Billboard chart trivia

[Deleted]

source for the above list: 'Ask Billboard'

www.billboard.com/bbcom/ask_bb/index.jsp

[css]

reidlos20 said:

jenglisbe said:

The Woman In Me isn't Shania's debut album.

Generally speaking, all of the titles listed below are the major-label debuts of the artists. We're including Morissette's "Jagged," as it was her U.S. major label debut. Same for Hootie & the Blowfish, Guns N' Roses and the Dixie Chicks, who had released independently distributed albums previous to the major label bow. Previous to his "Bat Out of Hell" success, Meat Loaf released a little known album through Motown as part of a duo, but we're discounting that album as well.

Though that explanation may hold for the other artists, I don't think it holds for Shania. Shania's self titled debut was released on Mercury, just like The Woman In Me and Come On Over. And her debut even charted on the Top Country Albums chart.

[Deleted]

Biggest one-week sales 2007

06/02/07 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT LINKIN PARK 622,827
06/09/07 IT WON'T BE SOON BEFORE LONG MAROON 5 429,484
2/17/2007 NOT TOO LATE NORAH JONES 405,031
6/16/2007 DOUBLE UP R. KELLY 385,930
4/14/2007 LET IT GO TIM MCGRAW 325,009
7/7/2007 LOST HIGHWAY BON JOVI 291,532
5/5/2007 BEST DAMN THING AVRIL LAVIGNE 286,358
2/24/2007 INFINITY ON HIGH FALL OUT BOY 259,674
5/19/2007 BECAUSE OF YOU NE-YO 251,264
2/24/2007 NOT TOO LATE NORAH JONES 235,687

[areyoureadytojump]

Thanks, 2m. Kelly and Hannah will join this week.

[jenglisbe]

css said:

reidlos20 said:

Generally speaking, all of the titles listed below are the major-label debuts of the artists. We're including Morissette's "Jagged," as it was her U.S. major label debut. Same for Hootie & the Blowfish, Guns N' Roses and the Dixie Chicks, who had released independently distributed albums previous to the major label bow. Previous to his "Bat Out of Hell" success, Meat Loaf released a little known album through Motown as part of a duo, but we're discounting that album as well.

Though that explanation may hold for the other artists, I don't think it holds for Shania. Shania's self titled debut was released on Mercury, just like The Woman In Me and Come On Over. And her debut even charted on the Top Country Albums chart.

And in fact Keith admitted his mistake.

[Pulse]

reidlos20 said:

jenglisbe said:

The Woman In Me isn't Shania's debut album.

Generally speaking, all of the titles listed below are the major-label debuts of the artists. We're including Morissette's "Jagged," as it was her U.S. major label debut. Same for Hootie & the Blowfish, Guns N' Roses and the Dixie Chicks, who had released independently distributed albums previous to the major label bow. Previous to his "Bat Out of Hell" success, Meat Loaf released a little known album through Motown as part of a duo, but we're discounting that album as well.

True. Technically, it's not Shania's debut, but from a practical point of view it was basically her debut. And if those other albums from those other artists don't count, then Shania's probably shouldn't either.

[jenglisbe]

Ask Billboard has made a change and taken Shania's album off the list:
www.billboard.com/bbcom/ask_bb/index.jsp

[Deleted]

jenglisbe said:

Ask Billboard has made a change and taken Shania's album off the list:
www.billboard.com/bbcom/ask_bb/index.jsp

Could that be you they are crediting for catchig that?

[Deleted]

Biggest 1-week sales 2007

1 06/02/07 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT LINKIN PARK 622,827
2 06/09/07 IT WON'T BE SOON BEFORE LONG MAROON 5 429,484
3 2/17/2007 NOT TOO LATE NORAH JONES 405,031
4 6/16/2007 DOUBLE UP R. KELLY 385,930
5 7/14/2007 HANNAH MONTANA 2: MEET MILEY CYRUS SOUNDTRACK 325,573
6 4/14/2007 LET IT GO TIM MCGRAW 325,009
7 7/7/2007 LOST HIGHWAY BON JOVI 291,532
8 7/14/2007 MY DECEMBER KELLY CLARKSON 291,213
9 5/5/2007 BEST DAMN THING AVRIL LAVIGNE 286,358
10 2/24/2007 INFINITY ON HIGH FALL OUT BOY 259,674

[Acid Eyes]

Most Weeks in top 10 - Billboard Year

Girlfriend* 18
The Sweet Escape 15
Irreplaceable 14
Say It Right 14
Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')* 13
Don't Matter 13
Glamorous 13
I Wanna Love You 13
Cupid's Chokehold 11
Fergalicious 11
How to Save a Life 10
It's Not Over 10
Makes Me Wonder* 10
Smack That 10
We Fly High 10

*Currently Top 10

[Deleted]

2m said:

Biggest 1-week sales 2007

1 06/02/07 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT LINKIN PARK 622,827
2 06/09/07 IT WON'T BE SOON BEFORE LONG MAROON 5 429,484
3 2/17/2007 NOT TOO LATE NORAH JONES 405,031
4 6/16/2007 DOUBLE UP R. KELLY 385,930
5 7/14/2007 HANNAH MONTANA 2: MEET MILEY CYRUS SOUNDTRACK 325,573
6 4/14/2007 LET IT GO TIM MCGRAW 325,009
7 7/7/2007 LOST HIGHWAY BON JOVI 291,532
8 7/14/2007 MY DECEMBER KELLY CLARKSON 291,213
9 5/5/2007 BEST DAMN THING AVRIL LAVIGNE 286,358
10 2/24/2007 INFINITY ON HIGH FALL OUT BOY 259,674

1 06/02/07 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT LINKIN PARK 622,827
2 07/21/07 T.I. Vs. T.I.P. T.I. 468,000
3 06/09/07 IT WON'T BE SOON BEFORE LONG MAROON 5 429,484
4 2/17/2007 NOT TOO LATE NORAH JONES 405,031
5 6/16/2007 DOUBLE UP R. KELLY 385,930
6 7/14/2007 HANNAH MONTANA 2: MEET MILEY CYRUS SOUNDTRACK 325,573
7 4/14/2007 LET IT GO TIM MCGRAW 325,009
8 7/7/2007 LOST HIGHWAY BON JOVI 291,532
9 7/14/2007 MY DECEMBER KELLY CLARKSON 291,213
10 5/5/2007 BEST DAMN THING AVRIL LAVIGNE 286,358

[Deleted]

Same list for '06

2006
1 4/22/2006 ME & MY GANG RASCAL FLATTS 721,747
2 9/30/2006 FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE 684,461
3 12/09/06 KINDON COME JAY-Z 680,052
4 5/20/2006 10,000 DAYS TOOL 563,532
5 9/23/2006 B'DAY BEYONCE 541,196
6 6/10/2006 TAKING THE LONG WAY DIXIE CHICKS 525,829
7 4/15/2006 KING T.I. 521,702
8 10/21/2006 THE OPEN DOOR EVANESCENCE 447,342
9 5/27/2006 STADIUM ARCADIUM RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS 442,489
10 7/29/2006 NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC! 22 VARIOUS ARTISTS 397,785

[Acid Eyes]

10+ Weeks in the Top 10 - 2007 Billboard Year

Girlfriend 18
The Sweet Escape 15
Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')* 14
Irreplaceable 14
Say It Right 14
Don't Matter 13
Glamorous 13
I Wanna Love You 13
Cupid's Chokehold 11
Fergalicious 11
Makes Me Wonder* 11
How to Save a Life 10
It's Not Over 10
Smack That 10
We Fly High 10

*Currently Top Ten

[Deleted]

Most Top 10's 2000's
LUDACRIS 13
NELLY 12
JAY-Z 11
USHER 10
50 CENT 10
ASHANTI 10
BEYONCE 9
AKON 9

[Deleted]

Sales figures of selcted 80's movie soundtracks appearing in 'Ask Billboard' today


Anyways, "Top Gun" has sold 3,178,000 since SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. To compare, "Flashdance" has sold a rather small 626,000 in the same frame of time. "Footloose" has moved 2,245,000.

For kicks, here are some other still-big soundtracks of the 1980's and how they've sold since 1991:

"Dirty Dancing," 2,328,000
"Beaches," 1,507,000
"Somewhere in Time," 887,000 (Who knew?!)
"More Dirty Dancing," 753,000
"The Lost Boys," 822,000
"Out of Africa," 711,000
"Annie," 636,000
"The Blues Brothers," 911,000

[Deleted]

Also from 'Ask Billboard' - a Hot 100 top 10 with 8 predominantly British acts

I'm thinking folks in the U.K. are likely referring to the May 25, 1985 Billboard Hot 100. I've listed the songs and artists below, along with where the artists are from.

1. Wham!, "Everything She Wants" (George Michael was born in Greece, Andrew Ridgely was born in England. The group was formed in England.)
2. Simple Minds, "Don't You Forget About Me" (The group was formed in Scotland.)
3. Tears for Fears, "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" (Both members were born in England.)
4. Harold Faltermeyer, "Axel F" (Faltermeyer is German. And we were on a roll!)
5. Sade, "Smooth Operator" (Sade herself is Nigerian-born, but moved to England as a child. The group Sade was formed in England.)
6. Madonna, "Crazy For You" (Look, an American slipped into the list!)
7. Murray Head, "One Night In Bangkok" (Head was born in London.)
8. Billy Ocean, "Suddenly" (Ocean was born in Trinidad, but moved to England as a child.)
9. The Power Station, "Some Like It Hot" (Three of the four members of the group were British.)
10. Howard Jones, "Things Can Only Get Better" (Jones was born in England.)

While Ocean and Sade (and half of Wham!) are not British-born, I imagine most consider them British recording acts.

[Deleted]

Another list I had, relating to the soundtrack post - biggest soundtracks in the soundscan era through 1/1/2006



"The Bodyguard," (1992, 11.8 million)
"Titanic" (1997, 10.0 million)
"The Lion King" (1994, 7.7 million)
"O Brother, Where Art Thou" (2000, 7.1 million)
"Grease" (1978 5.589 million) - jul 2007
"City of Angels," (1998, 5.5 million)
"Waiting To Exhale" (1995, 5.1 million)
"Space Jam" (1996, 4.8 million)
"8 Mile" (2002, 4.7 million)
George Strait's "Pure Country" (1992, 4.6 million)
"Forrest Gump" (1994, 4.4 million)

[areyoureadytojump]

2m said:

Also from 'Ask Billboard' - a Hot 100 top 10 with 8 predominantly British acts

I'm thinking folks in the U.K. are likely referring to the May 25, 1985 Billboard Hot 100. I've listed the songs and artists below, along with where the artists are from.

1. Wham!, "Everything She Wants" (George Michael was born in Greece, Andrew Ridgely was born in England. The group was formed in England.)
2. Simple Minds, "Don't You Forget About Me" (The group was formed in Scotland.)
3. Tears for Fears, "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" (Both members were born in England.)
4. Harold Faltermeyer, "Axel F" (Faltermeyer is German. And we were on a roll!)
5. Sade, "Smooth Operator" (Sade herself is Nigerian-born, but moved to England as a child. The group Sade was formed in England.)
6. Madonna, "Crazy For You" (Look, an American slipped into the list!)
7. Murray Head, "One Night In Bangkok" (Head was born in London.)
8. Billy Ocean, "Suddenly" (Ocean was born in Trinidad, but moved to England as a child.)
9. The Power Station, "Some Like It Hot" (Three of the four members of the group were British.)
10. Howard Jones, "Things Can Only Get Better" (Jones was born in England.)

While Ocean and Sade (and half of Wham!) are not British-born, I imagine most consider them British recording acts.

What an amazing Top 10!!

[Deleted]

By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer
2 hours, 13 minutes ago



NEW YORK - Much of the rock 'n' roll and pop canon is well established.

ADVERTISEMENT

Buying the albums of `60s and `70s acts like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley is akin to a rite of passage for any young music fan. These are the artists that baby boomers love to keep buying, and with whom seemingly every teenager at some point experiments. (Remember A.J. hearing Bob Dylan for the first time in the "Sopranos" finale?)

Now that the `80s and `90s are ancient history, what albums are people still buying from those decades? Do critical favorites like Radiohead and the Pixies grow more popular with time? Or do the Backstreet Boys and Madonna still rule the charts?

The short answer is that, above all, people are buying vintage Metallica, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Guns 'N Roses and, well, Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

AC/DC's "Back in Black" (1980) last year sold 440,000 copies and has thus far sold 156,000 this year, according to the Nielsen SoundScan catalog charts, which measure how well physical albums older than two years old are selling. (All figures for this article were provided by Nielsen SoundScan.)

Those "Back in Black" numbers would make most contemporary CDs a success. Metallica's self-titled 1991 album is altogether the second-biggest selling album of the Nielsen SoundScan era, which began in 1991. "Metallica" sold 275,000 copies last year.

Bon Jovi's greatest hits collection "Cross Road" last year sold 324,000 copies, while Guns 'N Roses "Appetite for Destruction" (1987) sold 113,000. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve and Other Stories" (1996) continues to be a holiday favorite; it was bought 289,000 times last year.

Greatest hits compilations are counted as catalog releases, and account for the majority of vintage best-sellers. Artists that commercially peaked in the `80s or `90s that have had lucrative best-of collections include Garth Brooks, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tim McGraw, Creed, Queen, Tom Petty, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Def Leppard, Aerosmith and Lionel Richie.

U2, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Celine Dion, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Dave Matthews Band and the ever-touring Jimmy Buffett also all continue to sell large amounts of old records.

Michael Jackson, of course, still has one of the most desirable back catalogs. His best- selling "Thriller" moves over 60,000 copies a year and his "Number Ones" collection yielded 162,000 sales last year.

Avid fans may be buying everything their favorite artist puts out, but there's more than nostalgia fueling vintage sales.

"Young fans aren't excluded from catalog sales — especially the ones who really get interested in music, there's always that sense of discovery," says Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts at Billboard Magazine.

Not everything maintains long-term success. Asia's self-titled 1982 album was the biggest seller of 1982, but only sold 5,000 copies last year. Whitney Houston's 1985 debut, also self-titled, was 1986's top album, but now sells about 7,000 discs a year.

The same trajectory has befallen past mega-hits like Ace of Base's "The Sign," Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel" and the Spice Girl's "Spice." Though one of the best selling artists of all time, Mariah Carey's self-titled debut sold a measly 5,000 copies last year. The Backstreet Boys' "Millennium" managed only 9,000 sales.

Alas, the turning wheel of fortune isn't always kind to boy bands.

"The only thing that kept coming to mind to me was that line in the Bruce Springsteen song: `Someday we'll look back at this and it will all seem funny,'" recalls Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke.

Now, some critical hits that were trounced on their initial release by the likes of 'N Sync can claim a measure of commercial superiority. The Flaming Lips' "Soft Bulletin," often hailed as one of the best albums of the `90s by critics, sold a solid 38,000 copies last year.

Radiohead's legendary "OK Computer," currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary, last year sold 94,000 copies. Nirvana's "Nevermind" has done even better; it sold 143,000 copies in 2006.

Current events can alter the charts. When Ray Charles died, his older albums spiked for months, says Mayfield. A new album from Alanis Morissette would surely increase sales of her 1995 disc "Jagged Little Pill," one of the best selling albums of the past 20 years.

Likewise, recent reunions of the Police and Genesis can be expected to increase sales of their catalogs. The Police's 1986 compilation "Every Breath You Take" has already doubled its already strong 2006 sales by selling 107,000 copies so far this year.

Many well-regarded albums continue to do healthy business, including: U2's "Joshua Tree," Dr. Dre's "The Chronic," Beck's "Odelay," Wu-Tang Clan's "Enter the Wu-Tang," the Clash's "London Calling," Weezer's "Weezer," and the Pixies' "Doolittle." Each sold at least 20,000 copies last year.

Still, many albums that are consistently revered on critic top-ten lists of the `80s and `90s have not sold much. Joy Division's "Closer," the Smiths' "The Queen is Dead," My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless," and REM's "Murmur" all sold 12,000 copies or less last year.

Labels often reissue classic releases to capitalize on the devotion of die-hard fans and to attract a new audience. In the past few years, revered indie label Matador Records has released Pavement's first three albums, including "Slanted and Enchanted," a disc frequently ranked among the best in the `90s.

"It's almost like a new release for us," says Matador founder Chris Lombardi. "We probably sold in a one-year period, pretty much what those records sold in their first year period when they were initially released."

Though hip-hop continues to rule today's charts, many of its most historic albums don't enjoy the catalog sales that those from rock's heyday do. Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" sold 15,000 copies last year; Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique" sold 22,000; and Run DMC's "Raising Hell" sold far less than both.

So far this year, catalog sales are down 11.7 percent, but that's stronger than overall sales, which are down 14.7 percent, according to Billboard. It's a major portion of the music business. This year's total catalog sales of 95.6 million copies accounts for about 40 percent of all albums sold physically.

When people switched from cassette tapes to compact discs, catalog sales received a windfall as people re-bought their collections. The onset of digital downloading hasn't had that affect because CDs can easily be downloaded to your iPod, but digital stores do have the advantage of unlimited (virtual) store space to sell older music.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has pegged catalog downloads as 64 percent of all download sales in the U.S. (Apple declined to share its iTunes data on catalog sales.)

That still leaves illegal downloads unaccounted for, as well as a more important quantity: cultural impact. Though bands like Sonic Youth, the Ramones and Public Enemy may never sell as much as other acts, their influence remains immeasurable.

"Impact is not strictly about sales," says Fricke. "Otherwise everyone would be running around forming bands that sound exactly like Poison."

(This version CORRECTS release dates of "Back in Black" and "Appetite for Destruction.")

[colson]

"

Grease" (1978, 5.3 million)

Grease stdk has sold over 5 million copies since the soundscan era? :o That's incredible considering it was released over a decade before that.

[jenglisbe]

I'd love to get an updated cert for Grease. It could be among the top 2-3 soundtracks ever.

[Deleted]

It had the 8 million certification in 1984

From 1991-2005 it sold 5.3 million

Guessing another 4 million or so from 1984-1991

Add in another half million for the last two years

and you have about 18 million

[areyoureadytojump]

The 8xp 1984 certification is probably for the double album which would make it 16xp today. It could be 24-26xp!

[Acid Eyes]

Most Weeks in the Top 10 - 2007 Billboard Year

Girlfriend 18
Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')* 15
The Sweet Escape 15
Irreplaceable 14
Say It Right 14
Don't Matter 13
Glamorous 13
I Wanna Love You 13
Makes Me Wonder* 12
Cupid's Chokehold 11
Fergalicious 11
How to Save a Life 10
It's Not Over 10
Smack That 10
We Fly High 10

*Currently top 10

[Deleted]

Opening weeks of the 24 NOW volumes:

NOW 7 621,419
NOW 8 549,000
NOW 6 525,000
NOW 16 504,000
NOW 5 444,000
NOW 19 436,000
NOW 9 419,000
NOW 17 407,000
NOW 22 397,785
NOW 20 378,000
NOW 15 343,000
NOW 18 339,000
NOW 23 336,666
NOW 21 333,781
NOW 14 322,000
NOW 4 320,000
NOW 11 316,000
NOW 10 288,000
NOW 12 256,000
NOW 24 229,998
NOW 3 211,000
NOW 2 171,000
NOW 13 171,000
NOW 81,000

[Acid Eyes]

Tracks with the Most Weeks in the Top 10 - 2007 Billboard Year

Girlfriend 18
Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')* 16
The Sweet Escape 15
Irreplaceable 14
Say It Right 14
Don't Matter 13
Glamorous 13
I Wanna Love You 13
Makes Me Wonder 12
Cupid's Chokehold 11
Fergalicious 11
How to Save a Life 10
It's Not Over 10
Smack That 10
We Fly High 10

*Currently top 10

[mst3k]

jenglisbe said:

I'd love to get an updated cert for Grease.

You and me both. I don't get why UMG (which controls the old RSO releases now) hasn't bothered to have it recertified. It's been 23 years, for crying out loud.

[Deleted]

Most Top 10's - decade

LUDACRIS 13
NELLY 12
JAY-Z 11
USHER 10
50 CENT 10
ASHANTI 10
AKON 10

[Deleted]

Carrie tops Kelly for best-selling Idol album
It's official -- Carrie's Some Hearts has finally passed Kelly's Breakaway to become the best-selling Idol album. The margin was razor-thin, according to Nielsen SoundScan: 5,813,400 for Carrie, 5,813,200 for Kelly!

Kelly's current album, My December, is still the top-selling Idol album of the week, dropping from No. 11 to No. 15 on the Billboard chart. It sold 31,000, down from 42,000 the previous week, a 27% drop, and has sold 536,000 total.

Daughtry drops 22-25 on the chart, selling 23,000, an 8% drop; his total is 2.96 million. Carrie moves 30-28 on the chart, selling 21,000, off 1% from the previous week.

Elliott moves 81-84 with flat sales of about 9,000 and a total of 333,000. Bucky slides 83-91, selling a bit more than 8,000, down 5%, with a total of 231,000. Kellie has a nice week, climbing 141-99 on a 42% sales increase to more than 7,000. Her total's 593,000. And Fantasia drops 125-179, selling 4,000, a 31% drop. Total: 447,000.

> Idols off the chart:

Breakaway sold 6,000, same as last week. Katharine racked up 1,500, up from 1,300, to bring her total to 348,000. Taylor sold 900, same as last week, for a 692,000 total. Clay sold 500, down from 600, and has a total of 516,000. Ruben sold 400, same as last week, total 232,000. Paris sold 300, same as last week, for a total of 18,000. And Kimberley sold 300, down from 400, and has sold 14,000 total.

Idol downloads coming up in a separate post.

[Deleted]

Biggest Jumps to #1
64-1 Makes Me Wonder - Maroon5 (May 12, 2007)
52-1 "A Moment Like This," Kelly Clarkson (Oct. 5, 2002)
42-1 "Give It to Me," Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake (April 21, 2007)
41-1 Umbrella Rihanna featuring Jay-Z (June 9, 2007)
34-1 "SOS," Rihanna (May 13, 2006)
32-1 "This Is Why I'm Hot," Mims (March 10, 2007)
31-1 "SexyBack," Justin Timberlake (Sept. 9, 2006)
27-1 - "Can't Buy Me Love" (April 4, 1964)- The Beatles
23-1 -- "The Boy Is Mine" (June 6, 1998) Brandy and Monica
23-1 - "Beautiful Girls" (August 11, 2007) Sean Kingston