• Madonna and 'Rebel Heart' Trump 'Empire' Soundtrack on Albums Chart, Luke Bryan Debuts New 'Spring Break' Chapter

    Yesterday we reported that the Empire Season One Soundtrack had topped Madonna's Rebel Heart on the Billboard 200, thanks to the number of additional downloads and streams that it got, allowing it to take advantage of Billboard's new metrics and top the iconic chart. However pure album sales tell a different story. While Empire edged Rebel Heart by around 9,000 copies on the 200, the opposite was true on the Albums Chart, where Rebel Heart placed no. 1 with 116,500 copies sold and Empire took no. 2 with 107,000 copies moved.

  • 'Empire' Edges Madonna for Billboard 200 Top Spot, but Did New Metrics Steal a Landmark Accomplishment from Pop Star?

    This week's Billboard 200 was topped by the Empire Soundtrack: Season 1, but it touches off an interesting battle between it and Madonna's Rebel Heart, which finished no. 2. The current Billboard metrics place Empire at no. 1 with 130,000 "equivalent" albums sold—a count that includes total single downloads and album streams as well. Madge's album only sold 121,000 "equivalent" albums but unofficial tracking of pure album sales—or what the Billboard 200 used to be based on—suggest that Rebel Heart actually sold more albums than Empire did as a whole.

  • Madonna's 'Rebel Heart' Falls to Sam Smith on UK Albums Charts; Is BBC Radio "Ageism" to Blame?

    Madonna the world-over when she accused UK radio honchos of being "ageist" as a result of refusing to play her single "Living for Love." And she was correct: The BBC went as far as to say it was aiming for a younger demographic by not playing Madge's music. After one week of sales however, it seems that the region as a whole is ageist...or just less interested in the pop star's products than it once was. Rebel Heart finished at no. 2 on the Albums Charts, behind Sam Smith's In The Lonely Hour.

  • Kelly Clarkson Gets Cushion for 'Piece By Piece' on Albums Chart, Brandi Carlile Cracks Top 5 with 'Firewatcher's Daughter'

    Kelly Clarkson found a bit more breathing room on the Official Albums Chart this week, as her new album 'Piece By Piece' gets a nicer cushion over the 'Fifty Shades of Grey Soundtrack' on the Billboard 200. Thanks to the removal of individual streams and downloads for Beyoncé and Ellie Goulding's singles from the latter, Clarkson won the pure albums race with 80,500 copies sold, compared to 57,000 copies of 'Fifty Shades.'

  • Kelly Clarkson Barely Beats 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Soundtrack with 'Piece by Piece,' Tops Billboard 200

    Kelly Clarkson was the big winner on the Billboard 200 this week with the debut of her album Piece by Piece, which sold 97,000 equivalent copies and held off the competition. The effort helped the pop star get even with Carrie Underwood for the title of most no. 1 albums by an American Idol alumni...the country star and Clarkson both have three to their names. This was an especially nice peak for the latter as it was her first no. 1 since 2009, with two other releases in between.

  • Rihanna, Sam Smith, Madonna, Iggy Azalea & More To Perform at 2015 iHeartRadio Awards Hosted By Jamie Foxx

    iHeartRadio is putting on its second annual iHeartRadio Music Awards at the end of the month. They revealed the nominees back in February, but now they've announced who will be taking the stage at the ceremony. Rihanna, Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith, Madonna, Jason Aldean, Meghan Trainor, Jason Derulo, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Snoop Dogg, Nate Ruess, Alesso and Florida Georgia Line will all contribute live performances with Jamie Foxx hosting the show. Taylor Swift will make a non-performing appearance.

  • Sam Smith, John Legend Collaborate for 'Lay Me Down' Remake for Red Nose Day 2015

    If there are two crooners out in the game these days that can sell a heartbreaking ballad like no other, it would have to be Sam Smith and John Legend. And now, the duo have teamed up for a new song. Today (March 9), the Grammy winners released a new version of Smith's In The Lonely Hour single "Lay Me Down" for British charity Comic Relief's Red Nose Day 2015.

  • Detroit Giants Big Sean and Kid Rock Come within A Thousand in Sales on Album Chart; Chris Brown and Tyga Debut

    Big Sean and Kid Rock, two proud Detroit natives, were separated by about 30,000 equivalent records on the Billboard 200 this week with 'Dark Sky Paradise' and 'First Kiss,' respectively, but things were a lot tighter when only album sales were taken into consideration. The pair was almost exactly 1,000 apart from each other, with Sean passing Rock in the last day of sales tracking. 'Dark Sky' ended up selling 135,500 copies while 'First Kiss' debuted with 134,500.

  • Miley Cyrus Inspiration for Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' According to Pharrell Williams in Lawsuit Testimony

    Things have gotten exciting in the "Blurred Lines" trial as Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams have entered the picture to offer testimony defending their hit song against claims from the Marvin Gaye estate that the no. 1 single is dangerously similar to the soul icon's "Got to Give It Up." Williams, the producer and occasional crooner, took to the stand this week and declared that the first performer he had on his mind when he drafted "Lines" wasn't Gaye at all, but Miley Cyrus.

  • Streaming Numbers Give Big Sean's 'Dark Sky Paradise' over Kid Rock's 'First Kiss' on Billboard 200

    New releases from Big Sean and Kid Rock demonstrated how big of a role the new metrics for the Billboard 200 could play in determining the placement of an album. Big Sean and Dark Sky Paradise took the crown this week, moving 173,000 equivalent units while Rock and First Kiss came in at no. 2 with 146,000 equivalent units. That 27,000 album difference doesn't seem like a close fight, but actual album sales indicate that physical copies and downloads of the full records had the pair within 1,000 of each other. The other 26,000 can all be attributed to more single downloads and streams for Sean. It's a brave new music sales world...you may have heard.
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