Beyonce album sets iTunes sales record, tops Billboard chart

LOS ANGELES | R&B star Beyonce’s latest self-titled album surpassed 1 million copies sold worldwide in six days on Wednesday and set a record for iTunes, Apple Inc. and Columbia Records said.

“Beyonce,” the fifth solo studio album from the singer, unexpectedly released in the early hours of December 13 without any prior fanfare, contains 14 new songs and 17 videos, and swiftly topped the iTunes album charts across the world.

The album also debuted at the top of the weekly Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, with 617,000 copies sold in the United States by the week ending December 15, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

The deluxe digital album, exclusively available on iTunes, can only be purchased as a complete set of songs and videos, and retails for $15.99 at the U.S. store. A physical version will be made available for sale in time for the festive holiday period this month.

The surprise release of the album caps a year in which Beyonce, 32, made a carefully choreographed return to music after taking time out to give birth to her first child, daughter Blue Ivy with rapper husband Jay Z. Both Blue Ivy and Jay Z feature as collaborators on the new album, and appear in accompanying music videos.

Releasing an album without any prior fanfare or publicity is rare, especially for one of the top players in the current music industry. But Beyonce’s success does not necessarily mean other artists will be able to copy her stealth release strategy.

The singer has numerous factors in her favor, including a loyal online fanbase of more than 53 million Facebook fans, 13 million Twitter followers and 8 million Instagram fans, and a year performing in the spotlight that has created buzz for an album release.

Beyonce’s album has outperformed some of this year’s other most-anticipated new releases, selling more copies than new albums from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Britney Spears.

Currently, the year’s top-selling album is Justin Timberlake’s first part of “The 20/20 Experience,” which was released in March with 968,000 copies sold in its opening week, and has topped 2.3 million sales in the U.S. to date.

Nielsen SoundScan compiles sales in the week ending Sunday, meaning that Beyonce’s new album only showed three days of sales in the Billboard chart.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Harlem Shake’ tumbles off top of Billboard chart after 5 weeks

LOS ANGELES – “The Harlem Shake” is moving on.

After five weeks in the number one slot, New York DJ Baauer’s single that triggered a global YouTube sensation has slipped to number two on Billboard’s latest Hot 100 chart, the music industry trade journal said Wednesday.

Taking its place is “Thrift Shop” from Seattle rappers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, which has been in the Hot 100 since October and previously hit number one on five non-consecutive weeks before the Harlem Shake fad intervened.

“The Harlem Shake” reached number one thanks to good timing — it went viral on YouTube at the same time Billboard changed its methodology to include online streaming as well as record sales and radio air play.

On its website (www.billboard.com), Billboard said YouTube streams of “The Harlem Shake” have fallen from 103 million five weeks ago to just 20 million in the past week.

As an Internet meme, “The Harlem Shake” took off in early February when five Australian teenagers uploaded a video of themselves boogeying wildly to the electronic ditty that takes its name from a 1980s New York street dance.

source: interaksyon.com

One Direction make Billboard history as 2nd album debuts at No. 1

LOS ANGELES – British boy band One Direction made Billboard chart history on Wednesday after storming to the top of the 200 album chart with their second album “Take Me Home,” holding off competition from Christina Aguilera, Soundgarden and Lana Del Rey.

“Take Me Home” notched the third-biggest opening week sales of the year with 540,000 units sold according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan, placing it behind only Mumford & Son’s “Babel” and Taylor Swift’s “Red,” which had the year’s biggest opening with 1.2 million copies sold.

This is also the first time a British band have seen their first two albums debut at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Their first album “Up All Night” shot to the top of the chart with 176,000 copies in March this year.

The lead single from “Take Me Home,” “Live While We’re Young”, also made Billboard chart history after selling 341,000 copies in its first week, becoming the biggest opening week single sales for a non-U.S. artist.

One Direction were able to trump a new release from pop star and “The Voice” judge Aguilera, who debuted at No. 7 with her fifth studio album “Lotus,” selling 73,000 copies.

She was unable to replicate the success of fellow “Voice” judge Adam Levine, whose band Maroon 5 shot to No. 2 on the album chart in July with “Overexposed,” selling 222,000 copies.

The members of the British-Irish quintet One Direction, aged between 18 and 20, are Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne. They have come a long way since forming on Britain’s “The X Factor,” coming in third place and going on to conquer the U.S. and build a devoted following of fans.

Their success has also piqued the curiosity of interviewer Barbara Walters, who will be speaking to the band for her annual “The 10 Most Fascinating People,” airing on ABC on Dec. 12.

The band will face stiff competition from R&B star Rihanna for the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart next week, as her new album “Unapologetic” is set for a big debut.

Elsewhere on the album chart, seven new debuts entered the top 10 this week.

Taylor Swift’s “Red” was knocked down to No. 2 by One Direction’s debut, while the soundtrack for the final “Twilight” film, “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” debuted at No. 3 with sales of 93,000 after the film hit theaters last week.

The soundtrack features lead single “The Forgotten” by Green Day and songs by Passion Pit, Ellie Goulding, Fiest and a duet between “Twilight” cast member Nikki Reed and husband Paul McDonald, a former “American Idol” finalist.

Canadian R&B star The Weeknd landed at No. 4 this week with his hotly anticipated debut, “Trilogy,” while 1990s grunge rock band Soundgarden rounded out the top five with “King Animal,” their first album in 16 years.

Green Day’s “Dos!,” the second installment of their trilogy of new albums this year, came in at No. 9 on the chart with 69,000 copies, a big drop from their first album “Uno!,” which debuted at No. 2 in October with sales of 139,000 copies. The third installment, “Tre!,” is due out on Dec. 11.

Indie-pop songstress Del Rey rounded out the top ten with her latest studio set “Paradise,” an eight-song record which was also offered as part of a deluxe edition of her debut album “Born To Die,” which notched No. 2 on the chart in February.

source: interaksyon.com

Maroon 5 keeps 'Gangnam Style' at bay on US hit parade

LOS ANGELES - Thanks to Maroon 5's "One More Night," South Korean rapper Psy's "Gangnam Style" must linger in second place on Billboard's Hot 100 hit parade for a third straight week.

Psy, 34, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, rocketed to international fame when "Gangnam Style" and his signature pony dance went viral in July on YouTube, where it has notched up more than 400 million views.

But his dreams of conquering the most closely watched of all US pop music charts were dashed yet again as "Night" kept California pop-rockers Maroon 5 in first place on the strength of radio play.

"Again, the race was extremely close," said Billboard on its website Wednesday, adding that Psy remains a contender for the top spot next week despite strong new entries from the likes of Adele and Taylor Swift.

The Hot 100 reflects CD sales, digital downloads and radio play. - AFP

source: gmanetwork.com

‘Gangnam Style’ stuck in second on US pop chart

LOS ANGELES – South Korean rapper Psy can keep his shirt on after his goofy “Gangnam Style” failed for a second week running to conquer the summit of Billboard’s Hot 100 hit parade, albeit by a slight margin.

The K-Pop superstar had pledged – some might say threatened – to perform his signature horse dance “half-naked” in his home city Seoul if his catchy and kitschy ditty hit number one in the preeminent US popular music chart.



But alas, he remained stuck in second as Maroon 5 – bolstered by radio play – hung on to the top spot with “One More Night,” Billboard reported on its website, adding however that the race was “extremely close.”

“Clearly, Psy remains in contention for the Hot 100′s coveted No. 1 rank next week,” the music industry reference said. “Until then, however, because he’s just less than tops on the chart, he’ll have to keep his shirt on.”

The Hot 100 reflects CD sales, digital downloads and radio play – and while the gap in overall chart points between “One More Night” and “Gangnam Style” was about 3,000 last week, it narrowed to fewer than 500 this week.

Psy, a 34-year-old whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, shot to international fame when “Gangnam Style” went viral in July on YouTube, where it has notched up more than 355 million views.

Recent appearances at the MTV awards in Los Angeles and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” lifted his US profile, adding to an American cult following for South Korean pop music and soap operas.

source: interaksyon.com

One Direction sets Nov release for album 'Take Me Home'

LOS ANGELES - British-Irish boy band One Direction took the music industry by storm earlier this year when its debut album topped the US Billboard chart, and now the group is planning a second wave of success with a new record due in November.

The cheeky quintet, who rose to fame in 2010 on UK television talent show "The X Factor", will release their sophomore album "Take Me Home" on Nov. 13, Columbia Records said on Thursday.

"Take Me Home" will feature tracks co-written by the One Direction boys along with British artists such as Ed Sheeran and McFly's Tom Fletcher. The album's lead single "Live While We're Young" will premiere on radio on Sept. 24, and be available digitally from Oct. 1.

One Direction, made up of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Liam Payne, surged onto the US airwaves earlier this year with catchy pop hit "What Makes You Beautiful", gaining a strong following among teenage girls known as "Directioners".

The band made Billboard history in March this year, becoming the only UK group to debut at No. 1 with their first album, "Up All Night", which has sold 12 million records worldwide.

The new album comes on the heels of One Direction's performance at the London Olympics closing ceremony earlier this month and will be linked to their worldwide tour in 2013. –Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com