Chart Beat
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The Cure is more than 40 years deep into its career, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late for new peaks. The British band embarked on the Shows of a Lost World Tour and generated its biggest grosses and attendance ever. After playing its final show earlier this month, the tour grossed $37.5 million and sold 547,000 tickets over 35 shows in the U.S. and Canada, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.
While those figures are personal highs among the band’s global touring career (dating back to The Cure’s first Boxscore reports in 1985; the band has been touring since the late ‘70s), apples-to-apples comparisons against its North American treks spotlight the tour’s success even better. The $37.5 million revenue total is more than double the band’s previous North American high of $18 million in 2016. And the 547,000 tickets surpass 1992’s 402,000.
Routing for the Shows of a Lost World Tour mixed arenas and amphitheaters in the U.S., yielding its biggest returns in the expected markets. Three shows at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl grossed $4.9 million and sold 50,800 tickets, while a three-peat at New York’s Madison Square Garden brought in $4.1 million from 44,300 tickets. Atlanta, Montreal and San Francisco follow.
Nightly attendance never dipped below 12,000, and averaged 15,629. That marks a 43% improvement over 2016’s 10,952, which itself was a 48% bump from The Cure’s 2008 tour. The band hadn’t averaged such a high attendance since 1989, when it paced 19,539 tickets in support of Disintegration. (That album was, at the time, the band’s highest charting album on the Billboard 200 [No. 12], containing its highest ranking hit on the Billboard Hot 100: “Love Song” [No. 2].)
This bar graph mirrors the peak-valley-peak trajectory that Billboard reported on Janet Jackson’s comeback spring tour. Both acts have sprawling discographies with close to a half century’s worth of beloved songs. That’s the kind of pitch that, after an extended break, can elevate an artist into their highly profitable legacy era, so-to-speak, soaking one’s deep roster of hits in a bath of nostalgia and extra disposable income.
Janet Jackson and The Cure may not make for the most obvious apples-to-apples comparison. But like Jackson, The Cure established a Boxscore peak around the turn of the ‘90s, before letting its legacy build to a new peak in the 2020s. Like Jackson, The Cure is touring without new material, many years away from its last album. (The band last released a new studio set in 2008.) Their 2023 shows marked the first North American tour for either act since the mid-2010s.
And while the effects of Jackson’s highly publicized mid-’00s controversy don’t quite apply here, the Shows of a Lost World Tour generated its own batch of headlines earlier this year. Frontman Robert Smith spoke out about various “scams” and fees, courtesy Ticketmaster and the larger secondary market, resisting dynamic pricing, platinum ticketing and scaled re-sale. The band went as far as to ensure that every show had a price option of $30 or less. Further, after fans made Smith aware of exorbitant fees, he negotiated with Ticketmaster to issue refunds.
As lines between primary and secondary ticket sellers blur and pricing strategies become more creative, concert revenues for arena acts have surged. And though it may seem like perfect timing to pair those ticketing practices with The Cure’s much-anticipated return to the stage, the band’s defiant public stand against gouging fans worked out in the end.
The Shows of a Lost World Tour averaged a $68.54 price, 37% less than the triple-digit average ticket among the top 50 tours on Billboard’s midyear 2023 recap. Only one artist in that top 50 – The 1975 – averaged less ($63.01), and that was with mostly European shows, where tickets haven’t exploded in the same way as the U.S., where The Cure played.
Still, the tour made enough money to have ranked among the top 20, had its shows been eligible (The midyear charts are based on shows between Nov. 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023. The Cure’s tour began on May 10.). The Cure’s bulked-up, career-high grosses are owed to consistently sold-out crowds, perhaps nudged along by the band’s steadfast dedication to affordable tickets.
Though the Shows of a Lost World Tour has wrapped, The Cure will play a slew of festivals plus a few standalone shows in Latin America between September and December.
Stretching back to 1985, The Cure has grossed a reported $146.1 million and sold 3 million tickets.
Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” is back on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated July 15) for the first time since its initial chart run in 2009-10, thanks to annual Fourth of July gains.
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The song (released on her former label Hollywood Records; she’s now signed to Columbia Records) re-enters the Hot 100 at No. 50 with 8 million U.S. streams (up 64%), 5.2 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 34%) and 6,000 downloads sold (up 560%) in the June 30-July 6 tracking week, according to Luminate. The sales sum helps it also re-enter the Digital Song Sales chart at No. 7.
“Party in the U.S.A.” was a smash hit during its original chart run. It debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in August 2009, becoming Cyrus’ highest charting song at the time. She had previously reached the top 10 with “See You Again” (No. 10 peak in 2008), “7 Things” (No. 9; 2008), “The Climb” (No. 4; 2009) and “He Could Be The One” (No. 10; 2009).
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The re-entry is an added bonus to an already huge year for Cyrus. In March, she dropped her eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 after its debut, becoming her 14th top 10. Ahead of the LP’s release, lead single “Flowers” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in January and spent eight weeks on top. It ranks at No. 5 this week in its 25th consecutive week on the chart — all of which has been spent in the top five. The song became her second No. 1, after the three-week reign of “Wrecking Ball” in 2013.
“Flowers” also hit No. 1 on four individual radio formats: Adult Pop Airplay (for 17 weeks), Adult Contemporary (14 and counting), Pop Airplay (10) and Dance/Mix Show Airplay (four). It ruled the all-format Radio Songs chart for 18 weeks, setting a new record for a title by a woman. In the chart’s history, only The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” has spent more time at No. 1, with 26 weeks.
In total, five songs from Endless Summer Vacation have charted on the Hot 100: “Flowers,” “River” (No. 32 peak), “Jaded” (No. 56), “Thousand Miles” featuring Brandi Carlile (No. 68) and “Rose Colored Lenses” (No. 91).
Older songs such as “Party in the U.S.A.” are eligible for the Hot 100 if they rank within the top 50 and have a meaningful reason for their resurgences. We occasionally see this phenomenon during the year if catalog songs go viral and/or are newly promoted, as with Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (from 2019 and now in the Hot 100’s top 10) or have notable TV/film synchs that generate newfound interest, as was the case with Kate Bush’s 1985 classic “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” last year. And we see it during every holiday season, when festive songs storm the higher ranks of the Hot 100.
In the first six months of 2023, Morgan Wallen’s monster album One Thing at a Time was the most popular album, while Miley Cyrus’ smash single “Flowers” was the most-streamed song (by on-demand streams, audio and video combined), respectively, at the midyear point in the U.S., according to Luminate. “Flowers” was also the most-heard song on radio airwaves, with over 2.4 billion in radio audience impressions.
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Read more about midyear metrics in the 2023 Luminate Midyear Music Report.
‘One Thing’ is Tops: For the tracking period of Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023, Wallen’s One Thing at a Time was the most popular album in the U.S. The country star’s latest studio effort was released on March 3, 2023 via Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records and earned 3.312 million equivalent album units in the first half of 2023. (See full top 10 chart, below.) One Thing at a Time spent 15 nonconsecutive weeks atop the weekly Billboard 200 chart in March-July – the most weeks at No. 1 for any album since Adele’s 21 racked up 24 nonconsecutive weeks in 2011-12.
Concurrently, the One Thing at a Time single “Last Night” was the most-streamed song by on-demand audio streams in the first half of 2023 in the U.S., with 588.7 million on-demand audio streams (inclusive of user-generated content streams). “Last Night” spent 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the weekly all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart from March through July – the singer-songwriter’s first leader on the tally.
The most-streamed song by total on-demand streams (audio and video combined, inclusive of user-generated content streams) was Cyrus’ “Flowers,” with 750.7 million clicks in the first six months of the year. “Flowers” led the Hot 100 eight nonconsecutive weeks from January through early April. It marked Cyrus’ second chart-topper, following 2013’s “Wrecking Ball.”
Equivalent album units – for album titles and chart rankings cited below (but not industry volume numbers) – comprise traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sales, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album, or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official and audio streams generated by songs from an album.
Equivalent album units cited for album titles below, and in the “Midyear Top 10 Albums in U.S.” chart do not include user-generated content (UGC) streams. UGC streams are included in Luminate’s industry volume numbers and its midyear song streaming rankings. (UGC streams are not factored into any of Billboard’s weekly charts.)
For the sake of clarity, equivalent album units do not include listening to music on broadcast radio or digital radio broadcasts. All numbers cited in this story are rounded, and for the U.S. only. Programmed streams are not included in any of the data in this story.
Luminate (formerly MRC Data, Nielsen Music and SoundScan) began tracking music consumption in 1991. Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data is used to compile Billboard’s weekly charts.
Of One Thing at a Time’s 3.312 million equivalent album units earned at midyear, SEA units comprise 3.024 million (equaling 4.023 billion on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 242,000 and TEA units comprise 46,000.
The top five most popular albums at the midyear point in the U.S. are One Thing at a Time, SZA’s December 2022 release SOS (1.982 million equivalent album units), Taylor Swift’s October 2022 release Midnights (1.876 million), Wallen’s January 2021 release Dangerous: The Double Album (1.172 million) and Metro Boomin’s December 2022 release Heroes & Villains (1.038 million). In 2022, Midnights and Dangerous were the Nos. 2 and 3 most popular albums of the year in Luminate’s year-end report.
2023’s Midyear Top 10 Albums in U.S. (by Equivalent Album Units)1. Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time (3.312 million)2. SZA, SOS (1.982 million)3. Taylor Swift, Midnights (1.876 million)4. Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album (1.173 million)5. Metro Boomin’, Heroes & Villains (1.038 million)6. Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti (967,000)7. Drake & 21 Savage, Her Loss (898,000)8. Zach Bryan, American Heartbreak (769,000)9. Karol G, Mañana Séra Bonito (716,000)10. Taylor Swift, Lover (711,000)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023. UGC (user-generated content) streams are not included in this chart, but are included in Luminate’s on-demand streaming charts (below). Luminate’s equivalent album unit totals include SEA and TEA for an album’s songs registered before an album’s release, but only during the tracking period.
Total Album Consumption Increases 13.4% at Midyear: Year-to-date, total equivalent album units stand at 538.9 million – up 13.4% compared to the first half of 2022 (475.4 million in the tracking period of Dec. 31, 2021, through June 30, 2022).
Album Sales Up! Total album sales across all formats (physical CDs, vinyl, cassettes, etc., along with digital album downloads) increased by 7.9% in the first half of 2023 as compared to the same point in 2022. At the 2023 midyear point, 50.6 million albums were sold – up from the 49.6 million sold in the first half of 2022. The top-selling album of 2023 so far is Swift’s Midnights, with 607,000 copies sold
In total, there were 41.6 million physical albums sold (up 13.3% compared to 36.7 million at midyear 2022) and 9.234 million digital albums sold (down 11.2 percent compared to 10.4 million at midyear 2022).
CD album sales grew by 3.8% in the first half of 2023 (17.5 million vs. 16.9 million at midyear 2022), while vinyl album sales jumped by 21.7% (23.6 million vs. 19.4 million at midyear 2022). Even cassette tape album sales perked up. The mostly dormant format sold 212,000 in the first half of 2023 – up 5.8% compared to the 200,500 sold in the first half of 2022.
The top-selling album across all physical formats (CD, vinyl, cassette, etc.) at the midyear point is Swift’s Midnights, with 430,000 sold. It’s also the top-selling digital album (177,000) and vinyl LP (251,000). The biggest-selling CD album in the first half of 2023 was TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION with 395,000 copies sold.
Taylor Swift was the top-selling artist by total album sales in the first half of 2023, with 1.45 million albums sold across her entire catalog across all formats. Swift was also the top-selling in total physical album sales (1.19 million), vinyl album sales (808,000) and digital album sales (256,000). Stray Kids was the top-selling act in CD album sales (509,000).
2023’s Midyear Top 10 Selling Albums in U.S. (Physical & Digital Album Sales Combined)1. Taylor Swift, Midnights (607,000)2. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION (399,000)3. Stray Kids, 5-STAR (327,000)4. TWICE, Ready to Be (286,000)5. Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time (242,000)6. SEVENTEEN, SEVENTEEN 10th Mini Album: FML (236,000)7. Metallica, 72 Seasons (215,000)8. Agust D, D-Day (200,000)9. Jimin, FACE (152,000)10. Melanie Martinez, Portals (194,000)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023.
Taylor Swift, Midnights (251,000)
Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. (132,000)
Taylor Swift, Folklore (107,000)
Tyler, The Creator, Igor (104,000)
Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (103,000)
Boygenius, The Record (100,000)
Melanie Martinez, Portals (93,000)
Michael Jackson, Thriller (85,000)
Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (85,000)
Lana Del Rey, Born to Die (84,000)
On-Demand Streaming Up 15%, ‘Flowers’ Most-Streamed Song: “Flowers,” Cyrus’ Hot 100-topping single, was the most-streamed song in the first half of 2023 in the U.S., with 750.7 million on-demand streams (inclusive of UGC). SZA’s “Kill Bill” (701.2 million) and Wallen’s “Last Night” (642.8 million) round out the top three.
Total on-demand streams (audio and video combined) at midyear grew 15% in the U.S. as compared to the same point a year ago (713.5 billion vs. 620.2 billion). On-demand audio streams rose 13.5% (616.5 billion vs. 543.2 billion) while on-demand video streams grew 26% (97 billion vs. 77 billion).
UGC streams are included in Luminate’s industry streaming on-demand volume numbers (above) and its midyear streaming song charts (below). UGC streams are not factored into any of Billboard’s weekly charts.
In general, all songs in the below charts combine the assorted remixes of a song into one overall total. Thus, PinkPantheress’ “Boy’s a Liar” includes activity for its remix with Ice Spice, “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2,” The Weeknd’s “Die for You” includes activity for its remix with Ariana Grande,” and so forth.2023’s Midyear Top 10 Most Streamed Songs in U.S. (On-Demand Audio & Video Combined)1. Miley Cyrus, “Flowers” (750.7 million)2. SZA, “Kill Bill” (701.2 million)3. Morgan Wallen, “Last Night” (642.8 million)4. PinkPantheress, “Boy’s a Liar” (580.7 million)5. Lady Gaga, “Bloody Mary” (531.7 million)6. Rema & Selena Gomez, “Calm Down” (486.3 million)7. Twisted featuring Oliver Tree, “Worth Nothing” (462.7 million)8. J. Cole featuring Amber Coffman & The Cults, “She Knows” (455.6 million)9. Fifty Fifty, “Cupid” (427.7 million)10. Lil Uzi Vert, “Just Wanna Rock” (416.1 million)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023. Includes UGC streams.
2023’s Midyear Top 10 Most Streamed Songs in U.S. (On-Demand Audio)1. Morgan Wallen, “Last Night” (588.7 million)2. SZA, “Kill Bill” (567.6 million)3. Miley Cyrus, “Flowers” (464.6 million)4. PinkPantheress, “Boy’s a Liar” (370.4 million)5. The Weeknd, “Die for You” (349.8 million)6. Zach Bryan, “Something in the Orange” (331.2 million)7. Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage, “Creepin’” (308.3 million)8. Eslabon Armado x Peso Pluma, “Ella Baila Sola” (307.4 million)9. Morgan Wallen, “You Proof” (303.3 million)10. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero” (302.8 million)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023. Includes UGC streams.
Digital Song Sales Drop 13%: Digital song sales fell 13% in the first six months of 2023, dipping to 69.57 million, as compared to 79.98 million sold in the first half of 2022. The top-selling digital song at the midyear point is Cyrus’ “Flowers” with 380,000 sold. Six songs sold more than 100,000 downloads in the first half of 2023. At midyear 2022, there were eight songs that sold in excess of 100,000.
2023’s Midyear Top 10 Selling Digital Songs in U.S.1. Miley Cyrus, “Flowers” (380,000)2. Jimin, “Like Crazy” (289,000)3. Morgan Wallen, “Last Night” (217,000)4. Luke Combs, “Fast Car” (126,000)5. Beyoncé, “Cuff It” (119,000)6. Rema & Selena Gomez, “Calm Down” (110,000)7. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero” (97,000)8. Lainey Wilson, “Heart Like a Truck” (89,000)9. Ice Spice, “Princess Diana” (87,000)10. Jelly Roll, “Need a Favor” (86,000)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023.
‘Heat Waves’ Hottest on Radio: The most-heard song on U.S. radio in the first half of 2023 was Cyrus’ “Flowers,” with a cumulative 2.409 billion audience impressions across all formats monitored by Luminate. The single was released in early January and became one of the biggest radio hits in the modern era. It spent 18 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s all-format Radio Songs chart, tying Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” for the second-most weeks at No. 1 since the chart began in 1990. The song with the most weeks at No. 1 on Radio Songs is The Weeknd’s enduring “Blinding Lights,” which ruled for 26 weeks in 2020.
2023’s Midyear Top 10 Radio Songs in U.S. (Based on Audience Impressions)1. Miley Cyrus, “Flowers” (2.409 billion)2. Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage, “Creepin’” (2.359 billion)3. SZA, “Kill Bill” (1.909 billion)4. The Weeknd, “Die for You” (1.877 billion)5. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero” (1.730 billion)6. David Guetta & Bebe Rexha, “I’m Good (Blue)” (1.691 billion)7. Rema & Selena Gomez, “Calm Down” (1.580 billion)8. Harry Styles, “As It Was” (1.362 billion)9. Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy” (1.275 billion)10. Chris Brown, “Under the Influence” (1.142 billion)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023.
Taylor Swift’s third re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), has earned over 575,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first four days of release (July 7-10), according to initial reports to Luminate — marking the biggest week for any album in 2023. Of that sum, album sales comprise over 400,000 copies – the largest sales week for an album this year, too.
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is a re-recorded version of Swift’s 2010 No. 1 Billboard 200 studio album Speak Now. The 22-track re-recorded edition includes new recordings of the original album’s 14 standard tracks, along with bonus cuts and previously unreleased “From the Vault” recordings. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) follows Swift’s re-recorded Red and Fearless albums, released in 2021. Both debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
If Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) debuts at No. 1 on the July 22-dated Billboard 200 chart (which reflects the tracking week ending July 13), Swift’s count of No. 1 albums will rise to 12, surpassing Barbra Streisand (with 11 leaders) for the most No. 1 albums among female artists. Swift would also tie Drake for the third-most No. 1s among all acts, with only The Beatles (19) and Jay-Z (14) ahead of them. (The Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March 1956.) The top 10 of the July 22-dated Billboard 200 chart is scheduled to be announced on Sunday, July 16.
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. 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.
2023’s previous largest week, by equivalent album units earned, was tallied by Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which launched with 501,000 units in the week ending March 9, as reflected on the Billboard 200 chart dated March 18. The year’s largest sales week was held by the debut frame of Stray Kids’ 5-STAR with 235,000 copies sold in the week ending June 8, as reflected on the June 17-dated charts.
Sales: With over 400,000 sold in only four days, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) already has the largest sales week for any album since Swift’s own last studio album, Midnights, debuted with 1.14 million copies sold last year (week ending Oct. 27, 2022; as reflected on the Nov. 5-dated Billboard charts).
Vinyl sales comprise over half of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’s sales – as the three-LP set has sold over 225,000 copies on wax. The latter marks the second-largest sales week for a vinyl album in the modern era (since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991). It is second only to the first week of Midnights’ vinyl LP, with 575,000 sold in its opening frame. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is available in three color variants on vinyl – orchid marbled, violet marbled and a Target-exclusive lilac marbled color.
The remainder of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) sales is comprised of CDs, digital album download purchases and cassette tape sales.
Streaming: The collected 22 songs on Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) generated more than 200 million on-demand official streams in the U.S. July 7-10, according to Luminate. The most-streamed tune on the album, by audio on-demand official streams, is the “from the vault” cut “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version),” with over 13 million on-demand official audio streams in those four tracking days.
SZA achieves her fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as “Snooze” ascends from the runner-up rank to lead the list dated July 15. Despite a 1% decline in plays for the last tracking week (June 30 – July 6), the single became the week’s most played song on U.S. monitored rhythmic radio stations, […]
Natanael Cano captures his third top 10 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as his latest album Nata Montana debuts at No. 5 on the July 15-dated list. The 15-track set concurrently launches at No. 2 on Regional Mexican Albums.
Nata Montana starts with 20,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. after its first tracking week ending July 6, according to Luminate. Cano’s eighth studio effort was released June 30 via Rancho Humilde.
As with most Latin albums these days, streams power Nata Montana’s opening sum. Out of the 20,000 units, 19,000 stem from streaming-equivalent album units. That equals 28 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs.
An equivalent album unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album (track equivalent album units, TEA), or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album (streaming equivalent album units, SEA).
At only 18 years old, Cano pioneered the era of corridos tumbados — an amalgam of Mexican corridos with trap-permeated sounds within conventional regional Mexican music — with his breakthrough set Corridos Tumbados, which peaked at No. 4 on Top Latin Albums in November 2019.
The now-22-year-old has opened the curtain for his peers Peso Pluma, labelmate Junior H and others, some of whom comprise the all-star crew on Nata Montana –- the album’s name and artwork are references to the 1983 cult film Scarface starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana, with “The World is Yours” phrase as the set’s cornerstone approach.
As mentioned, Nata Montana marks Cano’s third top 10 on Top Latin Albums among eight entries. Prior to Montana, Cano earned his second top 10 through the No. 9 high A Mis 20 in June 2021.
The album was preceded by two songs: “AMG,” with Gabito Basllesteros and Peso Pluma (No. 6-peak in Feb.) and “Pacas de Billetes” (reached No. 37 in May).
Further, as Montana launches, two of its songs arrive on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart: “Más Altas Que Bajadas” at No. 42 and “Mi Bello Ángel” at No. 46.
Beyond its debut on the Latin albums charts, Montana bows at No. 35 on the overall Billboard 200 list. It bests his only other entry there: Corridos Tumbados which debuted and peaked at No. 166 in 2019.
For the first time in 26 years, Babyface rules Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart without any other credited artists, with “As a Matter of Fact” advancing from No. 3 to lead the list dated July 15. The legend last led on his own with “Every Time I Close My Eyes,” a two-week No. 1 in 1997, and collects his sixth overall chart-topper.
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“Fact” ascends to the summit after a 10% boost in plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending July 6, according to Luminate. The new leader extends the icon’s hot streak on Adult R&B Airplay; his last four chart entries have all reached the top five. Plus, Babyface is off to a strong start with new label P Music, as his first two visits – as featured on Charlie Wilson’s “No Stoppin’ Us,” alongside fellow guests K-Ci Hailey and Johnny Gill – and now “As a Matter of Fact” have topped the list.
“I am grateful and blessed to have another [No. 1] song on the Billboard [Adult] R&B radio chart as a solo artist after 26 years,” Babyface tells Billboard. “I am thankful to still be here and do what I love – creating music. It will always come back to the music. Thanks to my fans and my team!”
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In total, “As a Matter of Fact” gives the hitmaking performer, songwriter and producer his sixth Adult R&B Airplay No. 1. Here’s an updated look at all his champs as an artist:
“Never Keeping Secrets,” one week at No. 1, beginning Dec. 4, 1993“When Can I See You,” two, Aug. 20, 1994“Every Time I Close My Eyes,” two, March 29, 1997“Hurt You,” with Toni Braxton, four, Dec. 14, 2013“No Stoppin’ Us,” Charlie Wilson featuring Babyface, K-Ci Hailey & Johnny Gill, three, Aug. 6, 2022“As a Matter of Fact,” one (to date), July 15, 2023
Elsewhere, “As a Matter of Fact” rises 23-22 for a new peak on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which measures songs by combined audience from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. There, the single gained 6% in audience to reach 5.4 million in the latest tracking week. In addition to his own track, Babyface has even more to celebrate: As a co-producer and co-writer, he shares in the success of SZA’s “Snooze,” which wins a third week at No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.
Music from EXO’s new album EXIST – The 7th Album dots Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart, powered by Twitter, dated July 15, including four of the top five.
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Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running June 30-July 6.
The July 15-dated survey is paced by “Cream Soda,” the album’s leadoff track. The songs “Love Fool,” “No Makeup” and “Private Party” follow at Nos. 2-4, respectively. All four songs were newly announced as part of the wider tracklist reveal on July 2 ahead of the album’s eventual July 10 release.
The reign of “Cream Soda” follows EXO’s previous No. 1, “Let Me In.” Also from EXIST, the song was released in June and led the June 24-dated Hot Trending Songs tally.
The top non-EXO song on the July 15 ranking is FendiDa Rappa’s “Point Me 2,” with Cardi B, which debuts at No. 5. A remix of FendiDa Rappa’s “Point Me to the Slut’s” released last year, the new version was released July 7 after being teased on the rappers’ social media accounts beginning July 3.
It’s Cardi B’s second time at No. 1 on the chart, both times with features on remixes of previously released songs. In April 2023, she led as part of Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor Again.”
More music from EXO plus songs from MISAMO and Jung Kook round out the top 10.
Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.
TobyMac’s “Cornerstone” featuring Zach Williams rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart (dated July 15). The song drew 6.7 million audience impressions in the week ending July 6, according to Luminate. It’s the former’s 12th No. 1 on the survey and the latter’s fifth. TobyMac (real name Toby McKeehan) co-authored the hit with […]
Taylor Swift spends a record-extending 72nd week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated July 15), thanks to 10 albums on the latest Billboard 200 and three songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
On the Billboard 200, Swift’s 2022 LP Midnights ranks at No. 4 with 54,000 equivalent album units earned June 30-July 6, according to Luminate, after it spent six weeks at No. 1. Her 2006 debut self-titled studio album re-enters at No. 186 (8,000, up 6%), returning to the chart for the first time since May 20. Before that week, the album last appeared on the chart in 2014.
This marks the fourth time in Swift’s career that she’s charted 10 titles on the Billboard 200, after achieving the feat on the charts dated March 4, May 6 and May 20 this year. She becomes the first act — since the survey became a combined stereo and mono listing in August 1963 — to land at least 10 albums on the chart simultaneously four separate times, surpassing The Beatles and Prince (three each). David Bowie and Whitney Houston have each earned the honor once. Prince, notably, holds the record for the most albums on the Billboard 200 in a single week: 19, on May 14, 2016 (the first tracking week after his death).
Here’s a recap of Swift’s current Billboard 200-charting titles.
Rank, Title:
No. 4, Midnights
No. 9, Lover
No. 13, Folklore
No. 19, 1989
No. 22, Reputation
No. 25, Speak Now
No. 26, Red (Taylor’s Version)
No. 36, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
No. 43, Evermore
No. 186, Taylor Swift
Swift is slated to make a splash on next week’s chart listings after releasing Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) on July 7.
On the Hot 100, Swift’s “Cruel Summer” jumps 13-7, becoming her 41st career top 10, extending her record for the most among women; “Karma” featuring Ice Spice dips 8-9 after reaching No. 2; and “Anti-Hero” drops 16-18 following eight weeks at No. 2.
Among other Artist 100 chart moves, Lil Uzi Vert vaults 86-2 on the strength of their new LP Pink Tape. The set debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (167,000 units), becoming their third leader and the first No. 1 rap album of 2023. They also debut 18 songs on the Hot 100, led by “Flooded the Face” at No. 11.
Aespa re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 5 thanks to the group’s new mini album MY WORLD, which debuts at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, becoming the act’s second top 10.
Plus, Olivia Rodrigo re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 8 thanks to her new single “Vampire.” The song launches at No. 1 on the Hot 100, marking her third leader, after “Drivers License” and Good 4 U,” both in 2021. The new track is the lead single from her forthcoming second LP, Guts, due Sept. 8.
The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.