Monthly Archives: January 2018

The track launches with a record on-demand streaming total. Drake also arrives at No. 7 with “Diplomatic Immunity,” becoming just the second act to debut two songs in the top 10 simultaneously.

Drake‘s “God’s Plan” launches at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Feb. 3), blasting in with a record on-demand streaming total in its first week.

The song arrived late on Jan. 19, along with fellow new track “Diplomatic Immunity,” which enters the Hot 100 at No. 7, making Drake just the second act to debut two songs in the chart’s top 10 simultaneously. “Plan” and “Immunity” are paired on Drake’s new “Scary Hours” two-track single, released on Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records. The former is the 1,071st No. 1 in the Hot 100’s history, which dates to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception.

As we do every Monday, let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100, which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 30).

No. 1 in streaming & sales: “Plan” soars in at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, with 82.4 million U.S. streams in the week ending Jan. 25, according to Nielsen Music. The sum marks the fourth-greatest for a title in a week on Streaming Songs, after Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” (103.1 million and 97.6 million in its first and second weeks, March 2 and 9, 2013, respectively, driven largely by viral videos incorporating the song’s official audio) and Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” (84.5 million; Sept. 16, 2017).

“Plan” also starts at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales with 127,000 downloads sold in the week ending Jan. 25. With the song’s airplay promotion just beginning, it also boasts 24 million in all-format airplay audience in the week ending Jan. 28 (and ranks just below the Radio Songs chart).

Drake notches his eighth Digital Song Sales No. 1 and his third leader on Streaming Songs.

On-demand streaming record: On the audio subscription services-based On-Demand Streaming Songs chart, “Plan” vaults in with a record 68 million on-demand U.S. streams. That shatters the prior weekly mark, set when Kendrick Lamar’s’ “Humble.” launched at No. 1 with 44.4 million on May 6, 2017.

Drake’s fourth No. 1: Drake earns his fourth Hot 100 No. 1 and second as a lead artist. He first ruled as featured on Rihanna‘s “What’s My Name?,” which topped the Nov. 20, 2010-dated chart , and then as featured on her “Work,” which began a nine-week reign on March 5, 2016. He followed with his own “One Dance,” featuring WizKid and Kyla, which dominated for 10 weeks beginning May 21, 2016.

No. 1 debut: “Plan” marks Drake’s first debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100. It’s the chart’s first since DJ Khaled‘s “I’m the One,” featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne, which roared in on top May 20, 2017. “One” is the 29th title to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100.

Two debuts in top 10: With “Plan” and “Immunity” new at No. 1s and 7, respectively, Drake is just the second artist to debut two songs in the Hot 100’s top 10 simultaneously. On Jan. 28, 2017, Ed Sheeran opened at No. 1 with “Shape of You” and at No. 6 with “Castle on the Hill.”

“Immunity” opens at No. 6 on Streaming Songs with 28.4 million U.S. streams. On On-Demand Songs, “Immunity” bows at No. 2 with 25.2 million. Twice before in the latter chart’s nearly five-year history had an artist debuted at Nos. 1 and 2 concurrently, with one prior week also by Drake: on Dec. 31, 2016, J. Cole opened at Nos. 1-7, led by “Deja Vu” at No. 1; on April 8, 2017, Drake began at Nos. 1-6, paced by “Passionfruit” at No. 1.

“Immunity” begins at No. 4 on Digital Song Sales with 39,000 sold.

Higher power: Drake’s new No. 1 marks the third Hot 100 leader with “God” in its title. Do you remember the other two? Answer at the end of this story.

No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs & Hot Rap Songs: “Plan” concurrently launches at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts. Drake tallies his 17th leader on the former ranking and record-extending 18th on the latter; Lil Wayne and Diddy follow with 10 Hot Rap Songs No. 1s each.

159 on the Hot 100: With two debuts, Drake additionally ups his count to 159 career Hot 100 entries, extending his mark for the most among soloists in the chart’s archives. Among all acts, only the cast of Fox’s Glee has totaled more (207).

U.S. & U.K.: Along with its entrance atop the Hot 100, Drake’s “Plan” concurrently debuts at No. 1 on the Official UK Singles chart. It’s the first song to open atop both tallies in the same week since DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One” (last May 20).

Drake earns his third Official UK Singles chart No. 1, after “What’s My Name” and “One Dance”; the latter led for 15 weeks in 2016, the chart’s longest command this decade.

As for the rest of the Hot 100’s top 10 … Sheeran’s “Perfect” holds at No. 2 after six weeks at No. 1. It tops Radio Songs for a fourth week (152 million, essentially even week-over-week). After ascending to No. 1 on the Hot 100 a week ago, Camila Cabello‘s “Havana,” featuring Young Thug, drops to No. 3. Post Malone‘s “Rockstar,” featuring 21 Savage, retreats 3-4 on the Hot 100, after leading for eight weeks.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top five, Bruno Mars and Cardi B‘s “Finesse” falls 4-5, after reaching No. 3. The track tops Hot R&B Songs for a third week. It claims the Hot 100’s top airplay gain, as it boosts 10-8 on Radio Songs (74 million, up 17 percent).

Halsey’s “Bad at Love” drops to No. 6 from its No. 5 Hot 100 high and, below Drake’s “Immunity” at No. 7, Dua Lipa‘s “New Rules” holds at its No. 8 peak; as previously reported, “Rules” becomes her first No. 1 on the Pop Songs airplay chart.

Capping the Hot 100’s top 10, Imagine Dragons’ No. 4-peaking “Thunder” slips 6-9 on the Hot 100, as it rules Hot Rock Songs for a 13th week, while G-Eazy‘s fellow No. 4 hit “No Limit,” featuring A$AP Rocky and Cardi B, slides 7-10.

Quiz answer: Drake’s “God’s Plan” is the third Hot 100 leader with “God” in its title. The prior two to ascend to the chart’s highest spot? Mariah Carey’s “Thank God I Found You,” featuring Joe and 98 Degrees (2000), and John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” (1975).

Find out more Hot 100 news in the weekly “Hot 100 Chart Moves” column and by listening (and subscribing) to Billboard‘s Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 30), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The next issue of Billboardmagazine is on sale Friday (Feb. 2).

Source: billboard.com

Rock band Fall Out Boy scores its fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as Mania arrives atop the list.

The set earned 130,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Jan. 25, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 117,000 were in traditional album sales. Mania is the group’s seventh full-length studio set and was released on Jan. 19 through Island Records.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Feb. 3-dated chart (where Mania opens at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard’s websites on Tuesday (Jan. 30).

Mania is Fall Out Boy’s fourth leader on the chart, and third consecutive studio effort to reach the top. The band previously hit No. 1 with its full-length studio titles American Beauty/American Psycho (2015), Save Rock and Roll (2013) and Infinity on High (2007). Its only full-length studio efforts to miss the top were Folie a Deux(peaking at No. 8 on the Jan. 3, 2009-dated chart), From Under the Cork Tree (No. 9 in 2005) and Take This to Your Grave (didn’t reach the Billboard 200, but hit No. 17 on the Independent Albums chart in 2004).

Mania’s opening frame is driven largely by traditional album sales, with 117,000 copies sold. The remainder of its equivalent album unit sum is comprised of TEA units (2,000) and SEA units (11,000). Mania actually did better than expected, as some industry forecasters expected there to be a race between Mania and the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman, with some predicting both titles would finish the week with around 105,000 to 110,000 units. The Greatest Showman, which previously spent two weeks at No. 1, holds at No. 2 for a second week with 109,000 units — up 5 percent.

Mania performed particularly well with direct-to-consumer sales via Fall Out Boy’s official web store, and with vinyl LP sales. For the latter format, the album sold 13,000 copies — the biggest week for a vinyl album since the Sept. 30, 2017-dated list, when The National’s Sleep Well Beast bowed with 14,000 vinyl LPs.

Fall Out Boy’s last studio album, American Beauty/American Psycho, launched at No. 1 with 218,000 units, of which 192,000 were in traditional album sales.

Mania was originally slated for release last September, but the band opted to push back the release until January, and ultimately retooled the album.

The set has scored five hits on the Hot Rock Songs chart (through the most recently published tally, dated Jan. 27), including a trio of top 10s: the set’s lead single “Young and Menace” (No. 7), “Champion” (No. 10) and “The Last of the Real Ones” (No. 5). On the Alternative Songs airplay chart, “Champion” peaked at No. 18 last September, marking the band’s 11^th hit. Meanwhile, on the most recent Pop Songsairplay chart, “Hold Me Tight or Don’t” debuted at No. 38 — Fall Out Boy’s first hit on the list from Mania.

At No. 3 on the new Billboard 200, Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) is steady with 47,000 units (down 1 percent). Camila Cabello’s Camila album dips from No. 1 to No. 4 in its second week, with 43,000 units (down 64 percent). Post Malone’s Stoney rounds out the top five, descending one rung to No. 5 with 34,000 units (down 2 percent).

Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. rises one position to No. 6 with just over 29,000 units (down 2 percent), G-Eazy’s The Beautiful & Damned is down one to No. 7 with 29,000 (down 12 percent) and Lil Uzi Vert’s Luv is Rage 2 climbs a spot to No. 8 with 27,000 units (down 5 percent).

Closing out the top 10: Taylor Swift’s Reputation falls 5-9 with 26,000 units (down 21 percent) and Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic pops back into the top 10, rising 11-10, with nearly 26,000 units (down 3 percent).

Source: billboard.com

The coronation complements her No. 1 debut atop the Billboard 200 with her first solo album, “Camila.”

Camila Cabello crowns the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Jan. 27) for the first time, as “Havana,” featuring Young Thug, lifts from No. 2 to No. 1. Young Thug likewise earns his first Hot 100 leader.

The song was released on SYCO/Epic Records and is the 1,070th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s history, which dates to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception.

The former Fifth Harmony member’s Hot 100 coronation accompanies her No. 1 entrance on the Billboard 200 albums chart with her debut solo set, Camila.

Meanwhile, Halsey hits the Hot 100’s top five for the first time as a lead artist, as “Bad at Love” bumps 7-5, and Dua Lipa scores her first Hot 100 top 10, as “New Rules” rises 11-8.

As we do every Monday, let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100, which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 23).

No. 1 in streaming, No. 2 in sales & airplay: As on the Hot 100, “Havana” becomes both Cabello and Young Thug’s first No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, jumping from No. 5 with a 34 percent gain to 44.9 million U.S. streams in the week ending Jan. 18, according to Nielsen Music.

The track charges 4-2 on Digital Song Sales (which it led for two weeks), up 57 percent to 80,000 downloads sold in the week ending Jan. 18, aided by a 69-cent iTunes Store sale price. It claims the Hot 100’s top gains in both streaming and sales.

On Radio Songs (which it topped for four frames), “Havana” holds at No. 2, with 131 million in all-format airplay audience (down 5 percent) in the week ending Jan. 21.

Prior peaks: Cabello had previously peaked as high as No. 4 on the Hot 100 both as a soloist and a member of vocal group Fifth Harmony, which she departed in December 2016. Her own “Bad Things,” with Machine Gun Kelly, hit No. 4 on Feb. 11, 2017, while 5H’s “Work From Home,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, reached the same rank on June 11, 2016.

Young Thug (born Jeffery Lamar Williams) had previously hit No. 16 on the Hot 100 as featured, with Rich Homie Quan, on Rich Gang’s “Lifestyle” (Nov. 15, 2014).

Seven-week wait at No. 2: “Havana” spent seven (nonconsecutive) weeks at No. 2 before topping the Hot 100. That’s the most time for a song at the runner-up spot before hitting No. 1 since Justin Bieber‘s “Sorry” logged a record-tying eight weeks at No. 2 in 2015-16 prior to leading for three weeks beginning Jan. 23, 2016.

23 total weeks to No. 1, tying the record among women: “Havana” hits No. 1 in its 23rd week on the Hot 100, equaling the longest rise to the summit for a song by a female artist in the Hot 100’s history. It matches Sia‘s “Cheap Thrills,” featuring Sean Paul, in 2016, and Patti Austin’s “Baby, Come to Me,” with James Ingram, in 1982-83.

Only six songs overall have taken more scenic routes to No. 1 than those three, led by Los Del Rio’s “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)”: 33 weeks in 1995-96.

Camila, Beyoncé & Britney: Cabello scores her first week atop the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 concurrently, thanks to “Havana” and Camila, respectively. The last artist to earn both firsts as a soloist simultaneously? Beyoncé, with “Crazy in Love,” featuring JAY-Z, and Dangerously in Love, on July 12, 2003.

Still, Beyoncé had previously topped both charts as a member of Destiny’s Child. Counting purely first weeks at No. 1 on the tallies at all, Cabello is the first artist to notch both simultaneously since Britney Spears, whose “…Baby One More Time” ascended to No. 1 on the Hot 100 dated Jan. 30, 1999, the same week that her debut album of the same name launched atop the Billboard 200.

Camila & Zayn: In just under two years, two soloists formerly in arguably the most prominent boy band and girl group this decade, respectively, have now topped the Hot 100 on their own, after narrowly missing the top spot while in those acts.

As noted above, Cabello reached a No. 4 best with Fifth Harmony on “Work From Home.” As a member of One Direction, which he left in 2015, Zayn rose as high as No. 2 with the group’s “Best Song Ever” in 2013. On the Hot 100 dated Feb. 20, 2016, he debuted at No. 1 and led for two total weeks with his solo debut, “Pillowtalk.”

Thus, One Direction and Fifth Harmony each began as quintets and lost a member that went on to do what each group hasn’t: hit No. 1 on the Hot 100.

Both 1D and 5H formed on singing competition The X Factor, the former on the British version in 2010 and the latter on the U.S. edition in 2012, and both signed to X Factor creator Simon Cowell’s SYCO imprint.

Go-going solo, and to No. 1: Cabello is the first artist to chart a top five Hot 100 hit, but not a No. 1, in a group and then lead solo since Zayn.

Among women, she’s the first to make such a progression since Gwen Stefani, whose “Hollaback Girl” led for four weeks in 2005. As a member of No Doubt, she reached a No. 3 high with the group’s “Underneath It All” in 2002. (No Doubt might’ve topped the Hot 100 with “Don’t Speak,” but the smash was not released as a commercial single and, per chart rules at the time, was ineligible to appear on the Hot 100; it ruled Radio Songs for 16 weeks in 1996-97.)

Before Stefani, the last woman to have hit the top five, but fallen shy of No. 1, with a group and then led as a soloist? Belinda Carlisle. In the Go-Go’s, she marched to No. 2 with “We Got the Beat” in 1982. As a soloist, she ascended to No. 1 with “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” in 1987.

Speaking of places on Earth …

World news: “Havana” is the first Hot 100 No. 1 whose title includes a city since Fergie‘s “London Bridge,” which led for three weeks beginning Aug. 19, 2006. (Both Havana and London are capital cities, of course, of Cuba and England/the United Kingdom, respectively.)

Two other Hot 100 No. 1s since Fergie’s have included geographic locales in their titles: “California Gurls,” by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg (six weeks at No. 1, 2010), and “Harlem Shake,” by Baauer (five weeks, 2013).

Women’s resurgence at No. 1: Female artists in lead roles went over a year between topping the Hot 100 from Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” (last week at No. 1: Aug. 27, 2016) to Taylor Swift‘s “Look What You Made Me Do” (first week at No. 1: Sept. 16, 2017).

However, since the first of three weeks on top for Swift’s song, women in lead roles have now appeared on four of the last five No. 1s. Following “Look,” Cardi Bdominated for three weeks with “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves).” The all-male “Rockstar,” by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage, then reigned for eight weeks and, before “Havana,” Ed Sheeran‘s “Perfect” led for six weeks; for five of those frames, Beyoncé was credited as the co-lead.

Top 40 follow-up: As “Havana” reaches No. 1 on the Hot 100, Cabello’s follow-up single from Camila, “Never Be the Same,” enters the top 40, surging 65-30. It’s her fourth solo top 40 Hot 100 hit (matching her total as a member of Fifth Harmony, which has tallied all four of its top 40 entries to date in 2015-16 while Cabello was in the group).

As for the rest of the Hot 100’s top 10… Sheeran’s “Perfect” drops to No. 2 after six weeks at No. 1. Still, it tops Digital Song Sales for an eighth week (82,000, down 16 percent) and Radio Songs for a third week (151 million, up 3 percent). On Streaming Songs, it keeps at No. 3 (36.9 million, down 3 percent).

“Rockstar” rebounds 4-3 on the Hot 100, while leading the Hot Rap Songs chart for a 15th week and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a 14th week.

“Rockstar” swaps spots with Bruno Mars and Cardi B’s “Finesse,” which a week ago blasted 35-3 following the first full week of tracking for its collaborative remix. This week, the song drops 1-4 on Streaming Songs (32.7 million, down 15 percent) and 2-4 on Digital Song Sales (39,000, down 55 percent).

Still, “Finesse” pushes 14-10 on Radio Songs (63 million, up 21 percent, good for the Hot 100’s top airplay gain). Mars collects his 15th Radio Songs top 10 and Cardi B, her second (after “Bodak Yellow,” which reached No. 10). “Finesse” additionally tops Hot R&B Songs for a second week.

Halsey earns her first top five Hot 100 hit as a lead artist, as “Bad at Love” climbs 7-5. She previously spent 12 weeks at No. 1 as featured on The Chainsmokers’ “Closer” in 2016. Airplay is driving “Bad” most heavily, as the song holds at its No. 3 high on Radio Songs (109 million, up 1 percent).

Imagine Dragons’ “Thunder” is steady at No. 6 on the Hot 100 after reaching No. 4, while ruling Hot Rock Songs for a 12th week, and G-Eazy’s “No Limit,” featuring A$AP Rocky and Cardi B, slides 5-7, also after peaking at No. 4.

Dua Lipa lands her first Hot 100 top 10, as “New Rules” rises 11-8. The song, a two-week No. 1 on the Official UK Singles chart in September, reaches the top 10 in its 25th week on the Hot 100, marking the longest climb to the region since gnash’s “I Hate U I Love U,” featuring Olivia O’Brien, also ascended to the top 10 in its 25th week on Oct. 22, 2016.

British pop singer-songwriter and model Dua Lipa (that’s her real name) previously charted two Hot 100 entries: “Blow Your Mind (Mwah)” (No. 72, November 2016) and “Scared to Be Lonely,” with Martin Garrix (No. 76, May 2017).

As with Halsey’s hit, “Rules” is powered most strongly by airplay, as it bounds 7-4 on Radio Songs (98 million, up 7 percent).

Sam Smith’s No. 4-peaking “Too Good at Goodbyes” descends 8-9 on the Hot 100 and Migos, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B’s “MotorSport” parks in neutral at No. 10, after hitting No. 6. Notably, Cardi B boasts three songs in the top 10 (at Nos. 4, 7 and 10) for a fourth week, doubling the record among women; Ashanti posted two such weeks in 2002. (Among all acts, 50 Cent leads with 15 weeks of at least three concurrent Hot 100 top 10s, in 2003-05.)

Just beyond the Hot 100’s top 10, four songs hit new highs in the top 20: 6ix9ine’s “Gummo” (19-13); NF’s “Let You Down” (15-14); Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be” (18-17), as it tops Hot Country Songs for an eighth week; and Swift’s “End Game,” featuring Sheeran and Future (36-18), following the first full week of tracking for its official video.

Find out more Hot 100 news in the weekly “Hot 100 Chart Moves” column and by listening (and subscribing) to Billboard‘s Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 23), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The next issue of Billboardmagazine is on sale Friday (Jan. 26).

Source: billboard.com

She’s the first woman to bow at No. 1 with a debut full-length album in three years.

Camila Cabello debuts atop the Billboard 200 chart with her first solo effort, Camila, earning 119,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Jan. 18, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 65,000 were in traditional album sales. Cabello is the first woman in three years to hit No. 1 with her debut full-length album.

Camila was released on January 12 through SYCO/Epic Records.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Jan. 27-dated chart (where Camila debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

Camila’s launch of 119,000 is larger than expected, as some industry forecasters projected the set would begin with around 90,000 units, and was in a race for No. 1 with the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman. As it turns out, The Greatest Showman— which had spent the past two weeks at No. 1 — falls to No. 2 with 104,000 units (increasing by 1 percent compared to the previous week). The Greatest Showmanactually beats Camila in traditional album sales (70,000 vs. 65,000) and is the top-selling album of the week. Camila was able to come out on top on the Billboard 200 over The Greatest Showman thanks to TEA units and SEA units. Camila earned 16,000 TEA units (vs. 8,000 for Showman) and 38,000 SEA units (vs. 26,000 for Showman).

Cabello is the first woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with her debut full-length album in three years – since Meghan Trainor’s Title (also on Epic) opened atop the list dated Jan. 31, 2015. (Trainor had a previous EP, also named Title, which reached No. 15.) If we count all initial chart appearances by women (including EPs), Cabello is the first woman to top the list with her first overall charting effort since Ariana Grande bowed at No. 1 with her first full-length album — and chart debut — Yours Truly on Sept. 21, 2013.

Cabello also joins an exclusive club of female performers who initially reached the Billboard 200 as part of a group, and then later hit No. 1 with a solo album. Cabello was formerly a member of the all-female vocal group Fifth Harmony, which claimed three top 10s while Cabello was in the group. Cabello departed Fifth Harmony in December of 2016.

Cabello follows Gwen Stefani (No Doubt), Beyoncé and LeToya (both of Destiny’s Child), Lauryn Hill (Fugees), Patti LaBelle (Labelle), Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac), Linda Ronstadt (The Stone Poneys), Diana Ross (The Supremes) and Janis Joplin (Big Brother and the Holding Company). (Honorary mention goes to Selena Gomez, who notched three albums first with Selena Gomez & The Scene, before going totally solo with the No. 1 album Stars Dance in 2013.)

In addition, as Cabello is just 20 years and 10 months old, she is the youngest person to debut at No. 1 with their first full-length album since 2015, when a 16-year-old Shawn Mendes opened at No. 1 with Handwritten on the May 2, 2015-dated chart. Cabello is the youngest woman to bow at No. 1 with her first full-length set since 2013, when Ariana Grande (then 20 years and two months old) debuted at No. 1 with Yours Truly (Sept. 21, 2013).

At No. 3 on the new Billboard 200, Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) slips one rung (47,000 units; down 10 percent). Post Malone’s Stoney climbs 5-4 (35,000 units; down 5 percent) and Taylor Swift’s Reputation is up 6-5 (just over 33,000 units; down 9 percent). G-Eazy’s The Beautiful & Damned falls 3-6 (33,000 units; down 12 percent), Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. ascends 8-7 (30,000 units; down 15 percent), Eminem’s Revival slips 7-8 (29,000 units; down 20 percent) and Lil Uzi Vert’s Luv Is Rage 2 hops 11-9 (28,000; down 4 percent).

Rapper Lil Skies is a new visitor to the top 10, as his album Life of a Dark Rose jumps 23-10 with 28,000 units (up 65 percent) in its second chart week. Powered largely by streams, the set collected 25,000 in SEA units, equaling 37 million on-demand audio streams for its songs during the tracking week. Songs leading the streaming charge for the album include “Nowadays” and “Red Roses,” both featuring Landon Cube, “Lust” and “Welcome to the Rodeo.” Both “Nowadays” and “Red Roses” ranked within the top 40 of the most recently announced Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (dated Jan. 20).

Source: billboard.com

Sheeran’s ballad, on top for a sixth week, heads up an action-packed top 10.

Ed Sheeran‘s “Perfect” leads the Billboard Hot 100 for a sixth week on the chart dated Jan. 20.

Meanwhile, two songs surge to the top 10, as Bruno Mars and Cardi B‘s “Finesse” blasts from its No. 35 debut to No. 3, following the first full week of tracking for its new remix, and Justin Timberlake‘s “Filthy” launches at No. 9 after its first seven days of availability.

Let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100, which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 17).

Starting with “Finesse,” the new jack swing-reviving collaboration was originally released as a solo song on Mars’ 2016 album 24K Magic (on Atlantic Records). After the arrival of its remix and official video Jan. 4, the song entered the Jan. 13-dated Hot 100 on the strength of a day of streaming and sales tracking, and three days of airplay tracking, for its new version (with all versions contributing to its singular chart listing).

After a first full week of tracking after the new version’s release, “Finesse” roars onto the Streaming Songs chart at No. 1, with 38.3 million U.S. streams (up 342 percent) in the week ending Jan. 11, according to Nielsen Music. It charges 13-2 on Digital Song Sales, with 87,000 downloads sold (up 189 percent) in the week ending Jan. 11, and 49-14 on Radio Songs, with 52 million in all-format airplay audience (up 103 percent) in the week ending Jan. 14.

No. 1 streaming debut: “Finesse” is the first No. 1-debuting title on Streaming Songs since the song that it dethrones after 14 weeks on top: Post Malone’s “Rockstar,” featuring 21 Savage. Mars notches his second No. 1 on the list and first as a lead artist, following his 12-week reign in 2015 as featured on Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!”

Cardi B likewise achieves her second Streaming Songs No. 1, after her debut hit “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” topped the chart for two weeks beginning Sept. 30.

Top 10 totals: Mars tallies his 15th Hot 100 top 10 and Cardi B collects her fourth. Her second and third top 10s remain in the region: G-Eazy’s “No Limit,” featuring A$AP Rocky and Cardi B, holds at No. 5 (after reaching No. 4) and Migos, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B’s “MotorSport” descends 8-10 (after hitting No. 6).

Third time’s a charm, for third time, for Mars: Especially impressively, Mars has now earned three Hot 100 top 10s from each of his first three proper albums, becoming just the second male artist and sixth act overall to achieve the career-opening feat.

“Finesse” follows the 24K Magic title cut, which reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 in December 2016, and “That’s What I Like,” which topped the May 13, 2017-dated chart. (Third single “Versace on the Floor” peaked at No. 33 in September.)

Mars’ debut LP, 2010’s Doo-Wops & Hooligans, generated the twin four-week Hot 100 leaders “Just the Way You Are” and “Grenade” and the No. 4-peaking “The Lazy Song.” 2012’s Unorthodox Jukebox yielded two more No. 1s, “Locked Out of Heaven” (six weeks) and “When I Was Your Man” (one), and the No. 5 hit “Treasure.” (Mars first released the EP It’s Better If You Don’t Understand in 2010.)

The only other acts with at least three Hot 100 top 10s apiece from each of their first three proper solo albums: Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Lady Gaga (including 2010’s The Fame Monster) and the only male before Mars to earn the honor, and the first artist overall to do so, in 1982-86, Lionel Richie.

35-3: Studious chart fans may notice that “Finesse” makes the second 35-3 jump in the Hot 100’s history (which dates to Aug. 4, 1958). The only other song to do so? Answer at the end of this story. (Hint: the first such song made the move during new jack swing’s original heyday.)

R&B/hip-hop royalty: “Finesse” concurrently climbs 16-1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and 2-1 on Hot R&B Songs. On the former ranking, Mars earns his second No. 1, following “That’s What I Like” (10 weeks), as does Cardi B, following “Bodak Yellow” (six). On the latter list (which began in 2012), Mars also adds his second No. 1, after “Like” led for a record-tying 20 weeks. Cardi B tops Hot R&B Songs in her first appearance on the chart.

Meanwhile, Timberlake’s “Filthy” (on RCA Records) bows at No. 9 on the Hot 100. It enters Digital Song Sales at No. 3 (79,000 sold) and Streaming Songs at No. 26 (15.8 million U.S. streams) and jumps 45-32 on Radio Songs (36 million impressions).

Timberlake scores his 18th solo Hot 100 top 10 (to go along with six visits that he made to the region in 1999-2002 as a member of *NSYNC). He earns his third-highest debut among 30 charted titles, after the No. 1-launching “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (May 28, 2016), his previous Hot 100 hit before “Filthy,” and “Holy Grail,” by JAY-Z featuring Timberlake, which started at No. 8, and peaked at No. 4, in 2013. (Thus, Timberlake has tallied his two highest Hot 100 debuts as a lead artist with his 29th and 30th entries.) He landed his first solo top 10 with “Cry Me a River,” which hit No. 3 in 2003.

“Filthy” is the lead single from Timberlake’s fifth album (and first in over four years), Man of the Woods, due Feb. 2. Two days later, Timberlake will perform at the Super Bowl LII Halftime Show.

Atop the Hot 100, Sheeran’s “Perfect” (on Atlantic Records) leads for a sixth week. The ballad crowns Digital Song Sales for a seventh week (98,000, down 10 percent) and Radio Songs for a second frame (145 million, up 6 percent), while rebounding 4-3 (after a week at No. 1) on Streaming Songs (38 million, up 4 percent). The song also takes over at No. 1 on both the Pop Songs and Adult Pop Songs airplay charts.

As previously reported, “Perfect” has reverted to being billed as by Sheeran solo on almost all Billboard charts after five weeks in which Beyoncé received co-lead credit following the release of its duet version. After its first week of release, that version was the most dominant in sales and streams, while also receiving significant airplay, as it was being promoted to radio.

After multiple weeks of the duet no longer contributing the bulk of its sales (or streams or airplay), only Sheeran is now credited (except on Rhythmic Songs, where Beyonce remains co-billed, as that version is still logging notable activity at the format); all versions will continue to contribute to the song’s singular chart listing.

This practice of temporarily adding artist credit while a particular version factors heavily into a song’s success has been applied to previous singles, including, for example, Rihanna’s “S&M” (Britney Spears) and Spears’ “Till the World Ends” (Nicki Minaj and Kesha), both in 2011.

Camila Cabello’s “Havana” logs a seventh week at its No. 2 Hot 100 peak. The last No. 2 hit by a lead female to post seven weeks at the runner-up rank? Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” in 2009-10. (Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott’s “Work It” shares the peak longevity mark among all No. 2 Hot 100 hits: it spent 10 weeks at the position in 2002-03. The track tied Foreigner’s “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” which hit a No. 2 high for 10 weeks in 1981-82.)

Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, former eight-week No. 1 “Rockstar” retreats 3-4, while topping Hot Rap Songs for a 14th week; Imagine Dragons’ “Thunder” drops from its No. 4 peak to No. 6, while leading Hot Rock Songs for an 11th frame; Halsey’s “Bad at Love” dips from its No. 6 Hot 100 high to No. 7; and Sam Smith’s No. 4-peaking “Too Good at Goodbyes” slides 7-8.

Quiz answer! The only song before Bruno Mars and Cardi B’s “Finesse” to fly from No. 35 to No. 3 on the Hot 100? Michael Jackson’s “Black or White,” on the chart dated Nov. 30, 1991 (the week that the chart adopted Nielsen Music data). The King of Pop’s smash began a seven-week run at No. 1 the following week.

Find out more Hot 100 news in the weekly “Hot 100 Chart Moves” column and by listening (and subscribing) to Billboard‘s Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 17), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The next issue of Billboardmagazine is on sale Friday (Jan. 19).

Source: billboard.com

The soundtrack to the musical drama film The Greatest Showman scores a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, as the set earned 104,000 equivalent album units (down 3 percent) in the week ending Jan. 11, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 70,000 were in traditional album sales (down 10 percent).

The Greatest Showman is just the fifth soundtrack in the last 10 years to spend multiple weeks at No. 1.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Jan. 20-dated chart (where The Greatest Showman spends a second week at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard’s websites on Wednesday, Jan. 17 (one day later than normal, due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Jan. 15).

In the past 10 years, 21 soundtracks have hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and, of those, just five have netted multiple weeks atop the list: The Greatest Showman(two, so far), Suicide Squad: The Album (two, in 2016), Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (two, 2014), Frozen (13, 2014) and Glee: The Music, Volume 3 — Showstoppers (two, 2010). The last live action musical released in movie theaters to see its soundtrack notch more than a week at No. 1 was the Dreamgirls album, with two weeks in the penthouse back in 2007.

Since The Greatest Showman’s release in theaters on Dec. 20, the movie has earned an estimated $95 million at the U.S. and Canada box office, according to Box Office Mojo.

The Greatest Showman album features performances by the movie’s stars, including Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya and Michelle Williams. Four songs from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Jan. 13, led by “This Is Me,” by Keala Settle and the film’s ensemble.

Back on the new Billboard 200 chart, Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) holds at No. 2 with 53,000 units (down 21 percent), while G-Eazy’s The Beautiful & Damned returns to its peak (and debut position) at No. 3 with 38,000 units (down 10 percent).

Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic hits its highest rank in eight months, and returns to the top 10 after more than four months, climbing 15-4 with 37,000 units (up 75 percent). The set’s rises is driven by the strong start of its new single, “Finesse,” which has been boosted by a new remix with rapper Cardi B. (The remix is merged with the original version of “Finesse,” and contributes to the SEA and TEA units of the song’s parent album, as most remixes do.)

The album has not ranked this high since the April 22, 2017-dated list, when it placed at No. 4; and has not been in the top 10 since Sept. 2, 2017, when it was No. 10. The album debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Dec. 10, 2016 chart.

Post Malone’s Stoney ascends 8-5 on the latest Billboard 200, with nearly 37,000 units (down 6 percent), Taylor Swift’s Reputation falls 3-6 with a little over 36,000 units (down 24 percent) and Eminem’s Revival dips 6-7 with 36,000 units (down 11 percent). Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. slides 5-8 with 35,000 units (down 15 percent), Huncho Jack’s Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho is steady at No. 9 with 32,000 units (down 17 percent), and Sam Smith’s The Thrill of It All climbs back into the top 10, rising 12-10 with 29,000 units (up 5 percent).

Source: billboard.com

“Perfect” leads for a fifth week & crowns Radio Songs, while “Havana” returns to its peak.

Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé‘s “Perfect” tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a fifth week. The song also takes over as the most-heard hit on U.S. radio, reaching No. 1 on the Radio Songs chart.

Meanwhile, Camila Cabello‘s “Havana,” featuring Young Thug, rebounds to its No. 2 Hot 100 peak.

Plus, Halsey‘s “Bad at Love” continues its Hot 100 ascent, rising from No. 9 to a new No. 6 high.

Let’s run down the top 10 of the Jan. 13-dated Hot 100, which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com on Tuesday (Jan. 9).

“Perfect,” released on Atlantic Records — first as a solo track by Sheeran on his album ÷ (Divide) — spends a sixth week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart with 109,000 downloads sold (down 34 percent) in the week ending Jan. 4, according to Nielsen Music.

The song also lifts 2-1 on the Radio Songs tally, up 7 percent to 139 million audience impressions in the week ending Jan. 7 (with radio playing both Sheeran’s original solo version and the duet). Sheeran scores his second Radio Songs leader, following ÷ lead single “Shape of You,” which reigned for 12 weeks beginning last Feb. 25.

Beyoncé adds her sixth solo Radio Songs No. 1 and first in nearly nine years. Her previous toppers: “Crazy in Love,” featuring JAY-Z (eight weeks, 2003); “Baby Boy,” featuring Sean Paul (nine, 2003); “Check on It,” featuring Slim Thug (three, 2006); “Irreplaceable” (11, 2006-97); and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (five, 2009). Beyoncé first ruled Radio Songs as a member of Destiny’s Child with four singles (consecutively) in 2000-01: “Say My Name,” “Jumpin’, Jumpin’,” “Independent Women Part 1” and “Survivor.”

On Streaming Songs, which “Perfect” led for a week, the song slips 2-4 with 36.4 million U.S. streams (down 4 percent) in the week ending Jan. 4.

Cabello’s “Havana” rebounds from No. 3 for a sixth week at its No. 2 Hot 100 peak. That’s the longest stay at the runner-up spot for a No. 2-peaking song since DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts,” featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller, which spent seven weeks at its No. 2 high beginning July 29. The last No. 2 hit by a lead female to post at least six weeks at the spot before “Havana”? Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” (seven weeks, 2009-10).

“Havana” drops to No. 2 after four weeks atop Radio Songs (137 million, although up 5 percent); jumps 5-2 on Streaming Songs (35.6 million, up 10 percent); and holds at No. 3 on Digital Song Sales (68,000, down 27 percent). (Note that “Havana” ranks higher than “Perfect” on Streaming Songs even though Cabello’s hit boasts fewer total streams than Sheeran and Beyoncé’s [35.6 million vs. 36.4 million]; their respective sums are raw totals before weighting is applied, as on-demand streams count more than programmed streams for the survey.)

As previously reported, “Havana” concurrently tops the Pop Songs airplay chart for a seventh week, marking the longest command for a song by a lead female on the chart in nearly five years, since Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” which ruled for seven weeks beginning Feb. 2, 2013. “Havana” also crowns the Rhythmic Songs chart for a third frame.

Cabello additionally re-enters the Hot 100 with “Havana” follow-up “Never Be the Same,” at No.  71. (It debuted at its No. 61 high to date on Dec. 30.) The new single soars by 43 percent to 8.1 million U.S. clicks following the Dec. 29 premiere of its official video. Both songs are from Cabello’s debut album, Camila, due Friday (Jan. 12).

Post Malone’s “Rockstar,” featuring 21 Savage, drops 2-3 on the Hot 100, following its eight-week domination. It leads Streaming Songs for a 14th week (39.4 million, down 2 percent), tying Desiigner’s “Panda” for the chart’s second-longest reign; the songs trail only Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, which led for 16 weeks beginning last May 27. “Rockstar” also tops the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a 13th week each.

Imagine Dragons’ “Thunder” rises 5-4 on the Hot 100, returning to its peak, while leading Hot Rock Songs for a 10th week. The song swaps spots on the Hot 100 with G-Eazy’s “No Limit,” featuring A$AP Rocky and Cardi B, which slides a spot from its No. 4 high.

Halsey’s “Bad at Love” jumps 9-6 on the Hot 100, surpassing its prior No. 8 peak; Sam Smith’s No. 4-peaking “Too Good at Goodbyes” rebounds 8-7; Migos, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B’s “MotorSport” falls 7-8, two spots off its No. 6 high; and Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang” descends 6-9 after reaching No. 3.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Cardi B’s breakthrough three-week No. 1 “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” keeps at No. 10, marking a second week for the MC’s first three songs on the chart in the top 10 simultaneously. A week ago, she became just the third act ever to chart her first three Hot 100 entries in the top 10 concurrently, joining The Beatles in 1964 and Ashanti in 2002.

More Cardi B: beyond the Hot 100’s top 10, Bruno Mars and Cardi B boast the chart’s top debut, as “Finesse” enters at No. 35. The collab, originally released as a solo song by Mars on his album 24K Magic, bows following the release of its remix and official video at midnight ET Jan. 4. The track starts at No. 13 on Digital Song Sales (30,000 sold, up from a negligible amount, in the week ending Jan. 4) and No. 49 on Radio Songs (26 million impressions, also up from a minimal sum, in the week ending Jan. 7), while logging 8.7 million U.S. streams (up 2,098 percent) in the week ending Jan. 4.

“Finesse” marks Cardi B’s sixth Hot 100 visit. Along with her trio of top 10s, she added two more charted titles last week: “Bartier Cardi,” featuring 21 Savage, which drops 14-19 this week; and “La Modelo,” with Ozuna, which dips 52-61.

Find out more Hot 100 news in the weekly “Hot 100 Chart Moves” column and by listening (and subscribing) to Billboard‘s Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 9), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh.

Source: billboard.com

The Greatest Showman soundtrack hits No. 1 in its fourth week on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 106,000 equivalent album units earned (up 37 percent) in the week ending Jan. 4. Of that sum, 78,000 were traditional album sales (up 28 percent).

The soundtrack to the musical drama film was released on Dec. 8 through Atlantic Records and marks the first chart-topping soundtrack since Fifty Shades Darker spent one week at No. 1 on the March 4, 2017-dated tally.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Jan. 13-dated chart (where The Greatest Showman tops the list) will be posted in full on Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

The Greatest Showman soundtrack debuted at No. 71 on the Billboard 200 dated Dec. 30, 2017, jumped to No. 63 the following week, and then zoomed to No. 5(following the movie’s U.S. theatrical release on Dec. 20). The album includes music by the film’s stars Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron and Zendaya. According to Box Office Mojo, the film has earned over $67 million at the U.S. and Canada box office through Jan. 5.

Here are some fun facts about The Greatest Showman soundtrack hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200:

The First Album to Hit No. 1 in a Year Without Debuting at No. 1: Generally speaking, No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 reach No. 1 by debuting at the top — not by rising to the pole position, as The Greatest Showman did. The Greatest Showman album bowed at No. 71, then moved 63-5-1. The last No. 1 album to climb to the top was Pentatonix’s A Pentatonix Christmas, on the list dated Jan. 7, 2017, when hit No. 1 in its ninth chart week.

First Theatrically Released Musical Film Soundtrack to Hit No. 1 Since 2015:The Greatest Showman is the first theatrically released musical film to see its soundtrack top the chart since Pitch Perfect 2 debuted at No. 1 on the list dated May 30, 2015. (The album spent one week in the penthouse.) Between Pitch Perfect 2 and The Greatest Showman at No. 1, there was one other musical soundtrack that topped the list: Disney Channel’s TV movie Descendants in 2015.

Jackman & Efron at No. 1: Collectively, The Greatest Showman’s Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron have been a part of four different chart-topping soundtracks. Efron performed on the companion albums to both High School Musical (2006) and High School Musical 2 (2007) and Jackman was featured on Les Miserables (2013).

10th Soundtrack to Hit No. 1 in the Last Five Years: Of the 184 albums that were No. 1 in the past five years, just 10 have been soundtracks. The Greatest Showman follows: Fifty Shades Darker, Suicide Squad: The Album (2016), Descendants, Pitch Perfect 2, Furious 7 (2015), Empire: Original Soundtrack From Season 1 (2015), Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (2014), Frozen (2014) and Les Miserables.

As for the rest of the Billboard 200’s new top 10, it’s a fairly quiet week, and the chart is adjusting back to normal after a busy holiday shopping season. Further, with few significant albums were released on Dec. 29, so there are no debuts within the top 100 of the chart.

Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) holds steady at No. 2 with 67,000 units (down 27 percent), while Taylor Swift’s Reputation falls 1-3 with 48,000 units (down 55 percent) and G-Eazy’s The Beautiful & Damned climbs 8-4 with 42,000 units (down 16 percent). The Greatest Showman is the only album in the top 10 to see a gain in units, which is not unusual for this time of year on the chart, as business gets back to normal after the high volume of units generated during the Christmas season.

Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. jumps 9-5 with 41,000 units (down 11 percent), Eminem’s Revival slips 4-6 with nearly 41,000 units (down 51 percent), and Imagine Dragons’ Evolve rises 11-7 with nearly 41,000 units (down 8 percent).

Post Malone’s Stoney bumps 10-8 with 39,000 units (down 11 percent), Huncho Jack’s Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho falls 3-9 with nearly 39,000 units (down 57 percent) and Khalid’s American Teen closes out the top 10, ascending 15-10 with 31,000 units (down 7 percent).

Source: billboard.com

Plus: Overall music consumption up 12.5%, on-demand streams climb 43% & Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” is year’s top-selling album.

Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (pronounced Divide) finishes 2017 as the most popular album of the year in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. The data tracking company reports the title earned 2.764 million equivalent album units during the year, with 1.1 million of that sum coming from traditional album sales. A year ago, Drake’s Views was named Nielsen’s top album of 2016.

÷’s 2.764 million equivalent album units figure is a multi-metric consumption total, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and on-demand audio streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The multi-metric formula is also used to compile the weekly Billboard 200 albums chart, which ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S.

Nielsen Music’s 2017 tracking year ran from Dec. 30, 2016 through Dec. 28, 2017. Numbers in this story are rounded. Nielsen Music began electronically tracking music sales and data in 1991 (so a reference in this story to the “Nielsen era” means from 1991 to the present).

÷ ruled the weekly Billboard 200 chart for two weeks, and has yet to leave the top 20 of the tally after 43 weeks on the list (through the chart dated Jan. 6). The set launched three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, including a pair of No. 1s: Sheeran’s first leader, “Shape of You,” and his second, “Perfect,” with Beyoncé. The album also notched the No. 6-peaking “Castle on the Hill.”

Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. closes out 2017 as the No. 2 most popular album of the year, with 2.747 million units (910,000 in pure album sales). Following DAMN. on the year-end 2017 tally are Taylor Swift’s Reputation (2.336 million units), Drake’s More Life (2.227 million) and Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic (1.626 million).

OVERALL MUSIC CONSUMPTION CLIMBS: Total music consumption in 2017 climbed 12.5 percent to 636.65 million units (up from 566.1 million). That figure adds together traditional album sales, track equivalent album units, and on-demand streaming equivalent album units from both video and audio streams. One track equivalent album unit is equal to 10 tracks sold. One streaming equivalent album unit is equal to 1,500 on-demand streams.

In terms of audio-only consumption (removing on-demand video streams from the equation), the gain was 10.2 percent, rising to 491.55 million units (from 446.12 million).

R&B/HIP-HOP DOMINATES: Additionally, the R&B/hip-hop genre represented 24.5 percent of all music consumption in the U.S. — the largest share of any genre and the first time R&B/hip-hop has led this measurement for a calendar year. (The 24.5 percent share represents a combination of album sales, track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units — including both on-demand audio and video streams.) The rock genre is in second place for the year, with 20.8 percent share.

R&B/hip-hop also led Nielsen’s mid-year report — the first time R&B/hip-hop had overtaken rock as music’s biggest genre at mid-year.

ALBUM SALES DIP, STREAMS SIZZLE: Album sales in 2017 fell 17.7 percent to 169.15 million copies sold across all configurations (CD, digital albums, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.). In 2016, there were 205.54 million albums sold.

While album sales continue to slip, music fans have increasingly turned to streaming services to consume music. In 2017, total on-demand streams (audio and video combined) vaulted 43 percent from 432.2 billion in 2016 to 618 billion. Of the latter sum, on-demand audio streams increased 59 percent to 400.4 billion, and on-demand video streams surged 21 percent to 217.7 billion.

SWIFT RULES WITH YEAR’S TOP SELLING ALBUM: Taylor Swift’s Reputation tops Nielsen Music’s year-end best-selling albums list, with 1.9 million sold. This is the third time Swift has claimed the year’s top-selling album. She did it previously with her last studio effort, 1989 (2014’s best seller, with 3.66 million sold that calendar year), and Fearless (2009’s leader, with 3.22 million sold that year). 1989 and Fearless have sold a total of 6.11 million and 7.13 million copies, respectively, since their release.

Notably, in the last nine years (2009 through 2017), seven of the year-end best-sellers have been an album by either Swift or Adele. The latter did it in 2016, 2015 (both with 25), 2012 and 2011 (with 21).

Reputation sold 1.9 million in just seven weeks, following its release on Nov. 10. The album sold 1.217 million copies in its first week — the biggest sales week of 2017, and the 10th largest sales week for any album since Nielsen Music began electronically tracking sales in 1991.

Reputation is one of only two albums to clear 1 million copies sold in 2017. Ed Sheeran’s ÷ is the other, and 2017’s No. 2 seller, with 1.1 million sold. That’s the lowest number of million-sellers in a calendar year since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991. In 2016, there were four million-sellers.

For the first time since 1998, there are three soundtracks among Nielsen Music’s year-end top 10 selling albums. Moana leads the pack at No. 5 with 709,000 sold, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 (No. 8; 600,000) and Trolls (No. 10; 522,000). Moana is the highest ranking year-end soundtrack on the top sellers list since 2014, when Frozen placed at No. 2.

The last time the year-end top 10 housed three soundtracks was in 1998, when Titanic topped the list (9.34 million), followed by City of Angels (No. 6 with 4.12 million) and Armageddon (No. 10; 3.22 million).

Overall album sales – physical and digital sales combined – fell by 17.7 percent in 2017 to 169.15 million copies (down from 205.54 million in 2016). Comparably, album sales decreased 16.7 percent in 2016, 6 percent in 2015, 11 percent in 2014, 8 percent in 2013 and 4 percent in 2012.

Physical album sales (CD, vinyl, cassette, etc.) decreased by 16.5 percent to 102.92 million in 2017. CD album sales accounted for 88.2 million of that sum (down 20 percent). CDs are still the dominant format for album purchases in the U.S. – digital album sales were the second-biggest configuration, with 66.2 million digital albums sold in 2017 (down 19.6 percent).

The top selling digital album of 2017 is Swift’s Reputation, with 868,000 digital copies sold.

In terms of the most popular genres in total album sales for the year, rock music represented the largest share of album purchases: 34.6 percent. R&B/hip-hop titles accounted for 14.6 percent of albums sold.

VINYL STILL HOT: Once again, yearly vinyl album sales have hit another Nielsen-era record high, as the configuration sold 14.32 million (up 9 percent) in 2017. That’s up from the previous one-year high, registered in 2016 with 13.1 million.

2017 marks the 12^th straight year of growth in vinyl album sales.

Vinyl LP sales represented 8.5 percent of all album sales in 2017 – up from 6.5 percent for the configuration’s share in 2016. Further, LP sales were 14 percent of all physical album sales in 2017 (a Nielsen-era record share for the format) – up from 11 percent in 2016.

Further, vinyl album sales were driven by an array of titles, not just a handful of hot sellers. In total, 77 different titles each sold more than 20,000 copies on vinyl LP in 2017, as compared to 58 in 2016.

As usual, rock music, by far, drives most vinyl album sales, as the genre accounted for 67 percent of all vinyl album sales in 2017 (versus 69 percent in 2016).

The Beatles finish 2017 with the top two selling vinyl LPs of the year: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (72,000 — powered in large part by the album’s deluxe anniversary reissue in 2017) and Abbey Road (66,000). The soundtrack Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 is the third biggest with 62,000. Comparably, in 2016, the top three sellers were Twenty One Pilots’ Blurryface (68,000), David Bowie’s Blackstar (66,000) and Adele’s 25 (58,000).

‘DESPACITO’ KING OF DIGITAL SONG SALES: Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s inescapable “Despacito” was the top selling digital song of 2017, with 2.69 million downloads sold of its various versions, combined. The most dominant version of the track was a version featuring a guest turn from Justin Bieber, which accounted for 1.9 million downloads of the song’s total 2.69 million sold.

“Despacito” spent 16 weeks atop the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart, tying the record for the most weeks ever at No. 1 in the history of the tally. (It matched the 16-week rule of “One Sweet Day,” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.)

“Despacito” was the only song to sell 2 million downloads in 2017 – down from five in 2016 and 17 in 2015. There were just 14 songs that sold 1 million downloads in 2017, compared to 35 in 2016 and 61 in 2015.

Overall digital song sales totaled 554.82 million in 2017 – down 23 percent compared to 2016 (724.04 million). 2017 logged the fifth straight year that digital song sales declined (an unsurprising distinction, considering how many consumers transition to enjoying music through streaming services instead of via purchasing albums and songs).

Nielsen Music started tracking digital song sales in 2003, the same year Apple’s iTunes Store launched. From 2004 through 2012, digital song sales grew on a yearly basis. The high-water mark for the format’s sales was in 2012, when 1.336 billion songs were sold.

‘SHAPE’ SCORES ON THE RADIO: After being named Billboard’s year-end No. 1 Hot 100 song, it’s perhaps no surprise to see that Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” was also the most-heard song on the radio of 2017, according to Nielsen Music.

“Shape of You” collected 5.847 billion audience impressions in 2017, ahead of the No. 2 most-heard track of the year, Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like,” with 4.480 billion impressions.

“Shape of You” was a multi-format hit on the airwaves, spending 12 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s weekly Radio Songs chart — the longest run atop the list since 2015, when Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!,” featuring Bruno Mars, also spent 12 weeks at No. 1. (The Radio Songs chart ranks the most heard songs of the week across all formats of radio.)

“Shape of You” also hit No. 1 on these weekly genre airplay charts: Pop Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Adult Contemporary and Dance/Mix Show Airplay.

Sheeran and Mars are joined in the top five on Nielsen Music’s year-end tally by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay’s “Something Just Like This” (3.522 billion impressions) and a pair of tunes by Alessia Cara: her co-billed track with Zedd, “Stay” (3.101 billion), and her solo hit “Scars to Your Beautiful” (3.081 billion).

“Despacito” dominated the streaming world in 2017, and ranks as the most streamed song of the year, with 1.322 billion on-demand streams earned (both audio and video streams combined). In a distant second place is Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” with 999.69 million streams.

The top 10 streamed songs were dominated by hip-hop, as a total of seven titles in the genre populate the year-end top 10. Among the top 10, the only non-rap titles are “Despacito,” “Shape of You” and Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” (at No. 7).

“Despacito” was also the most-streamed song both in audio-only and video-only streams, with 595.63 million and 727.17 million streams, respectively.

Overall on-demand streams (audio and video combined) climbed 43 percent in 2017 to 618.03 billion. On-demand audio streams grew 59 percent to 400.38 billion, and on-demand video streams rose 21 percent to 217.65 billion.

R&B/hip-hop music was the overwhelming leader in terms of total on-demand streams, as the genre equaled 29.1 percent of all streams. The second-largest streaming genre was rock music, with 15.1 percent.

Source: billboard.com