Daily Digest: Bruno Mars, Madonna, Ke$ha, 12-12-12, Music Industry Reacts to Newtown Tragedy
Today’s headlines: Bruno Mars settles for number two on Billboard 200; Madonna takes the top spot on the Billboard Readers’ Choice poll; 12-12-12 benefit concert raises millions in financial aid; music industry reacts to the Newtown, CT massacre
Bruno’s ‘Jukebox’ “Locked Out of” Number 1 Slot
Sorta good news for Bruno Mars. The Hawaiian pop singer with the songwriter’s Midas touch manages to take the second slot on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 192,000 copies for Unorthodox Jukebox – the artist’s sophomore album. Taylor Swift’s Red pulled the upset, selling 208,000 copies. The album’s lead single, “Locked Out of Heaven,” kept its reign at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the second week in a row, and is the singer’s fourth chart-topping single. It also tops the Digital Songs chart this week.
Holiday albums continues to hold the Billboard 200’s top tier with Michael Buble‘s Christmas at No. 3, Rod Stewart‘s Merry Christmas Baby at No. 5, Blake Shelton‘s Cheers, It’s Christmas at No. 8, and Lady Antebellum‘s On This Winter’s Night at No. 10.
Madonna Announced as the MVP of Billboard’s Readers 2012 Poll
Madonna has been announced as the clear winner in the 2012 edition of Billboard‘s Readers Poll, while also winning the top spot on four of the poll surveys posted by the trade publication. Madonna managed to take 26 percent of the popular vote, while R&B newcomer Frank Ocean nabbed 12 percent and Brit boy band One Direction won 11 percent of the vote. Strangely enough, Madge’s return-to-form album MDNA stalled on the albums’ charts after debuting at No. 1, but her performance during 2012’s Super Bowl halftime and her best-selling MDNA tour may have provided enough momentum for a big win.
On a more laughable note, Madonna came in second place in a Billboard poll for Most Overrated; Justin Bieber took home the trophy for that category.
“Die Young” Under Fire
Ke$ha’s hit single, “Die Young,” is being pulled from certain Top 40 playlists for sensitive measures due to the Newtown, CT tragedy.
In the aftermath of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut , Ke$ha‘s song “Die Young” – the number 3 song in the country – is now under fire. It isn’t the only song to be pulled from the playlists of Top 40 programming, but it’s the one getting the most attention.
The pop star commented on the song on her Twitter account, with some questioning if she’s trying to throw her label under the bus. “i understand. I had my very own issue with ‘die young’ for this reason,” she wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening. “I did NOT want to sing those lyrics and I was FORCED TO.”
The tweet was eventually deleted, but the conversation still lingers on the blogs. Strange enough, Ke$ha has a writing credit on the song, alongside fun.’s Nate Reuss and producers Dr. Luke, Cirkut and Benny Blanco. Luke is also the head of Kemosabe, the label that releases her albums through RCA.
Meanwhile, one tweet post from Ke$ha manages to offer sympathy and heartbreak to the victims. “I’m so so so sorry for anyone who has been effected by this tragedy.and I understand why my song is now inappropriate. words cannot express,” she tweeted.
Songs like Eric Clapton‘s “Tears in Heaven,” Marvin Gaye‘s “What’s Going On” and Bette Midler‘s “Wind Beneath My Wings” are surfacing on playlists, while songs like Foster the People‘s “Pumped Up Kicks” – a song that deal with gun violence – is being pulled. At press time, “Die Young” still holds the top spot on Ryan Seacrest‘s syndicated radio show, American Top 40.
12-12-12 Concert Brings in the Dough
The Rolling Stones performing at 12-12-12 Concert in Madison Square Garden, NYC. The event was televised and broadcasted across the Internet. Over 2 billion people accessed the broadcast.
Some of rock music’s biggest superstars – from the Rolling Stones to Eric Clapton, from The Who to Coldplay’s Chris Martin, from Bruce Springsteen to Paul McCartney – converged on Madison Square Garden on December 12 to help raise monies for the Robin Hood Foundation, a non-profit organization helping victims involved in Hurricane Sandy.
The end result proved to be some groundbreaking stuff, raising well over $50 million. The sum was smaller than the aid raised during 2010’s Hope for Haiti telethon, but still higher than most expectations. David Saltzman, the executive director of the Robin Hood Foundation, said the money would be distributed to about 140 groups that are providing aid to people whose homes and businesses were affected by Hurricane Sandy in late October. “Our hope is that Robin Hood will continue to put boots on the ground in the hardest hit communities, to get people what they need now,” Mr. Saltzman said.
Other stars who contributed to the seven-hour live set included Kanye West, Roger Waters, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel and Alicia Keys.
A digital download-only version of the evening’s highlights has been assembled on iTunes. All of the proceeds will be directed to the Robin Hood Relief Fun.
Music Stars React to Newtown Tragedy
Reaction from the music industry involving the Newtown, CT massacre has been colossal. Most of them instanteously reacted with commentary surrounding gun control, urging Congress to push new bills to curb some of military weapons from being sold in the hunting marketplace and local gun shops. These are just some of the random posts we at HiFi collected on Twitter:
