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Ghost’s Impera blasts in at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated March 26) with 2022’s biggest sales week for an album – 62,500 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending March 17, according to Luminate, formerly MRC Data. It’s the first chart-topper for the rock band on Top Album Sales, and the act’s fourth top 10 overall.
Elsewhere in the top 10 of Top Album Sales, for KING & COUNTRY’s What Are We Waiting For? debuts at No. 2, Rex Orange County’s Who Cares? starts at No. 3, Benny the Butcher’s Tana Talk 4 enters at No. 8, and Joell Ortiz and KXNG Crooked’s Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse bows at No. 10.
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 MRC Data. 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 March 26-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 22. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Impera has the biggest week, by album sales, for any album in the 2022 tracking year so far, surpassing the 37,000 copies sold of The Weeknd’s Dawn FM after its CD was released (week ending Feb. 3). Further, Impera has the largest sales week for a rock or hard rock album since the debut of Foo Fighters’ Medicine at Midnight (64,000; week ending Feb. 11, 2021). (Rock and hard rock albums are defined as those that have hit Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums chart, respectively.)
Notably, Impera logs Ghost’s best sales week ever, surpassing the 61,500 start of its last full-length studio album, 2018’s Prequelle. The latter’s first-week number was boosted by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer. Ticket/album bundles, like merchandise/album bundles, ceased to count towards chart sales as of Oct. 9, 2020.
Of Impera’s 62,500 copies sold in the week end March 17, physical sales comprise 51,000 (28,000 on vinyl; 21,000 on CD and 2,000 on cassette) and digital sales comprise nearly 12,000. The album’s sales were enhanced by its availability on a variety of vinyl LP and CD editions. Impera was released in numerous color vinyl variants, including color versions available exclusively via Target, Walmart, Newbury Comics, Zia Records, independent record stores in general, as well as the band’s official webstore.
In total, Impera’s 28,000 copies sold on vinyl LP marks the largest sales week for a rock album on vinyl in over a year, since Paul McCartney’s McCartney III sold 32,000 in its debut frame (Jan. 2, 2021-dated chart). Further, Impera logs the biggest sales week for a hard rock album on vinyl since 1994, when Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy sold 33,500 copies in its opening week (chart dated Dec. 10, 1994). Vitalogy was exclusively available on vinyl in its first two weeks of release, before it became available on CD.
Impera also debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums, Independent Albums, Vinyl Albums, Tastemaker Albums and Top Current Album Sales.
Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums rank the week’s most popular rock and hard rock releases, respectively, by equivalent album units. Independent Albums reflects the week’s most popular albums released by independent record labels. Tastemaker Albums ranks the best-selling albums at independent and small chain record stores. Vinyl Albums lists the top-selling vinyl albums of the week across all sellers. Top Current Album Sales ranks the week’s biggest-selling current albums (not including catalog – older – releases).
Brother duo for KING & COUNTRY bows at No. 2 on Top Album Sales with What Are We Waiting For?, selling 28,000 copies. It’s the third top 10 on the tally for the act. The new album’s sales were bolstered by its availability in a CD signed edition on the act’s official webstore. (In total for the week, CD sales comprise nearly 22,000 – both signed and unsigned across all sellers, while digital album sales comprise 6,000. The set is due out on vinyl LP on May 20.)
Rex Orange County’s Who Cares? debuts at No. 3 on Top Album Sales with 20,000 sold, marking the second top 10 for the artist. Of the set’s starting sum, vinyl LP sales accounted for nearly half of its sales – 9,600 copies. The album also got an assist from a pair of boxed sets sold through the artist’s webstore.
Dolly Parton’s Run, Rose, Run falls 2-4 in its second week on Top Album Sales with 8,000 sold (down 49%) and the No. 1 Encanto soundtrack dips 4-5 with 7,000 (down 14%). Nirvana’s Nevermind vaults 11-6 (nearly 7,000) as it basks in the buzz generated by its album cut “Something in the Way” being used in the film The Batman. Olivia Rodrigo’s former No. 1 Sour rises 8-7 with 6,500 sold (down 4%).
Benny the Butcher’s Tana Talk 4 starts at No. 8 with 6,000 sold; Adele’s chart-topping 30 is a non-mover at No. 9 with 5,500 (down 17%) and Joell Ortiz and KXNG Crooked’s Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse debuts at No. 10 with a little over 5,000.
Devo, the New Wave music group known for hits like “Whip It,” said they will donate their licensing revenue from their song catalog for the entire month of April, along with personal monetary contributions, to organizations that are helping support the Ukrainian people and refugees.
The money will be earmarked for Music Saves UA and World Central Kitchen. Devo is asking others in the music industry to join them in this effort.
“Vladimir Putin’s rape of a sovereign nation, Ukraine, whose citizens are committed to democratic rule of law should not and cannot stand in the 21st Century,” said Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale of Devo. “To help the victims of Putin’s unprovoked war, Devo will be donating these revenues from the licenses of our song catalog throughout the month of April. We invite our rights holder partners in masters and publishing matters to join us in doing the same. Further we encourage all successful recording artists to do something similar to help make this gesture reach critical mass.”
Music Saves UA is a nonprofit fundraising project that was created to provide immediate humanitarian help, including medical, food, water and hygiene items, to those who need it most right now in Ukraine.
“The whole team at Music Saves UA is incredibly grateful for all the donations and constant help and support from the world of music and culture,” Music Save UA representative Vlad Yaremchuk said. “Our incredible team and dozens of volunteers who joined our cause are working 24/7 to provide supplies and aid via our humanitarian HQ in Kyiv. Every penny that reaches us is put to good use immediately, especially as we work to establish new centers on the Moldovian and Romanian borders for those fleeing. Every act of support is invaluable for us and we deeply appreciate it.”
World Central Kitchen, which was founded by Chef José Andrés in 2010, is a nonprofit organization that “provides fresh meals in response to crises while working to build resilient food systems with locally led solutions.” In response to the Ukraine invasion, WCK is providing meals not only in Ukraine but also in Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary at border crossings, shelters and other locations.
Devo, whose other hits have included “Beautiful World” and “That’s Good,” has made it a priority to support political and social causes in addition to “using music and performance art as commentary on conformity, emotional repression and dehumanization.”
This article originally appeared in THR.com.
The Grammy-winning siblings Billie Eilish and Finneas are now confirmed to perform their Oscar-nominated song “No Time to Die,” from the James Bond film of the same name, during the 94th Oscars ceremony on Sunday night, The Hollywood Reporter has learned from a source involved with the show.
The first-time nominees — who are 20 and 24, respectively — are widely considered the favorites to take home the best original song Oscar statuette, having already been awarded the equivalent Golden Globe, Critics Choice, Grammy and Society of Composers and Lyricists prizes.
Over the past decade, two other Bond songs have won Oscars: Adele’s “Skyfall” from 2012’s Skyfall and Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall” from 2015’s Spectre.
Billie and Finneas extensively discussed “No Time to Die” — and their odds-defying journey to it — on a November 2021 episode of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast. Find Billboard‘s conversations with every 2022 Oscar song and score nominee — including Billie and Finneas — here.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Grammy-nominated rock band Greta Van Fleet have postponed the remaining dates on their Dreams in Gold tour after guitarist Jake Kiszka was hospitalized with pneumonia.
In total, eight dates are affected by the announcement, including a show Tuesday night at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The concerts are expected to be rescheduled, with new dates to be announced.
“We are disheartened to announce that the shows from March 22nd through April 2nd must be rescheduled for the health and safety of our brother, Jake,” the band said in a statement. “We recognize how upsetting this news is and share your disappointment. While Jake has been discharged after being hospitalized for four days, he is still struggling with pneumonia and its symptoms. The healing process is long and slower than anticipated. Jake wanted to push through, however doctors have advised doing so could potentially lead to further complications and a longer recovery.”
Since embarking on their tour March 10 at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Greta Van Fleet has only been able to play three dates after several bandmates fell ill. Last week, a spokesperson for the group said COVID-19 was ruled out “after medical consultation.”
The band said it plans to announce “new dates as quickly as possible. We are determined to play these shows.”
The Madison show, however, will not be rescheduled, the band said, “due to planned venue renovations later this year. However, we love you and your city, and will find a way to make it up to you. Refunds will be available at point of purchase. To the fans, friends, and family that planned to travel great lengths to be with us – your unwavering support has not gone unnoticed. We appreciate your dedication, understanding, grace, and sympathy,” the group wrote in a statement before signing off with “it is important for Jake to heal so the rest of Dreams In Gold 2022 can continue as planned through the rest of the year, starting in South America.”
Greta Van Fleet head to South America in May, starting with Rio de Janeiro on, May 3 before returning Stateside in August. Greta Van Fleet’s 2021 sophomore album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Rock Albums chart and has hit the No. 1 spot on the Hard Rock Albums and Vinyl Albums charts and peaked at No. 10 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
Veteran radio promotion executive John Boulos has launched a new consulting firm, JBoulos Music, it was announced Monday (March 21). The company will aim to develop and break new artists while also mentoring young music executives.
JBoulos’ current clients include BlackBox Media Agency, In2une Music, Aware Records MGMT and unnamed major labels.
Boulos most recently served as executive vp, promotion at the relaunched Arista Records for three years, where he oversaw all aspects of radio promotion for the label and built and led a multi-format national promotion team. Before exiting the role in June 2021 to spend time with his loved ones, he led campaigns for JP Saxe, including the singer’s Grammy-nominated duet “If the World Was Ending” featuring Julia Michaels.
Before landing at Arista, Boulos spent 11 years at Roadrunner and Atlantic Records; he has also held promotional and executive roles at Capitol, Warner Bros., Epic, Virgin, Mercury, Island, RCA, Inner City and Vanguard. In the late 1970s, he started his career in the mailroom at London Records while spending his evenings promoting club DJs.
Over the course of his career, Boulos has worked with artists including Twenty One Pilots, Charli XCX, Panic! At The Disco, Paramore, Jason Mraz, U2, Wiz Khalifa, The Rolling Stones, Bonjovi, U2, Lenny Kravitz and Madonna.
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