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30 Apr 2018 Music Now!

Drake Leads Billboard Hot 100, Ariana Grande Arrives at No. 3 & J. Cole Collects Record Three Debuts in Top 10

“Nice for What” rules for a third week, Grande’s’ “No Tears Left to Cry” launches at No. 3 & Cole becomes the first artist to debut three tracks in the top 10 simultaneously.

Drake‘s “Nice for What” crowns the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a third week, encompassing its entire run on the ranking, dating to its No. 1 debut.

Meanwhile, four songs debut in the Hot 100’s top 10, marking a first in the chart’s 59-year history. Ariana Grande‘s “No Tears Left to Cry” launches at No. 3 and J. Colestarts at Nos. 6, 8 and 10 with “ATM,” “Kevin’s Heart” and “KOD,” respectively, as parent album KOD bows as his fifth No. 1 on the Billboard 200. On the Hot 100, Cole is the first artist ever to debut three titles in the top 10 in the same week.

Let’s run down an especially busy top 10 of the Hot 100 (dated May 5), which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (May 1).

As on the Hot 100, “Nice,” released on Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records, spends a third week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, down 10 percent to 53.6 million U.S. streams in the week ending April 26, according to Nielsen Music. It slips 2-4 on Digital Song Sales with 33,000 downloads sold (down 34 percent) in the week ending April 26, while jumping 27-17 on the Radio Songschart with 51 million in all-format airplay audience (up 27 percent) in the week ending April 29, good for the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award for a second straight week.

Drake has now spent 34 cumulative weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dating to his first week on top as featured on Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?” (Nov. 20, 2010), the first of his five No. 1s. With his latest frame at the summit, he ties Elton John for the third-most weeks at No. 1 among solo males in the chart’s history. Usher leads with 47, followed by Michael Jackson (37). Among all artists, Drake and John share eighth place; Mariah Carey paces all acts with 79 weeks at No. 1.

“Nice” concurrently tops Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songscharts for a third week each.

Drake logs the Nos. 1 and 2 songs on the Hot 100 for a third week, as “God’s Plan” posts a third frame at the runner-up spot after tallying its first 11 weeks at No. 1. The track holds at No. 3 on Radio Songs (116 million, up 2 percent) and falls 2-4 on Streaming Songs (40.8 million, down 8 percent) and 5-6 on Digital Song Sales (28,000, down 8 percent).

Ariana Grande bursts onto the Hot 100 at No. 3 with “No Tears Left to Cry.” Following its April 20 release, the track premieres at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales (100,000 sold), where it’s Grande’s third leader; No. 5 on Streaming Songs (36.9 million); and No. 35 on Radio Songs (27 million).

Grande earns her ninth Hot 100 top 10 and sixth to debut in the region. She ties Lady Gaga and Rihanna for sixth place among all acts for the most top 10 debuts, after Taylor Swift (14), Drake (12), Eminem (eight), Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne (seven each).

Also notably, while “Tears” is, as of now, a stand-alone single, should it wind up serving as the lead single from Grande’s fourth proper LP, she’ll extend an unprecedented honor and become the only artist to have debuted the first single from each of her first four LPs in the Hot 100’s top 10. Her debut entry, “The Way,” featuring Mac Miller, opened at No. 10, ushering in her first album, Yours Truly, in 2013; “Problem,” featuring Iggy Azalea, launched at No. 3 (a career-best bow tied by “Tears”) as the first single from 2014’s My Everything; and, in 2016, “Dangerous Woman,” the title cut from her most recent full-length, began at No. 10, making her the first artist to debut the lead single from each of her first three proper albums in the Hot 100’s top 10.

As for its sales sum, “Tears” is the first song to sell at least 100,000 downloads in a week in three months, since Drake’s “God’s Plan” opened with 127,000 on Feb. 3. The 12-week gap between 100,000-selling downloads is the longest on the chart, which began in October 2004, since the list’s first 63 weeks of existence (through January 2006), as download sales continue to decline as streaming surges.

Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line‘s “Meant to Be” drops 3-4 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 2. It leads the Radio Songs chart for a fourth week (136 million, down 4 percent) and Hot Country Songs for a 22nd frame.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top five, Post Malone‘s “Psycho,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, descends 4-5, after debuting at its No. 2 peak.

J. Cole debuts an unprecedented three songs in the Hot 100’s top 10 simultaneously: “ATM” at No. 6 (a new personal best), “Kevin’s Heart” at No. 8 and “KOD” at No. 10. The songs start at Nos. 2 (42.6 million), 3 (39.7 million) and 6 (33.2 million) on Streaming Songs, while selling 10,000, 7,000 and 18,000 downloads, respectively.

Cole adds his second, third and fourth Hot 100 top 10s, all of which have debuted in the top 10; he first reached the region when “Deja Vu,” from his previous LP, 4 Your Eyez Only, debuted at its No. 7 peak in December 2016.

Cole becomes the first artist in the Hot 100’s archives to have debuted three songs in the top 10 simultaneously, surpassing two artists who doubled up with new entries in the same week. Ed Sheeran bowed with “Shape of You” (No. 1) and “Castle on the Hill” (No. 6) on Jan. 28, 2017, while Drake has scored such a twofer twice, with “Passionfruit” (No. 8) and “Portland” (featuring Quavo and Travis Scott, No. 9) on April 8, 2017, and “God’s Plan” (No. 1) and “Diplomatic Immunity” (No. 7) this Feb. 3.

Plus, with Grande’s “Tears” and Cole’s three tracks all beginning on the Hot 100 in the top 10, the chart welcomes four top 10 debuts simultaneously for the first time. Twice before, as many as three songs had started in the top 10 together: On March 3, 2012, Katy Perry’s “Part of Me,” Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” and Chris Brown’s “Turn Up the Music” soared in at Nos. 1, 9 and 10, respectively. On the chart dated Oct. 20 that year, One Direction’s “Live While We’re Young,” Swift’s “Red” and Adele’s “Skyfall” premiered at Nos. 3, 6 and 8, respectively.

In between Cole’s three new top 10s on the Hot 100, Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey‘s “The Middle” drops to No. 7 from its No. 5 high, as the collab leads the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 13th week, as well as the Adult Pop Songsairplay chart (where it’s each act’s first No. 1) for a first frame, and BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive,” featuring Drake, falls 6-9 after hitting No. 5.

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 (May 1), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The next issue of Billboardmagazine is on sale Friday (May 4).

Source: billboard.com

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29 Apr 2018 Music Now!

J. Cole Claims Fifth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart & Biggest Week of 2018 With ‘KOD’

Set logs biggest week of the year in overall units and third-largest streaming week ever.

J. Cole’s fifth studio album, KOD, roars in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 2018’s biggest week for an album, as the set earned 397,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 26, according to Nielsen Music. It also notches the largest streaming week of the year, and the third-largest streaming week ever.

KOD is J. Cole’s fifth consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200, following his four previous studio sets: 4 Your Eyez Only (2016), 2014 Forest Hills Drive (2014), Born Sinner (2013), and Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011). Four of his five No. 1s opened in the top slot. Only Born Sinner missed a No. 1 debut, as it bowed at No. 2 and then moved to No. 1 in its third week on the list.

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 May 5-dated chart (where J. Cole bows at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard‘s websites on Tuesday, May 1.

Here are some fast facts about J. Cole’s debut at No. 1 with KOD:

— Biggest week of 2018 for an album: KOD launches with 397,000 equivalent album units earned. That surpasses 2018’s previous largest week, registered when Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods bowed at No. 1 with 293,000 units on the chart dated Feb. 17. KOD logs the biggest week for any album since Taylor Swift’s reputation started atop the tally dated Dec. 2, 2017 with 1.238 million units.

— Biggest week for a hip-hop album in nearly a year: KOD’s debut of 397,000 units is the biggest week for a hip-hop album since Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN.opened at No. 1 with 603,000 units on the chart dated May 6, 2017 (reflecting the tracking week ending April 20).

— Largest streaming week of 2018 for an album: Of KOD’s overall starting unit sum, 215,000 were in SEA units. That figure translates into 322.7 million on-demand audio streams of the album’s tracks in its opening week (each SEA units equals 1,500 on-demand audio streams). That’s by far the largest streaming week of 2018 for an album, surpassing the debut of Migos’ Culture II (149,000 SEA units; 224.6 million on-demand audio streams on the chart dated Feb. 10, reflecting the tracking week ending Feb. 1.)

— Third-largest streaming week ever for an album: KOD’s tally of 322.7 million first-week on-demand audio streams for its tracks is the third-biggest streaming week for an album. The only larger weeks were posted by the debut frames of Lamar’s DAMN. (340.6 million on-demand audio streams of its tracks in the week ending April 20, 2017) and Drake’s More Life (384.8 million, week ending March 30, 2017). (Also impressive: KOD achieved its streaming sum with only a 12-song track list. DAMN. and More Life have 14 and 22 tracks, respectively.)

— Second-largest sales week of 2018: With 174,000 in traditional album sales, KOD has the second-largest sales week of the year, trailing only the debut frame of Man of the Woods (242,000).

At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Cardi B’s former No. 1, Invasion of Privacy, moves up one spot in its third week on the list with 91,000 units (down 30 percent).

A Perfect Circle returns with its first studio album since 2004, and fourth top 10 set, as Eat the Elephant debuts at No. 3 with 68,000 units (of which 63,000 were in traditional album sales). The act was last on the list in 2013 with the hits compilation Three Sixty, which debuted and peaked at No. 38. Before that, the remix album Amotion hit No. 57 in late 2004.

A Perfect Circle’s last studio release, Emotive, opened and peaked at No. 2 in 2004 with 142,000 copies sold in its first week (the chart was purely sales-based in 2004). The rock act also hit the top 10 with its two earlier studio sets: Thirteenth Step (No. 2 in 2003) and Mer de Noms (No. 4 in 2000).

The Greatest Showman soundtrack continues to hold on strong in the top 10 for an 18th consecutive week, as the album is a non-mover at No. 4 (68,000 units; down 12 percent).

Jason Aldean’s Rearview Town falls from No. 1 to No. 5 in its second week, earning 38,000 units (down 79 percent), XXXTENTACION’s ? moves up one position to No. 6 with 35,000 units (down 13 percent) and Migos’ Culture II climbs 8-7 with 33,000 units (down 8 percent). The Weeknd’s My Dear Melancholy dips 6-8 with nearly 33,000 units (down 26 percent) and Black Panther: The Album is steady at No. 9 with 32,000 units (down 7 percent).

Closing out the top 10 is rock group Lord Huron with its first top 10 effort, Vide Noir. The set, which is the act’s third studio set, bows at No. 10 with 31,000 units earned (of which 28,000 were in traditional album sales). The band previously visited the chart with its first two sets, Strange Trails (No. 23 in 2015) and Lonesome Dreams (No. 179 in 2012).

Source: billboard.com

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23 Apr 2018 Music Now!

Drake’s ‘Nice For What’ Holds Atop Billboard Hot 100, Nicki Minaj’s ‘Chun-Li’ Vaults to Top 10

“Nice” reigns for a second week & Minaj earns her 16th top 10, extending her record among female rappers.

Drake‘s “Nice for What” leads the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a second week, following its debut at No. 1 a week earlier.

Plus, Nicki Minaj soars to the top 10 with “Chun-Li,” which bounds from No. 92 to No. 10 following its first full week of tracking.

And, with Florida Georgia Line and Maren Morris ranking on hits at Nos. 3 and 5, respectively, two country acts place in the Hot 100’s top five simultaneously for the first time in over 18 years.

Let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100 (dated April 28), which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 24).


As on the Hot 100, “Nice,” released on Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records, spends a second week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, down 2 percent to 59.3 million U.S. streams in the week ending April 19, according to Nielsen Music. It dips 1-2 on Digital Song Sales with 50,000 downloads sold, down 43 percent, in the week ending April 19, while surging 34-27 on the Radio Songschart with 40 million in all-format airplay audience, up 33 percent, in the week ending April 22, good for the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award.Notably, as “Nice” has spent its first two weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1, exactly half of the hits (15 of 30) that have debuted on top have remained at the summit in their second weeks.Plus, Drake has now spent 33 cumulative weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dating to his first week on top as featured on Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?” (Nov. 20, 2010), the first of his five No. 1s. With his latest frame in the lead, he passes Bruno Mars (32) for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 among solo males this decade. Among all acts, only Rihanna has totaled more weeks at the top spot in the 2010s: 41.

“Nice” concurrently crowns Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songscharts for a second week each.

Meanwhile, Drake boasts the Nos. 1 and 2 songs on the Hot 100 for a second week, as “God’s Plan” logs a second frame at the runner-up spot after tallying its first 11 weeks at No. 1. Drake is the 16th act to rank at Nos. 1 and 2 simultaneously for multiple weeks, and the first since Justin Bieber, who did so for four frames in July 2017 as featured on Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” and DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One.”

“Plan” holds at No. 2 on Streaming Songs (44.2 million, down 7 percent) and No. 3 on Radio Songs (114 million, up 5 percent) and drops 3-5 on Digital Song Sales (31,000, down 13 percent).

Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be” keeps at No. 3 on the Hot 100 after reaching No. 2. It leads the Radio Songs chart for a third week (142 million, up 4 percent), Hot Country Songs for a 21st frame and the Adult Pop Songs airplay chart for a second week, while rising 2-1 on Country Airplay, where FGL earns its 12th leader and Rexha collects her first.

Post Malone‘s “Psycho,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, is steady at No. 4 on the Hot 100, after debuting at its No. 2 high.

Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey‘s “The Middle” hits the Hot 100’s top five (6-5). Zedd notches his second top five hit and first as a lead act, following his featured turn on Ariana Grande’s “Break Free” (No. 4, 2014). Morris and Grey each make their first visit to the region. Airplay leads the way for “The Middle,” which holds at its No. 2 high on Radio Songs (117 million, up 2 percent).

With Florida Georgia Line at No. 3 and Morris at No. 5, two core country acts chart in the Hot 100’s top five simultaneously for the first time in over 18 years, since the chart dated April 15, 2000, when Faith Hill’s “Breathe” ranked at No. 3 and Lonestar’s “Amazed” placed at No. 5.

Of course, “The Middle” is not a country song; it tops the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 12th week.

And, “Middle” ground: Zedd, Morris and Grey’s hit matches the peak of the other song titled “The Middle” that has charted on the Hot 100: Jimmy Eat World’s different composition reached No. 5 in June 2002.

BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive,” featuring Drake, drops to No. 6 from its No. 5 Hot 100 peak; Ed Sheeran‘s former six-week No. 1 “Perfect” repeats at No. 7; Lil Dicky‘s “Freaky Friday,” featuring Chris Brown, rebounds to its best rank (9-8), while ruling Hot R&B Songs for a second week; and Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin‘s “I Like It” descends to No. 9 after opening a week ago at No. 8.

Capping the Hot 100’s top 10, Nicki Minaj blasts 92-10 with “Chun-Li.” The song hurtles following its first full week of tracking; it debuted from a day of streaming and sales tracking and four days of radio airplay monitoring, after its April 12 release. It debuts at No. 14 on Streaming Songs (22.1 million in the April 13-19 tracking week, up from 3.5 million in its first day) and charges 16-4 on Digital Song Sales (38,000, up from 20,000), as it logs the Hot 100’s top streaming and sales increases.

Minaj tallies her 16th Hot 100 top 10, extending her record for the most among female rappers; Missy Elliott ranks second with nine.

(“Chun-Li” logs the greatest jump on the Hot 100, 82 positions, since Katy Perry’s “Roar” roared 83 spots, from No. 85 to No. 2, also following its first full tracking week, on Aug. 31, 2013.)

Minaj additionally rockets with her new song, also released April 12, “Barbie Tingz,” which jumps 83-25, as it debuts at No. 19 on Streaming Songs (18 million, up from 4.2 million in its first day) and climbs 13-7 on Digital Song Sales (29,000, up from 21,000).

Also just beyond the Hot 100’s top 10, Camila Cabello’s “Never Be the Same” hits a new high (15-13) and Imagine Dragons’ “Whatever It Takes” enters the top 20 (22-20), while Lil Pump logs the chart’s highest debut, “Esskeetit,” at No. 24.

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 (April 24), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh.

Source: billboard.com

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22 Apr 2018 Music Now!

Jason Aldean Scores Fourth No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart With ‘Rearview Town’

The set is the first country album to reach No. 1 in 2018.

Jason Aldean’s Rearview Town debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, securing the country star his fourth consecutive, chart-topping set and the first country No. 1 in 2018.

Rearview Town, released on April 13 via Macon/Broken Bow Records, launches with 183,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending April 19, according to Nielsen Music, of which 162,000 were in traditional album sales. The set starts with the biggest week in terms of overall units and album sales for any country title this year.

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 April 28-dated chart (where Aldean bows at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard‘s websites on Tuesday, April 24.

Rearview Town marks Aldean’s fourth consecutive chart entry to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It follows his three previous studio albums: They Don’t Know (2016), Old Boots, New Dirt (2014) and Night Train (2012). Rearview is his seventh top 10 set overall, as he also collected top 10 efforts with My Kinda Party (No. 2 in 2010), Wide Open (No. 4, 2009) and Relentless (No. 4, 2007). Only his self-titled debut album missed the top 10, peaking at No. 27 in 2005. (Aldean has only charted with studio albums; he has yet to visit the list with any compilations, greatest hits, live packages, etc.)

Aldean is just the second country act to send four consecutive studio releases to the top. Rascal Flatt​s also claimed four No. 1 studio sets in a row between 2004 and 2009: Feels Like Today, Me and My Gang, Still Feels Good and Unstoppable. (Between Still and Unstoppable, the trio clocked a No. 6-peaking set with the best-of package Greatest Hits Volume 1.)

Rearview Town is the first country album to lead the Billboard 200 in 2018, and the first since Luke Bryan’s What Makes You Country topped the Dec. 30, 2017-dated tally.

Aldean’s new set also logs the largest week, both in terms of total units and traditional album sales, for a country title since Kenny Chesney’s live effort Live in No Shoes Nation launched at No. 1 with 219,000 units (of which 217,000 were in album sales) on the Nov. 18, 2017 chart. Like Chesney’s album, Aldean’s release was boosted by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with his upcoming tour, which starts on May 10.

Aldean also nets the largest week for a country studio album — in units and in sales — since Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 1, nearly a year ago, when it bowed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 219,000 units (of which 202,000 were in album sales).

At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy moves down to the runner-up slot after bowing at No. 1 a week earlier. The set earned 129,000 units in its second week, down 49 percent.

Rock band Breaking Benjamin earn its fourth top 10 effort with Ember, as it debuts at No. 3 with 88,000 units (of which 80,000 were in traditional album sales). The band’s last release, 2015’s Dark Before Dawn, opened at No. 1 with 141,000 units (135,000 in album sales), securing the group its first leader on the list. (Like Rearview Town, Ember benefits from a ticket/album sale redemption offer.)

The soundtrack to The Greatest Showman holds at No. 4 with 77,000 – but with a big 53 percent gain, as the album continues to benefit from the hit movie’s DVD and Blu-ray release on April 10. The former No. 1 album sold 54,000 copies in the latest tracking week – up 63 percent.

Singer-songwriter John Prine logs his highest-charting album ever, and first top 10, as The Tree of Forgiveness bows at No. 5 with 54,000 units (53,000 in traditional album sales). The album is his first release album of his own new songs since 2005’s Fair and Square. The new set got a big boost from sales driven by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer, which helps yield the two-time Grammy Award winner his best sales week since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991. (Prine has been charting on the Billboard 200 since 1972.)

Prine earned his previous best on the Billboard 200 with his last album, 2016’s For Better, Or Worse, which debuted and peaked at No. 30.

The Weeknd’s My Dear Melancholy dips 3-6 with 44,000 units (down 14 percent), XXXTENTACION’s ? slips 5-7 with 40,000 units (down 13 percent), Migos’ Culture II falls 6-8 with 36,000 units (down 3 percent) and Black Panther: The Album descends 7-9 with 34,000 units (down 7 percent).

Pentatonix rounds out the new top 10 with the arrival of its latest release, PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. 1. The covers set launches at No. 10 with 34,000 units (29,000 in traditional album sales), which garners the vocal group its eighth top 10 effort. Like Aldean, Breaking Benjamin and Prine, PTX’s sales were also goosed by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer.

Source: billboard.com

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16 Apr 2018 Music Now!

Drake Dethrones Himself Atop Billboard Hot 100, as ‘Nice for What’ Debuts at No. 1, Replacing ‘God’s Plan’

Drake earns his fifth No. 1 and second chart-topping debut, halting the reign of “Plan” after 11 weeks.

Drake‘s domination atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart continues, but with a different song this week, as new single “Nice for What” debuts at No. 1, stopping the command of his own “God’s Plan” after 11 weeks on top.

Meanwhile, Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin blast in with a No. 8 Hot 100 debut for “I Like It,” from Cardi B’s debut full-length Invasion of Privacy, which launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100 (dated April 21), which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 17).

“Nice,” released on Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records, arrives as Drake’s fifth No. 1, as well as the 1,072nd leader in the Hot 100’s history, which dates to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception.

Here are highlights of the song’s start.

First-week totals: “Nice,” which arrived late on April 6, soars in at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart with 60.4 million U.S. streams in the week ending April 12, according to Nielsen Music. It also opens at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales with 88,000 downloads sold in the week ending April 12. On the Radio Songs chart, “Nice” enters (as the week’s top debut) at No. 34, drawing 31 million in all-format airplay audience in the week ending April 15.

Drake earns his fourth Streaming Songs No. 1, tying Justin Bieber for the top total since the chart began just over five years ago. Drake posts his ninth Digital Song Sales leader, matching Eminem for the most among solo males. Among all acts, only Taylor Swift (15), Rihanna (14) and Katy Perry (11) have notched more No. 1s on the paid downloads tally (which originated in 2004).

Drake’s fifth Hot 100 No. 1: Drake’s fifth Hot 100 No. 1 follows “God’s Plan” (11 weeks on top), “One Dance,” featuring WizKid and Kyla (10 weeks, 2016), and two by Rihanna on which he’s featured: “Work” (nine weeks, 2016) and “What’s My Name?” (one week, 2010).

Canadian kings: As previously pointed out by reader Pablo Nelson, Bieber rewrote the record for the most Hot 100 No. 1s among Canadian artists when Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” on which Bieber is featured, became his fifth No. 1, on May 27, 2017. With his fifth leader, the Toronto-born Drake ties London, Ontario, native Bieber for the honour. Bryan Adams and Celine Dion follow with four each.

30th No. 1 debut: “Nice” is the 30th single to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100, and the first since his own “God’s Plan” on Feb. 3. Now with two No. 1 debuts on the Hot 100, Drake joins just three other acts with multiple chart-topping starts: Mariah Carey, the leader with three, and Bieber and Britney Spears, each with two.

Back-to-back No. 1s: Drake becomes the 13th act to have replaced itself at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and the first since Bieber, as “Despacito” dethroned  DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One,” featuring Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper and Lil Wayne. Drake is additionally the first artist to have replaced himself at No. 1 as a lead artist since Bieber, whose “Love Yourself” supplanted “Sorry” on Feb. 13, 2016. (Before Bieber’s two such takeovers, The Weeknd had last managed the feat in 2015; thus, three Canadian solo males are the last three acts to have replaced themselves at No. 1.)

Republic, meanwhile, is the first label to directly succeed itself atop the Hot 100 since the label did so when Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” took over for “Despacito” (Sept. 16, 2017), ending the latter’s record-tying 16-week rule; Republic shared radio promotion credit on “Despacito” with Fonsi’s label, Universal Music Latin Entertainment (UMLE).

Back-to-back No. 1 debuts: With “Plan” having debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and “Nice” making the same start, Drake is the first artist to replace himself at No. 1 (of the 13 acts that have done so) with both songs having launched at the apex.

Notably (with an assist from reader Jake Rivera), consecutive Hot 100 No. 1s have entered at the top for just the second time, after three hits that premiered at the top reigned consecutively in 1995: Carey’s “Fantasy,” Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” and Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day.”

25th top 10, equaling Elvis: Beyond being Drake’s fifth No. 1, “Nice” marks his 25th top 10, tying him with Elvis Presley for the fourth-most top 10s among solo males in the chart’s history (with the start of Presley’s run of hits predating the Hot 100’s origin by two years). Michael Jackson leads with 29 solo top 10s, followed by Stevie Wonder (28) and Elton John (27). (Madonna leads all artists with 38 top 10s. The Beatles place second with 34 and Rihanna ranks third with 31.)

162nd entry, extending solo record: Further, beyond its instant No. 1 and top 10 status, “Nice” marks Drake’s 162nd Hot 100 entry, extending his record for the most among soloists. Only the Glee Cast boasts more: 207 (tallied in 2009-13 during the show’s run, which ended in 2015). Lil Wayne ranks third among all acts with 137 appearances.

Hill climbs: “Nice” samples Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor,” which hit No. 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 21 on the Hot 100 in 1999. Hill has made one trip to the top of the Hot 100 as a credited artist, with her debut entry “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998.

We’re not done with Drake, who makes more moves in the Hot 100’s top five.

Nos. 1 & 2: Drake’s “God’s Plan” dips to No. 2 after spending its first 11 weeks atop the Hot 100, marking his longest reign (by a week over “One Dance”) and one of just 24 hits to lead for at least that long. Drake is the 18th act to rank at Nos. 1 and 2 simultaneously and the first since Bieber, who did so with “Despacito” and “I’m the One,” respectively, on July 22, 2017. The Beatles first doubled up at Nos. 1 and 2 at the same time, with “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You,” respectively, on Feb. 22, 1964.

As it slips to No. 2 on the Hot 100, “Plan” does the same on Streaming Songs (47.5 million, down 9 percent), where it likewise logged its first 11 weeks at No. 1. The track drops to No. 3 after eight weeks atop Digital Song Sales (35,000, down 26 percent) and rebounds from No. 4 to its No. 3 high on Radio Songs (108 million, up 1 percent).

Three in top five: Drake makes it three songs in the Hot 100’s top five simultaneously, thanks to “Nice” at No. 1, “Plan” at No. 2 and BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive,” featuring Drake, which holds at its No. 5 peak. Drake joins only The Beatles, 50 Cent and Bieber in charting at least three titles in the top five at the same time. Bieber last tripled up, with “Sorry” (No. 2), “Love Yourself” (No. 3) and “What Do You Mean?” (No. 5) on Jan. 16, 2016. The Beatles are the only act to monopolize the entire top five in a week, on April 4, 1964.

R&B/hip-hop/rap royalty: “Nice” concurrently opens at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts. Drake earns his 18th No. 1 on the former, breaking a tie with James Brown for the third-best total; Drake trails only Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder, the co-leaders with 20 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1s apiece (dating to the chart’s 1958 launch).

On Hot Rap Songs (which began in 1989), Drake scores his record-extending 19th No. 1. Lil Wayne and Diddy share second place with 10 leaders each.

Back to the Hot 100, and as for the rest of the top 10 …

Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line‘s “Meant to Be” backtracks to No. 3 after three weeks at its No. 2 Hot 100 high. It tops the Radio Songs chart for a second week (136 million, up 4 percent) and rules Hot Country Songs for a 20th frame, while becoming each act’s first No. 1 on the Adult Pop Songs airplay chart.

Post Malone‘s “Psycho,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, retreats 3-4 on the Hot 100, after debuting at its No. 2 high on the March 10-dated chart.

Below “Look Alive” at No. 5, Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey‘s “The Middle” holds at its No. 6 Hot 100 high, while leading Hot Dance/Electronic Songs for an 11th week, and Ed Sheeran‘s former six-week Hot 100 No. 1 “Perfect” is stationary at No. 7.

Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin debut at No. 8 on the Hot 100 with “I Like It.” The song starts at No. 2 on Digital Song Sales (47,000) and No. 9 on Streaming Songs (25.9 million).

Cardi B collects her fifth Hot 100 top 10, dating to her debut No. 1 “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” which reached the region last August and spent three weeks on top beginning Oct. 7.

Latin stars Bad Bunny and Balvin earn their first and second Hot 100 top 10s, respectively. In three prior visits, Bad Bunny had reached a No. 74 high in December as featured on Becky G’s “Mayores.” Balvin has posted a No. 3 best with “Mi Gente,” his collaboration with Willy William and featuring Beyoncé, in October.

“I Like It” reworks the venerable “I Like It Like That,” originally performed by Pete Rodriguez in 1967 and taken to No. 25 on the Hot 100 in 1997 (titled “I Like It”) by The Blackout Allstars; the latter act included Tito Nieves, who also recorded a notable solo version. (In between, the composition appeared in the 1994 film I Like It Like That and earned a synch in a 1996 Burger King commercial.)

Capping the Hot 100’s top 10, Lil Dicky‘s No. 8-peaking “Freaky Friday,” featuring Chris Brown, is steady at No. 9, while hitting No. 1 for the first time on Hot R&B Songs, and Bruno Mars and Cardi B‘s No. 3-peaking “Finesse” drops 8-10 on the Hot 100.

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 (April 17), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The next issue of Billboardmagazine is on sale Friday (April 20).

Source: billboard.com

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15 Apr 2018 Music Now!

Cardi B’s ‘Invasion of Privacy’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

“Invasion” launches with second-largest week of 2018, and the biggest streaming week ever for an album by a woman.

Cardi B blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy.

The set, which was released on April 6 through The KSR Group/Atlantic Records, earned 255,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 12, according to Nielsen Music. That’s the second-biggest week of 2018, trailing only the arrival of Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods, which bowed with 293,000 units on the Feb. 17-dated chart.

Of Invasion’s total unit bow, 103,000 were in traditional album sales — the biggest sales week for an R&B or hip-hop album in 2018.

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 April 21-dated chart (where Cardi B debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard‘s websites on Tuesday, April 17.

Here are some of the stellar feats that Cardi B achieves with Invasion of Privacy’s debut at No. 1:

— Cardi B becomes the fifth female rapper to top the Billboard 200 albums chart. She follows Nicki Minaj (with Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded in 2012 and Pink Friday in 2011), Eve (Let There Be Eve… Ruff Ryders’ First Lady, 1999), Foxy Brown (Chyna Doll in 1999 and the collaborative album The Firm in 1997, with Nas, AZ and Nature) and Lauryn Hill (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 1998).

— Invasion of Privacy bows with the largest on-demand audio streaming week ever for an album by a woman. Invasion launches with 255,000 equivalent album units overall, and of that sum, 135,000 were in SEA units. That translates to 202.6 million streams of the tracks on the album during its debut frame. Invasion easily bests the previous record-holder, Beyoncé’s Lemonade, which launched with 77,000 SEA units (115.2 million streams) on the May 14, 2016-dated chart.

— Invasion logs the biggest streaming week for a debut studio album, trumping the arrival of Lil Uzi Vert’s Luv Is Rage 2, which bowed with 100,000 SEA units (150.6 million streams) on the Sept 16, 2017-dated list.

— Second-biggest streaming week for an album in 2018: Invasion nabs the second-largest streaming week for an album this year, behind only the debut of Migos’ Culture II (149,000 SEA units; 224.6 million on-demand audio streams).

— Seventh-largest streaming week for an album ever: Invasion’s big streaming start marks the seventh-largest streaming week for an album, and the fifth biggest debut ever. Drake’s More Life continues to hold the record for the largest streaming frame overall, when it claimed 257,000 SEA units in its opening frame (chart dated April 8, 2017), equaling 384.8 million on-demand audio streams.

— Invasion’s start of 255,000 units is the second-biggest week overall for an album in 2018, trailing only the bow of Timberlake’s Man of the Woods (293,000 units). Further, Invasion notches the largest week for an R&B or hip-hop album since Eminem’s Revival started with 267,000 units in the tracking week ending Dec. 21, 2017; and the biggest week for an R&B or hip-hop album by a woman since Beyoncé’s Lemonade tallied 321,000 units in its second week on the list (May 21, 2016-dated chart).

Invasion’s solid album sales figure of 103,000 is notable, considering many hip-hop albums by newer artists tend to be largely driven by streams and have relatively little album sales. Invasion has the largest sales week for an R&B or hip-hop album since Eminem’s Revival bowed with 197,000 copies sold.

Further, Invasion was only available to purchase as a digital album. It’s the fifth album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2018 that was initially only available as a digital download and via streaming services (following The Weeknd’s My Dear Melancholy, XXXTENTACION’s ?, Logic’s Bobby Tarantino II and Migos’ Culture II).

At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars scores its second top 10, and highest-charting album ever, as America debuts with 62,000 units. It surpasses the band’s previous high, logged when Love Lust Faith + Dreamsdebuted and peaked at No. 6 in 2013.

Of America’s starting unit total, 54,000 were in traditional album sales — the act’s second-largest sales week ever. Its only bigger week was logged by the 69,000 start of This Is War in 2009. (America’s sales bow was enhanced by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with the band’s upcoming tour, which starts on June 6.)

The Weeknd’s My Dear Melancholy slips from No. 1 to No. 3 in its second week, earning 52,000 units (down 69 percent). The soundtrack to The Greatest Showmanclimbs one rung to No. 4 with 51,000 units (up 10 percent), following the film’s DVD and Blu-ray release on April 10. XXXTENTACION’s ? dips 3-5 with 46,000 units (down 20 percent), Migos’ Culture II is up a spot to No. 6 with 37,000 units (down 9 percent) and Black Panther: The Album falls a slot to No. 7 with nearly 37,000 units (down 15 percent).

Rich The Kid’s The World Is Yours tumbles 2-8 in its second week, earning 36,000 units (down 38 percent), while Post Malone’s Stoney shifts 8-9 with 29,000 units (down less than 1 percent).

Closing out the top 10 is rapper Lil Xan, as he bows at No. 10 with his debut album, Total Xanarchy. The set tallied 28,000 units in its opening frame, of which 14,000 were in traditional album sales. The album was preceded by the single “Betrayed,” which hit the top 30 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Songs and the airplay-powered Rhythmic Songs chart.

Source: billboard.com

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9 Apr 2018 Music Now!

‘God’s Plan’ Becomes Drake’s Longest-Leading Hot 100 No. 1, The Weeknd Debuts at No. 4 & Migos Hit Top 10

With 11 weeks on top, “Plan” passes Drake’s “One Dance,” which led for 10 weeks in 2016.

Drake‘s “God’s Plan” rules the Billboard Hot 100 chart for an 11th week, marking his longest-leading No. 1 (of four). It passes the 10-week reign of his 2016 smash “One Dance,” featuring WizKid and Kyla.

Plus, The Weeknd blasts onto the Hot 100 at No. 4 with “Call Out My Name,” and Migos hit the top 10 with “Walk It Talk It,” marking even more honors for featured artist Drake.

Meanwhile, Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line‘s “Meant to Be,” at No. 2 on the Hot 100, takes over atop the Radio Songs chart, making FGL the first country act to lead the list in eight years.

Let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100 (dated April 14), which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 10).

As on the Hot 100, “Plan,” released on Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records, posts its 11th week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, down 15 percent to 52.1 million U.S. streams in the week ending April 5, according to Nielsen Music. “Plan” logs an eighth week atop Digital Song Sales, up 14 percent to 48,000 downloads sold in the week ending April 5. On the Radio Songs chart, “Plan” holds at No. 4, after reaching No. 3, up 2 percent to 109 million in all-format airplay audience in the week ending April 8.

“Plan,” meanwhile, is just the 24th No. 1, of 1,071 total in the Hot 100’s 59-year history, to have led for at least 11 weeks. Having debuted atop the chart dated Feb. 3 and remained at the apex since, it’s only the fourth single to have spent at least its first 11 weeks on the chart at No. 1, and the first to do so in over 20 years:

Hits to Spend at Least Their First 11 Weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1
16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, beginning Dec. 2, 1995
14 weeks, “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
11 weeks, “God’s Plan,” Drake, Feb. 3, 2018
11 weeks, “I’ll Be Missing You,” Puff Daddy & Faith Evans feat. 112, June 14, 1997

“Plan” concurrently collects an 11th week at No. 1 on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.

(Read on for more Drake news …)

Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be” spends a third week at its No. 2 Hot 100 high. On Radio Songs, it rises 2-1 (131 million, up 7 percent), marking the first leader on the list for each act. Thanks to FGL, the track is the first Radio Songs No. 1 for a country act since Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” which reigned for two weeks in 2010. Only one other title by a core country act has crowned Radio Songs, dating to the chart’s 1990 inception: Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” in 2009 (before her all-out segue to pop on her 2014 album 1989).

“Meant” leads Hot Country Songs for a 19th week, tying Leroy Van Dyke’s “Walk On By” in 1961-62 for the third-longest dominance in the chart’s history. Florida Georgia Line also boasts the second-longest Hot Country Songs command, 24 weeks for its debut hit, “Cruise,” in 2012-13, which trails only the all-time leader, Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road” (34 weeks, 2017).

Post Malone‘s “Psycho,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, pushes 4-3 on the Hot 100, after debuting at its No. 2 high on the March 10-dated chart.

The Weeknd’s “Call Out My Name” launches at No. 4 on the Hot 100, powered most heavily by its No. 2 entrance on Streaming Songs (40.5 million), as well as its No. 4 arrival on Digital Song Sales (36,000). It also opens atop On-Demand Streaming Songs (32.2 million on-demand U.S. clicks), where The Weeknd logs his third No. 1, following “Can’t Feel My Face” (seven weeks in 2015) and “Starboy” (three, 2016).

“Call” is from The Weeknd’s new album, My Dear Melancholy, which debuts at No. 1on the Billboard 200 with 169,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 5.

The Weeknd earns his eighth Hot 100 top 10 and highest debut. He notched his seventh top 10 in February, when “Pray for Me,” his Kendrick Lamar duet from the soundtrack Black Panther: The Album, debuted at its No. 7 peak (his prior highest start).

“Call” concurrently debuts atop Hot R&B Songs, where The Weeknd adds his fifth No. 1 and first since “Starboy,” which led for record-tying 20 weeks in 2016-17.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top five, BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive,” featuring Drake, returns to its peak (6-5). (There’s still more Drake ahead …)

Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey‘s “The Middle” rebounds to its Hot 100 high (7-6), while leading Hot Dance/Electronic Songs for a 10th week. It wins the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award for a fourth frame (113 million, up 10 percent), as well as the top Digital Gainer nod (41,000 sold, up 47 percent).

Ed Sheeran‘s former six-week Hot 100 No. 1 “Perfect” descends 5-7; Bruno Marsand Cardi B‘s “Finesse” falls to No. 8 from its No. 3 peak; and  Lil Dicky‘s “Freaky Friday,” featuring Chris Brown, dips to No. 9 from its No. 8 high.

Capping the Hot 100’s top 10, Migos’ “Walk It Talk It,” featuring Drake, surges 15-10, led by its 7-6 rise on Streaming Songs (30.4 million, up 12 percent); its official video premiered March 18.

Migos notch their fourth Hot 100 top 10, having added their third, the No. 8-peaking “Stir Fry,” in February.

Drake, meanwhile, adds his 24th Hot 100 top 10, breaking a tie with Whitney Houston, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones (each with 23) for a solo share of 10th place among all acts for the most top 10s in the chart’s history; Madonna leads with 38. Michael Jackson ranks fourth and leads all male soloists with 29 Hot 100 top 10s, followed, among solo males, by Stevie Wonder (28), Elton John (27) and Elvis Presley (25, with his career having predated the Hot 100’s inception).

Plus, thanks to “Plan,” “Look Alive” and “Walk It Talk It,” at Nos. 1, 5 and 10, respectively, Drake sports three simultaneous Hot 100 top 10s for the first time. He’s the 16th artist ever to score such a hat trick and the first since Cardi B on Jan. 28.

Even more Drake: the superstar should make an extremely splashy debut on next week’s Hot 100 (dated April 21) with new track “Nice for What,” released April 6. Check Billboard.com this week to find out about the song’s first days of tracking and how high it could start on the Hot 100 next week.

Just beyond this week’s Hot 100’s top 10, Rich the Kid’s “Plug Walk” steps to a new peak (18-13), as his debut full-length The World Is Yours roars onto the Billboard 200 at No. 2; Camila Cabello’s “Never Be the Same” holds at its No. 14 high; and Cardi B’s “Be Careful” launches at No. 16, as the MC’s debut album Invasion of Privacylooks primed to debut at No. 1 on the April 21-dated Billboard 200.

(As previously noted, both Drake’s “Nice for What” and Cardi B’s “Be Careful” sample Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor,” which hit No. 7 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 21 on the Hot 100 in 1999.)

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 (April 10), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The next issue of Billboardmagazine is on sale Friday (April 13).

Source: billboard.com

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8 Apr 2018 Music Now!

The Weeknd Scores Third Consecutive No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With ‘My Dear Melancholy’

Plus: Top 10 debuts from Rich The Kid and Kacey Musgraves.

The Weeknd logs his third No. 1 in a row on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as his latest project, My Dear Melancholy, debuts atop the list.

The surprise release, which arrived on March 30 via XO/Republic Records, earned 169,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 5, according to Nielsen Music — the biggest week for an R&B album in over a year, since his own last album. Of that sum, 68,000 were in traditional album sales.

The six-song album appeared with little warning, following a cryptic Instagram poston March 27, which led to a confirmation of an album two days later. My Dear Melancholy follows The Weeknd’s two previous No. 1s: 2016’s Starboy and 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness.

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 April 14-dated chart (where The Weeknd debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, April 10.

Notably, My Dear Melancholy logs the largest week for an R&B album — by equivalent album units — in over a year. The last R&B set to post a bigger frame was Starboy, on the list dated Dec. 17, 2016, when it tallied 209,000 units in its debut week.

Further, My Dear Melancholy notches the highest sales week for an R&B album in nearly a year. The last R&B set to sell more was Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman, which started with 72,000 copies sold on the chart dated May 20, 2017.

My Dear Melancholy is currently only available to purchase as a digital download, as its CD counterpart is slated for an April 13 release. (Most surprise albums don’t see their CD editions arrive until a couple weeks after their initial digital release due to the amount of time it takes to manufacture product.)

Though My Dear Melancholy’s sales were solid, the album’s debut saw more than half of its units driven by streams. The title bows with 94,000 SEA units, which equates to 140.8 million on-demand audio streams of the set’s songs (each SEA unit is equal to 1,500 streams). My Dear Melancholy’s streaming start of 94,000 SEA units is the third-biggest streaming week for an album in 2018, following the debut frames of Migos’ Culture II (150,000 SEA units) and XXXTentacion’s ? (106,000 SEA units). My Dear Melancholy’s streaming sum is even more impressive, considering it was achieved with only six songs. Comparably, Culture II had 24 tracks assisting its big streaming start, while ? had 18.

The biggest song on My Dear Melancholy appears to be its lead-off track, “Call Out My Name.” The tune is likely headed for a top 10 debut on the Billboard Hot 100 dated April 14.

Finally, My Dear Melancholy is the shortest album — by track count — to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in nearly eight years. In 2010, the Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals soundtrack, which also had just six tracks, bowed at No. 1 on the list dated June 26. For the last six-track (or shorter) No. 1 album by an artist, one has to scroll back to the Dec. 18, 2004 chart, when JAY-Z and Linkin Park teamed up for the six-track MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups Presents: Collision Course. (The album was initially only available in a CD/DVD edition, where the DVD included the MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups: Linkin Park vs. JAY-Z TV special and other video footage.) Previous to Collision Course, the last six-track No. 1 set was George Benson’s Breezin’, way back on the July 31 and Aug. 7-dated charts in 1976.

At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200 chart, rapper Rich The Kid sees his full-length debut studio album The World Is Yours arrive with 59,000 units earned. Of that sum, just 6,000 were in traditional album sales. The set’s SEA units were unsurprisingly large: 50,000. The album is currently enjoying a top 20 hit on the Hot 100 with “Plug Walk,” which is Rich The Kid’s highest-charting hit.

XXXTentacion’s former No. 1, ?, dips from No. 2 to No. 3 with 57,000 units (down 25 percent).

Singer Kacey Musgraves collects her third top 10 album, as her seventh studio album Golden Hour bows at No. 4 with 49,000 units (with 39,000 of that sum powered by traditional album sales). Musgraves previously visited the top 10 with Pageant Material (No. 3 in 2015) and Same Trailer Different Park (No. 2, 2013).

Golden Hour is the highest charting country album since Luke Bryan’s What Makes You Country launched at No. 1 on the Dec. 30, 2017-dated list.

The soundtrack to The Greatest Showman slips one spot to No. 5 with 46,000 units (down 3 percent).

As for the rest of the top 10: Black Panther: The Album falls 3-6 with 43,000 units (down 9 percent), Migos’ Culture II drops 5-7 with 41,000 units (down 8 percent), Post Malone’s Stoney descends 7-8 with 29,000 units (down 3 percent), Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) moves 8-9 with 28,000 units (down 4 percent) and Logic’s Bobby Tarantino II slides 6-10 with 27,000 units (down 20 percent).

Source: billboard.com

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2 Apr 2018 Music Now!

Drake Becomes First Lead Solo Male With Two 10-Week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, as ‘God’s Plan’ Stays at the Summit

“Plan” joins “One Dance,” which led for 10 weeks in 2016.

Drake becomes the first male soloist to have tallied two 10-week No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in a lead role, as “God’s Plan” reigns for a 10th week (encompassing its entire run on the survey so far). The star’s “One Dance,” featuring WizKid and Kyla, ruled for 10 weeks in 2016.

“God’s Plan,” meanwhile, is just the 36th No. 1, of 1,071 total in the Hot 100’s 59-year history, to have led for at least 10 weeks, and the fifth to have spent at least its first 10 weeks on top.

Let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100 (dated April 7), which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 3).

As on the Hot 100, “Plan,” released on Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records, posts its 10th week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, down 11 percent to 61.1 million U.S. streams in the week ending March 29, according to Nielsen Music. While the streaming sum is the lowest for “Plan” to date, the song now sports 10 of the top 23 streaming weeks all-time.

“Plan” rebounds 2-1 for a seventh total week atop Digital Song Sales, despite a 5 percent drop to 42,000 downloads sold in the week ending March 29. On the Radio Songs chart, “Plan” holds at No. 4, after reaching No. 3, up 3 percent to 107 million in all-format airplay audience in the week ending April 1.

“Plan,” which launched atop the Feb. 3-dated Hot 100, is just the fifth hit to spend at least its first 10 weeks on the list at No. 1. It’s the first by a solo male since Elton John and Puff Daddy each achieved the feat in 1997:

Hits to Spend at Least Their First 10 Weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1
16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, beginning Dec. 2, 1995
14 weeks, “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
11 weeks, “I’ll Be Missing You,” Puff Daddy & Faith Evans feat. 112, June 14, 1997
10 weeks, “God’s Plan,” Drake, Feb. 3, 2018
10 weeks, “Hello,” Adele, Nov. 14, 2015

As for acts with multiple Hot 100 No. 1s that have each reigned for double-digit weeks, Drake is the sixth act overall and the first male to earn the honor twice in a lead role. Boyz II Men lead with three such No. 1s (“One Sweet Day,” with Mariah Carey, 16 weeks at No. 1, 1995-96; “I’ll Make Love to You,” 14 weeks, 1994; and “End of the Road,” 13 weeks, 1992). Carey, The Black Eyed Peas, Santana and Pharrell Williams also boast two No. 1s apiece that each led for at least 10 weeks, with Williams having joined the elite club as featured (with T.I.) on Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” (12 weeks, 2013) and his own “Happy” (10 weeks, 2014).

“Plan” concurrently notches a 10th week at No. 1 on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.

Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line‘s “Meant to Be” holds at its No. 2 Hot 100 high. As noted last week, the track is the highest-charting for a country duo or group since Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” which peaked at No. 2 in 2010.

“Meant” likewise keeps at No. 2 on Radio Songs (122 million, up 10 percent) and tops Hot Country Songs for an 18th week, tying FGL’s own “H.O.L.Y.,” in 2016, for the fourth-longest command in the latter chart’s history. The duo also boasts the second-longest Hot Country Songs rule, 24 weeks for its debut hit, “Cruise,” in 2012-13, which trails only the all-time leader, Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road” (34 weeks, 2017).

Still, while “Meant” challenges for the Hot 100’s top spot, “God’s Plan” remains comfortably in control, with a roughly 1.7-to-1 lead in chart points (although down from its 1.9-to-1 margin a week ago).

Bruno Mars and Cardi B‘s “Finesse” returns to its Hot 100 peak (4-3). It rules Radio Songs for a fourth week (131 million, down 6 percent) and surges 22-2 on Digital Song Sales, up 122 percent to 40,000 sold, good for the Hot 100’s top digital sales gain, aided by 69-cent sale-pricing in the iTunes Store. The collab leads Hot R&B Songs for a 12th week.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top five, Post Malone‘s “Psycho,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, rebounds 5-4, after debuting at its No. 2 high on the March 10-dated chart, and Ed Sheeran‘s former No. 1 “Perfect” descends 3-5, after leading for six weeks beginning Dec. 23.

BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive,” featuring Drake, returns to the Hot 100’s top 10, jumping 11-6, after reaching a No. 5 high on March 3. It climbs 6-4 on Streaming Songs (35.9 million, up 30 percent).

Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey‘s “The Middle” dips to No. 7 after reaching No. 6 on the Hot 100, while leading Hot Dance/Electronic Songs for a ninth week. It wins the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award for a third week, as it holds at No. 5 on Radio Songs (103 million, up 13 percent). As previously reported, the track takes over at No. 1 on the Pop Songs airplay chart.

Two songs driven most heavily by streaming that each reached the Hot 100’s top 10 a week ago spend a second week in the region: Lil Dicky‘s “Freaky Friday,” featuring Chris Brown, lifts 9-8 (after debuting on the Hot 100 last week) and controversial rapper/singer XXXTentacion‘s “Sad!” drops 7-9. The former ranks at No. 5 on Streaming Songs, up 24 percent to 33 million clicks.

Capping the Hot 100’s top 10, Camila Cabello‘s “Havana,” featuring Young Thug, slides 8-10, after topping the Jan. 27-dated chart.

Just beyond the Hot 100’s top 10, Bazzi bumps 15-11 with his debut hit, “Mine,” and Cabello’s “Never Be the Same” reaches the top 15 for the first time (19-14, while also ascending to the Radio Songs top 10, 13-10), as does Migos’ “Walk It, Talk It,” featuring Drake (20-15). Plus, Rich the Kid’s “Plug Walk” enters the top 20 (23-18) and Shawn Mendes’ “In My Blood,” released March 22, bounds 72-22 following its first full week of tracking.

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 (April 3), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh.

Source: billboard.com

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1 Apr 2018 Music Now!

Jack White’s ‘Boarding House Reach’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

White’s third No. 1, following ‘Lazaretto’ and ‘Blunderbuss,’ starts with the biggest sales week for a rock album in 2018.

Jack White claims his third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as the rocker’s third solo studio effort, Boarding House Reach, opens atop the tally.

The set — which was released on March 23 via Third Man/Columbia Records — earned 124,000 equivalent album units in the week ending March 29, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 121,000 were in traditional album sales — the largest sales week for a rock album in 2018.

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 April 7-dated chart (where Boarding House Reach debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, April 3.

White previously topped the Billboard 200 with his last two studio sets: 2014’s Lazaretto and 2012’s Blunderbuss. The former launched at No. 1 with 138,000 copies sold (before the chart transitioned to an equivalent album units-ranked list in late 2014), while the latter bowed also bowed with 138,000. (Both figures are rounded to the nearest thousand; in its debut week, Blunderbuss sold slightly less than Lazaretto’s opening frame).

Boarding House Reach’s launch of 121,000 copies sold marks the second-biggest sales week of 2018 for any album, trailing only the bow of Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods, with 242,000 sold in the week ending Feb. 8. Boarding nets the biggest sales frame for a rock album since U2’s Songs of Experience (180,000 in the week ending Dec. 7, 2017).

White’s debut, the only new arrival in the top 10, was boosted by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with White’s upcoming U.S. and Canada tour. The trek starts on April 19 in Detroit.

As for White’s history on the Billboard 200 as part of his former duo, The White Stripes, the act landed three top 10s in 2003-07, reaching a No. 2 high with 2007’s Icky Thump.

In addition, Boarding House Reach racked up a big sales figure from its vinyl LP: 27,000. The handsome performance was expected, considering how White is a champion of the format. The album’s vinyl sales represent the fourth-largest week for a vinyl set since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991.

At No. 2 on the Billboard 200, XXXTentacion’s ? falls a spot in its second week, with 76,000 units (down 42 percent). Black Panther: The Album is steady at No. 3 with 48,000 units (down 10 percent) and The Greatest Showman soundtrack climbs 6-4 with 47,000 units (up 15 percent) following its digital home video release on March 20.

Migos’ Culture II is a non-mover at No. 5 with 45,000 units (down less than 1 percent), Logic’s Bobby Tarantino II falls 4-6 with 33,000 units (down 30 percent) and Post Malone’s Stoney rises 10-7 with 29,000 units (down 2 percent).

Rounding out the top 10: Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) is stationary at No. 8 with 29,000 units (down 6 percent), Imagine Dragons’ Evolve returns to the top 10 with a three position rise to No. 9 with 25,000 units (down less than 1 percent) and Camila Cabello’s Camila ascends 13-10 with 23,000 units (down 2 percent).

Source billboard.com

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