "I'm Gonna Be Alright" (feat. Nas) / 868 million, "Play"

[Gary]

Ask Billboard: Katy Perry's Career Bests, From 'One of the Boys' to 'Smile,' & Every Hot 100 'Idol' Top 10
8/28/2020 by Gary Trust

Recapping Perry's career highs in streams, sales & airplay.
Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to [e-mail].

Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S.

Or, tweet @gthot20.


For all KatyCats, let's recap the U.S. sales of Katy Perry's albums, as well as her most-streamed and best-selling songs and her most-heard hits on radio, through the week ending Aug. 20.

All figures are per (purr?) Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

Album sales
3.1 million, Teenage Dream (2010) / 1.74 million, PRISM (2013) / 1.73 million, One of the Boys (2008) / 311,000, Witness (2017) / 63,000, MTV Unplugged EP (2009)

Most-streamed songs, on-demand
1.2 billion, "Dark Horse" (feat. Juicy J) / 904 million, "Roar" / 526 million, "Firework" / 509 million, "Con Calma" (Daddy Yankee feat. Perry & Snow) / 481 million, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)"

401 million, "E.T." (feat. Kanye West) / 399 million, "Feels" (Calvin Harris feat. Pharrell Williams, Perry & Big Sean) / 394 million, "Hot N Cold" / 388 million, "California Gurls" (feat. Snoop Dogg) / 323 million, "Swish Swish" (feat. Nicki Minaj)



Best-selling songs
7.4 million downloads sold, "Firework" / 6.6 million, "Roar" / 6.4 million, "Dark Horse" / 6 million, "E.T." / 5.9 million, "California Gurls"

5.8 million, "Hot N Cold" / 5 million, "Teenage Dream" / 4.8 million, "I Kissed a Girl" / 3.8 million, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" / 3.5 million, "Wide Awake"

Most-heard songs on radio
6.8 billion audience impressions, "Firework" / 6.6 billion, "Dark Horse" / 6.3 million "Teenage Dream" / 6.2 billion, "Hot N Cold" / 6 billion, "Roar"

5.3 billion, "California Gurls" / 4.3 billion, "E.T." / 3.8 billion, "Wide Awake" / 3.6 billion, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" / 3.2 billion, "The One That Got Away"

Lead Smile single "Daisies" (whose title turned out to be a heartwarming clue) hit No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its debut in May, becoming Perry's 25th top 40 hit. On Adult Pop Songs, it became her 16th top 10.



Now, the set's title cut is getting early radio interest. It debuts at No. 28 on the Adult Contemporary chart (dated Aug. 29), thanks to plays on WINC Winchester, Va., in the tracking week, when it was the station's fourth-most-played song.

"Smile" was also the third-most-played song of the week on Pop Songs chart reporter Radio Disney.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, ABC announced that Perry will return, along with Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, to the judges panel on American Idol next season.

[Gary]

Ask Billboard: Justin Bieber's Biggest Albums & Songs, 2021 Birthday Edition
By Gary Trust
3/1/2021
Click to copy
www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9532784/justin-bieber-biggest-albums-songs-2021-ask-billboard/
.

An update of Bieber's top-selling albums, most-streamed songs and most-heard radio hits.
Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to [e-mail].

Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S. Or, tweet @gthot20.

Let's open the latest mailbag.


Happy birthday, Justin Bieber! In his honor, and in anticipation of his forthcoming album Justice, let's update his career U.S. album sales, most-streamed songs and most-heard hits on radio, in lead or co-lead roles, according to MRC Data (with all data current through Feb. 25).

Best-Selling Albums
3.4 million, My World 2.0
2.1 million, My World (EP)
1.9 million, Purpose
1.7 million, Believe
1.6 million, Under the Mistletoe
946,000, Never Say Never: The Remixes (EP)
841,000, My Worlds Acoustic
424,000, Believe: Acoustic
205,000, Changes


Most-Streamed Songs (on-demand audio and video combined; in lead or co-lead roles)
1.4 billion, "Sorry"
1 billion, "Love Yourself"
938 million, "What Do You Mean?"
651 million, "I Don't Care" (Ed Sheeran & Bieber)
563 million, "Baby" (feat. Ludacris)
541 million, "10,000 Hours" (Dan + Shay & Bieber)
485 million, "Intentions" (feat. Quavo)
346 million, "Yummy"
275 million, "Company"
270 million, "Beauty and a Beat" (feat. Nicki Minaj)


Most-Heard Songs on Radio (all-genre audience impressions; in lead or co-lead roles)
6.1 billion, "Love Yourself"
5.2 billion, "Sorry"
4.4 billion, "I Don't Care" (Sheeran & Bieber)
3 billion, "What Do You Mean?"
2.2 billion, "10,000 Hours" (Dan + Shay & Bieber)
2 billion, "As Long as You Love Me"
1.9 billion, "Intentions" (feat. Quavo)
1.5 billion, "Beauty and a Beat" (feat. Minaj)
1.3 billion, "Holy" (feat. Chance the Rapper)
979 million, "Boyfriend"

Justin Bieber Announces 'Justice' Album
Bieber's 2015 album, Purpose, shines bright in his catalog, with its three No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, his first three of six leaders to date, accounting for his three most-streamed songs (on-demand in the U.S.) and three of his four top songs in cumulative radio audience (in lead roles). "What Do You Mean?" debuted atop the Hot 100 dated Sept. 19, 2015; "Sorry" began a three-week reign on Jan. 23, 2016; and "Love Yourself" supplanted the latter for a two-week command starting on Feb. 13, 2016.

Bieber has since ruled the Hot 100 as featured on DJ Khaled's "I'm the One" (one week, 2017) and Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's global juggernaut "Despacito" (a then-record-tying 16 weeks, beginning the following frame, 2017) and with "Stuck With U," with Ariana Grande (one week, 2020).


Bieber boasts seven No. 1s on the Billboard 200 albums chart, including his last six entries dating to 2011. Will Justice become his eighth leader? The LP, announced Friday (Feb. 26), is set to include his 2021 hits "Holy," as noted above; "Lonely," with Benny Blanco; and latest single "Anyone."

"In a time when there's so much wrong with this broken planet, we all crave healing, and justice, for humanity," Bieber said in a statement. "In creating this album, my goal is to make music that will provide comfort; to make songs that people can relate to, and connect to, so they feel less alone."

Justice is due March 19. If it drops as expected that day, its first week of data tracking will run through March 25, setting up (Beliebers, schedule a reminder) March 28 as the day that Billboard would likely announce highlights of the Billboard 200 chart (dated April 3) on which the album would debut.

[Gary]

Ask Billboard: Adele's Biggest Albums & Songs, From 'Rolling in the Deep' to 'Hello' & More
By Gary Trust
5/5/2021
Click to copy
www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9567526/adele-biggest-albums-songs-ask-billboard/

Plus, The Weeknd & Ariana Grande chart their second top 10 duet.
Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to [e-mail]. Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S.




"Hello"!

In honor of her special day, let's update Adele's career U.S. album sales, most streamed songs and most heard hits on radio, according to MRC Data (with all data current through April 29).

Album Sales
12.1 million, 21
9.6 million, 25
3.1 million, 19
81,000, iTunes Live From SoHo
72,000, iTunes Festival: London 2011


Most Streamed Songs (on-demand audio & video combined)
1.2 billion, "Hello"
807 million, "Someone Like You"
624 million, "Rolling in the Deep"
495 million, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)"
465 million, "Set Fire to the Rain"
377 million, "When We Were Young"
282 million, "Make You Feel My Love"
234 million, "Water Under the Bridge"
169 million, "Chasing Pavements"
163 million, "All I Ask"


159 million, "Turning Tables"
148 million, "One and Only"
147 million, "Rumour Has It"
142 million, "Skyfall"
102 million, "Don't You Remember"

Adele’s ’21’ Turns 10: Here Are 10 Staggering Numbers Capturing Its U.S. Success

Most Heard Songs on Radio (all-genre audience impressions)
8.2 billion, "Rolling in the Deep"
6.2 billion, "Someone Like You"
6 billion, "Set Fire to the Rain"
5.8 billion, "Hello"
4.5 billion, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)"
3.6 billion, "Rumour Has It"
3.4 billion, "Water Under the Bridge"


1.2 billion, "When We Were Young"
291.5 million, "Skyfall"
192.4 million, "Chasing Pavements"

Among Adele's Billboard chart honors, 21 has logged the most weeks at No. 1 (24) and on the Billboard 200 overall (508) for an album by a woman since the list launched in 1956. 25 followed by setting the record for the most album sales in a single week since MRC Data (previously SoundScan/Nielsen Music) began tracking point-of-sale music purchases in 1991, having soared in with 3.38 million sold in November 2015.

DOUBLING UP ON DUETS



Reader Jake Rivera also reached out noting that The Weeknd and Ariana Grande notch a second Billboard Hot 100 top 10 together, as "Save Your Tears" hits No. 1 following the release of its remix adding Grande.

Is it rare or common for artists to score multiple Hot 100 top 10s in tandem? Historically, notable team-ups include Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, who scored four top 10s together in 1967-68; Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb (two, 1980-81); and Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney (two, 1982-84).

Since arriving on the Hot 100 in the 2000s, the acts with the most top 10s since, Drake (45) and Rihanna (31), have shared three, including two No. 1s: "What's My Name?" (No. 1, one week, 2010); "Take Care" (No. 7, 2012); and "Work" (No. 1, nine weeks, 2016). Rihanna also boasts two No. 1s, in featured roles, with Eminem: "Love the Way You Lie" (seven weeks, 2010) and "The Monster" (four weeks, 2013-14).

Five Burning Questions: The Weeknd and Ariana Grande Top the Hot 100 With 'Save Your Tears'

Today, judging by the current Hot 100's top three, artists in those ranks are making the feat look easy.

As The Weeknd and Grande have now teamed up for two Hot 100 top 10s, each has already achieved multiple top 10s with another artist. The Weeknd drew on Daft Punk for two: "Starboy" (one week at No. 1) and "I Feel It Coming" (No. 4), both in 2017. Meanwhile, Grande has totaled two with Nicki Minaj: "Bang Bang," also with Jessie J (No. 3, 2014), and "Side to Side" (No. 4, 2016).

At No. 2 on the Hot 100, Bruno Mars has collaborated with Cardi B (herself at No. 9) for the No. 3 hits "Finesse" (2018) and "Please Me" (2019).

And at No. 3, Justin Bieber has tallied multiple top 10s with … well, let's untangle:

with Chance the Rapper:
No. 1 (one week), 2017, "I'm the One," DJ Khaled feat. Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne
No. 5, 2018, "No Brainer," DJ Khaled feat. Bieber, Chance the Rapper & Quavo
No. 3, 2020, "Holy," Bieber feat. Chance the Rapper

with DJ Khaled:
No. 1 (one week), 2017, "I'm the One," DJ Khaled feat. Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne
No. 5, 2018, "No Brainer," DJ Khaled feat. Bieber, Chance the Rapper & Quavo


with Quavo:
No. 1 (one week), 2017, "I'm the One," DJ Khaled feat. Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne
No. 5, 2018, "No Brainer," DJ Khaled feat. Bieber, Chance the Rapper & Quavo
No. 5, 2020, "Intentions," Bieber feat. Quavo

Plus, Bieber hit No. 8 on the Hot 100 in 2015 as featured on Skrillex and Diplo's "Where Are U Now" and No. 2 in 2016 as featured (with MØ) on "Cold Water" by Major Lazer, which includes Diplo.

Still, Bieber's favorite partner? Wife Hailey. As he recently told Billboard, as he gets "really excited" to resume touring, "We're going to plan really cool excursions … the two of us."

[Gary]

Metallica sales update

#1 in MRC/Soundscan era 17.3 million

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

Ask Billboard: After 'Certified Lover Boy,' Drake Has Now Peaked at This Many Positions on the Hot 100

By Gary Trust
9/22/2021

He adds Nos. 11 & 22 to his résumé.

DRAKE'S TOP SALES & STREAMS

Gary,

Would you be able to please give highlights of Drake's album sales, as well as his most-streamed songs?

Thanks,

Raditya Gunardisurya
Jakarta, Indonesia

Hi Raditya,

Let's certify some more Drake stats.

Here's a look at his top-selling albums in the U.S., as well as his songs with the most on-demand U.S. streams, according to MRC Data through Sept. 16.

Drake's Top-Selling Albums

2,514,000, Take Care
1,861,000, Nothing Was the Same
1,857,000, Thank Me Later
1,772,000, Views
1,345,000, If You're Reading This It's Too Late

Drake's Most-Streamed Songs (on-demand)

2.314 billion, "God's Plan"
1.771 billion, "In My Feelings"
1.403 billion, "Work" (Rihanna feat. Drake)
1.393 billion, "Yes Indeed" (with Lil Baby)
1.323 billion, "Nice for What"
1.318 billion, "No Guidance" (Chris Brown feat. Drake)
1.312 billion, "Life Is Good" (Future feat. Drake)
1.212 billion, "One Dance" (feat. WizKid & Kyla)
1.173 billion, "Going Bad" (Meek Mill feat. Drake)
1.110 billion, "Look Alive" (BlocBoy JB feat. Drake)
1.079 billion, "Hotline Bling"
1.057 billion, "Nonstop"

As for Drake's latest Hot 100 No. 1, "Way 2 Sexy" is the top Airplay Gainer on the Sept. 25 chart, as it debuts at No. 43 on Radio Songs with 17.5 million audience impressions, up 131%.

How does the song, early on, stack up against his biggest career U.S. radio singles? Let's look at that metric, as well.

Drake's Most-Heard Radio Hits

5.365 billion, "One Dance"
4.516 billion, "Hold On, We're Going Home" (feat. Majid Jordan)
3.413 billion, "What's My Name?" (Rihanna feat. Drake)
3.378 billion, "Best I Ever Had"
3.360 billion, "Hotline Bling"
3.231 billion, "God's Plan"
3.164 billion, "No Guidance"
2.828 billion, "Work"
2.726 billion, "Take Care" (feat. Rihanna)
2.617 billion, "Nice for What"
2.615 billion, "Find Your Love"
2.574 billion, "The Motto" (feat. Lil Wayne)

[Gary]

Mariah Carey’s Biggest Albums & Songs: ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ & More
The latest "Ask Billboard" mailbag recaps Carey's best-selling albums, most-streamed songs and most-heard hits on radio.


BY GARY TRUST

MARIAH CAREY’S BIGGEST ALBUMS & SONGS

Hi Gary,

With “All I Want for Christmas is You” and Merry Christmas both making their annual resurgences, could you please recap Mariah Carey‘s career sales, streaming and radio airplay highlights?


Thank you!

Jess Hahn
Columbia, S.C.

Hi Jess,

Happy holidays!

As a last-minute (or not, depending on where you are with your shopping) gift to Lambs, here’s an update of Carey’s best-selling albums, most-streamed songs and most-heard hits on radio in the U.S., according to MRC Data (from titles’ releases through Dec. 16).

Best-Selling Albums
7.7 million, Daydream, released in 1995
7.3 million, Music Box, 1993
6.1 million, The Emancipation of Mimi, 2005
5.8 million, Merry Christmas, 1994
4.9 million, Mariah Carey, 1990
3.849 million, Butterfly, 1997
3.848 million, # 1’s, 1998
3.6 million, Emotions, 1991
3 million, Rainbow, 1999
2.8 million, MTV Unplugged (EP), 1992



Most-Streamed Songs (on-demand audio & video combined)
1.3 billion, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”
548 million, “We Belong Together”
375 million, “Always Be My Baby”
308 million, “Fantasy”
301 million, “Obsessed”
188 million, “One Sweet Day,” with Boyz II Men
168 million, “Touch My Body”
120 million, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
119 million, “Hero”
117 million, “Shake It Off”

Most-Heard Songs on Radio (all-genre audience impressions)
7.5 billion, “We Belong Together”
6.6 billion, “Always Be My Baby”
5.1 billion, “Hero”
4.34 billion, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”
4.33 billion, “Fantasy”
4.32 billion, “Dreamlover”
4.2 billion, “One Sweet Day,” with Boyz II Men
3.6 billion, “I’ll Be There”
3.3 billion, “Shake It Off”
2.6 billion, “Don’t Forget About Us”

Thus, even as a song that experiences an annual chart revival for about two months each year, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” ranks as Carey’s most-streamed song (on-demand), by a more than two-to-one margin over the runner-up in the category. It’s also her fourth-most-heard hit on radio.

Plus, Merry Christmas is Carey’s fourth-best-selling album and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” likewise from the set, places at No. 8 among her most-streamed songs.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” made its first appearance on a Billboard chart dated 27 years ago tomorrow (Dec. 24, 1994), when it debuted at No. 36 on Pop Airplay (among other surveys), on its way to a No. 9 peak two weeks later. To date, it’s the only holiday song to have hit the chart’s top 10 (among 1,443 total top 10s since the list began in 1992).

Notably, the carol entered Pop Airplay in between two songs that have also become lasting hits: TLC’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Creep” and 2 Unlimited’s stadium favorite “Get Ready for This.”

‘CHRISTMAS’ (BEGNNING AND) WRAPPING


Hi Alan,

The Hot 100 in 2021 finishes as it started, with “All I Want for Christmas Is You” topping the first (Jan. 2) and last (Dec. 25) charts of the year, marking the first year that a song has bookended the ranking at No. 1. The song just missed the achievement in 2020, when it led the Jan. 4 chart and ranked second on the Dec. 26 list, as Taylor Swift’s “Willow” launched at No. 1.



You’re correct: 1995 is the only other year in which an artist has earned the honor. Boyz II Men topped the Jan. 7, 1995, Hot 100 with “On Bended Knee,” marking the ballad’s fourth of six weeks at No. 1, and ended the year atop the Dec. 30, 1995, chart with “One Sweet Day,” with … Mariah Carey. The duet was then in its fifth of 16 weeks (then a record) at No. 1.

With timing playing such a part in the stat, two acts missed opening and closing a year atop the Hot 100 by a week each. The Monkees led the first chart of 1967 with “I’m a Believer” and the second-to-last tally that year with “Daydream Believer.”

In 1978, the Bee Gees also came up a frame short, leading the first Hot 100 that year with “How Deep Is Your Love,” while “Too Much Heaven” reached No. 1 on the first chart dated in 1979.

Meanwhile, one household has combined for the honor: 2009 began with Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” atop the Hot 100 and ended with Jay-Z (who had heeded that advice the year before) at No. 1 with “Empire State of Mind,” with Alicia Keys.

[Gary]

The Top 10 Vinyl Album Sales Weeks in the Modern Era
Harry Styles set a new record when his album 'Harry's House' sold 182,000 vinyl copies in its first week. Here are the other top 10-ranking LPs.


BY KEITH CAULFIELD

AAs the music-on-vinyl comeback continues in the U.S., a new modern-era sales record is broken seemingly every few months. Most recently, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House sold 182,000 copies on vinyl in its first week in the U.S. — breaking the record for the largest single-week sales of an album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991.

The record he broke was set just last November — by the debut of Taylor’s Swift’s Red [Taylor’s Version], with 114,000 vinyl LPs in its first week). With that, Swift had broken her own record, set a few months earlier, upon the May 2021 release of Evermore on vinyl (102,000).

In total, the top 10 biggest-selling weeks for a vinyl album in the modern-era (again, since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991) have all occurred in the last 12 months. Thus, it’s quite likely that by the end of 2022, this roundup could get shuffled by the arrival of any number of upcoming albums on vinyl.

The biggest selling week for a vinyl LP since 1991 is, as noted, the debut frame of Styles’ Harry’s House (182,000; week ending May 26, 2022). The top five weeks are rounded out by the opening weeks of Red (Taylor’s Version) (114,000; week ending Nov. 18, 2021), Adele’s 30 (108,000; week ending Nov. 25, 2021), Swift’s Evermore (102,000; week ending June 3, 2021) and Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour (76,000; week ending Aug. 26, 2021).

Nos. 6 and 7 on the ranking are the debut week of Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever (73,000; week ending Aug. 5, 2021) and Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (67,000; week ending Oct. 7, 2021). At Nos. 8 and 9 are the fifth and second weeks of Adele’s 30 (59,000 and 50,500; weeks ending Dec. 23 and Dec. 2, 2021, respectively) and the debut of Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost (nearly 50,000; week ending April 21, 2022).

So far in 2022 (through May 26), 41% of all albums sold in the U.S. have been on vinyl. And, it’s expected that 2022 will mark the 17th consecutive year of growth for vinyl album sales in the U.S. In 2021, for the first time since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991, vinyl albums outsold CD albums for the year – and vinyl became the leading format for album purchases overall in the U.S.

[Gary]

Olivia Newton-John, Journey & More: Celebrating the Week That ‘Physical’ Topped the Hot 100
The Nov. 21, 1981-dated Hot 100 features numerous enduring classics.


BY GARY TRUST

OOlivia Newton-John‘s classic “Physical” outperformed imposing competition to rank as the No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Greatest of All Time Songs of the ’80s chart.

It leads over, literally, every other song from the ’80s, with over 4,200 titles having hit the Billboard Hot 100 during the decade.

But even during its run on the weekly Hot 100, the song by the late legend faced off against fellow singles that have since becoming enduring hits.

“Physical” ascended to No. 1 on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 21, 1981, for its first of 10 weeks at the summit. Its reign was record-tying, equaling the rule of Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life” in 1977. The songs share the mark for the longest Hot 100 command of the chart’s first 34 years, until Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road” dominated for 13 weeks beginning in August 1992. (Lil Nas X made an even more impressive chart “road” trip: his “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, currently holds the record for the most time on top: 19 weeks, in 2019.)

Here’s a look at the legacy – as measured by to-date radio airplay audience, on-demand official streams and digital sales in the U.S., according to Luminate – of “Physical” and other songs on the noticeably hit-packed Hot 100 dated Nov. 21, 1981.


No. 1, “Physical,” Olivia Newton-John
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 1.8 billion / 50 million / 285,000
In the latest tracking week (Aug. 5-11), the song drew 901,000 official streams (up 595%) and 1.9 million in radio audience and sold 3,000 (the latter two totals up from negligible sums), among gains for multiple songs in Newton-John’s catalog.

No. 2, “Private Eyes,” Daryl Hall & John Oates
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 1.7 billion / 55 million / 404,000
The song became the pair’s third of six Hot 100 No. 1s – the most among duos in the chart’s history – before giving way to the reign of “Physical.”

No. 3, “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” Foreigner
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 2.2 billion / 235.2 million / 793,000
The ballad spent 10 weeks peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100 – the most for a song that didn’t reach No. 1, later tied by Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott’s “Work It” in 2002-03. “Physical” blocked “Waiting” for the latter’s first nine weeks at No. 2 and then Hall & Oates’ “Private Eyes” follow-up “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” prevented it from hitting the top spot in its 10th frame as the runner-up. Foreigner ultimately hit No. 1 with “I Want to Know What Love Is” in 1985.

No. 4, “Start Me Up,” The Rolling Stones
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 4.7 billion / 291.7 million / 1.1 million
The No. 2-peaking classic became the band’s 20th of 23 Hot 100 top 10s.

No. 5, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” The Police
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 7 billion / 162.3 million / 798,000
The song reached No. 3, becoming the trio’s third of six top 10 Hot 100 hits.

Plus, here are 10 other hits in the chart’s top half that week that remain staples of classic and adult hits radio and/or ’80s-based streaming playlists.

No. 15, “Young Turks,” Rod Stewart
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 3 billion / 58.3 million / 322,000
The song rose to No. 5, marking one of Stewart’s 16 Hot 100 top 10s.

No. 18, “Let’s Groove,” Earth, Wind & Fire
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 4 billion / 367.1 million / 1 million
The group landed six Hot 100 top 10s in the ’70s and one more in the ’80s, as this hit shimmied to No. 3.

No. 21, “Leather and Lace,” Stevie Nicks with Don Henley
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 2.5 billion / 151.6 million / 914,000
The high-profile team-up by members of Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles, respectively, reached No. 6 on the Hot 100.

No. 22, “Harden My Heart,” Quarterflash
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 2.8 billion / 29.8 million / 360,000
The band’s debut hit climbed to No. 3 on the Hot 100.


No. 24, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Journey
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 11.3 billion / 1.3 billion / 7.4 million
Of all songs from the ’80s in the latest tracking week (Aug. 5-11), Journey’s anthem fared the best (per the Hot 100’s weekly methodology blending streaming, airplay and sales data), with 6.2 million streams, 4.7 million in radio audience and 1,000 sold.

No. 26, “Our Lips Are Sealed,” Go-Go’s
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 2 billion / 75.3 million / 560,000
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ first Hot 100 hit went on to peak at No. 20. It was released from their breakthrough LP Beauty and the Beat, to-date the only Billboard 200 No. 1 by an all-female rock band.

No. 30, “No Reply at All,” Genesis
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 493 million / 9.7 million / 138,000
Many were listening (to answer Phil Collins’ question), as the track hit No. 29, marking the third of the band’s 17 top 40 Hot 100 entries.

No. 38, “Endless Love,” Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 61 million / 132.7 million / 693,000
The classic joined “Leather and Lace” as another collab between solo stars. The former Supreme and Commodore, respectively, spent nine weeks at No. 1 – the Hot 100’s second-longest reign of the ’80s, tied with Kim Carnes’ fellow 1981 smash “Bette Davis Eyes,” after “Physical.”

No. 39, “Turn Your Love Around,” George Benson
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 1.8 billion / 37.3 million / 183,000
The song reached No. 5 on the Hot 100, becoming the most recent of his four top 10s.

No. 48, “Super Freak [Part II], Rick James
To-date airplay, streams, digital sales: 3.2 billion / 235 million / 1.1 million
Notably, James’ No. 16-peaking Hot 100 hit, which became the basis of M.C. Hammer’s No. 8-peaking “U Can’t Touch This” in 1990, has received its latest reimagination via Nicki Minaj’s new single, “Super Freaky Girl.”


Meanwhile, the lasting appeal of “Physical” was reinforced on the Hot 100 just last year, thanks to Doja Cat’s smash “Kiss Me More” (featuring SZA), which hit No. 3, as well as No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart. The latter credits Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick among its nine writers, as it interpolates “Physical,” which the pair co-wrote.

Daily newsletters straigh

[Gary]

Ask Billboard: Taylor Swift’s Career Streaming, Airplay & Sales, Ahead of the Chart Debut of ‘Midnights’
A rundown of the superstar's top albums and songs, according to metrics as measured by Luminate.


By Gary Trust

10/21/2022
0.

Let’s open the latest mailbag.


Taylor Swift’s Career Streaming, Airplay & Sales Totals
There’s a good chance you’re listening to Midnights if you’re reading this, so let’s not make this too much of an interruption and get right to it.

Here is a rundown of Taylor Swift‘s career album sales and top songs measured by on-demand official streams, radio airplay and digital song sales in the U.S., through Oct. 13, 2022, according to Luminate.


10/21/2022
Taylor Swift’s Album Sales in the U.S.:
7.3 million, Fearless / 6.3 million, 1989 / 5.8 million, Taylor Swift / 4.8 million, Speak Now / 4.5 million, Red / 2.4 million, Reputation / 1.7 million, Folklore / 1.5 million, Lover / 1.1 million, The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (EP) / 913,000, Evermore / 774,000, Red (Taylor’s Version) / 596,000, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) / 376,000, Speak Now: World Tour Live CD + DVD / 369,000, Beautiful Eyes (EP)


Taylor Swift’s Most-Streamed Songs (on-demand, official) in the U.S.:
1.5 billion, “Shake It Off” / 1 billion, “Blank Space” / 992 million, “Look What You Made Me Do” / 720 million, “I Knew You Were Trouble” / 711 million, “You Need to Calm Down” / 708 million, “You Belong With Me” / 656 million, “Bad Blood” (feat. Kendrick Lamar) / 655 million, “Delicate” / 638 million, “Love Story” / 603 million, “Lover”


Taylor Swift’s Most-Heard Radio Songs in the U.S. (audience impressions):
6.9 billion, “You Belong With Me”/ 6.2 billion, “Love Story” / 6 billion, “Blank Space” / 5.7 billion, “Shake It Off” / 5.4 billion, “I Knew You Were Trouble” / 5.1 billion, “Style” / 4.9 billion, “Wildest Dreams” / 4.3 billion, “Delicate” / 3.7 billion, “Bad Blood” / 2.9 billion, “Teardrops on My Guitar”


Taylor Swift’s Top Digital Song Sales in the U.S.:
6.2 million, “Love Story” / 5.5 million, “Shake It Off” / 5.46 million, “I Knew You Were Trouble” / 4.9 million, “You Belong With Me” / 4.6 million, “Blank Space” / 4.1 million, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” / 3.5 million, “Our Song” / 3.2 million, “Bad Blood” / 3 million, “Teardrops on My Guitar” / 2.6 million, “Mean”

[pnobelysk]

Evermore should eventually pass a million which will keep her streak alive. I wish we got sales data like this more often:/ keeping track of digital song totals has been a nightmare