Santos “Odio” Breaks Records as it Soars to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Romeo Santos is breaking records with his latest single…

The 32-year-old Puerto Rican/Dominican American singer’s new single “Odio,” featuring Drake, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Latin Airplay chart, has zoomed to the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.

“Odio” soars 39-1 on the chart, marking the biggest jump to No. 1 since the chart switched to an airplay/sales/streaming hybrid methodology (from all-airplay) in October 2012.

“Odio” becomes Santos’ seventh Hot Latin Songs leader, a run that began with “You” in 2011.

In the process, Santos has also managed to set download and streaming records.

In its first week of availability, the track sold 55,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan, entering Latin Digital Songs at No. 1 and setting the mark for the highest sales week for a Spanish-language track since the chart’s inception in January 2010.

“Odio” also sets the standard for the most streams on the 10-month-old Latin Streaming Songs chart, arriving at No. 1 with 1.6 million U.S. streams, according to Nielsen BDS. Of that sum, 1.2 million clicks are from YouTube views, split between user-generated clips (68%) and all official audio and lyric video content (32%), which does not yet include a proper video clip of the track.

On the radio side, Odio,” the second single from Santos’ upcoming set Formula, Vol. 2, garnered 10.8 million audience impressions, according to BDS, to debut at No. 1 on Latin Airplay. It’s his eighth chart-topper on the list and third to open at the summit. With the No. 1 entry, Santos ties Enrique Iglesias for most No. 1 starts in the tally’s 20-year history.

On the all-format Billboard Hot 100, “Odio” claims the highest debut for a Spanish-language song in the chart’s 55-year history, arriving at No. 45 as the list’s highest new entry. Santos is just the third tropical act to rank as high in a first week, following Gloria Estefan, whose “Heaven’s What I Feel” (an English-language track) entered at No. 34 in 1998, and iconic Mambo act Perez Prado and His Orchestra, whose instrumental classic “Patricia” ranked and peaked at No. 2 the week that the Hot 100 launched (Aug. 4, 1958).

Meanwhile, Santos’ prior single “Propuesta Indecente,” which has spent four non-consecutive weeks atop Hot Latin Songs, holds at No. 2, making him the first act to hold down the chart’s top two spots since Pitbull doubled up in October 2011 (with “Rain Over Me,” featuring Marc Anthony, at No. 1 and “Give Me Everything,” featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer, at No. 2).

Mars’ “Unorthodox Jukebox” Expected to Return to the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 Chart

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Expect to see Bruno Mars shooting up the charts this week…

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter is expected to return to the top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, following his highly lauded Super Bowl halftime performance on Sunday, February 2.

Mars’ Grammy-winning sophomore album, Unorthodox Jukebox, sold approximately 40,000 copies in the week ending Feb. 2, according to estimates from industry sources.

That would represent a 164% gain compared to the previous week, when it sold 15,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album’s official sales figures, as tabulated by SoundScan, will be released later today (Wednesday, February 5 ), the same day that the new Billboard 200 chart’s top 10 will be revealed.

If the album returns to the top 10 with 40,000, it will mark the album’s first visit to the top 10 since the Billboard 200 chart dated Sept. 14, 2013, and its best sales week since last March.

Unorthodox Jukebox was already aiming to sell around 19,000 in the week ending Feb. 2, thanks in part to Mars’ exposure at last week’s Grammy Awards (January 26). Mars won the award for best pop vocal album, but did not perform on the show.

According to Fox, who cite Nielsen data, Mars’ halftime show attracted the largest audience in the history of the Super Bowl, with 115.3 million viewers. That figure surpasses the prior record of 114 million set by Madonna two years ago.

Last year, Beyonce headlined the Super Bowl halftime show (110.8 million), where she was briefly joined by her Destiny’s Child group members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Unlike Mars, Beyonce didn’t have a current album riding high on the charts at the time.

In the week ending February 3, 2013, Beyonce saw her most recent album, 2011’s 4, re-enter the Billboard 200 at No. 100 with 4,000 sold (up 123%). The following week — after a full week of sales impact was felt from the game — the album climbed to No. 79 with 6,000 (up 59%).

The impact of the Super Bowl on Mars’ music sales — and on the Billboard charts — will be unique compared to all other halftime headliners in the modern era of Super Bowl halftime entertainment.

Since 1993, when Michael Jackson headlined the halftime festivities, the main performer on the show has generally been an act with a fairly deep catalog of albums and songs. Mars, however, has only released two albums — Unorthodox Jukebox (released in 2012) and Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010).

Thus, all of the sales and chart impact felt by Mars will be concentrated on just those two albums (and their respective singles). Unlike previous years, where everyone from Beyonce and Madonna to Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen saw their post-Super Bowl chart impact spread across multiple albums and songs.

Pitbull & Ke$ha’s “Timber” Reaches No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Songs Chart

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Pitbull knows how to pop it likes it’s hot…

The 32-year-old Cuban American rap superstar’s latest smash “Timber,” featuring Ke$ha, has reached the summit on yet another Billboard chart.

The dancetastic track, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early January, rose 2-1 on the Pop Songs chart this week, according to Nielsen BDS.

“Timber” marks Pitbull’s second No. 1 on the chart (among nine top 10s).

“Give Me Everything,” featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer, topped the tally for three weeks beginning on July 16, 2011.

The songs is Ke$ha’s fourth No. 1 on the chart (also among nine top 10s). Her debut single “TiK ToK” ruled for seven weeks in 2010, followed by “Your Love Is My Drug” (two weeks, 2010) and “Die Young” (three weeks, 2012).

“Timber” has topped the sales/airplay/streaming-based Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks and sold 2.5 million downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Pitbull’s “Timber,” Featuring Ke$ha, Spends Second Week Atop Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Pitbull continues his chart-topping ways this week…

The 32-year-old Cuban American rap superstar and Ke$ha’s dancetastic single “Timber” spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Pitbull’s second career Hot 100 No. 1 and Ke$ha’s third chart leader remains atop the Hot 100 despite not ruling any of the Hot 100’s three main component charts, Digital Songs, Radio Songs and Streaming Songs.

The continued multi-platform success of “Timber,” though, keeps the song atop the Hot 100.

It falls 1-2 after four weeks in charge of Digital Songs with 227,000 downloads sold (down 25%), according to Nielsen SoundScan. It reaches a new peak on Radio Songs (5-3), gaining by 15% to 125 million all-format audience impressions, according to Nielsen BDS. On the Streaming Songs chart, the track slips from its No. 2 highpoint to No. 3, although with a 3% gain to 5.4 million U.S. streams, according to BDS.

“Timber” concurrently spends a second week at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart.

McCreery Named to Forbes’ Top-Earning American Idols List

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Scotty McCreery is the Three Million Dollar Man…

The 20-year-old part-Puerto Rican country singer and former American Idol champion has earned a spot on Forbes magazine’s annual list of the Top-Earning American Idols.

McCreery comes in at No. 6 on the list, raking in $3 million dollars.

“Still not old enough to drink legally and not quite three years removed from his Idol win, McCreery is already making a name for himself as a solo act,” states the magazine’s description of McCreery. “His debut album, Clear As Day, sold over 1 million copies; on the road, he opened for Brad Paisley before launching a solo tour in 2013.”

Forbes determined this year’s Top-Earning list by calculating pretax earnings from June 2012 through June 2013 “with the help of data from Pollstar Pro, the RIAA, Nielsen SoundScan as wells industry veterans, the musicians’ handlers and some of the artists themselves.”

Carrie Underwood, who raked in approximately $31 million, comes in No. 1 on the list. Over the past five years, Forbes estimates that she has earned $83 million.

Here’s the complete list:

1. Carrie Underwood, $31 million
2. Kelly Clarkson, $7 million
3. Phillip Phillips, $5 million
3. Adam Lambert, $5 million
5. Chris Daughtry, $4 million
6. Scotty McCreery $3 million
7. Taylor Hicks, $2.5 million
8. Fantasia Barrino, $1.5 million
8. Kellie Pickler, $1.5 million
10. Katharine McPhee, $1 million
10. Jennifer Hudson, $1 million

Lopez Earns a Spot on Forbes’ List of the Highest-Paid Women in Music

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez is seeing a whole lot of green…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican singer, actress and returning American Idol judge has been named to Forbes’ list of the highest-paid women in music.

La Lopez, the highest-ranking Latina on the list, comes in at No. 5 with reported earning of $45 million.

During the 12-month period used by the magazine, the “On The Floor” singer earned managed to replace the $12 million American Idol salary she’d earned the previous year with a lucrative world tour and earnings from her Latin talent competition Q’Viva.

“I’m a little bit tired now, I’m not going to lie,” she told Forbes last year. “But I feel really in the zone.”

But Lopez isn’t the only Latina to make the list…

Mariah Carey, who replaced Lopez as a judge on the Fox reality singing competition, closed out the list in a tie for tenth place with Nicki Minaj with $29 million.

Carey earned the bulk of her dinero—$18 million—from her Idol gig.

Forbes compiled the list after estimating pre-tax income based on record sales, concert tickets, touring information, merchandise sales and interviews with concert promoters, lawyers and managers. It also looked at data from the Pollstar trade magazine, the Recording Industry Association of America and tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan.

Calle 13 Releases Eye-Opening Video for New Single “Multi_Viral”

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Calle 13’s latest politically charged music video has gone “Multi_Viral)”…

The Puerto Rican reggaeton duo has released the official music video for its activist song “Multi_Viral,” which features guitarist Tom Morello, vocals by Palestinian artist Kamilya Jubran, and a spoken word contribution from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Running a little over four urgent and eye-opening minutes, the clip was shot on the West Bank in the city of Bethlehem and in Beit Sahour, a Palestinian village.

It follows an embattled schoolboy who discharges in a rooftop “music is the weapon” fantasy with Morello.

“Your weapons reveal your fear for all to see,” Assange intones. “From Cairo to Quito a new world is forming the power of people armed with the truth.”

Interviewed during the video shooting in Bethlehem, Calle 13’s provocative frontman Rene Perez, also known as Residente, told The Associated Press that he sees similarities between the political situation in Palestine and his native Puerto Rico: “We are a colony of the United States. Here you have the situation with Israel.

“Here most people want to be free, they fight for their country,” he said. “It would be good to start building bridges between Palestine and Puerto Rico.”

“Multi_Viral” is the first song from Calle 13’s new album, which will be released March 1, the same day Perez and his stepbrother Eduardo Cabra kick off the Latin American leg of the duo’s planned international tour in Buenos Aires. Concert ticket buyers will have free access to a digital download of the album.

“Multi_Viral” is Calle 13’s first independent release after splitting from Sony Music Latin. Calle 13’s previous albums have sold a total of 464,000 copies in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The duo has won 19 Latin Grammy awards, the record for a group.

Kacho Lopez Mari, who like the members of Calle 13 hails from Puerto Rico, directed the video.

Fernández Notches His Best Sales Week with New Album “Confidencias”

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s an extra special quinceañera for Alejandro Fernández…

The 42-year-old Mexican singer has notched the best sales week of his two-decade-plus career with his 15th studio album, Confidencias.

Released by Universal Music Latino, Fernández’s album debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums with 21,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album’s impressive opening also impacts the Billboard 200 where it enters the chart at No. 19, making this Fernandez’s best position on the chart ever.

Confidencias is only the second Latin album to breach the top 20 of the Billboard 200 this year; Earlier, Marc Anthony’s 3.0 debuted at No. 5 on August 10 with 39,000 copies. Now, 3.0 drops to No. 2 on the Top Latin Albums chart.

Fernandez’s previous best sales week was the January 10, 1998 frame when his Me Estoy Enamorando sold 20,000 Christmas-week units.

Confidencias is Fernandez’ fourth chart-topper behind Enamorando (12 weeks in 1998-99), Entre Tus Brazos (May 13, 2000) and Dos Mundos: Evolucion (Jan. 2, 2010).

“Hoy Tengo Ganas de Ti,” the album’s first single, featuring Christina Aguilera, serves as the theme song to Univision’s new soap opera La Tempestad and sits at its peak of No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs, a rarity for a ballad in today’s more up-tempo dominated radio charts.

The Latin pop album also features a new rendition of Rod Stewart’s classic “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” featuring Stewart himself, as well as Alejandro’s first collaboration with his father Vicente Fernandez in over 20 years on “Me Olvide de Vivir.”

Prince Royce Earns Fourth Billboard No. 1 with “Darte Un Beso”

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Prince Royce is back atop the Billboard charts…

The 24-year-old Dominican American singer rises from second to first place on the Hot Latin Songs chart with “Darte Un Beso,” capturing his fourth No. 1 on the chart and ending Marc Anthony‘s 16-week streak at the helm with “Vivir Mi Vida.”

Royce’s “Darte Un Beso” sold 6,000 digital downloads (a 24% gain, according to Nielsen SoundScan) and increased 21% at radio (to nearly 14 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen BDS).

A video for the track, launched on August 20, contributes to a 78% increase in U.S. streams to 1.05 million, also according BDS. 94% of those were on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Enrique Iglesias debuts at No. 8 on the Hot Latin Songs chart with “Loco,” featuring Romeo Santos. The Bachata track is Iglesias’s 32nd top 10 on the list, reinforcing his status as the artist with the second most top 10s on the chart. He follows Luis Miguel who leads all acts with 39.

“Loco’s” ranking is a result of less than a week’s worth of airplay and digital sales. The track was released to both radio and digital retailers on Friday, August 23.

In just under three full days, the track sold 3,000 downloads. “Loco” is the second single and first in Spanish from Iglesias’s upcoming album.

Gomez’s New Album “Stars Dance” Headed to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is soaring to the top of the Billboard charts…

The half-Mexican American singer/actress, who just celebrated her 21st birthday on July 22, is likely to earn her first No. 1 album next week.

Her latest album, Stars Dance, should debut atop the Billboard 200 with approximately 90,000 to 100,000 copies sold in the week ending Sunday, July 28, according to Industry sources.

The set is Gomez’s fourth studio album, and was released on Tuesday, July 23 via Hollywood Records.

The new Billboard 200 chart’s top 10 will be revealed on the morning of Wednesday, July 31.

If Stars Dance records sales of more than 78,000, it will mark Gomez’s largest sales week ever.

Her last album, 2011’s When the Sun Goes Down (credited to Selena Gomez and the Scene), arrived with a career-high week of 78,000 — according to Nielsen SoundScan.

It debuted at No. 4, rising to No. 3 a week later. Since her 2009 debut, Kiss and Tell, Gomez has been steadily improving in terms of chart rank and debut sales frames. Kiss started at No. 9 with just under 66,000. The following year, A Year Without Rain opened at No. 4 with a little over 66,000.

Gomez’s new album is powered by her biggest single yet, “Come & Get It.” It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on Pop Songs chart. Gomez has been making the promotion rounds during the album’s release week as well. She played The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Tuesday and then hits both Good Morning America and Live With Kelly and Michael on Friday.

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