Mars Lands on Spotify’s Top Five Tracks in the U.S. List

Bruno Mars is being put on the Spot(ify)

Spotify has unveiled its annual Year in Music results, with the 30-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter the only Latino to make the Top Five on any list.

Bruno Mars in Uptown Funk

Mars’ record-tying collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk,” ranked at No. 4 on the Top Five Tracks in the U.S. list.

The track was released in November 2014 and spent fourteen consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.

“Uptown Funk” also set a new record for the highest number of streams in one week in the US, with 4.8 million streams. Worldwide, the song has accumulated an estimated 15.2 million points from sales and streams.

Overall, Spotify said 75 million listeners streamed over 20 billion hours of music this year. A large driver of activity came from the new Discover Weekly playlists, which reached 1.7 billion streams since launching over the summer.

 Here’s a look at the Top Five Tracks in the U.S.

  1.       Trap Queen – Fetty Wap
  2.       The Hills – The Weeknd
  3.       Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) – The Weeknd
  4.       Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
  5.       Lean On (feat. MØ & DJ Snake) – Major Lazer

Mars’ “Uptown Funk” Collaboration with Mark Ronson Wins an MTV VMA

Bruno Mars is the (Moon)man of the hour…

The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer picked up the third Moonman of his career atthe 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.

Bruno Mars in Uptown Funk

Mars picked up the award for Best Male Video for his collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk.”

Mars previously picked up awards at the 2013 MTV VMAs for Best Male Video for “Locked Out of Heaven” and Best Choreography for “Treasure.”

Here’s a look at the night’s winners:

Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award: Kanye West
Video of the Year: “Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar
Best Female Video: “Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
Best Male Video: “Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
Best Pop Video: “Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
Best Hip Hop Video: “Anaconda,” Nicki Minaj
Best Rock Video: “Uma Thurman,” Fall Out Boy
Best Direction: “Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
Best Collaboration: “Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar
Best Video with Social Message: “One Man Can Changed the World,” Big Sean ft. Kanye West and John Legend
Best Art Direction: “So Many Pros,” Snoop Dogg
Best Choreography: “I Won’t Let You Down,” OK Go
Best Cinematography: “Never Catch Me,” Flying Lotus ft. Kendrick Lamar
Best Editing: “7/11,” Beyoncé
Best Visual Effects: “Where Are U Now” Skrillex and Diplo ft. Justin Bieber

Mars Earns Five MTV Video Music Awards Nominations

Bruno Mars is this year’s (Moon)man…

The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter earned five 2015 MTV Video Music Awards nominations for his collaboration with Mark Ronson on “Uptown Funk.”

Bruno Mars in Uptown Funk

Mars and Ronson’s video for “Uptown Funk” earned nods in the Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Pop Video and Best Collaboration categories.

Additionally, Mars is nominated alongside Cameron Duddy in the Best Direction category for the work behind the scenes on the video, which has garnered more than 865 million page views on Vevo.

Mars previously collected Moonmen in 2013 for Best Male Video for “Locked Out of Heaven” and Best Choreography for “Treasure.”

Beginning immediately, fans can vote for their favorites in a handful of categories, including Video of the year, best male video and best female video.

This year, voting for the MTV artist to watch award will run through the celebration’s pre-show coverage, at which time the top two artists will be revealed and compete over a live hashtag vote. Voting is available here.

Nominees for the socially voted category, best song of summer, will be announced at a later date.

The 2015 VMAs will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on August 30 at 9:00 pm. Miley Cyrus will serve as the show’s host.

Here’s a look at the full list of nominees:

Video of the Year:
Beyoncé – “7/11”
Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud”
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Bad Blood”
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
Kendrick Lamar – “Alright”

Best Male Video:
Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud”
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
Kendrick Lamar – “Alright”
The Weeknd – “Earned It”
Nick Jonas – “Chains”

Best Female Video:
Beyoncé – “7/11”
Taylor Swift – “Blank Space”
Nicki Minaj – “Anaconda”
Sia – “Elastic Heart”
Ellie Goulding – “Love Me Like You Do”

Best Hip Hop Video:
Fetty Wap – “Trap Queen”
Nicki Minaj – “Anaconda”
Kendrick Lamar – “Alright”
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth – “See You Again”
Big Sean ft. E-40 – “IDFWU”

Best Pop Video:
Beyoncé – “7/11”
Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud”
Taylor Swift – “Blank Space”
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
Maroon 5 – “Sugar”

Best Rock Video:
Hozier – “Take Me To Church”
Fall Out Boy – “Uma Thurman”
Florence + the Machine – “Ship To Wreck”
Walk the Moon – “Shut Up and Dance”
Arctic Monkeys – “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”

Artist to Watch:
Fetty Wap – “Trap Queen”
Vance Joy – “Riptide”
George Ezra – “Budapest”
James Bay – “Hold Back The River”
FKA Twigs – “Pendulum”

Best Collaboration:
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Bad Blood”
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth – “See You Again”
Ariana Grande & The Weeknd – “Love Me Harder”
Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj – “Bang Bang”

Video With a Social Message:
Jennifer Hudson – “I Still Love You”
Colbie Caillat – “Try”
Big Sean ft. Kanye West and John Legend – “One Man Can Change the World”
Rihanna – “American Oxygen”
Wale – “The White Shoes”

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES

Best Art Direction:
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Bad Blood” (Charles Infante)
Snoop Dogg – “So Many Pros” (Jason Fijal)
Jack White – “Would You Fight For My Love” (Jeff Peterson)
The Chemical Brothers – “Go” (Michel Gondry)
Skrillex & Diplo – “Where Are U Now” with Justin Bieber (Brewer)

Best Choreography:
Beyoncé – “7/11” (Beyoncé, Chris Grant, Additional choreography: Gabriel Valenciano)
OK Go – “I Won’t Let You Down” (OK Go, air:man and Mori Harano)
Chet Faker – “Gold” (Ryan Heffington)
Ed Sheeran – “Don’t” (Nappy Tabs)
Flying Lotus ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Never Catch Me” (Keone and Mari Madrid)

Best Cinematography:
Flying Lotus ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Never Catch Me” (Larkin Sieple)
Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud” (Daniel Pearl)
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Bad Blood” (Christopher Probst)
FKA Twigs – “Two Weeks” (Justin Brown)
Alt-J – “Left Hand Free” (Mike Simpson)

Best Direction:
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Bad Blood” (Joseph Kahn)
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk” (Bruno Mars and Cameron Duddy)
Kendrick Lamar – “Alright” (Colin Tilley & The Little Homies)
Hozier – “Take Me To Church” (Brendan Canty, Conal Thomson)
Childish Gambino – “Sober” (Hiro Murai)

Best Editing:
Beyoncé – “7/11” (Beyoncé, Ed Burke, Jonathan Wing)
Ed Sheeran – “Don’t” (Jacquelyn London)
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Bad Blood” (Chancler Haynes at Cosmo Street)
A$AP Rocky – “L$D” (Dexter Navy)
Skrillex & Diplo – “Where Are U Now” with Justin Bieber (Brewer)

Best Visual Effects:
Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Bad Blood” (Ingenuity Studios)
FKA Twigs – “Two Weeks” (Gloria FX, Tomash Kuzmytskyi, and Max Chyzhevskyy)
Childish Gambino – “Telegraph Ave.” (Gloria FX)
Skrillex & Diplo – “Where Are U Now” with Justin Bieber (Brewer)
Tyler, The Creator – “F****** Young/Death Camp” (Gloria FX)

Mars & Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” 2015’s Top-Selling Digital Single So Far

Bruno Mars is the leader of the pack in 2015…

Nielsen Music has released its 2015 mid-year music charts with the 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter’s collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk,” the top-selling digital single.

Bruno Mars

Mars and Ronson’s ultra-catchy track claimed the top spot, with 4.89 million downloads. However, that number pales in comparison to the amount of times the single has been streamed: Combined audio and video streams of “Uptown Funk” have nearly reached the 368 million mark.

The track was also been a favorite among radio programmers, racking up 646,000 plays in 2015 so far.

Since the beginning of 2015, audio streaming is up 74 percent compared to the same period in 2014, while video streaming has grown an eye-popping 109 percent. From December 29th to June 28th, over 135 billion songs were streamed, the Nielsen report states.

Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” came in second place with 3.45 million downloads, and Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again” (from “Furious 7″) finished at No. 3 with 3.07 million downloads so far this year.

Messi: The Top-Ranking Latino on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 List

Lionel Messi is a Latino at the top of the global earnings game…

The 28-year-old Argentine soccer star has earned the No. 13 spot on ForbesCelebrity 100, the list of the world’s highest-paid superstars of 2015.

Lionel Messi

Messi, the highest-ranking Latino on the list of the highest paid entertainers on the planet had earnings of $74 million during the reporting period.

In 2014, Spanish club Barcelona awarded Messi, a four-time FIFA player of the year, with a $9 million a year raise in his seventh contract since 2005, bringing his take home pay to $50 million a year through 2018. Messi holds records for most goals in Barca competitions, most goals in La Liga competitions, most goals scored in a calendar year and most hat tricks scored. That incredible talent is why sponsor Samsung cast him as superhero Iron Man in their ad to promote the Avengers film. It’s also why his main sponsor Adidas launched a Messi icon line of shoes and apparel, which has exceeded company sales expectations, including in the U.S.

He recently ranked as the top-ranking Latino on Forbes’ 2015 list of the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes, coming in at No. 4.

Meanwhile, Gisele Bündchen has earned the distinction of highest-ranking Latina on this year’s list.

The 34-year-old Brazilian supermodel, who has been the highest-paid model in the world since 2004, comes in at No. 46 with earnings of $44 million.

Bündchen, the world’s highest-paid model in 2014, continues to out-earn her younger counterparts. Despite rumors that she was retiring from the runway, Bündchen’s earnings have not suffered. She continues to land lucrative fragrance and beauty contracts with Carolina Herrera and Chanel, supplementing those deals with high fashion campaigns for Emilio Pucci and Balenciaga. Her Under Armour advertisement, which showed her attacking a punching bag while social media commentary blared in the background, was one of the most impactful this year. Bündchen has turned her name into a brand: she gets a cut of sales from the jelly sandals she designs for Brazilian shoemaker Grendene, while her line of Hope lingerie – Gisele Bündchen Intimates – also pumps up her paycheck.

Coming in at No. 52 is Bruno Mars, with earnings of $40 million.

The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter’s recent collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk,” spent 14 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. It was only one of many reasons Mars solidified his place on the Celebrity 100. After being the featured musician in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Class of 2014, Mars continued to make a name for himself by completing his Moonshine Jungle tour. He’s currently working on his next album, and if it is anything like his previous studio effort, Mars can expect the awards and dollars to keep rolling in.

In all, 10 Latino/a celebrities made this year’s list, including tennis star Rafael Nadal, soccer phenom Neymar and multi-hyphenate extraordinaire Jennifer Lopez.

Here’s the complete list of Latino superstars on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list:

No. 13 Lionel Messi, $74 million
No. 46 Gisele Bündchen, $44 million
No. 52 Bruno Mars, $40 million
No. 63 Fernando Alonso, $35.5 million
No. 76 Rafael Nadal, $32.5 million
No. 82 Neymar, $31 million
No. 86 Carmelo Anthony, $30.5 million
No. 89 James Rodriguez, $29 million
No. 95 Jennifer Lopez, $28.5 million
No. 95 Sofia Vergara, $28.5 million

Mars’ “Uptown Funk” Ties for the Second-Longest-Leading Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Ever

Bruno Mars continues to funk his way closer to history…

The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter’s collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk,” is now tied for the second-longest-leading Billboard Hot 100 song ever, ruling the chart for a 14th week.

Uptown Funk

The song is also tied for the chart’s longest command this century.

“Uptown Funk,” released on RCA Records, ties six other singles for the second-best run at No. 1 dating to the Hot 100’s August 4, 1958, launch, with only one song having led longer—Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day.”

Here’s an updated ranking of the longest-leading Hot 100 No. 1s all-time:

Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1
16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995
14 (to date), “Uptown Funk!,” Ronson feat. Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
14, “I Gotta Feeling,” the Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009
14, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005
14, “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
14, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996
14, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994
14, “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992

“Uptown Funk” also ties for the longest stay at No. 1 on the Hot 100 this century. With 14 weeks on top, it matches the Black Eyed Peas‘ command with “I Gotta Feeling,” the last song to lead for at least that long, in 2009. Mariah Carey also logged 14 weeks at No. 1 with “We Belong Together” in 2005.

“Uptown Funk” is now just two weeks from potentially tying “One Sweet Day” for the all-time record, and three weeks from possibly claiming it all to itself.

Mars’ “Uptown Funk” Makes History as It Logs 13 Weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100

It’s Lucky No. 13 for Bruno Mars

The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter’s funktastic collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk,” is now the longest-leading Billboard Hot 100 single of the 2010s, ruling the chart for a 13th week.

Uptown Funk

It’s also just the 10th single in the Hot 100’s entire history to spend at least 13 weeks at No. 1.

“Uptown Funk,” released on RCA Records, passes Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines,” featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams to take sole possession of the Hot 100’s longest command this decade.

Here’s an updated look at the hits to lead for the most weeks since the beginning of 2010:

Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1

13 (to date), “Uptown Funk!,” Ronson feat. Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
12, “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke feat. T.I. + Pharrell, June 22, 2013
10, “Happy,” Pharrell Williams, March 8, 2014
10, “We Found Love,” Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris, Nov. 12, 2011

“Funk” also becomes one of an elite 10 singles ever to top the Hot 100 for at least 13 weeks, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958 launch:

Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1

16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995
14, “I Gotta Feeling,” The Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009
14, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005
14, “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
14, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996
14, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994
14, “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992
13 (to date), “Uptown Funk!,” Ronson feat. Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
13, “The Boy Is Mine,” Brandy & Monica, June 6, 1998
13, “End of the Road,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 15, 1992

“Uptown Funk” is now just three weeks away from potentially tying Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” for the record, and four weeks from possibly claiming it all to itself.

Mars’ “Uptown Funk” Notches a 12th Week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart

Bruno Mars’ chart-topping run continues…

The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter’s collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk,” rules the roost on the Billboard Hot 100 for a twelfth week.

Bruno Mars

Released on RCA Records, “Uptown Funk” becomes only the fifteenth No. 1 in the chart’s five-and-a-half-decade history to rule for at least 12 weeks. It also ties for the longest reign of the 2010s: Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines,” featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams, also logged a 12-week command beginning in June 2013.

“Uptown Funk” inks a 12th week atop the Digital Songs chart with 187,000 downloads sold (down 1 percent) in the week ending March 22, according to Nielsen Music.  It’s now within one week of tying the record for the most time spent atop Digital Songs: the T-Pain-assisted “Low” by Flo Rida led for a record 13 weeks in 2007-08.

“Uptown Funk” leads the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs chart (4.6 million U.S. streams, down 6 percent) for an 11th week and Streaming Songs (19.1 million, up 13 percent) for a 10th, adding top Streaming Gainer honors on the Hot 100. Helping fuel its burst in streams: a clip that YouTuber Carson Dean created (featuring the song’s audio), in which he dances, and gets in a good cardio workout, on a treadmill. It drew 2.2 million U.S. clicks in the chart’s tracking week.

On Radio Songs, “Uptown Funk” reigns for a ninth week with 173 million in all-format audience (down 3 percent).

Ronson and Mars’ smash, therefore, leads the Hot 100 and its three main component charts (Digital Songs, Radio Songs and Streaming Songs) simultaneously for a record-extending eighth week (non-consecutively).

Twelve weeks into its Hot 100 reign, “Uptown Funk” manages to widen its lead at No. 1, as it’s up by 3 percent in overall activity, while Maroon 5‘s “Sugar,” at its No. 2 peak for a second week, dips by 4 percent. “Sugar” holds at No. 2 on Digital Songs (156,000, down 13 percent) and No. 4 on both Radio Songs (129 million, up 5 percent) and Streaming Songs (9.8 million, down 1 percent).

Mars & Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!” Leads the Billboard Hot 100 for an 11th Week

Bruno Mars continues to etch his name in the annals of Billboard chart history…

The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, the world’s highest-paid Latino musician, rules the Billboard Hot 100 for an 11th week with his hit collaboration with Mark Ronson‘s “Uptown Funk!”

Bruno Mars

“Uptown Funk!,” released on RCA Records, becomes only the 19th No. 1 in Hot 100 history to lead for at least 11 weeks. It’s just the second to reach that level this decade: Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines,” featuring T.I. and Pharrell, began a 12-week command in June 2013.

“Uptown Funk!” logs an 11th week atop the Digital Songs chart with 189,000 downloads sold (down 10 percent) in the week ending March 15, according to Nielsen Music.

It’s now one of just three songs to lead Digital Songs for at least 11 weeks: Flo Rida‘s “Low,” featuring T-Pain, racked a record 13 weeks on top in 2007-08, while Pharrell Williams‘ “Happy” dominated for 11 weeks last year.

“Uptown Funk!” leads the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs chart (4.9 million U.S. streams, down 4 percent) for a 10th week and Streaming Songs (16.9 million, down 3 percent) for a ninth. On Radio Songs, the track reigns for an eighth week with 178 million in all-format audience (down 2 percent).

Ronson and Mars’ collaboration, thus, leads the Hot 100 and its three main component charts (Digital Songs, Radio Songs and Streaming Songs) simultaneously for a record-extending seventh week (nonconsecutively).

Mars’ “Uptown Funk!” Rules the Billboard Hot 100 for an Eighth Week

Make that eight weeks at the helm for Bruno Mars

The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer’s smash hit collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk!,” rules the Billboard Hot 100 for an eighth week.

Bruno Mars

“Uptown Funk!,” released on RCA Records, leads Billboard’s Streaming Songs (19.8 million U.S. streams, up 9 percent, according to Nielsen Music) and the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs (5.4 million, down 1 percent) for a sixth week each.

On Radio Songs, “Uptown Funk!” reigns for a fifth week with a 3 percent lift to 187 million in all-format audience. In the airplay chart’s 24-year history, only eight songs have posted higher audience totals, led by Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines,” featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams, which peaked with 228.9 million on the Aug. 31, 2013, tally.

“Uptown Funk!” returns to the top of the Digital Songs chart (2-1) for an eighth cumulative week on top with 257,000 downloads sold (down 14 percent) in the week ending Feb. 22.

Ronson and Mars’ collab crowns the Hot 100 and its three main component charts (Digital Songs, Radio Songs and Streaming Songs) simultaneously for a record fourth week (non-consecutively). The only other song to quadruple up at No. 1 for even two weeks: Meghan Trainor‘s “All About That Bass” last year.

“Funk” widens its lead over runner-up Ed Sheeran‘s “Thinking Out Loud,” which ranks at its No. 2 peak on the Hot 100 for a sixth week. “Funk” is up by 2 percent in overall activity, while “Loud” loses 16 percent of its points.