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TOMORROW X TOGETHER lands its third No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated May 28), as Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child debuts atop the tally. The set sold 65,500 in the U.S. in the week ending May 19, according to Luminate, marking the third-largest sales week of 2022 for any album.
The South Korean pop quintet has previously hit No. 1 on Top Album Sales with The Chaos Chapter: Freeze (in 2021) and Minisode1: Blue Hour (2020).
Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart: new albums from Florence + The Machine, Kendrick Lamar, The Black Keys and The Rolling Stones all debut, while Slipknot’s Iowa and One Direction’s Four both return to the top 10 after they were each reissued on vinyl LP.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. The new May 28, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on May 24. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child enters at No. 1 on Top Album Sales with the third-largest sales week of any album in 2022 – 65,500 sold. It also marks the best sales week yet for the group. Effectively all of that sum was sold through CDs while only about 500 were sold via digital download. The five-track album was not available on any other configuration, such as vinyl LP or cassette.
Like many K-pop releases, the CD configuration of the album was issued in collectible packages (eight total, including exclusive versions for Target and Barnes & Noble), each with a standard set of internal paper items and randomized elements, such as photocards and post cards.
Florence + The Machine’s new studio album Dance Fever debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales with 42,500 copies sold – with 17,000 of that sum on vinyl LP. (It also debuts at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart, which ranks the top-selling vinyl albums of the week.)
Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers starts at No. 3 on Top Album Sales with 35,500 sold – all from its digital download. The album, which also launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, won’t be released on CD until May 27.
The Black Keys’ Dropout Boogie bows at No. 4 on Top Album Sales with 27,500 copies sold – of which 13,500 are vinyl LPs. It’s No. 2 on the Vinyl Albums chart.
The Rolling Stones’ live archival album, Live at the El Mocambo, debuts at No. 5 on Top Album Sales with 11,500 sold. The release chronicles two secret concerts the Stones staged at the El Mocambo club in Toronto in March of 1977. It includes the band’s full set from the March 5 show and three bonus tracks from the March 4 concert.
Slipknot’s Iowa album, released in 2001, re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 6 with 7,500 sold (up from a negligible sum the previous week), following a new green-colored vinyl pressing of the set. Effectively all of the album’s sales were via vinyl.
Olivia Rodrigo’s former No. 1 Sour rises 8-7 with 7,000 sold (up 8%) and Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city jumps 12-8 with 6,500 sold (up 33%).
One Direction’s chart-topping Four, released in 2014, re-enters the chart at No. 9 after its Urban Outfitters-exclusive red-colored vinyl pressing was restocked. In total, the album, across all configurations, sold 6,500 copies (up 1,820%) with a little over 6,000 of that from vinyl LP sales.
Arcade Fire’s We rounds out the top 10 of the Top Album Sales chart, falling from No. 1 to No. 10 in its second week, selling 6,000 copies (down 77%).
In the week ending May 19, there were 1.765 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 4% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.347 million (up 1.1%) and digital albums comprised 418,000 (up 1.1%).
There were 648,000 CD albums sold in the week ending May 19 (up 4.2% week-over-week) and 690,000 vinyl albums sold (up 5.6%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 12.639 million (down 12% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 14.746 million (up 3.9%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 35.676 million (down 7.9% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 27.572 million (down 4%) and digital album sales total 8.104 million (down 19%).
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Sony Electronics transformed a stylish New York landmark into a stunning, interactive launch event celebrating the release of the new LinkBuds S and WH-10o0XM5 headphones.
The immersive event was held at the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, New York on Saturday (May 21) and featured a performance from Sony artist Tate McRae, who also hosted an exclusive, in-flight listening experience for her upcoming album, I Used to Think I Could Fly, for a small group of press and influencers.
The Sony electronics audio lineup of speakers, headphones and vintage electronics like the Sony Walkman, an old-school Playstation and CD player were on display at the event. There was also a station for guests to have their LinkBuds S headphones customized in the color and graphic of their choosing.
The latest edition to Sony Electronics’ audio lineup might give Apple’s coveted AirPods and AirPod Max headphones some much needed competition. The LinkBuds S leverage sensor and spatial sound technology to deliver new and immersive sound for music, calls, AR games and more. Released last Friday (May 20), Sony LinkBuds S retail for $199.99 and are available in dark gray, white and desert sand at Best Buy, Amazon, and Sony.com.
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Sony LinkBuds S True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds
For music listeners, the newest LinkBuds retains the ultra-small, lightweight design and comfortable fit with adjustable earbuds, and the “Never Off” wearing experience that lets listeners interact with the world around them, or tune everything out with distraction-free, high-quality noise canceling technology. LinkBuds S provide up to six hours of listening time and another 14 hours in the compact charging case.
The portable earbuds combine an ergonomic design with a shape that matches the human ear for a more stable and comfortable fit along with Adaptive Sound Control and “Auto Play 2” for seamless music listening. Additionally, Sony is collaborating with Niantic to bring AR technology to the Ingress augmented reality game.
Experience high-resolution audio with the LinkBuds S courtesy of a new 5mm driver unit that packs in stunning sound, crystal clear vocals and powerful bass, while Sony’s Integrated Processor V1, which improves noise canceling, enhances sound quality and reduces distortion.
Listeners will experience high-resolution audio wireless sound, with Sony’s industry-adopted audio coding technology, LDAC, and restore any kind of music back to high-range sound with the use of DSEE Extreme, which upscales digital music files in real time. The headphones include Speak-to-Chat, hands-free control and an intuitive touch sensor control panel that allows you to change the sound with a simple touch.
LinkBuds S are also designed with the environment in mind. Like the rest of the LinkBuds series, all packaging on the headphones are plastic free and the headphones use recycled materials from automobile parts.
Want something bigger? Sony’s WH-1000XM5 over-ear headphones retail for $399.99 at Amazon and Best Buy in addition to Sony.com. These stylish, over-ear headphones offer up to 30 hours of battery life (get three hours of battery power after a three-minute charge) and distraction-free listening that combines Sony’s best-ever noise canceling technology with superlative sound, the result of which is a truly remarkable listening experience that will fully immerse you in music, videos and any other audio content that you want to indulge in.
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Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
Besides exceptional noise-cancelling technology and awe-inspiring audio quality, the new WH-1000XM5 Bluetooth, wireless headphones are calibrated to only pick up your voice and feature four beam-forming microphones, an improved signal-to-noise ratio to catch every single word (no matter how much noise is around) and a new, 30mm precision-engineered driver unit featuring a soft TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) edge that enhances noise canceling (especially in low frequency ranges), so that you can enjoy your music precisely without outside distractions. Plus, the light weight carbon fiber composite material and the high rigidity dome improves sound clarity.
The battery life, quick-charging abilities, superb sound quality, comfortable ear cushions and portable carrying case, make Sony’s WH-100XM5 headphones perfect for travel.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones also feature Speak-to-Chat software that pauses your music as soon as you start a conversations and they support Google Assistant and Alexa.
Harry Styles‘ latest album, Harry’s House, has topped this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (May 20) on Billboard, choosing the former One Direction member’s third solo project as their favorite new music release of the past week.
Harry’s House brought in 66% of the vote, beating out new music by Rina Sawayama (“This Hell”), The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Bella Alubo (“G.O.A.T.”), Quavo and Takeoff (“Hotel Lobby”), and Zach Bryan (American Heartbreak).
On Harry’s House, the English singer offers some of his most personal and intimate work to date, pairing candid yet unfussy lyrics with occasionally jazzy and heavily leaning synth-pop instrumentation. He gets incredibly vulnerable with his audience on tracks such as “Matilda,” but amps up the party vibes on “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” “Cinema” and others, providing a well-rounded listen.
The arrival of Harry’s House was preceded by “As It Was,” the lead single from the album. The tune skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following its April 1 release and maintained the top spot for three weeks.
Placing second on the past week’s tally with nearly 24% of the vote was the “other” category, followed by Sawayama’s bold new country-pop banger “This Hell.” The track finds the British-Japanese artist mixing rowdy guitar riffs and a queer dance club aesthetic, and laughing in the face of bigotry.
See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker said “I do” once again during a lavish wedding ceremony in Portofino, Italy, on Sunday (May 22).
Surrounded by family and friends, the Poosh founder and Blink-182 drummer exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony at the seaside estate of fashion icons Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, TMZ reports.
“happily ever after,” Kardashian and Barker captioned photos on Instagram of themselves kissing at the altar. “Introducing Mr. And Mrs. Barker,” she wrote in another post with more pictures.
In the surreal snapshots, the newlyweds are encircled by an ornate golden altar with dozens of candles, beautiful red roses, and lush greenery. Kardashian is seen wearing a stunning white mini dress with a jaw-dropping veil embroidered with the Virgin Marry. And Barker looks sharp donning a classic black-and-white tuxedo. Both outfits were designed by Dolce & Gabanna, according to People.
The fairytale ceremony reportedly included the couple’s six total children: Kardashian’s sons Mason, 12, and Reign, 7, and daughter Penelope, 9; and Barker’s son Landon, 18; daughter Alabama, 16; and stepdaughter Atiana, 23.
The Kardashian and Barker clans arrived in Italy over the weekend, enjoying some quality time together on a massive yacht and dining in numerous exclusive restaurants along the beautiful coastal region.
The drummer and the reality star made their relationship public on Valentine’s Day in 2021, and got engaged in October. Earlier this year, she shared photos of a “practice” wedding with Barker in Las Vegas. At the time, sources confirmed to Billboard that the Vegas ceremony was just for fun and a photo opportunity for the pair, but that they planned to legally marry this year. The couple officially tied the knot in mid-May during a small ceremony in Santa Barbara, Calif. The pair both shared black-and-white images from the celebratory day, captioning their respective galleries with, “Till death do us part.”
See Kardashian and Barker’s photos from their extravagant Italian wedding ceremony here and here.
Kendrick Lamar lands his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as his latest release, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, launches atop the list (dated May 28). He’s debuted at No. 1 with each of his last four albums.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers charges in with 295,500 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending May 19, according to Luminate — the largest week of the year for any album. It’s the third straight week in which that benchmark has been crushed. A week ago, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti did the trick with its No. 1 debut of 274,000, and in the week before that, Future’s I Never Liked You bowed at No. 1 with 222,000.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers was announced on April 18 and released on May 13. It’s Lamar’s first album in just over five years. His last project was DAMN., released in April 2017. DAMN. spent four weeks atop the Billboard 200 (his longest run at No. 1), was 2017’s year-end No. 1 album on the tally and was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Music.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ 18 tracks are split evenly on the album into two parts, each with nine tracks. The first half is named Big Steppers and the second half is named Mr. Morale. The album was not preceded by any pre-release singles (though, Lamar did drop the non-album track “The Heart Part 5” on May 8, along with an eye-catching music video). Following the album’s arrival, Lamar released the official music video for “N95,” a song that is on the album.
Also in the Billboard 200’s new top 10, TOMORROW X TOGETHER notches its highest-charting album yet with the No. 4 debut of Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child, Florence + The Machine captures its fourth top 10 album with the No. 7 arrival of Dance Fever and The Black Keys land their sixth top 10 effort with the No. 8 start of Dropout Boogie.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new May 28, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on May 24. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ 295,500 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 258,500 (equating to 343.02 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 18 tracks), album sales comprise 35,500 and TEA units comprise 1,500.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers claims the biggest week, by equivalent album units, for any album since Adele’s 30 debuted with 839,000 units in the week ending Nov. 25, 2021 (chart dated Dec. 4, 2021).
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers logs 2022’s largest streaming week for an R&B/hip-hop album, and the second-biggest streaming week of 2022 for any album. The year’s largest streaming week is currently owned by the debut frame of Bad Bunny’s 23-track Un Verano Sin Ti: 261,000 SEA units; equating to 356.55 million on-demand official streams of its tracks.
Notably, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers claims the year’s highest weekly equivalent album units total over Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, despite having five fewer tracks (18 vs. 23) to contribute to its SEA unit sum. (Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ overall unit total jumped past Un Verano Sin Ti thanks largely its traditional album sales.)
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ starting sales figure of 35,000 came solely from digital album sales, as the set won’t be issued on CD until May 27. That sales sum marks the largest sales week for a digital album in 2022, and the biggest for any album since Adele’s 30 bowed with 205,000 digital albums sold in its first week (chart dated Dec. 4, 2021).
At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti falls from the No. 1 slot in its second week (182,000 equivalent album units earned; down 34%). Future’s former No. 1 I Never Liked You slips from No. 2 to No. 3 with 89,500 units (down 23%).
TOMORROW X TOGETHER scores its second top 10 album and highest-charting effort yet on the Billboard 200, as Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child bows at No. 4. It surpasses the No. 5 debut and peak of The Chaos Chapter: Freeze, in June 2021. (In total, Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child is the sixth charting effort on the Billboard 200 for the South Korean pop quintet.)
Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child starts with 68,500 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 65,500; SEA units comprise 3,000 (equaling 4.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s five tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child enters at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart with the third-largest sales week of any album in 2022 — 65,500 sold. Effectively all of that sum was sold through CDs while only about 500 were sold via digital download. The album was not available on any other configuration (such as vinyl LP or cassette).
Like many K-pop releases, the CD configuration of the album was issued in collectible packages (eight total, including exclusive versions for Target and Barnes & Noble), each with a standard set of internal paper items and randomized elements (such as photocards and post cards).
Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album is pushed down one spot to No. 5 despite a 5% gain (55,500 equivalent album units earned). Jack Harlow’s Come Home the Kids Miss You falls three rungs to No. 6 in its second week with 55,000 units (down 51%).
Florence + The Machine collects its fourth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 as Dance Fever debuts at No. 7 with 54,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 42,500, SEA units comprise 11,000 (equaling 14.5 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 14 tracks) and TEA units comprise 500 units.
Dance Fever was ushered in by single “My Love,” which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart (the group’s sixth No. 1) and climbed into the top 10 on the Alternative Airplay tally on the most recently published chart (dated May 21). On the latter chart, “My Love” is the act’s fourth top 10 and first since 2015’s “Ship to Wreck.”
The Black Keys round out the week quartet of debuts in the Billboard 200’s top 10, as Dropout Boogie bows at No. 8. The set starts with 33,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 27,500; SEA units comprise 5,000 (equaling 6.5 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 10 tracks) and TEA units comprise 500 units. In total, Dropout Boogie is the duo’s sixth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 and comes only a year after its last release, Delta Kream, which debuted and peaked at No. 6 on the May 29, 2021-dated chart.
Dropout Boogie was preceded by the single “Wild Child,” which topped both the Adult Alternative Airplay and Alternative Airplay charts, and reached the top 15 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay tally.
Closing out the new top 10 on the Billboard 200 are two former No. 1s: Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour falls 5-9 with 32,000 equivalent album units earned (though up less than 1%) and Lil Durk’s 7220 slips 7-10 with 29,000 units (down 7%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes an exhaustive and thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data, removing any suspicious or unverifiable activity using established criteria before final chart calculations are made and published. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious and unverifiable is disqualified prior to the final calculation.
Musicians are once again stepping up to support initiatives from international advocacy organization Global Citizen.
Superstar acts like Billie Eilish, Coldplay and Shawn Mendes have partnered with Global Citizen for an open letter calling on governments, private sector leaders and billionaires to take urgent action against poverty and climate change.
With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing back global progress to defeat poverty in our lifetimes, the World Bank estimates nearly 100 million more people have been pushed into extreme poverty over the last few years. The lengthy note, part of Global Citizen’s End Extreme Poverty Now campaign, demands world leaders make immediate, meaningful change on points such as “breaking systemic barriers that keep people in poverty,” taking climate action now, and “empowering young women and girls across the world.”
The letter was announced on Sunday (May 22) during the opening of Global Citizen NOW, the organization’s first leadership summit in New York City. The two-day event features more than 200 speakers from the fields of advocacy, activism, philanthropy, journalism, politics, science and pop culture.
Other artists and celebrities who have signed the letter include: 5 Seconds of Summer, Adam Lambert, Alessia Cara, Alok, Bill Nye, Billy Porter, Camilo, Cathy Freeman, Charlie Puth, Chloe x Halle, Connie Britton, Criolo, Cyndi Lauper, DJ Cuppy, Duran Duran, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Femi Kuti, Finneas, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, Lali, Lang Lang, Made Kuti, MÅNESKIN, Muzi, Nancy Isime, Nile Rodgers, Nomzamo Mbatha, Padma Lakshmi, Rachel Brosnahan, Ricky Martin, Sabrina Elba, and Tropkillaz.
Visit Global Citizen’s website for more information.
That’s a wrap! Japanese Breakfast, the alt-pop brainchild of musician and author Michelle Zauner, made its musical guest debut during the season 47 finale of Saturday Night Live on May 21.
In the Natasha Lyonne-hosted episode, the act delivered a pair of songs from its 2021 album, Jubilee. The indie pop outfit opened with with the springy and rhythmic single “Be Sweet” and closed with a visually stunning performance of “Paprika.”
Zauner also made a brief cameo in a sketch titled “Women’s Commercial.” The skit also featured SNL cast members Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant, who are departing from the iconic comedy series after this season.
The 33-year-old musician, who is currently touring North America, will soon be celebrating the one-year anniversary of her June 2021 album, Jubilee. The set follows Zauner’s grief-examining memoir, Crying In H Mart, and debuted at No. 56 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Tastemaker Albums chart.
Saturday’s episode marked the SNL debut for both Zauner and Lyonne. After an action-packed 47th season, the late-night show will go off the air for the summer.
Watch Japanese Breakfast’s SNL performances below, and see the full episode on Hulu here. The streaming service is currently offering a 30-day free trial, which you can sign up for here.
The Miami Dade School Board Wednesday approved a slew of administrative and high-ranking jobs within the district, including an officer for energy sustainability and one to boost student enrollment, a … Click to Continue »
