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Taylor Swift Wins Eight Billboard Awards
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Awards, Country, Hip-Hop & Rap, Pop, R&B / Soul,
Taylor Swift led the winners at the Billboard Music Awards last night, taking home eight prizes.
The "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" hitmaker - who is known for her turbulent love life and relationships with stars including Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal and John Mayer - paid tribute to her loyal fans as she picked up the evening's top honor, the coveted Artist of the Year prize.
"Thank you for making my music the soundtrack to your crazy emotions. You are the longest and best relationship I've had," she said.
As well as Artist of the Year, Taylor also took home honors including Top Female Artist, Top Country Artist, Billboard 200 Album and Top Country Album for Red, and Top Country Song for "We Are Never Getting Back Together."
Click to continue reading Taylor Swift Wins Eight Billboard Awards
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Billboard Crowns Rihanna as Top Pop Star
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, The Charts, Hip-Hop & Rap, Pop, R&B / Soul,
Rihanna has been named Billboard's Top Pop Artist of the last 20 years.
The "Diamonds" hitmaker tops the music magazine's list of the most successful artists in the history of its Pop Songs chart, which started on October 3, 1992. The magazine awarded her top spot for her achievements on the chart, which include 34 appearances with 21 top ten hits, and nine number one songs, an accolade she shares with Katy Perry, placed at sixth on the list.
The top ten was dominated by solo women singers, with Usher the only male, and Black eyed Peas the only group. Pink is in second place, followed by Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson and Mariah Carey.
Katy comes in next, and New York based radio program director Sharon Dastur, reminisced about the first time she worked with her: "Katy's very first single, 'I Kissed a Girl,' had just recently come out and we were playing it on [radio station] Z100. We started to feel an early buzz on the song, but the masses still weren't that familiar with who Katy was. We invited her to come on-stage at our Jingle Ball to help introduce one of the acts performing. We weren't sure if the crowd would be familiar with her by name, so we suggested that when she went out there, she should sing the hook of 'I Kissed a Girl' a capella. As soon as the crowd heard that, they sang every word along with her. Katy has told us that she'll always remember that moment."
Click to continue reading Billboard Crowns Rihanna as Top Pop Star
Mumford and Sons’ Babel Success
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: The Charts, Folk, Rock, New Releases,
Mumford and Sons' new album Babel has achieved the biggest sales week of 2012 in the US Billboard Chart. The group sold over 600,000 copies of their second LP in America, but Daniel Glass - of their US label Glassnote - says the boys won't be getting over-the-top gifts to celebrate their success: "No new cars. We have something we think is very special... we hug. We're big huggers. We will give them a big hug and compliments on their job."
Daniel says he always knew the band - made up of Marcus Mumford, "Country" Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane - would be successful as they're so talented and work really hard, especially when on tour. "I can go back to the beginning and I knew we were signing a very talented band to our roster. They delivered incredible music for a second time... and the work that was done, it's very empowering and shows a lot of confidence when a band goes out for almost two months playing new music from the new album for their fans and shares it with them and makes the fan experience so wonderful and inclusive. The attitude of Mumford and Sons is that fans really do come first and word of mouth is important. They've let you in on new music for a long time and it's not a marketing ploy. It has been that unfurling and exposure going on for a year and a half with the new music," he said.
Click to continue reading Mumford and Sons’ Babel Success
Katy Perry Named Billboard Magazine’s Woman of the Year
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Awards, Pop,
Katy Perry has been named Billboard's Woman of the Year.
The "Firework" singer was hailed as "one of the most exciting and inspiring artists in the industry" by the publication's editorial director as he announced her selection, which sees Katy follow in the footsteps of stars including Taylor Swift, Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas and Beyonce Knowles.
"Katy Perry broke into the industry not even five years ago, and has already accomplished more than most artists can hope for in an entire career. We are thrilled to celebrate these incredible achievements and her amazing past 12 months by presenting her with the Billboard Woman of the Year Award. With what seems like a never-ending supply of record-breaking, chart-topping hits, coupled with her unique and fresh style, Katy Perry is hands-down one of the most exciting and inspiring artists in the industry today," said Billboard's Bill Werde.
The annual event, now in its seventh year, celebrates the most powerful and talented women in the music business, coinciding with the publication of Billboard's Women in Music Power Players list. This year's event will take place in New York City on November 30 where Katy will receive her award.
Taylor Swift Named Music’s Top Earner of 2011
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Concerts / Tours, Alternative, Country, Hip-Hop & Rap, Pop, Rock,
Taylor Swift was the world's highest earning music star on 2011, making $35.7 million.
The "Mine" hitmaker grossed $88 million in the US - which amounted to a personal fortune of $29.8 million - from her Speak Now Tour as well as touring across Asia and Europe, selling over 1.8 million albums and a further 7.8 single track downloads, and gaining income from song writing royalties.
Irish rockers U2 follow closely behind the 22-year-old beauty on the 2012 Billboard Money Makers List, with a fortune of $32.1 million, mainly drawn from their huge 360 Degrees shows, the highest-earning tour of 2011. The "Sweetest Thing" band grossed more than $293 million from 44 concerts throughout the three-year tour, which was watched by nearly three million people, and saw them beat a record set by The Rolling Stones for highest grossing tour ever, taking $763 million in total.
Kenny Chesney, Lady Gaga and hip-hop star Lil Wayne also made up the top five.
Click to continue reading Taylor Swift Named Music’s Top Earner of 2011
Katy Perry Thanks Fans For Chart Record
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, The Charts, Pop,
Katy Perry says she "owes" fans after equaling a US chart record.
The 26-year-old singer thanks fans after her latest song "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" topped the Billboard Hot 100, making it the fifth track from her Teenage Dream one album to top the charts - a record initially set by Michael Jackson with the singles from his 1987 album Bad.
Upon hearing the news, Katy Tweeted, "What a way to wake up! SO proud to announce that the little-engine-that-could of a song 'LAST FRIDAY NIGHT' is officially #1 & made HISTORY! & u know, I couldn't have done it with out ya, really I owe u guys BIG... so take this moment to give yourself a high FIVE!!! #allbecauseofu (sic)"
Click to continue reading Katy Perry Thanks Fans For Chart Record
Adele Breaks US Records
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Industry News, Pop,
British songstress Adele's 21 has become the biggest selling digital album of all time in the US.
The "Rolling in the Deep" hitmaker took the title from Eminem's Recovery record by selling 1.017 million digital copies of her LP in the country compared to the rapper's 1.005 million sales of his seventh studio album. Keith Caulfield, Billboard's associate director of charts/retail, said the 23-year-old British singer is "not just a digital phenomenon. She appeals to older consumers, who will still buy full albums, and to younger people who may just buy a single track."
According to figures from Nielsen SoundScan, digital sales make up more than 30 per cent of the purchases of 21, which was released in the US in February.
Glee Breaks Beatles Billboard Record
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Artist News, The Charts, Pop,
Glee has surged ahead of The Beatles to earn the most Billboard Hot 100 chart appearances by a non-solo act.
Six songs hit the chart this week for a total of 75 numbers from the hit musical series, surpassing The Beatles’ seemingly unbreakable score of 71.
The King himself, Elvis Presley, still reigns supreme as the biggest chart-topper of all time, with 108 songs on the list.
James Brown holds fast to second place with his jaw-dropping 91 hits.
Read More | Yahoo! News
Quote of the Day: Bret Michaels on Getting Naked for Billboard
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Gossip, Rock,
“I said, ‘Listen, I have two requests—good lighting and a warm room. That’s all I’m asking for. If I’m walking out with it all f**king hanging out there for the world to see then, well, I need good lighting and a warm room ... I didn’t eat for a day and I did about 2,000 sit-ups.”
-Rocker Bret Michaels on the behind-the-scenes preparations for his nude Billboard cover shoot.
(Make sure to check out our other notable quotes.)
Read More | E! Online
Can You Guess, Guess, Guess Michael Jackson’s Biggest Hit?
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Artist News, Collaborations, Music Videos, The Charts, Videos, Pop,
“Thriller” may have been the Michael Jackson video most fans wanted to watch, but it surprisingly wasn’t the song most people wanted to play, play, play.
According to Billboard, it was a tune that Jackson did with Paul McCartney that ranks as the late singer’s best hit. “Say, Say, Say” topped a list of 50 tracks followed by “Billie Jean” and “I’ll Be There.”
The list, which was compiled to help commemorate the upcoming anniversary of Michael’s death (June 25), took a number of factors into consideration to determine a track’s performance in the Hot 100. (You can read the full explanation behind the inverse point system here.) Although “Billie Jean” spent more weeks at #1, the Jackson/McCartney collaboration lasted longer on the charts.
Click to continue reading Can You Guess, Guess, Guess Michael Jackson’s Biggest Hit?
Read More | Billboard
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