• Alabama Shakes and 'Sound & Color' Becomes First Independent Release Atop Billboard 200 during 2015

    Alabama Shakes and 'Sound & Color' brought an air of independence to the Billboard 200 this week, as the album became the first independent label (ATO) release to top the charts during 2015. It was easily the band's bestselling week ever, moving 96,000 equivalent copies during its first week. Yet it seemed almost inevitable: The band got to no. 6 with its previous release, 'Boys & Girls', but nearly a year after it debuted. Listeners caught on to the band just a hair too late, and made up for it this time around.

  • Sam Smith Cancels Australia Tour Due To Vocal Cord Hemorrhage, Tells Fans "This Kills Me" After 'In The Lonely Hour' Goes No. 1 In Country

    After recently finally reaching No. 1 in Australia following nearly a year on the national albums chart with his debut album In The Lonely Hour, Sam Smith has been forced to cancel his Australian tour and scheduled appearances. The "Stay With Me" singer has been diagnosed with a hemorrhage to his vocal chords, a common ailment in singers, and his doctor has ordered him to stop performing until he's healthy in order to prevent permanent damage.

  • 'Handwritten' and Shawn Mendes Youngest Performer Since Justin Bieber to Top Billboard 200

    We may be witnessing the emergence of the next big young superstar as Shawn Mendes topped the Billboard 200 this week with his debut LP Handwritten. He becomes the youngest performer to top the chart since 2010, when Justin Bieber also did it at the age of 16 (albeit six months younger than Mendes). What makes Mendes' accomplishment more impressive is that he did so without a single on the Billboard charts, drawing almost entirely from hype built as a Vine star (and as an opener for Taylor Swift on tour). He moved 119,000 copies of his debut.

  • Sam Smith's "Lay Me Down" Gets Mellow Remix From Tiësto [LISTEN]

    After hearing the Flume remix recently, Dutch powerhouse DJ Tiësto has unveiled his remix for Sam Smith's hit single "Lay Me Down." Known in recent years for his uptempo progressive house tracks, the "Wasted" DJ and his production team takes a more mellow approach with this remix, ditching the festival-driven sound for something befitting Sam Smith's voice and aesthetic.

  • 'Furious 7' Tops Billboard 200 Thanks to Wiz Khalifa; Taylor Swift Sets Mark and All Time Low Hits All Time High

    If you've watched Fast Five, you know that Vin Diesel's character Dominic Toretto knows that it's all about how you finish, not how you begin (although he allows Paul Walker's Brian to win the four-man street race in Brazil). The Furious 7 soundtrack is living that philosophy as it reached the no. 1 place on the Billboard 200 four weeks after its release. Part of last week's 111,000 equivalent album sales is thanks to the film's continued success at the box office, but an even bigger part of it is the popularity of "See You Again," the single from Wiz Khalifa that's tearing up the download charts. All Time Low and Taylor Swift place well as well.

  • Sam Smith's 'Stay With Me' Under Attack from Another '80s Songwriter...Plaintiff Wants Grammy

    Sam Smith's hit "Stay With Me" is under a new bit of legal pressure as another songwriter has come forward claiming that Smith and his songwriting team stole inspiration. Mark Halper (not the famous Hollywood photographer) claims that during his song "Don't Throw Our Love Away" from 1986, he opens with the phrase "stay with me," which he refers to as a "significant phrase."

  • Wale, Ludacris and Kendrick Lamar Keep Hip-Hop in Top Three Spots of Billboard Albums Chart

    Wale, Ludacris and Kendrick Lamar helped ensure that hip-hop took the top three spots on the Album Sales Chart for the second week in a row. Wale, who was also no. 1 on the Billboard 200, sold 90,500 copies of his new record The Album About Nothing. Ludacris got a boost from the strict album sales format of this chart (he placed no. 3 due to stream numbers helping the Furious 7 soundtrack on the 200) and placed no. 2 with Ludaversal, selling 59,000 copies of his new album. Kendrick Lamar was at no. 1 for two weeks with To Pimp A Butterfly but he'll settle for no. 3 this week after selling another 52,500 copies.
View More
Festivals
Popular Now
Real Time Analytics