The Billboard 200 Albums Issue Date: 2010-01-30

1 1 Contra, Vampire Weekend 1
2 2 1 8 I Dreamed A Dream, Susan Boyle 1
3 1 2 Animal, Ke$ha 1
4 3 2 64 The Fame, Lady Gaga 2
5 4 3 5 The Element Of Freedom, Alicia Keys 2
6 10 9 8 The Fame Monster (EP), Lady Gaga 5
7 5 4 4 Stronger withEach Tear, Mary J. Blige 2
8 7 5 62 Fearless, Taylor Swift 1
9 6 7 7 Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Soundtrack 6
10 8 8 32 The E.N.D., The Black Eyed Peas 1
11 9 6 9 My World (EP), Justin Bieber 6
12 12 15 15 Crazy Love, Michael Buble 1
13 11 14 8 Rated R, Rihanna 4
14 17 20 92 Lady Antebellum, Lady Antebellum 4
15 14 10 27 Ocean Eyes, Owl City 8
16 18 17 11 Play On, Carrie Underwood 1
17 23 22 12 Michael Jackson's This Is It (Soundtrack), Michael Jackson 1
18 13 12 4 We Are Young Money, Young Money 9
19 NEW 1 Ollusion, Omarion 19
20 21 16 11 NOW 32, Various Artists 5
21 19 19 9 Battle Studies, John Mayer 1
22 15 11 6 Glee: Season One: The Music Volume 2, Soundtrack 3
23 16 13 35 Relapse, Eminem 1
24 25 25 61 The Foundation, Zac Brown Band 11
25 NEW 1 Total Club Hits 4, DJ Poet Name Life 25
26 22 23 19 The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z 1
27 20 18 11 Glee: Season One: The Music Volume 1, Soundtrack 4
28 24 21 5 Sex Therapy: The Session, Robin Thicke 9
29 42 45 21 The Time Of Our Lives (EP), Miley Cyrus 2
30 28 31 41 Wide Open, Jason Aldean 4
31 35 33 40 Number Ones, Michael Jackson 13
32 30 28 16 Kiss And Tell, Selena Gomez & The Scene 9
33 29 30 9 The Fall, Norah Jones 3
34 26 24 69 Only By The Night, Kings Of Leon 4
35 40 36 8 For Your Entertainment, Adam Lambert 3
36 33 46 61 Dark Horse, Nickelback 2
37 37 43 20 Ready, Trey Songz 3
38 38 35 6 The State Vs. Radric Davis, Gucci Mane 10
39 32 41 61 I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyonce 1
40 NEW 1 Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky, OK Go 40
41 41 39 16 Revolution, Miranda Lambert 8
42 46 71 11 The Bridge, Melanie Fiona 42
43 47 2 Elvis 75, Elvis Presley 43
44 39 44 70 Learn To Live, Darius Rucker 5
45 44 51 6 Malice N Wonderland, Snoop Dogg 23
46 45 38 35 Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix 37
47 31 32 5 Avatar, Soundtrack 31
48 55 47 9 Until The Whole World Hears, Casting Crowns 4
49 NEW 1 Rain Or Shine, O.A.R. 49
50 34 27 14 The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Soundtrack 1
51 53 48 16 Dear Agony, Breaking Benjamin 4
52 48 49 13 Southern Voice, Tim McGraw 2
53 59 63 27 Leave This Town, Daughtry 1
54 54 24 Speaking Louder Than Before, Jeremy Camp 38
55 49 40 169 Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift 5
56 RE-ENTRY 81 The Best Of Sade, Sade 9
57 NEW 1 Memories, Elvis Presley 57
58 NEW 1 Y Not, Ringo Starr 58
59 65 81 15 WOW Hits 2010, Various Artists 33
60 43 37 6 Graffiti, Chris Brown 7
61 36 26 4 Nine, Soundtrack 26
62 50 52 8 She Wolf, Shakira 15
63 51 82 64 Funhouse, Pink 2
64 67 74 14 Man On The Moon: The End Of Day, Kid Cudi 4
65 61 61 6 Timbaland Presents Shock Value II, Timbaland 36
66 58 60 7 Untitled, R. Kelly 4
67 63 67 18 The Resistance, Muse 3
68 57 42 9 Before I Self-Destruct, 50 Cent 5
69 75 54 15 The Essential Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson 54
70 74 90 82 The Sound Of Madness, Shinedown 8
71 60 62 63 Twilight, Soundtrack 1
72 89 95 42 Defying Gravity, Keith Urban 1
73 64 58 9 Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures 12
74 114 136 10 Save Me, San Francisco, Train 17
75 68 65 18 So Far Gone (EP), Drake 6
76 83 70 10 Memento Mori, Flyleaf 8
77 70 59 8 All Or Nothing, Jay Sean 37
78 73 56 11 Greatest Hits, Foo Fighters 11
79 86 77 21 Awake, Skillet 2
80 62 55 6 This Is War, Thirty Seconds To Mars 19
81 56 57 15 (500) Days Of Summer, Soundtrack 42
82 80 69 17 Backspacer, Pearl Jam 1
83 78 72 16 Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, Mariah Carey 3
84 97 91 9 Kris Allen, Kris Allen 11
85 69 50 16 Brand New Eyes, Paramore 2
86 71 53 4 Mudvayne, Mudvayne 53
87 79 97 21 Breakthrough, Colbie Caillat 1
88 84 75 17 Life Starts Now, Three Days Grace 3
89 76 94 28 BLACKsummers'night, Maxwell 1
90 90 86 16 Black Gives Way To Blue, Alice In Chains 5
91 77 68 10 The Circle, Bon Jovi 1
92 NEW 1 MTV Unplugged, All Time Low 92
93 111 98 131 Thriller, Michael Jackson (Diamond Certification) 29 1
94 NEW 1 The Love Uncompromised EP, Jason Castro 94
95 88 93 36 Cage The Elephant, Cage The Elephant 67
96 82 79 12 Full Circle, Creed 2
97 94 115 41 Unstoppable, Rascal Flatts 1
98 93 92 9 Good Evening New York City, Paul McCartney 16
99 66 78 9 Letters To Santa: A Holiday Musical Collection, Various Artists 66
100 72 96 7 The Hangover, Soundtrack 72
101 118 107 101 Journey's Greatest Hits, Journey (Diamond Certification) 15 10
102 91 88 6 Buffet Hotel, Jimmy Buffett 17
103 106 106 15 American Ride, Toby Keith 3
104 137 156 15 Still, BeBe & CeCe Winans 12
105 107 112 22 Keep On Loving You, Reba 1
106 112 123 20 The Man I Want To Be, Chris Young 19
107 27 2 Unbroken, Katharine McPhee 27
108 95 110 29 American Saturday Night, Brad Paisley 2
109 120 100 15 Doin' My Thing, Luke Bryan 6
110 96 89 8 Pricele$$, Birdman 33
111 103 84 43 Hannah Montana: The Movie, Soundtrack 1
112 98 131 6 xx, The xx 98
113 125 140 30 The Last, Aventura 5
114 119 116 80 Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne 1
115 99 104 8 Waking Up, OneRepublic 21
116 92 122 3 Boy From Tupelo, Elvis Presley 92
117 104 105 12 Soulbook, Rod Stewart 4
118 109 102 11 Raditude, Weezer 7
119 RE-ENTRY 4 With Love, Kenny Rogers 119
120 85 76 3 One For My Baby: Selections From The Great American Songbook, Various Artists 76
121 127 103 29 NOW 31, Various Artists 1
122 124 129 78 Love On The Inside, Sugarland 1
123 198 52 Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend 17
124 NEW 1 July Flame, Laura Veirs 124
125 81 80 6 The Princess And The Frog, Soundtrack 80
126 102 132 14 Manners, Passion Pit 51
127 113 126 143 Greatest Hits, Guns N' Roses 3
128 116 130 11 I and Love and You, The Avett Brothers 16
129 117 111 746 Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd (Diamond Certification) 15 91
130 132 153 118 Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley And The Wailers, Bob Marley And The Wailers (Diamond Certification) 10 72
131 153 165 113 It's Time, Michael Buble 7
132 110 99 138 Abbey Road, The Beatles (Diamond Certification) 12 69
133 108 101 20 I Look To You, Whitney Houston 1
134 123 138 34 Chronicle The 20 Greatest Hits, Creedence Clearwater Revival 123
135 148 142 76 That Lonesome Song, Jamey Johnson 28
136 NEW 1 The Essential Teddy Pendergrass, Teddy Pendergrass 136
137 140 137 15 The List, Rosanne Cash 22
138 121 154 5 Believe, Orianthi 121
139 128 168 41 Wicked, Original Broadway Cast Recording 128
140 101 128 109 Gold -- Greatest Hits, ABBA 63
141 136 149 82 We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., Jason Mraz 3
142 142 151 23 Twang, George Strait 1
143 141 199 22 Party Rock, LMFAO 33
144 115 121 33 Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King, Dave Matthews Band 1
145 149 134 12 War Is The Answer, Five Finger Death Punch 7
146 138 139 33 Epiphany, Chrisette Michele 1
147 135 152 7 The Very Best Of Enya, Enya 55
148 126 124 26 Cradlesong, Rob Thomas 3
149 154 147 4 Greatest Hits, The Who 147
150 139 120 68 Swan Songs, Hollywood Undead 22
151 152 164 8 One Love, David Guetta 70
152 RE-ENTRY 2 Sherlock Holmes, Soundtrack 152
153 145 157 85 Oracular Spectacular, MGMT 38
154 144 125 19 #1s ... And Then Some, Brooks & Dunn 5
155 174 2 Twelve Nights In Hollywood, Ella Fitzgerald 155
156 158 102 Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits, Elvis Presley 1
157 164 15 The Script, The Script 91
158 134 127 10 Hello Hurricane, Switchfoot 13
159 130 117 35 Greatest Hits II, Kenny Chesney 3
160 131 118 18 Love Drunk, Boys Like Girls 8
161 133 113 9 Echo, Leona Lewis 13
162 162 190 90 Call Me Irresponsible, Michael Buble 1
163 166 173 21 NOW That's What I Call Country Vol. 2, Various Artists 10
164 129 119 164 The Beatles, The Beatles (Diamond Certification) 19 83
165 150 155 90 Scars & Souvenirs, Theory Of A Deadman 26
166 194 3 Greatest Hits, Motley Crue 94
167 147 169 4 Greatest Hits, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers 147
168 105 66 12 Night Castle, Trans-Siberian Orchestra 5
169 161 159 45 All I Ever Wanted, Kelly Clarkson 1
170 172 194 10 It Is Well, Kutless 42
171 122 83 12 If On A Winter's Night..., Sting 6
172 RE-ENTRY 9 Love Unstoppable, Fred Hammond 26
173 RE-ENTRY 109 1, The Beatles (Diamond Certification) 10 1
174 RE-ENTRY 3 The Master Plan, Tamela Mann 97
175 175 198 56 All Hope Is Gone, Slipknot 1
176 165 158 61 Appeal To Reason, Rise Against 3
177 RE-ENTRY 149 Come Away With Me, Norah Jones (Diamond Certification) 10 1
178 190 48 Little Bit Of Everything, Billy Currington 13
179 143 143 48 The Fray, The Fray 1
180 163 160 12 En Concert, Jack Johnson 11
181 RE-ENTRY 83 Precious Memories, Alan Jackson 4
182 155 146 17 Your Songs, Harry Connick, Jr. 8
183 RE-ENTRY 20 Tri-Polar, Sick Puppies 31
184 179 185 154 Daughtry, Daughtry 1
185 185 182 16 Disney: Phineas And Ferb, Soundtrack 59
186 RE-ENTRY 142 Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood 2
187 RE-ENTRY 79 Greatest Hits, Creed 15
188 160 141 33 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day 1
189 NEW 1 By The People: For The People, Soundtrack 189
190 156 150 32 Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot 4
191 RE-ENTRY 17 Justin Moore, Justin Moore 10
192 184 180 82 Mothership, Led Zeppelin 7
193 170 148 184 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles (Diamond Certification) 11 114
194 RE-ENTRY 6 Embryonic, The Flaming Lips 8
195 159 109 10 The Singles Collection, Britney Spears 22
196 181 187 81 Nothing But The Best, Frank Sinatra 2
197 157 162 5 Til The Casket Drops, Clipse 46
198 RE-ENTRY 2 Volume 4: Songs In The Key Of Love & Hate, Puddle Of Mudd 95
199 197 53 Michael Buble, Michael Buble 47
200 RE-ENTRY 13 Sci-Fi Crimes, Chevelle 6

Digital Music Gains, but Can't Offset Low CD Sales

Sales of digital music rose 12 percent worldwide last year, but that growth was insufficient to compensate for plunging revenue from compact discs, the music industry’s international trade organization said Thursday.

The group, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, used the publication of the figures as an opportunity to renew its calls for a tougher crackdown on digital piracy, which it blames for a 30 percent decline in global music sales from 2004 to 2009.

“We’re all fed up talking about piracy, it’s boring talking about piracy, but it is the problem and we can’t avoid it,” said John Kennedy, chief executive of the trade group.

Critics say music companies have been too slow to embrace new online business models that are attractive enough to lure music fans away from pirate sites.

Over the past year, however, digital streaming services like Spotify, which offer free listening, supported by advertising or subscriptions, have gained a growing following. Revenue from streaming is accelerating, as growth in sales of digital downloads from services like Apple’s iTunes slows.

Over all, sales via the Internet, mobile phones and other digital methods totaled $4.2 billion in 2009 and accounted for 27 percent of music industry revenue, up from 21 percent a year earlier, the trade group said.

But with sales of CDs declining by double-digit percentages, Mr. Kennedy said the record companies’ overall global revenue for 2009 would fall 8 percent or 9 percent from 2008.

Mr. Kennedy said the decline in sales, which has persisted for nearly a decade since a 2001 peak in revenue, was hurting the development of local artists in a number of markets hit hard by piracy. In France, for example, signings of new artists by record labels fell by more than 60 percent from 2002 to 2008.

“Sadly, today we are not at the turning point in the music industry,” Mr. Kennedy said. “I still hope that in a few years’ time, that point will come.”

Classic Video-Adam Ant-Room At The Top

VINCE NEIL To Cover SEX PISTOLS On Upcoming Solo Album?

According to MotleyCrueStore.com, MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil and his solo band performed the SEX PISTOLS song "No Feelings" at a free concert this past Saturday (January 16) in West Palm Beach, Florida, to celebrate the two-year anniversary of his bar Feelgood's. The track will apparently be featured on Neil's upcoming solo album, "Tattoos And Tequila", which is expected to be released in April. The CD was recorded with bassist Dana Strum and Jeff Blando (both of SLAUGHTER) and drummer Zoltan Chaney. Another track being laid down during the sessions was a cover version of the CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL classic "Who'll Stop The Rain?"

In a recent interview with The News Tribune, Vince stated about the upcoming CD's title, "It's rock 'n' roll. That's it. It has nothing to do with MÖTLEY CRÜE. Tattoos and tequila is basically my life."

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Neil is also writing a book akin to MÖTLEY's autobiography, "The Dirt", with Esquire writer Mike Sager.

Blink-182 To Return With 'Ambitious' New Album In 2010

It's been more than six years since Blink-182 released their untitled (or, some say, self-titled) fifth album, which was born from increased tension within the band, carried with it the dreaded "mature" mantle, and eventually led to Mark, Tom and Travis taking an "indefinite hiatus." It was, by all accounts, a pretty difficult time for everyone involved.

These days, things are different in the Blink camp. They buried old beefs and reunited onstage at the 2009 Grammy Awards, talked about making a new album, then hit the road on a raucous arena tour. It was very much like old times. The good old times.

And with a triumphant 2009 behind them, they roll into 2010 with one roadblock remaining: that aforementioned new album. They didn't play the one new track they'd completed — "Up All Night" — on their reunion tour, and, so far, the only recording plan we've heard of was Travis Barker's promise to include new Blink material on his upcoming solo album. Needless to say, the timetable appears to be slightly sketchy for when we'll actually get to hear any of the new stuff — let alone a new album. But that hasn't stopped fans from speculating that this will finally be the year that we get the follow-up to their 2003 effort.

But what will the new Blink sound like? Well, according to the guys themselves, probably not what you're expecting. Just last week, a Los Angeles production company called Handsome Randsome released a teaser trailer for their upcoming "Blinkumentary," which mentioned that Blink were definitely in the studio right now working on the album and quoted guitarist Tom DeLonge as saying, "No one really knows what to expect from the next Blink record, [but] I don't think anyone thinks it's going to be a straightforward rock record. ... [It's] probably the most ambitious songwriting and art that we've ever made."

Then there's the new song bassist Mark Hoppus created with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, for the upcoming "Alice in Wonderland" soundtrack. According to Wentz, the track — called "In Transit" — "sounds nothing like Blink" and was more the end product of a pair of buddies working together for the heck of it. Still, it is new music, and it seems to be in keeping with what DeLonge talked about in the "Blinkumentary" trailer.

So maybe the new Blink will be a bit like Angels & Airwaves, mixed with a touch of (+44)? Or maybe it won't at all. And what about that mysterious solo album Hoppus told MTV News about early last year? Who will produce the new album? And will they finish recording it before heading to Europe for a string of shows this summer? There are plenty of questions and very few answers (there's not even a tentative release date scheduled for the album yet, according to Blink's label, Interscope).

And, really, at the end of the day, all that matters is that we're actually talking about a new Blink record, right? We've waited a long time for this, and 2010 is already looking better because of it.

Simon Cowell, Sony Sign New TV, Music, Film Deal

LONDON (Reuters) - Music mogul Simon Cowell has formed a long-term venture with Sony Corp's Sony Music Entertainment to produce music, television and film, beginning with the U.S. version of hit British show "The X Factor".

The new venture, called Syco after Cowell's record label, will own the existing Syco television and music assets including global TV franchises "The X Factor" and "Got Talent" and star singers like Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle.

According to the Financial Times, which first reported the deal, Sony Music will exchange its 100 percent ownership of Cowell's record label for a 50 percent share of a broader venture.

The announcement follows shortly after Cowell, one of the most powerful figures in television and pop music, said he was quitting the top-rated U.S. Fox TV show "American Idol" to launch "The X Factor" in the United States.

Cowell, 50, whose sardonic comments and exaggerated scowl as a judge on the shows have made him one of the biggest stars on British and U.S. television, has said he would be both a judge and the executive producer of "The X Factor".

"I have had a fantastic relationship with Sony for many years and I'm delighted we are launching this venture together," Cowell said in a statement.

Ged Doherty, chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment UK, added: "With the launch of The X Factor in the U.S., we look forward to replicating the unprecedented success the show has had in the UK globally."

The X Factor launches in the United States in autumn 2011.

SIMON VS SIMON?

American Idol creator Simon Fuller, meanwhile, recently announced plans for a new entertainment company after he left CKX, the group which owns the American Idol format.

According to reports, he will continue to receive 10 percent of profits earned by the show.

British media have portrayed the moves by the two Britons as an escalation in their professional rivalry as The X Factor prepares to go head-to-head with American Idol in the key U.S. market.


Fuller launched legal action against Cowell in 2004, claiming his X Factor show copied the Pop Idol format, but the case was eventually settled out of court, and the two have collaborated since on several shows.

In an interview with the Times published on Saturday, Fuller played down talk of a rivalry between him and Cowell.

Yet he compared The X Factor as the television equivalent of wrestling versus the "boxing"-style purity of his show, and added: "I want Idol to be purely about talent. We're not going to be led into the mud, we're going to stay on our hill."

Pick Hit Of The Week-Chromeo-Night By Night

Ex Guns N' Roses Guitarist Requires More Surgery

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke will require more surgery due to injuries he suffered in a hit and run accident last week when a truck struck the rocker while he was riding his motorcycle. Here is the latest from Gilby's website:

"Gilby is recovering now at the hospital from injuries he sustained in a hit n' run accident on his motorcycle Sunday, January 10th. He suffered three broken bones in his left foot/ankle and a broken bone in his right foot. He had one successful surgery Tuesday, but he still has at least one more surgery next week.

"There is no further information on the pick-up truck that caused the accident, by making a left hand turn into oncoming traffic. Gilby would like to thank everybody that has expressed their concern and well wishes.

Ozzy Osbourne To Embark On 18-Month World Tour

According to TMD, Ozzy Osbourne plans to set out next year on a massive 18-month world tour in support of his upcoming album, Soul Sucka.

The album will be the debut recording to feature guitarist Gus G of Firewind, who last year replaced long standing Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society. Soul Sucka is scheduled for a tentative release date of June 2010 via Epic Records.

Classic song of the week KC "Give It Up"

Nickelback: Is it Really the “Band of the Decade?”

BY Nick Donahue

I want to make clear that I am not a Nickelback fan. I would rather listen to William Hung sing “Amazing Grace” than hear Chad Kroeger blare out “How You Remind Me.”

While their music will probably never garner my praise, I have to give it up to the Canadian group for creating the most commercially accessible rock out there right now. Last month, the group was named “Band of the Decade” by Billboard Magazine after selling 30 million records and producing six Top-10 singles on the U.S. charts over the past ten years. As sad as I was to hear this news, I can’t deny that any band that sells 30 million albums deserves some sort of recognition.

The fact that they were the highest-selling rock band of the last 10 years, however, speaks more to our society than it does to Chad Kroeger and crew. Like the president we elect, we Americans choose the Billboard “Band of the Decade” we deserve. Nickelback’s ascent to the top of the hierarchy of generic rock is hugely dependent on one driving force: the casual music listener in America.

Any band that can tap into the minds of those listeners will undoubtedly sell millions, and no band did that better than Nickelback in the past 10 years. So who is this casual music listener anyway? Who is responsible for buying the 30 million albums Nickelback has sold since they debuted on the charts in 2001?

According to Craig Marks, editor-in-chief of Blender Magazine, the culprits that are fueling the flames of Nickelback’s domination are none other than tweens and teenagers. You remember your taste in music when you were 13, right? Before I began developing my musical senses, pop-punk bands like New Found Glory had more spins in my record player than any other kind of group. This was definitely not because they were great bands (because they weren’t), but because I didn’t have the desire to expand my musical horizons at the time.

This lack of aspiration to discover new music is at the heart of the issue at hand. The advent of the digital music age in the last decade has had a polarizing effect on the music tastes of young Americans. With more access to music than ever before via the Internet, one might think that the average American adolescent would be more willing to explore music that might not have a radio friendly sound. This ideal scenario, however, was not the case in the last decade. Instead, young people were being marketed to with as much generic rock on the Internet as they would find on the radio. Musical originality that descended into mainstream American culture during this tech-savvy generation was limited.

The acceptance of this limited musical comfort zone by America’s youth can be attributed directly to the music industry, which sells bands with the least abstract and challenging sound possible. Bands like Nickelback feed this music industry profile by using a winning formula: “sentimental” lyrics about drugs and sex, simple chord progressions that are constantly recycled and a lead singer with a standard alt-rock deep voice like Kroeger’s. It is sad that consumers buy into this generic product, and it’s not going to change until real talent gets its moment in the sun.

So if you’re looking for signs that the world is well on its way to ending in 2012, look no further than the fact that all of Nickelback’s albums in the past decade have spent more than 150 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. The future of music for the next decade lies with the middle school and high school kids who are giving life to the music industry. Please, if you know someone between the ages of 12 and 18, do us all a favor and challenge their musical palate. Help them use the Internet to find new bands that don’t sound like Nickelback. I am not asking us to turn the next generation into indie snobs, but it’s all about exposure and acceptance. Many artists might not have a sound as commercially acceptable as Nickelback on a first listen.

However, an in-depth exposure to something not as radio-friendly as Chad Kroeger and co. might improve the listener’s musical horizons and in turn, upgrade the music industry for all of us.

Motley Crue rocker takes to the skies with inaugural flight

Motley Crue rocker Vince Neil has launched a charter jet service flying out of his adopted hometown of Las Vegas.

The singer jetted out of Sin City on January 12 on the inaugural Vince Neil Aviation flight to the sunny Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.

The rocker's firm will also offer flights to New York and Europe using three jets.

It's the latest venture for Neil's growing business empire - he owns a tattoo parlour in Las Vegas, a clothing boutique in Los Angeles and runs his own wine-making vineyard.

Lady Gaga recovers from exhaustion quickly

Chalk it up to the healing power of get-well wishes.

Hours after health problems forced her to cancel a concert at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., on Thursday night, Lady Gaga was performing a medley of her hits for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Friday, The Associated Press reported.

On Thursday night the pop singer Tweeted: "I've been crying for hours, I feel like I let my fans down 2nite. An hour before the show, I was feeling dizzy and having trouble breathing."

A statement released by the school from Lady Gaga's tour management said she'd suffered a sudden illness and that medical personnel had advised her not to perform.

WLFI-TV in West Lafayette reported that a police officer took the stage after the opening acts and announced Gaga's illness to the sold-out crowd after paramedics arrived backstage and found the singer struggling to breathe.

In response, her fans had the Twitter universe buzzing Friday with get-well wishes sporting a #getwellgaga hashtag, most typically: "#getwellgaga your little monsters (fans) all love you - get well soon."

Ke$ha, Lady Gaga Lead Singles Chart

Pop singer Ke$ha led Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for a fourth week on Thursday with her debut single "TiK ToK," and also grabbed the No. 7 spot with her new follow-up, "Blah Blah Blah."

Both tracks come from her album "Animal," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday. Two other tunes, "Your Love Is My Drug" and "Take It Off," debuted at No. 27 and No. 85, respectively.

Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" held at No. 2, while "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys rose one to No. 3, swapping places with Iyaz's "Replay." "Fireflies" by Owl City remained at No. 5. David Guetta featuring Akon's "Sexy Chick" stood firm at No. 6

Two other tracks made their way into the top 10. Rap crew Young Money jumped four to No. 8 with "Bedrock," the act's second top 10 following "Every Girl," which peaked at No. 10 in July. Rihanna's "Hard," featuring Jeezy, soared six places to No. 9, her 13th top-10 entry.

Rounding out the top 10 was Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne with "Down," which dropped three to No. 10.

Elsewhere, Disney starlet Selena Gomez scored her best Hot 100 showing to date as "Naturally" rebounded six places to No. 36.

Other Hot 100 debuts included Lady Antebellum's "Love This Pain" (No. 93), Timbaland featuring Drake's "Say Something" (No. 94), and newcomer Easton Corbin's "A Little More Country Than That" (No. 100).

NEW Adam Lambert video "Whataya Want From Me"

VH1 Classic Presents a New Slate of Winter 2010 Programming With Two New Original Series

NEW ORIGINAL SERIES "ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY CAMP" FROM MARK BURNETT PRODUCTIONS GETS GREEN LIT FOR SUMMER 2010

NEW YORK, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- This Winter, VH1 Classic is bringing classic music fans an expanded line-up of all-new original series along with the return of the hit favorite, "That Metal Show." The new slate of programming begins on Friday, January 22nd at 8PM* with "The Music Video Exposed" and continues with "Behind the Music Remastered," featuring updated versions of some of the series most memorable episodes beginning on Saturday, February 6th at 10PM*, followed by the premiere of the fourth season of "That Metal Show" at 11PM.* VH1 Classic is also announcing today that they have teamed up with Mark Burnett Productions to bring viewers the new original series "Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp," which is set to premiere during Summer 2010.

"The Music Video Exposed" premieres Friday, January 22nd at 8PM ET*

VH1 Classic goes behind-the-scenes of the biggest music videos of the 80's to bring you all the stories you've never heard before in the new 30-minute weekly series "The Music Video Exposed." Each episode will focus on an influential music video director and his catalogue of work. The director and artists reveal the truth behind some of the most famous 80's music videos. The 6-week series spotlights famed music video directors David Mallet (Billy Idol "White Wedding"), Wayne Isham (Metallica "Enter Sandman"), Russell Mulcahy (The Buggles "Video Killed The Radio Star"), Kevin Goody (The Police "Every Breathe You Take") and Steve Barron (Michael Jackson "Billie Jean.")

"The Music Video Exposed" will explore how concepts came about, which artists were hard to handle and of course, the scandals that occurred on set. Get the stories behind the historic music video, "Video Killed The Radio Star," the innovative use of computers in Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing," and how rotoscoping created a new look for A-Ha's "Take On Me."

"Behind the Music Remastered" premieres Saturday, February 6 at 10PM ET*

VH1's Emmy Award-nominated and critically acclaimed series "Behind The Music," returns to continue some of these now iconic stories. Starting Saturday, February 6 at 9PM ET*, VH1 Classic will air eight new half-hour weekly episodes of "Behind the Music Remastered" featuring some of classic rocks seminal artists including: Genesis, Motley Crue, Metallica, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, and John Lennon. Picking up where the original "Behind the Music" episodes left off, VH1 Classic will air brand new interviews, footage, and video clips that update the stories of several classic artists over the last 10 to 15 years.

"That Metal Show" premieres Saturday, February 6th at 11PM*

Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson, and Jim Florentine are back and ready to rock into the fourth season of VH1 Classic's hit original series, "That Metal Show" on Saturday, February 6th at 11PM*. Rolling Stone Magazine recognized the show in their "50 Reasons to Watch TV Right Now" and with upcoming guests like Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer, and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, it's no wonder. In its fourth season "That Metal Show" is also proudly bringing back your favorite studio segments, like "STUMP THE TRUNK," "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO," and, of course, the weekly battle to settle all metal battles and end all debates, "THE THROWDOWN."

Bon Jovi performs fans' choice at Grammys

In addition to being nominated for an award, Bon Jovi is also set to perform at the Grammy Awards Rolling Stone reports.

The band is nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “We Weren’t Born to Follow,” but that’s not the song they will perform. Instead, they will perform one of six songs. “Bed of Roses,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Always,” “Livin’ On a Prayer,” “It’s My Life,” and “Have a Nice Day,” are the songs fans get to vote on, and which ever song gets the most votes is the one the band will perform. Fans can vote at the CBS Grammy Page.

The Grammys are being held January 31 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. Other artists performing at the awards ceremony include Green Day, Dave Matthews Band, and Black Eyed Peas.

NEW W.A.S.P VIDEO "Babylon's Burning"

MGMT,Duran Duran set for Bowie Tribute CD

MGMT and Duran Duran are among the artists set to appear on an upcoming David Bowie tribute album compiled to benefit War Child UK. Duran Duran broke news of their involvement in the Manimal Vinyl project, which is expected in May, on New Year's Day via their official website. Then, over the weekend, TwentyFourBit revealed that MGMT will also join the charity initiative.

While there's no word yet on what Bowie tune Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden will tackle, Duran Duran have pledged to reinterpret Bowie 's 'Lodger' romp, 'Boys Keep Swinging.' Meanwhile, Manimal, which has previously done tributes to the Cure and Madonna, is also promising tracks from Carla Bruni ('Absolute Beginners'), Soulwax (TBA), Devendra Banhart's Megapuss ('Sound + Vision' in Spanish) and a collaboration between Swahili Blonde and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante ('Red Money').

The Bowie tribute effort will come as a limited CD, limited double-LP and downloadable version with extra tracks. Check out the tracklist below.

Tracklist:
01. Exitmusic -- 'Space Oddity'
02. Vivian Girls -- 'John, I'm Only Dancing'
03. Megapuss (Devendra Banhart) -- 'Sound + Vision' (en Espanol)
04. Carla Bruni -- 'Absolute Beginners'
05. Lights -- ' World Falls Down'
06. VOICEsVOICEs -- 'Heroes'
07. Duran Duran -- 'Boys Keep Swinging'
08. MGMT -- TBA
09. Chairlift -- 'Always Crashing in the Same Car'
10. Aska w/ Moon & Moon -- 'African Night Flight'
11. A Place to Bury Strangers -- ' Suffragette City '
12. The Polyamorous Affair -- 'Theme From Cat People'
13. Keren Ann -- 'Life on Mars'
14. Swahili Blonde (feat. John Frusciante) -- 'Red Money'
15. Marco Benevento -- 'Art Decade'
16. Corridor -- 'Be My Wife'
17. Aquaserge -- 'The Superman'
18. Warpaint -- 'Ashes to Ashes'
19. Rainbow Arabia -- 'Quicksand'
20. We Are the World -- 'Afraid of Americans'
21. Laco$te -- 'Within You'
22. Ariana Delawari -- 'Ziggy Stardust'
23. Pizza! -- 'Modern Love'
24. St Clair Board -- 'Secret Life of Arabia '
25. Caroline Weeks -- 'Starman'
26. Amanda Jo Williams -- 'The Man Who Sold the World'
27. Mick Karn -- 'Ashes to Ashes'
28. Soulwax -- TBA

Kesha Is Ready for US Billboard Number 1 Album

Kesha – Get ready for the Billboard results tomorrow, Kesha is ready to get to the top.

According to Hits Daily Double, with impressive first week sales of just over 150,000 copies, newcomer Ke$ha’s debut album Animal is set to take the #1 spot on theBillboard 200 away from Scottish sensation Susan Boyle who held on to the top for an impressive six consecutive weeks with her debut I Dreamed a Dream. Other debuts inside the chart include American Idol alum Katharine McPhee who failed to impress with her sophomore effort Unbroken, making its first chart appearance at #27 with 14,000 copies sold.

The official Billboard chart will be released tomorrow, and be aware of the fact that these numbers could change a little. Congrats to Ke$ha for her #1 debut!

AC/DC sound threatens birds

AC/DC are known for their loud, no-ballad concerts, but the group's high volume levels reportedly pose a threat to a rare species of bird. The band will face legal action from bird conservationists if they proceed with their planned outdoor show in Austria this May.

According to Hans Uhl of animal right's group BirdLife, the sound levels generated by AC/DC pose a threat to the Curlew, a species of bird found in select regions of the world. Uhl is the man behind the campaign to stop the Austria concert, scheduled for May 22 at the Wels Air Field in Austria, as Wels is a favorite nesting ground for the rare bird.

"The second biggest colony of Curlews in Upper Austria and various other ground-nesting birds must not become endangered," Uhl said, according to Musicradar.com.

The bird conservationists may face a tough battle from AC/DC fans, however, who scooped up all of the available 80,000 tickets for the Austria gig within hours of them going on sale.

The controversial show is part of the band's current Black Ice world tour, which kicked off back in October 2008. The group is on the road in support of their 15th studio album, Black Ice.

Jackson death ruled homicide

On Monday, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office released an amended death certificate in which the cause of death is listed as homicide brought on by a lethal cocktail of drugs, specifically "acute propofol intoxication." The effects of benzodiazepine are listed as a contributing factor, according to Eonline.com.

A host of other drugs is listed in the report.

"The Jackson family again wishes to commend the actions of the coroner, the LAPD and other law enforcement agencies, and looks forward to the day that justice can be served," a statement from the family said.

Though there have been no official charges against Dr. Conrad Murray, who administered the propofol, manslaughter charges are expected.

Lady Gaga Makes History With Fifth #1 Single

Lady Gaga picks up right where she left off in 2009 with her first #1 single of 2010, "Bad Romance." This marks the first time an artist has scored five #1 singles at radio in a row from a debut album.

"Just six months ago 'Bad Romance' was nothing but a dream, a recurring melody, a lyric hidden on a napkin on my tour bus," commented Gaga. "Now it's my fifth #1 record, and a reminder to fans to always follow their dreams. I would like to thank all my beautiful little monsters, radio, and my incredibly supportive team for the most memorable year of my life. To have had such a phenomenal reception to my second album, The Fame Monster, is life-changing. I'm so happy I could die."

"Bad Romance" follows "Just Dance," "Poker Face," "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi" as #1 singles at radio.

January has already been a busy month for Gaga. Last week she won a pair of People's Choice Awards for Favorite Breakout Artist and Favorite Pop Artist. Also, Polaroid named her creative director for a specialty line of Polaroid Imaging products, and she was announced as a performer at the upcoming Grammy Awards on January 31.

SEBASTIAN BACH: 'The Music Industry's So Screwed Up'

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach was interviewed earlier this month on "The Paulie Z Show".

When asked about his current record-label situation, Bach said, "The music industry's so screwed up, I almost don't wanna even rely on anybody but me. Even though I am doing another record, but it's so cool to be in control of your music and be able to just get it out without asking anybody, you know what I mean?!

"I have my own label, Get Off My Bach, which is distributed through EMI, and we sold about 200,000 [copies] worldwide of [Bach's latest solo album] 'Angel Down' so far, which is recouped from this little record company that I work with. I'd like to be on a way bigger label and all that, but I can't control things like that.

"Just to paint a picture for everybody, Jason Flom [former A&R rep at Atlantic Records] signed SKID ROW and a million other bands. He's the guy who signed us. He also got me on Broadway. He's always been there for me. He has this thing in his contract where he gets this thing called the first right of refusal on anything that I do, and that's for the rest of my life. So whenever I make a CD, he gets it first. He got 'Angel Down' first and he passed on it. He gave it to Jack Ponti at MRV [Merovingian Music, Ltd.], who signed it. Now that was a very cool thing for him to do. But the fans should know that Jason Flom passed on me, Sebastian Bach, with Axl Rose on a record and then he put out STEEL PANTHER. (Laughs) I just want people to realize that — this same guy who says no to Sebastian Bach and Axl Rose together on record — 'No. No, thanks.' — he says yes to a bunch of fucking goofs, clowns, comedy guys. He says yes to them.

"We live in a world [where] VAN HALEN doesn't have a record deal. I mean, Eddie Van Halen doesn't have a fucking record deal. (Laughs) How can there be such a thing as rock and roll if VAN HALEN doesn't have a record deal? (Laughs)"

Bach's current solo band includes guitarists Nick Sterling and Johnny Chromatic, drummer Bobby Jarzombek and bassist Rob DeLuca.

Bach and DANKO JONES will support GUNS N' ROSES on their upcoming Canadian tour in January/February.

Sebastian recently collaborated with HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta on several tracks for Bach's new solo album, with Nick and Charlie Bellmore of the Connecticut band PHANTOMS assisting during the pre-production process. The singer has also written material with John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON).

Is ke$ha or Susan boyle No. 1 on the Billboard 200 next week?

“Tik Tok,” indeed. The clock has run out on Susan Boyle’s six weeks at the top of the album chart. The British reality show discovery has been stopped in her tracks by America’s new party girl, Ke$ha, whose debut album, “Animal,” is slated to come in at No. 1 later this week. Holla!

“Animal,” on the strength of singles chart-topper “Tik Tok,” will move around 140,000 copies, according to Hits Daily Double. That’s enough to handily beat Boyle’s “I Dreamed a Dream,” which will surpass the 100,000 mark and move its seven-week tally to about 3.2 million copies in the U.S. alone.

The rest of the chart is dominated by women, with the odd slot reserved for a chipmunk or a budding teen idol or two. Behind Boyle, will be Alicia Keys (“The Element of Freedom”), Lady GaGa (“The Fame”), Mary J. Blige (“Stronger with Each Tear”) and Taylor Swift (“Fearless”) Then the Fergie-led Black Eyed Peas and “The E.N.D.” and the “Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” pipe up in the lower half of the Top 10 before Lady Gaga’s second Top 10 entry, “The Fame Monster” and pop pipsqueak Justin Bieber’s “My World” come in.

“Tik Tok,” indeed. The clock has run out on Susan Boyle’s six weeks at the top of the album chart. The British reality show discovery has been stopped in her tracks by America’s new party girl, Ke$ha, whose debut album, “Animal,” is slated to come in at No. 1 later this week. Holla!

“Animal,” on the strength of singles chart-topper “Tik Tok,” will move around 140,000 copies, according to Hits Daily Double. That’s enough to handily beat Boyle’s “I Dreamed a Dream,” which will surpass the 100,000 mark and move its seven-week tally to about 3.2 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Adam Lambert Confirms 'Oprah Winfrey Show' Appearance

Lambert tweets that he'll be on the show, though airdate is unknown

Adam Lambert has done sit-downs with some big names, including Barbara Walters, since the release of his debut album, For Your Entertainment, but the "American Idol" runner-up is about to pull up a cushion for what is likely to be the biggest chat to date in his musical career.

Though "The Oprah Winfrey Show" does not comment on upcoming bookings, Lambert spilled the beans on his Twitter on Thursday, in which he said, "Oprah: def true."

According to the New York Post, a post on Winfrey's Web site on Tuesday solicited stories from for Lambert's biggest fans. "Calling ALL Adam Lambert Fans!!!" the posting reportedly read. "Did you vote for him as many times as you could? Were you holding your breath when the new American Idol was announced, hoping and praying it would be HIM? If you are a HUGE fan of Adam Lambert's, e-mail us now and tell us why you want to be in the audience for this once-in-a-lifetime show."

The request has already elicited dozens of breathless responses from Glamberts, including one who screamed in all caps, "If there is one thing I am sure about and can promise you it's that I am the biggest Adam Lambert fan in the entire world! I have loved him ever since I heard his angelic voice sing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at his audition and think he is the most beautiful and talented human this world has ever seen!"

It is unknown when the episode might air, though the Los Angeles Times blog reported that the interview is scheduled for next week and while Lambert will definitely perform, the show will not dedicate the whole episode to him.

Boy George Rumored to Join Lady Gaga On Stage

Lady Gaga may be joined by Boy George on stage in London, Music-News.com reports. She will perform at the O2 Arena in February, where her idol is rumored to sing with her.

Boy George is fighting drug addiction
, and a source has been quoted with saying that “now he’s got his life back on track it’s the perfect opportunity to do something with him.”

He was also released from prison in May 2009 after serving four months of his 15-month sentence for assault and false imprisonment of a male escort in his London home.

Lady Gaga has said that she was bullied in school because she wanted to be like the Culture Club singer. Both singers have been known for their outrageous fashion sense; Lady Gaga for her custom bodysuit creations, and Boy George for his androgynous tastes.

GENE SIMMONS - KISS DOWN ON DRUGS

US rock band Kiss say sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll are for ''losers'', as drugs tore apart their original line-up.

Kiss say sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll are for "losers".

The legendary US rock band don't adhere to the commonly used phrase because it glorifies drug use - one of the problems which tore their original line-up apart in 2000.

Bass player Gene Simmons said: "Even the phrase 'sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll' what a losers phrase that is! Why isn't it just sex and rock 'n' roll? How did drugs become cool?

"You can't win a marathon high, you just can't. Don't get me started."

Gene - who claims to have slept with nearly 5,000 women - and singer/guitarist Paul Stanley are the only original members left in the band, who had their heyday in the 70s.

Drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley joined the group for a 1996 reunion but Gene and Paul realised they had still had the problems which originally caused the breakdown of Kiss in the 80s.

Paul said: "There's magic in people seeing the original line-up, but from there it was really downhill."

Gene, 60, added to The Sun newspaper: "If you listened to it objectively, it grew old pretty quickly. All of the bull-s**t we had to go through with the drugs and booze and lack of self esteem that Ace and Peter had just sucked the life out of us. It's been a thorn in my side for a long time."

Human League sign a worldwide, multi-album deal

Wall of Sound has signed legendary Sheffield band The Human League for a worldwide, multi-album deal. The band who has sold over 20,000,000 albums in their career to date will release their tenth studio album, the first since 2001’s Secrets, later this year.

One of the most influential acts of the past three decades the synth-pop sound The Human League pioneered has dominated the charts in recent years with chart topping artists such as La Roux openly wearing the band’s influence on their sleeves.

Still sounding like the future of pop, the band continue to headline festivals worldwide and win over a new generation of fans with collaborations such as Philip Oakey’s recent duet with the BBC Sound of Music 2009 poll winner Little Boots on the track ‘Symmetry’.

Signing the deal at Battersea Power Station, the pioneering band now find themselves in good company on a label home to many other forward thinking musical mavericks such as Röyksopp, Propellerheads, Grace Jones, Shy Child, Reverend and the Makers and Cosmo Jarvis.

Said Philip Oakey,


“Emerging from a decade in which everyone seems to have spent their time looking backwards we are delighted to have the opportunity to march forwards once again and attempt to produce new and exciting music in a new and exciting partnership.

After a break from recording of very nearly eight years we can’t think of a better situation than working with Wall Of Sound in our ambition to make the best recordings of our career and to further extend the audience for, and the possibilities of, original electronic popular music.”


Said Mark Jones,



“Never before have The Human League been more relevant musically than they are today. The evolution and progression of electronic popular music is what brings us together. It’s an honour and inspiration to have them signed to Wall Of Sound. They say ‘never work with you heroes’…. but fuck that for starters.”


About Wall of Sound From the early ‘90s when Mark Jones released the legendary ‘Give Em Enough Dope’ compilations, Wall of Sound has gone on to enjoy both commercial and critical success with artists such as Propellerheads, The Bees, Röyksopp, The Wiseguys, Reverend and the Makers, Mogwai, Grace Jones and Les Rythmes Digitales (aka Stuart Price/Jacques Lu Cont) always walking the finest of lines between the cutting edge and accessible credible pop music.

Fresh from celebrating its 15th glorious year, 2010 is shaping up to be the biggest yet for the iconic [PIAS] Group label Wall of Sound with albums scheduled for release from Röyksopp, Shy Child, Ocelot, Cosmo Jarvis, Propellerheads and many more.

Best-selling music of 2009, decade

Music sales topped a record 1.5 billion units in 2009, and overall music purchases were up 2.1 percent. Then why shouldn't the music industry be celebrating?

In 2009 sales figures released this week by Nielsen SoundScan, a decade-long trend continued: digital sales were up while sales of physical product, including compact discs, were down significantly. Though overall sales increased, most of these increases were in digital singles, which cost a fraction of an album. The biggest sales losses were in albums (both CD and digital), down 12.7 percent to 374 million.

Though Nielsen does not track revenue from these sales, the uptick in digital singles isn't nearly enough to compensate for the decline in albums. Music industry revenue has been in steady decline since 2000, dropping below $10 billion annually in 2009 from a peak of nearly $15 billion.

The good news for the industry is that it continues to experience growth in digital sales, which accounted for a record 40 percent of U.S. music purchases, up from 32 percent in 2008. Digital track sales were up 8.3 percent to a record 1.1 billion, and digital album sales were up 16 percent to a record 76 million. Several songs topped 4 million digital sales, the first time that barrier has been surpassed: Black Eyed Peas': "Boom Boom Pow" and: "I Got a Feeling," Lady Gaga's: "Poker Face," and Flo Rida's: "Right Round." Lady Gaga alone sold more than 15 million digital tracks.

And, in one of the more delightful oddities of the digital era, vinyl album sales continued their recent resurgence. Though representing only a small fraction of the overall market, vinyl is the one physical product that continues to defy trends, with sales up a whopping 33 percent to 2.5 million.

Key numbers released

by Nielsen SoundScan:
Top-selling albums of 2009
1 "Fearless," Taylor Swift 3,217,000
2 "I Dreamed a Dream," Susan Boyle 3,104,000
3 "Number Ones," Michael Jackson 2,355,000
4 "Fame," Lady Gaga 2,238,000
5 "My Christmas," Andrea Bocelli 2,207,000
6 "Hannah" movie soundtrack, Hannah Montana 1,823,000
7 "E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)," Black Eyed Peas 1,787,000
8 "Relapse," Eminem 1,735,000
9 "Blueprint 3," Jay-Z 1,515,000
10 "Only by the Night," Kings of Leon 1,398,000
Top-selling albums of decade
1 "Beatles 1," Beatles 11,564,000
2 "No Strings Attached," 'N Sync 11,113,000
3 "Come Away With Me," Norah Jones 10,579,000
4 "Marshall Mathers LP," Eminem 10,216,000
5 "Eminem Show," Eminem 9,818,000
6 "Confessions," Usher 9,730,000
7 "Hybrid Theory," Linkin Park 9,697,000
8 "Human Clay," Creed 9,495,000
9 "Oops! ... I Did It Again," Britney Spears 9,185,000
10 "Country Grammar," Nelly 8,464,000
Top-selling artists of the decade
1 Eminem 32,241,000
2 Beatles 30,182,000
3 Tim McGraw 24,769,000
4 Toby Keith 24,469,000
5 Britney Spears 22,969,000
6 Kenny Chesney 22,034,000
7 Linkin Park 21,421,000
8 Nelly 21,232,000
9 Creed 20,594,000
10 Jay-Z 20,424,000

The Billboard 200 Issue Date: 2010-01-16

1 1 1 6 I Dreamed A Dream, Susan Boyle
SYCO/Columbia 59829 | Sony Music | 11.98 1
2 6 6 62 The Fame, Lady Gaga
Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope 011805* | IGA | 12.98 2
3 4 2 3 The Element Of Freedom, Alicia Keys
MBK/J 46571* | RMG | 13.98 2
4 2 2 Stronger withEach Tear, Mary J. Blige
Matriarch/Geffen 013722 | IGA | 13.98 2
5 5 4 60 Fearless, Taylor Swift 5
Big Machine 0200 | 18.98 1
6 7 8 7 My World (EP), Justin Bieber
SchoolBoy/Raymond Braun/Island 013719 | IDJMG | 9.98 6
7 20 30 5 Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Soundtrack
Fox 522421 | Rhino | 18.98 7
8 15 18 30 The E.N.D., The Black Eyed Peas
Interscope 012887* | IGA | 13.98 1
9 12 12 6 The Fame Monster (EP), Lady Gaga
Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope 013872* | IGA | 10.98 5
10 14 23 25 Ocean Eyes, Owl City
Universal Republic 013141* | UMRG | 10.98 8
11 16 10 4 Glee: Season One: The Music Volume 2, Soundtrack
20th Century Fox TV/Columbia 61705 | Sony Music | 11.98 3
12 9 2 We Are Young Money, Young Money
Cash Money/Universal Motown 013795 | UMRG | 13.98 9
13 11 113 33 Relapse, Eminem
Web/Shady/Aftermath/Interscope 012863* | IGA | 13.98 1
14 18 21 6 Rated R, Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam 013736 | IDJMG | 19.98 4
15 10 7 13 Crazy Love, Michael Buble
143/Reprise 520733 | Warner Bros. | 18.98 1
16 17 13 9 NOW 32, Various Artists
EMI/Universal/Zomba 58647 | Sony Music | 18.98 5
17 8 5 9 Play On, Carrie Underwood
19/Arista Nashville 49923 | SMN | 13.98 1
18 21 14 9 Glee: Season One: The Music Volume 1, Soundtrack
20th Century Fox TV/Columbia 54090 | Sony Music | 11.98 4
19 19 15 7 Battle Studies, John Mayer
Columbia 53087* | Sony Music | 13.98 1
20 23 16 90 Lady Antebellum, Lady Antebellum
Capitol Nashville 03206 | 12.98 4
21 30 9 3 Sex Therapy: The Session, Robin Thicke
Star Trak/Interscope 013708 | IGA | 13.98 9
22 13 11 10 Michael Jackson's This Is It (Soundtrack), Michael Jackson 2
MJJ/Epic 76067 | Sony Music | 17.98 1
23 33 46 17 The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z
Roc Nation 520856* | AG | 18.98 1
24 41 50 67 Only By The Night, Kings Of Leon
RCA 32712 | RMG | 13.98 4
25 28 33 59 The Foundation, Zac Brown Band
Roar/Bigger Picture/Home Grown/Atlantic 516931 | AG | 13.98 11
26 97 2 Nine, Soundtrack
Geffen 013801 | IGA | 13.98 26
27 24 19 12 The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Soundtrack
Summit/Chop Shop/Atlantic 519421* | AG | 18.98 1
28 40 47 14 Kiss And Tell, Selena Gomez & The Scene
Hollywood 002831 | 18.98 9
29 34 24 11 Sounds Of The Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (EP), Taylor Swift
NBC 70012 EX | Big Machine | 6.98 20
30 22 20 7 The Fall, Norah Jones
Blue Note 99286* | BLG | 18.98 3
31 37 35 39 Wide Open, Jason Aldean
Broken Bow 7637 | 18.98 4
32 119 172 3
Avatar, Soundtrack
Fox/Atlantic 521681 | AG | 18.98 32
33 32 32 38 Number Ones, Michael Jackson 3
MJJ/Epic 88998 | Sony Music | 14.98 13
34 3 3 9 My Christmas, Andrea Bocelli 2
Sugar 013437 | Decca | 18.98 2
35 42 41 4 The State Vs. Radric Davis, Gucci Mane
Brick Squad/Asylum 520540* | Warner Bros. | 18.98 10
36 29 29 6 For Your Entertainment, Adam Lambert
19/RCA 54801 | RMG | 13.98 3
37 31 31 4 Graffiti, Chris Brown
Jive 61434 | JLG | 13.98 7
38 98 122 33 Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix
Loyaute 0105* | Glassnote | 11.98 37
39 43 51 14 Revolution, Miranda Lambert
Columbia (Nashville) 46854 | SMN | 12.98 8
40 39 39 167 Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift 4
Big Machine 079012 | 18.98 5
41 51 60 59 I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyonce 2
Music World/Columbia 19492 | Sony Music | 11.98 1
42 61 67 7 Before I Self-Destruct, 50 Cent
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope 012393* | IGA | 13.98 CD/DVD 5
43 68 84 18 Ready, Trey Songz
Song Book/Atlantic 518794 | AG | 18.98 3
44 36 37 68 Learn To Live, Darius Rucker
Capitol Nashville 85506 | 18.98 5
45 26 17 19 The Time Of Our Lives (EP), Miley Cyrus
Hollywood 004719 EX | 10.98 2
46 50 58 59 Dark Horse, Nickelback 2
Roadrunner 618028 | 18.98 2
47 35 25 7 Until The Whole World Hears, Casting Crowns
Beach Street/Reunion 10135 | Sony Music | 11.98 4
48 60 80 14 Dear Agony, Breaking Benjamin
Hollywood 002398* | 18.98 4
49 27 27 11 Southern Voice, Tim McGraw
Curb 79152 | 18.98 2
50 63 87 14 Brand New Eyes, Paramore
Fueled By Ramen 518250* | AG | 18.98 2
51 46 54 4 Malice N Wonderland, Snoop Dogg
Doggystyle/Priority 08942* | Capitol | 18.98 23
52 52 57 6 She Wolf, Shakira
Epic 61695 | Sony Music | 13.98 15
53 54 2 Mudvayne, Mudvayne
Epic 62153* | Sony Music | 11.98 53
54 65 81 13 The Essential Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson 2
Epic/Legacy 94287 | Sony Music | 19.98 54
55 72 64 4 This Is War, Thirty Seconds To Mars
Immortal/Virgin 65111* | Capitol | 18.98 19
56 69 73 9 Greatest Hits, Foo Fighters
Roswell/RCA 36921* | RMG | 11.98 11
57 190 13 (500) Days Of Summer, Soundtrack
Fox/Sire 518909 | Warner Bros. | 13.98 42
58 96 103 7 Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures
DGC/Interscope 013783* | IGA | 13.98 12
59 76 100 6 All Or Nothing, Jay Sean
Cash Money/Universal Republic 013683 | UMRG | 13.98 37
60 74 61 5 Untitled, R. Kelly
Jive 31136 | JLG | 13.98 4
61 123 95 4 Timbaland Presents Shock Value II, Timbaland
Mosley/Blackground/Interscope 013645* | IGA | 13.98 36
62 95 104 61 Twilight, Soundtrack 2
Summit/Chop Shop/Atlantic 515923* | AG | 18.98 1
63 53 59 25 Leave This Town, Daughtry
19/RCA 53744 | RMG | 18.98 1
64 153 193 9 Disney: Holiday Magic 2009, Various Artists
Walt Disney 004580 EX | 6.98 64
65 82 117 16 So Far Gone (EP), Drake
Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Motown 013456 | UMRG | 9.98 6
66 47 34 10 Night Castle, Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Atlantic 520271 | AG | 20.98 5
67 70 83 16 The Resistance, Muse
Helium-3 521130 | Warner Bros. | 18.98 3
68 44 44 8 The Circle, Bon Jovi
Island 013700 | IDJMG | 13.98 1
69 77 123 15 Backspacer, Pearl Jam
Monkeywrench 8274* | 18.98 1
70 101 106 8 Memento Mori, Flyleaf
A&M/Octone 013512 | IGA | 13.98 8
71 99 101 9 The Bridge, Melanie Fiona
SRC/Universal Motown 013150 | UMRG | 10.98 57
72 115 144 14 Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, Mariah Carey
Island 013226* | IDJMG | 19.98 3
73 1
The 99 Most Essential Chopin Masterpieces, Various Artists
X5 DIGITAL EX | 6.98 73
74 137 12 Man On The Moon: The End Of Day, Kid Cudi
Dream On/G.O.O.D./Universal Motown 013195* | UMRG | 13.98 4
75 109 132 15 Life Starts Now, Three Days Grace
Jive 46256 | JLG | 13.98 3
76 NEW 1 One For My Baby: Selections From The Great American Songbook, Various Artists
Universal Special Markets 013541 EX | Starbucks | 12.98 76
77 92 94 19 Awake, Skillet
Ardent/INO/Atlantic 519927 | AG | 13.98 2
78 RE-ENTRY 7 Letters To Santa: A Holiday Musical Collection, Various Artists
Concord 2319066 EX | 9.98 74
79 67 75 10 Full Circle, Creed
Wind-up 13187 | 13.98 2
80 118 90 4 The Princess And The Frog, Soundtrack
Walt Disney 004585 | 18.98 80
81 57 42 13 WOW Hits 2010, Various Artists
Word-Curb/Provident-Integrity 14857 | EMI CMG | 17.98 33
82 86 97 62 Funhouse, Pink
LaFace 36759 | JLG | 13.98 2
83 25 26 10 If On A Winter's Night..., Sting
Cherrytree/DG 013329* | Universal Classics Group | 16.98 6
84 49 45 41 Hannah Montana: The Movie, Soundtrack
Walt Disney 003101 | 18.98 1
85 RE-ENTRY 2 Joy, Jim Brickman
Compass 49026 EX | Somerset | 9.98 85
86 90 115 14 Black Gives Way To Blue, Alice In Chains
Virgin 67159* | Capitol | 18.98 5
87 RE-ENTRY 2 All Wrapped Up: Vol. 2 (EP), Various Artists
Hollywood 004732 EX | 6.98 87
88 55 36 4 Buffet Hotel, Jimmy Buffett
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Report: U.S. Music Purchases Up 2.1% in 2009; Digital is 40%

New York - U.S. music purchases were up 2.1% in 2009 to 1.54 billion albums, singles, videos and digital tracks, and digital music now accounts for 40% of total U.S. music purchases, according to Nielsen SoundScan's year-end report. Overall album sales, which includes albums and track-equivalent albums, were down 8.5%, to 490 million. By contrast, digital album sales grew 16.1%, to 76.4 million, and digital track sales rose 8.3%, to 1.15 billion. Digital album sales accounted for 20% of total album sales in 2009, up from 15% in 2008, 10% in 2007 and 5.5% in 2006.

Interestingly, vinyl album sales also grew in 2009, by 33% to 2.5 million -- a record for SoundScan, which began tracking music sales in 1991. Two out of three of these vinyl albums were purchased at an independent music store.

Among the major record labels, Universal Music Group captured 30.2% of the total album market, followed by Sony Music (28.6%), Warner Music (20.6%) and EMI (9.2%); independent labels accounted for 11.5% of total album sales in 2009.

The top-selling digital song of 2009 was the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" (4.76 million units), followed by the group's "I Gotta Feeling" (4.42 million) and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" (4.39 million).

The top-selling digital album of 2009 was Lady Gaga's "Fame" (461,000 units), followed by Kings of Leon's "Only By the Night" (428,000) and the "Twilight soundtrack (350,000).

Paul Stanley Star-Struck By Meeting Jimmy Page

Paul Stanley recently spoke with the Las Vegas Sun about being star-struck the first time he met Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page back in 1976.

Stanley recalled that while KISS was recording their Destroyer album, Led Zeppelin was putting together their The Song Remains The Same soundtrack, and the two happened to be across each other in the lobby of the recording studio.

"We were in the lobby, and Jimmy came up and he knew who I was, and who the band was," Stanley remembers. "It was stunning. Not five years earlier, I was in the audience, watching Led Zeppelin with my mouth open, just not believing it."

Lady Gaga tapped to be new face of Polaroid

Lady Gaga has an unexpected new collaborator: the instant-photography brand Polaroid, it was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the feisty pop sensation is scheduled to appear in person Thursday. Her newly developed title: creative director and inventor of specialty products.

"The Haus of Gaga has been developing prototypes in the vein of fashion /technology /photography innovation — blending the iconic history of Polaroid and instant film with the digital era – and we are excited to collaborate on these ventures with the Polaroid brand," Gaga, 23, said in a statement.

"Lifestyle, music, art, fashion: I am so excited to extend myself behind the scenes as a designer and to — as my father puts it — finally, have a real job."

Classic Song Of The Week-Jesse Johnson "Love Struck"

BRET MICHAELS & SHARON OSBOURNE on new Celebrity Apprentice

POISON's BRETT MICHAELS and SHARON OSBOURNE are among the stars who will compete for DONALD TRUMP's approval as the new Celebrity Apprentice. Contestants for the new season have been announced, and Brett Michaels -- who has another reality show, Rock Of Love on his resume -- is ready for the challenge.

Brett said quote, ""I think for me it's a chance to show maybe another side to me.... I love making music and after 22 years of getting to do what I love I think somewhere along the line I've figured something out. I can't say it was from school learning but maybe some street smarts."

OZZY OSBOURNE's wife SHARON also is no stranger to a reality TV, but she has an unusual task cut out for her in the upcoming Celebrity Apprentice season. Rather than vying for a job with The Donald, the celebrities, which include former Illinois Gov. ROD BLAGOJEVICH and baseball legend DARRYL STRAWBERRY, will compete in business-oriented tasks around Manhattan to raise money for their favorite charities.

Slash: No return for Guns N'Roses

Slash says there is no chance of a Guns N'Roses reunion.

The guitar legend says he and frontman Axl Rose have been offered "hundreds of millions" to reform.

But he told GQ magazine: "During that last tour it was like an ongoing exercise in how we could bond the least, it just got worse and worse."

The pair have not spoken for 13 years, but Slash said: "It got to a point off stage where it was impossible for us to even be in the same room together and create any music.

"So it's sad that something so good doesn't exist any more, even though we're both still alive and on the same planet. But that's all."

Slash also confessed in the interview that he bedded "hundreds" of women.

Asked how many women he slept with during his wild days, he said: "It wouldn't be in the thousands, more in the hundreds, and probably not over 500".

And the star said he still had "fond memories" of Stoke-on-Trent, where he grew up.

He said: "I remember never being able to see across the street beause of the weather. Walking to school was like stumbing around like a blind man. It waw a very tight community, everyone knew each other. My grandmother made great mince pies and my dad would take me for long walks in the coutnryside. I loved it."

Slash now lives in LA, "across the street" from Robbie Williams, another Stoke-raised star.

OK Go discuss Prince-influenced new album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky

"Yeah, there's a lot of Prince on this record," acknowledges OK Go bassist Tim Nordwind about his band's upcoming album. "We were listening to a lot of Purple Rain in the studio."

Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, which hits stores on January 12, is the third album from OK Go, best known as the band behind the memorable treadmill video "Here it Goes Again." Produced by Dave Fridmann (MGMT, Flaming Lips), Of the Blue Colour takes the band in a funkier, more retro direction, as Nordwind told me in a recent phone interview.

"I think on the first two records we exhausted whatever kind of guitar rock demons we have inside of us," Nordwind says. "We all grew up listening to ‘80s pop radio, which was a pretty seriously eclectic bunch of music. It was Prince and Michael Jackson, but then it was Talking Heads and B-52s, and so I think this record we went back to earlier influences like that."

"White Knuckles," a danceable song with a funky edge, sounds like it could've been a long-lost track from 1999. Other songs take the band in a more experimental direction - "Before the Earth Was Round" sounds like OK Go's Kid A moment.

"That was one of the first songs written for this record," Nordwind says. "It’s got that vocoder, lonely robot sound. I suppose Blonde Redhead was the referential influence musically for that song."

Of the Blue Colour of the Sky is a terrific album, but it may have a hard time finding an audience because it doesn't fit nicely into any radio format. Hopefully those who only pay attention to OK Go's videos will give their music a chance.

TOMMY LEE Wants To Stay Out Of MÖTLEY CRÜE-GODSMACK Beef

MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee has commented on GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna's recent revelation that this past summer's Crüe Fest 2 turned out to be "the most dramatic tour" GODSMACK has ever been on, with the kind of "rock-star garbage" on the part of the tour's headliners that Erna and his bandmates had "never seen [before] in [their] career."

Erna told the Artisan News Service that taking part in this year's Crüe Fest 2 was a good move for his band and their fans, and at the same time was the worst tour they've ever done.

Erna and the rest of GODSMACK joined with headliners MÖTLEY CRÜE plus support acts THEORY OF A DEADMAN, DROWNING POOL and CHARM CITY DEVILS for this year's travelling rock festival, which kicked off on July 19 in Camden, New Jersey.
"I don't know too much about that," Lee told the Artisan News Service. "Sully and I are good friends. I think he just had some issues with the way he was treated by somebody else in the organization. But I'm gonna stay right out of that. [chuckles]"

Video footage of Tommy Lee talking about GODSMACK and Crüe Fest 2 can be viewed below.

When asked what is was like for GODSMACK off stage on the Crüe Fest 2 tour, Erna told the Artisan News Service, "I will tell you, it's been the most dramatic tour we've ever been on. I mean, talk about just craziness, man. Sometimes egos run high, man, and there's definitely been some rock-star garbage on this tour that just have never seen in our career. Every band — from BLACK SABBATH to AEROSMITH, RUSH, METALLICA... you name it... They've always... I don't think there was ever a threat, you know what I mean?! Like who's gonna dwarf METALLICA anyways? But there's always just been this mutual kind of like, 'We wanna put on a great show, so bring your bells and whistles, bring your show, so between you guys and us, we can make these people get a bang for their buck.' And that's really what entertainment has always been about. And so, I've never been in a position before where we felt we had to really protect this thing; it's kind of like a dog with a bone — you put us up against a wall and we're gonna come out swinging."

When asked whether MÖTLEY CRÜE might have been acting out of ego competition between Crüe Fest 2 bands or living up to previous travelling tours like Ozzfest, Erna replied, "I don't know who needs to live up to whose reputations and I don't know why some people consider music as a competition, but I will tell you that I have never been in a situation where I felt like I was out for blood, and honestly, this was the first time that I felt like, 'You know what?! If there's gonna be some people that are gonna treat other people a certain way, then I'm gonna go out there every night and fucking crush you on stage — make sure that we make you look old and fat, and go home with a nice big fat paycheck. You can sit in your world and I'll sit in mine, and [I'll] see you at the top again, I guess, somewhere...' I don't know. All I care about, really, is playing music and enjoying myself on the road. I'm not here to compete. Everybody has their fans, everybody has their own music, and it's supposed to be more like a brotherhood, but... I don't know. It's been a good time for us out here, but in other situations, there's definitely been some uncomfortable moments."

Watch video footage of Sully Erna talking about Crüe Fest 2 at this location.

The 32-city trek had its final performance on September 5 at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Lake, New York.

GODSMACK recently released a new single called "Whiskey Hangover" in conjunction with its appearance on Crüe Fest 2.

The next GODSMACK album will be the band's first collection of all-new material since 2006's "IV".

In late 2007, the band released a greatest hits collection called "Good Times, Bad Times - Ten Years of Godsmack" and announced that it was going on hiatus. Erna worked on his solo album during this period, while the other three members of the group started a side project called ANOTHER ANIMAL.

Ke$ha Sets Music Record for Downloading TiK ToK (Video)

Singing sensation Kesha, affectionately known as Ke$ha, has set a new download record on the internet. Her single TiK ToK was downloaded over 600,000 times last week. See the music video here as we all await her debut album “Animal” which will finally be released on Tuesday. Ke$ha photos anyone?
ke$ha

Nielsen SoundScan is the source of record for tracking downloads and sales of music in the world. They have been doing so since 1991 although the tracking of internet downloads has been a relatively recent addition in the last ten years as the online music industry has mushroomed.

Since the records have been kept no female performer has surpassed her weekly downloads for the music single TiK ToK. Her 600,000 music downloads (not free!) broke the prior record set by Flo Rida’s “Right Round.” The single is also top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

TiK ToK will be part of her Animal album which we can all buy in the stores or online soon enough. It is already in the top five sellers on the iTunes Albums chart with a huge level of pre-orders on Amazon.com.

Ke$ha is not a household name yet but she soon will be so get ready for the next music superstar. As a biography Kesha Sebert was born in southern California to a one-parent household on March 1st, 1987, which makes her only 22 years old. Her mom Pebe Sebert raised her from infancy and instilled an appreciation for music from the earliest days. She was a stage singer herself which perhaps makes it no surprise that Kesha was born literally in the middle of a wild party.

She has quite a colorful history as a starving artist in the Los Angeles music scene. After quitting high school before her 19th birthday she lived for a time out of her car while she attempted to make contacts. She took odd jobs including waitressing, but it is her obsession with Prince which made headlines a few years back.

She was so obsessed with Prince producing an album for her that Kesha snuck into his house to meet him. She was kicked out when found and the CD she left for him did not produce the big break she was expecting. That was Prince’s loss although who can blame him for thinking she was a quack?

She is one of a select few people who have vomited in Paris Hilton’s house. Ke$ha was a backup singer for one of Paris Hilton’s failed attempts at making music and struck up a partying friendship with the socialite. She is also friends with Katy Perry and sung backup vocals on the blockbuster “I Kissed a Girl” video that was also a huge internet download sensation just like TiK ToK.

The TiK ToK music video is below so you can see what all the fuss is about. Kesha, make that Ke$ha, is clearly the next black.