Retail

1. Business Matters: What is a Stream Worth? Not Much

   August 09, 2013 7:06 PM EDT Here's another way to think about the difference between purchases and streaming: value by MB. Much has been written about the small royalties artists and labels get for streaming media relative to purchased music. Less – if anything – has ...

2. Chart Moves: Buddy Guy's Best Week Ever, Imagine Dragons' Sales Stay Steady, Bruno Mars' Top 20 Streak

   August 09, 2013 9:30 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200, Robin Thicke nabbed his first No. 1 album -- a little over a decade after his debut. "Blurred Lines," led by the smash single of the same name, opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 177,000 cop ...

3. Chart Moves: Robin Thicke's Rare Double No. 1 Achievement, Maroon 5's New Top 10 Hit on Hot 100

   August 09, 2013 9:15 AM EDT As previously reported , Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a whopping ninth week. The song also earns the largest airplay audience ever on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, racking up 219.8 million in a ...

4. The Civil Wars Heading for No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

   August 07, 2013 8:23 PM EDT Folk-rock duo the Civil Wars is heading for its first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart next week. Industry sources suggest the act's self-titled second album may sell around 100,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Aug. 11. ...

5. Five Finger Death Punch, Backstreet Boys Heading for Top 10 on Billboard 200

   August 02, 2013 8:43 PM EDT Robin Thicke is seemingly a lock to earn his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart next week, industry sources say. His latest set, "Blurred Lines," was released on July 30 and might sell between 135,000 and 140,000 copies by th ...

6. U.S. Justice Department Seeks Oversight of Apple's iTunes Store Following Anti-Trust Ruling (Updated)

   August 02, 2013 12:45 PM EDT Editor's note: The following story was updated with Apple's response to the Department of Justice's remedies after it was originally published. Following a victory against Apple in an anti-trust lawsuit on July 10, the Department ...

7. Chart Moves: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' Top 40 Airplay Feat, Swift and Sheeran Return

   August 02, 2013 9:15 AM EDT As previously reported, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" holds down the No. 1 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 for an eighth week and One Direction scores its highest charting single ever, as its "Best Song Ever" debuts at No ...

8. Chart Moves: Guns N' Roses 'Hits' Longevity Milestone, 'Pitch Perfect' Still Selling Strong

   August 02, 2013 9:00 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Selena Gomez triumphed with her first No. 1 album , as "Stars Dance" started atop the list with 97,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Last week's leader, Jay Z's "Magna ...

9. U.S. Album Sales Hit Historic Lows

   August 02, 2013 7:44 AM EDT U.S. album sales have hit new historic lows over the last five weeks marking the longest consecutive stretch in the SoundScan era that the industry has gone without scanning more than 5 million units. And, over the last two weeks, album s ...

10. Dischord's Ian MacKaye Agrees to License Minor Threat T-Shirts Sold At Urban Outfitters

    August 01, 2013 3:19 PM EDT Surprising almost everyone, Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye has allowed officially licensed t-shirts to be sold at Urban Outfitters and select online retailers. The decision to sell the t-shirts came about because of the large number of bootle ...

11. Sony Returns To Quarterly Profit

    August 01, 2013 7:09 AM EDT As a slew of big-name Japanese companies report improved quarterly earnings, one theme is taking the sheen off their rosy numbers: mainstay businesses are still struggling despite the perk from a weaker yen. The latest example came Thursday from ...

12. Robin Thicke Aiming for First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart

    July 31, 2013 8:08 PM EDT After scoring his first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Blurred Lines," Robin Thicke now has his sights set on the top slot of the Billboard 200 albums chart. The new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed ...

13. Selena Gomez Knocks Jay Z From Top of Billboard 200 With First No. 1 Album

    July 31, 2013 9:40 AM EDT This week, Selena Gomez collects her first No. 1 title on the Billboard 200 with the arrival of "Stars Dance." The Hollywood Records release sold 97,000 copies in its first week -- a career-high frame for the singer, according to Ni ...

14. Business Matters: Misinterpreting The Size, Shape and Momentum of the Digital Music Marketplace

    July 29, 2013 7:01 PM EDT The data should create the narrative, not the other way around. A number of journalists have ignored this rule in recent weeks. If you stay current on music industry news, you may have read some articles that will give you the wrong impression a ...

15. Muzik, Maker of Smart Headphones, Launches Today (Exclusive)

    July 29, 2013 8:00 AM EDT There are smartphones, and there are headphones  -- you can even plug one into the other -- but today sees the launch of Muzik, a company that has created what it calls the world's "first socially connected smart headphones" whi ...

16. 'Radioactive' Explosion: How Imagine Dragons' Hit Has Conquered Multiple Radio Formats

    July 27, 2013 11:00 AM EDT The track links a 21st week at No. 1 on Rock Airplay, breaking the record for the longest reign dating to the Nielsen BDS-based chart's June 20, 2009, inception. Foo Fighters' "Rope" ruled for 20 weeks from its debut the week ...

17. Biz Stock Ticks: This Week's Entertainment Indices

    July 26, 2013 8:51 PM EDT Biz Stock Ticks looks at publicly traded entertainment stock prices over the last week by Apple, Best Buy, Facebook, Google, Live Nation, Pandora, Sony, Sirius, TransWorld and Sony -- many of which this week reacted to the quarterly earnings re ...

18. Marc Anthony, Rich Gang Aiming for Top 10 on Billboard 200 Chart

    July 26, 2013 7:54 PM EDT As previously reported, Selena Gomez is heading for her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart next week. Industry sources suggest her new release, "Stars Dance," could sell between 90,000 and 100,000 copies by the end of the t ...

19. Iron Maiden Tops Hot Tours With Revenues of $19 Million

    July 26, 2013 12:28 PM EDT English heavy metal band Iron Maiden earns the No. 1 Hot Tours ranking this week with $19 million (US$) in box office revenue reported from its summer tour in European cities. The Maiden England World Tour originally kicked off last year with a ...

20. Chart Moves: Pet Shop Boys Score Highest Charting Album In Nearly 20 Years

    July 26, 2013 9:00 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Jay Z held at No. 1 for a second week as "Magna Carta… Holy Grail" sold another 129,000 copies (down 76%). He easily barred the arriving Sara Bareilles from a second No. 1 album as her &qu ...

21. Premios Juventud Performers See Digital Sales Spike

    July 25, 2013 7:47 PM EDT Performers on Univision’s Premios Juventud saw big spikes in sales on Billboard’s Latin Digital Songs chart following the July 18 awards, which had an average audience of nearly five million, according to Nielsen. The sales were noteworthy becau ...

22. One Direction's 'Best Song Ever' Heading for Top Five on Billboard Hot 100

    July 25, 2013 5:36 PM EDT One Direction's new single "Best Song Ever" is red-hot and heading for a huge debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart next week.   Released on Monday (July 22), the cut is on course for a top five start on the chart -- based on earl ...

23. Jay Z's 'Magna Carta' Holds At No. 1 On Billboard 200 For Second Week

    July 24, 2013 11:00 AM EDT As expected, Jay Z's Magna Carta . . . Holy Grail holds at No. 1 for a second week on the Billboard 200, selling 129,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan (down 76%). The set debuted atop the list last week with 528,000. As the set ret ...

24. Apple iTunes Breaks Sales Records In Q3

    July 23, 2013 6:01 PM EDT Even though iPad sales stumbled in the third quarter, Apple Inc.'s iTunes store continued to rock on, according to the company latest earnings report released Tuesday. The iTunes store "generated record billings of $4.3 billion in the ...

25. Business Matters: Streaming Drives 12% Revenue Gain in Sweden

    July 22, 2013 8:46 PM EDT Scandinavia continues to be the place where digital music's future is best taking shape.    IFPI Sweden released figures Sunday that show gains in streaming led to a 12% gain in recorded music revenues in the first half of the year. A wee ...

26. Maroon 5 Ties Adult, Mainstream Top 40 Records

    July 22, 2013 1:56 PM EDT The group matches the mark for the most Adult Top 40 No. 1s and Mainstream Top 40 top 10s with 'Love Somebody,' while label Interscope equals a record of its own   Maroon 5 ties the record for the most No. 1s in the 17-year history of ...

27. What Do Anna Kendrick and Barbra Streisand Have in Common on the Charts?

    July 20, 2013 10:51 AM EDT What do Anna Kendrick and Barbra Streisand have in common? They are the only two people that have earned a top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and Academy Award and Tony Award nominations in acting categories. Kendrick was nominated fo ...

28. Sara Bareilles Heading for No. 2 Debut on Billboard 200

    July 19, 2013 6:20 PM EDT Singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles is heading for No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart next week with her new album, "The Blessed Unrest." Industry sources say the set should sell around 65,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Ju ...

29. Chart Analysis: Jay Z's 'Magna'-ificent Week on the Hot 100

    July 19, 2013 3:19 PM EDT As Jay Z scores his lucky 13th No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Magna Carta… Holy Grail , extending his mark for the most leaders among soloists in the chart's 57-year history, he likewise updates his already impressive resume on the Billbo ...

30. Chart Moves: Florida Georgia Line's Slow Chart Climb, Alexis Spight Hits No. 1

    July 18, 2013 8:23 PM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Jay Z jumped in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with "Magna Carta Holy Grail," selling 528,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It was the fourth No. 1 in a row that w ...

31. Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' Heading for Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200

    July 17, 2013 7:30 PM EDT Next week, Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" should become the first rap album in nearly two years to spend two weeks at No. 1. While it's too early to tell just how much "Magna Carta" will sell in its second week, ...

32. Business Matters: Less Piracy Through Better Products

    July 17, 2013 7:16 PM EDT Better products can help reduce digital piracy. That's one of the takeaways in the paper, " Adventures in the Netherlands ," released by Spotify on Wednesday.   A long-held belief has been that legal services need to be more conv ...

33. Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' Debuts at No. 1, Has Year's Second-Biggest Sales Week

    July 16, 2013 10:15 PM EDT Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" album storms in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 528,000 copies in its first week, according to preliminary data from Nielsen SoundScan. Update, July 17, 1PM PST: Nielsen SoundScan ha ...

34. Universal Music Launches 'The Vinyl Project' for 'Crowd-Funded' Re-Presses

    July 15, 2013 4:53 PM EDT What's better than a sure thing? A guaranteed sure thing, obviously. Uvinyl , the London-based "home of Universal Music vinyl," recently launched a re-pressing initiative they call The Vinyl Project which aims to be exactly that ...

35. Ciara Aiming for No. 2 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart Next Week

    July 12, 2013 7:31 PM EDT After Ciara's last album missed the top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart, the R&B/pop singer is making a comeback with her new self-titled set. Industry sources forecast that her new album (released on July 9) should debut at No. 2 on nex ...

36. Biz Stock Ticks: This Week's Entertainment Indices

    July 12, 2013 6:30 PM EDT In today’s . Biz Stock Ticks , a look at publicly traded entertainment stock prices over the last week by Apple, Best Buy, Facebook, Google, Live Nation, Pandora, Sony, Sirius, TransWorld and Sony over the last week. Below each 5-day stock graph ...

37. Business Matters: Norway's Music Streaming Market Is Booming - But Could It Work In The U.S.?

    July 12, 2013 4:10 PM EDT Norway is one of those countries often held up as example of streaming potential. It's no wonder why: streaming revenues carried the country's recorded music market to a 7% gain in 2012 and are the driving force behind a 17% gain in th ...

38. Chart Moves: Adele's '21' Nears Longevity Record, BET Awards Push 82% Sales Gain for Charlie Wilson

    July 12, 2013 9:00 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, a rap album crowned the list for the third time in as many weeks. J. Cole's "Born Sinner" jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 in its third week, selling 58,000 copies, according to Nielsen Sound ...

39. Rap's History-Making Week on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart

    July 11, 2013 5:37 PM EDT For the first time in the Billboard 200 chart's history, rap albums hold down the top three spots in three successive weeks. J. Cole's Born Sinner is No. 1 this week, followed by Wale's The Gifted and Kanye West's Yeezus at ...

40. Pharrell Williams' Résumé: The History of a Hardworking N.E.R.D.

    July 11, 2013 2:49 PM EDT It's incredible to think that Pharrell Williams, the artist and entrepreneur who recently turned 40, was once fired from three different McDonald's in Virginia Beach. It all in began in 1992. That year, Pharrell helped Teddy Riley writ ...

41. Billboard Launches The Billboard Shop

    July 10, 2013 3:19 PM EDT Billboard today announced the launch of the Billboard Shop ( http://shop.billboard.com/ ), an online retail space offering a wide variety of Billboard products. Among the Billboard Shop's offerings are: A one-click way to purchase current ...

42. Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' Album Sales Forecast Grows to 450-500,000

    July 10, 2013 1:59 PM EDT The debut week sales forecast for Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" has grown. After its first day at retail on July 9, industry sources now suggest the album could sell between 450,000 to 500,000 copies by the end of the trackin ...

43. Apple Found Guilty of Conspiring with Publishers to Raise E-Book Prices

    July 10, 2013 12:04 PM EDT Apple Inc. broke antitrust laws and conspired with publishers to raise electronic book prices, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, citing "compelling evidence" from the words of the late Steve Jobs. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote said Ap ...

44. J. Cole's 'Born Sinner' Album Jumps To No. 1 On Billboard 200, Surpasses Sales of Kanye West's 'Yeezus'

    July 10, 2013 11:00 AM EDT While J. Cole's Born Sinner was initially blocked from No. 1 on the Billboard 200, he celebrates his second No. 1 this week. In its third week on the chart, Born Sinner rises 2-1 with 58,000 sold (down 32%, according to Nielsen SoundScan ...

45. Warner Music's Len Blavatnik, Will Smith Invest in The Fancy

    July 09, 2013 8:30 PM EDT Warner Music Group owner Len Blavatnik and Will Smith are among wealthy investors in online shopping site, The Fancy. Smith, American Express and the Ukrainian-born Blavatnik, who owns Warner Music and film company Icon UK among other media and ...

46. Jay-Z's Surprise Twitter Q&A Elicits 1.5 Million Mentions, Unreleased Single via Young Guru

    July 09, 2013 11:17 AM EDT = Jay-Z is hardly the artist known for his stunts on Twitter (he only tweeted four times in 2012), but on July 8 took the Internet for a ride with a surprise Q&A, answering questions from fans and driving overall awareness for his then soon ...

47. Beats' Daisy Music Service Dials Up Carriers

    July 08, 2013 6:58 PM EDT Looking to find a partner that can turbo charge sales of its soon-to-be-launched music streaming service, Beats Electronics has been quietly looking for a carrier partner that will bundle its upcoming subscription service with cell phone or d ...

48. Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' May Sell 350-400,000 First Week

    July 08, 2013 4:12 PM EDT Even though Jay-Z began giving away a million copies of his new album Magna Carta Holy Grail on July 4, the set is still bound for a big week once it goes on sale July 9. Industry sources suggest it might sell 350,000 - 400,000 by the end of ...

49. Scalpers Pass On Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert

    July 05, 2013 12:58 PM EDT A concert benefiting Oklahoma tornado victims has drawn some of the biggest names in country music, but with proceeds intended for charity it is not attracting scalpers hoping to prey on an unsuspecting public. Oklahoma natives Toby Keith and Ga ...

50. Chart Moves: AWOLNATION 'Sail's Onto Mainstream Top 40; Avicii Evolves; Lorde Keeps Leaping With 'Royals'

    July 05, 2013 10:00 AM EDT As previously reported, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. + Pharrell, spends a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Same Love," featuring Mary Lambert, roar ...

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