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Fuerza Regida kicks off the year with a double win, scoring two top 10s on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart: Pa Que Hablen and Sigan Hablando debut at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, on the Jan. 14-dated ranking. The Mexican corridos group becomes the first act to have two projects bow in the top 10 in the same chart week since 2016.
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“We worked on every track like if it was a single,” Jesús Ortiz Paz, the act’s lead singer, who goes by JOP, tells Billboard. “We spent more than 24 hours on each track, we worked on it with our heart and that is something that I remember a lot.”
Both Pa Que Hablen and Sigan Hablando were released Dec. 30 through Street Mob/Rancho Humilde/Sony Music Latin. While the former was announced on social networks, the latter was dropped unexpectedly right after. Both albums comprise 13 tracks and a collection of collaborators.
“We thought 26 songs in one album was a bit much,” JOP adds. “We picked up the phone and called Jimmy, our manager, who suggested we should split them. We were kind of iffy about it, but thought there was too much fire in one album, so decided to do two. Then, we came up with the name of the second album, and now they’re both charting on Top Latin Albums. Let’s go!”
Most of both sets’ opening sums derive from streaming equivalent album units, starting with Pa Que Hablen, which debuts at No. 5 with 10,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 5, according to Luminate. That equates to 13.61 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs.
Meanwhile, Sigan Hablando at No. 6 logged 9,000 equivalent album units, equating to 13.2 million on-demand official streams in its first week.
The San Bernardino, Calif. — by way of Michoacán, Mexico — band formed in 2015. Band members include lead singer JOP, Khrystian Ramos on six-string guitar, José García on tuba, Samuel Jaimez on requinto and Moisés López on tololoche.
The quintet becomes the first act to notch two top 10 debuts on Top Latin Albums in the same chart week since Vicente Fernández achieved the feat with the live sets Un Azteca En El Azteca, Volumen 2 and Un Azteca En El Azteca, Volumen 1, which debuted at Nos. 5 and 9, respectively, in 2016. Fuerza Regida is the first act to have two concurrent top 10 debuts with new studio albums since Larry Hernández in 2012.
Two Top 10 Debuts
Notably, only seven acts have debuted two or more projects in the top 10 concurrently since Top Latin Albums launched in 1993: Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Intocable, Alejandro Fernández, Wisin & Yandel, Larry Hernández, Vicente Fernández and Fuerza Regida. Here’s a look at their double achievements:
Date, Debut Position, Title, Artist, Debut
May 10, 1997, No. 5, Tucanes De Plata, Los Tucanes de Tijuana
May 10, 1997, No. 8, Tucanes De Oro, Los Tucanes de Tijuana
Dec. 2, 2000, No. 6, Corridos De Primera Plana, Los Tucanes de Tijuana
Dec. 2, 2000, No. 8, Me Gusta Vivir De Noche, Los Tucanes de Tijuana
March 1, 2003, No. 1, La Historia (CD), Intocable
March 1, 2003, No. 5, La Historia (CD/DVD), Intocable
Dec. 26, 2009, No. 2, Dos Mundos: Evolución, Alejandro Fernández
Dec. 26, 2009, No. 10, Dos Mundos, Alejandro Fernández
Dec. 26, 20093, No. 3, Dos Mundos: Tradición, Alejandro Fernández
Oct. 9, 2010, No. 5, La Revolución: Live: Volume One, Wisin & Yandel
Oct. 9, 2010, No. 6, La Revolución: Live: Volume Two, Wisin & Yandel
Nov. 17, 2012, No. 3, Capaz de Todo, Larry Hernández
Nov. 17, 2012, No. 6, Larryvolucion, Larry Hernández
Oct. 1, 2016, No. 5, Un Azteca En El Azteca, Volumen 2, Vicente Fernández
Oct. 1, 2016, No. 9, Un Azteca En El Azteca, Volumen 1, Vicente Fernández
Seven Titles on Hot Latin Songs
In the songs’ realm, as Fuerza Regida’s Pa Que Hablen arrives, two of the set’s cuts debut on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart: “Igualito a Mi Papá,” with Peso Pluma, at Nos. 45 and “Mi Vecindario” at No. 49. In total, the group places seven simultaneous songs on the airplay-, digital sales-, and streams-blended tally. Plus, “Bebe Dame,” with Grupo Frontera, from Sigan Hablando takes home the Greatest Gainer/Sales & Streaming honors of the week (jumps 5-3). Here’s the list:
No. 3, “Bebe Dame,” with Grupo Frontera (from Sigan Hablando)
No. 19, “Billete Grande,” with Edgardo Nuñez (from Pa Que Hablen)
No. 21, “Ch y La Pizza,” with Natanael Cano (from Pa Que Hablen)
No. 27, “911 (En Vivo),” with Grupo Frontera
No. 34, ‘Se Acabó,” with Lenin Ramirez & Banda Renovación
No. 45, “Igualito a Mi Apa,” with Peso Pluma (debut from Pa Que Hablen)
No. 49, “Mi Vecindario” (debut from Pa Que Hablen)
“The songs we connect with the most are ‘Mi Vecindario’ and ‘Francotirador’ because they talk about real stuff, about me, about the whole clique, stuff about the hood,” JOP adds.
As both albums launch in the top tier on Top Latin Albums, Fuerza Regida adds a career fourth top 10 there.
In 2022, sales of albums on cassette tape in the U.S. increased by 28% to 440,000 (up from 343,000 in 2021), according to the U.S. 2022 Luminate Year-End Music Report.
While 440,000 a mere fraction of the total album sales market (0.44% to be more precise), it’s a robust figure for a format that was mostly non-existent a few years ago. In 2015, for example, cassettes sold just 74,000.
In 2022, total album sales across all formats — digital and physical — numbered 100.09 million. Physical album sales totaled 79.89 million — thus giving cassettes a 0.55% share of the physical album market last year. (Physical albums include CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes and other niche physical formats.)
While cassettes are now a niche offering marketed to superfans, they were once the leading format for album purchases in the U.S., from the early 1980s until the early 1990s. Today, cassette tapes are frequently sold exclusively on an artist’s web store and in collectible editions. Tapes are often manufactured in specific colors, such as Billie Eilish’s pink-colored Happier Than Ever tape or Ghost’s metallic gold-colored Impera tape.
The top-selling album on cassette in 2022 was the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, with 17,000 copies sold. Two more Guardians-related titles dot the top 10 (at Nos. 3 and 6). As actual cassette mixtapes feature prominently in the Guardians’ storyline, it makes sense that a real-world cassette album offering, mirroring those seen in the films and series, could be a solid seller. (The three Guardians tapes that rank in the year-end top 10 have sold, combined, more than 238,000 since their release a number of years ago.)
TOP 10 SELLING CASSETTE ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S.1. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 (17,000)2. Taylor Swift, Midnights (14,000)3. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (13,000)4. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (11,000)5. Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever (8,000)6. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix, Vol. 1 (8,000)7. Nirvana, Bleach (7,000)8. Bo Burnham, Inside (The Songs) (5,000)9. Bad Bunny, YHLQMDLG (5,000)10. Ghost, Impera (5,000)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.
Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991 when the company was known as SoundScan. Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data is used to compile Billboard’s weekly charts. Luminate’s 2022 tracking year ran from Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022. Luminate is an independently operated company owned by PME TopCo, a PMC subsidiary and joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge. Billboard is an independently operated company owned by PME Holdings, a subsidiary of PME TopCo.
Taylor Swift was the queen of vinyl albums in 2022, as the superstar sold more vinyl LPs in the U.S. than any other act by far last year: 1.695 million across her entire catalog of releases, according to the U.S. 2022 Luminate Year-End Music Report.
In fact, she sold more vinyl LPs last year than the next two biggest-sellers on vinyl combined: Styles with 719,000 and The Beatles with 553,000.
Swift loomed so large on vinyl in 2022, nearly one of every 25 vinyl LPs sold last year in the U.S. was a Swift album (1.695 million of 43.46 million total vinyl albums sold by all artists).
Swift’s latest release, Midnights, was the top-selling vinyl album of 2022 in the U.S., with 945,000 copies sold across all of its vinyl variants and editions. The album has the largest yearly sales total for a vinyl album since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. Midnights also posted the single-largest sales week for a vinyl LP in Luminate history, when it launched with 575,000 copies in its first week.
Swift has six of the year’s top 40-selling vinyl albums – Midnights (No. 1; 945,000), Folklore (No. 7; 174,000), Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 11; 153,000), Evermore (No. 14; 134,000), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (No. 30; 97,000) and Lover (No. 36; 91,000). Harry Styles and Kendrick Lamar have the second-most titles among the year’s top 40-selling vinyl LPs, with three each.
Midnights, and Swift’s popular catalog, helped U.S. vinyl album sales grow for a 17th consecutive year in 2022. It was also the second year in a row, and only the second year since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991, where vinyl albums outsold CD albums. Vinyl continues to be the leading format for album purchases for the second straight year.
Swift’s vinyl album sales, like many acts, benefit from the availability of a range of alternative versions and color-vinyl variants for her vinyl releases.
Midnights, for example, was available in four standard vinyl LP editions, each with a different cover and colored vinyl (dubbed Moonstone Blue Edition, Jade Green Edition, Mahogany Edition and Blood Moon Edition). Target stores also carried an exclusive colored-vinyl Lavender Edition. To further enhance sales, Swift’s official web store sold signed copies of the four standard vinyl LPs during a pre-order window before the album launched. As previously reported when the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, some superfans may have been motivated to purchase all four vinyl variants, as the back covers of the albums fit together like a puzzle to display a clock face (a literal reference to Midnights). Swift shared the news through her social media in mid-September, saying: “If you put all the back covers together, she’s a clock. It’s a clock… It makes a clock.” (Swift’s official web store previously sold hardware to hold the four CDs or the four vinyl LPs together as a wall clock.)
Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991 when the company was known as SoundScan. Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data is used to compile Billboard’s weekly charts. Luminate’s 2022 tracking year ran from Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022. Luminate is an independently operated company owned by PME TopCo, a PMC subsidiary and joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge. Billboard is an independently operated company owned by PME Holdings, a subsidiary of PME TopCo.
Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle” continues to steadily extend its record at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Jan. 11, now at 10 weeks with only one more to go to tie the record for longest-leading hit.
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The all-time record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100 is 11 weeks, held by Gen Hoshino’s “Koi.” HIGE DAN’s current hit dominated three metrics of the chart’s methodology when it ruled the song chart last week — streaming, downloads, and radio airplay — and is down to one this week (streaming). While “Subtitle” continues to hold for the sixth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Japan song chart, total points for the song is down by about 2,000 on the latest list, so it remains to be seen whether it can catch up with Hoshino’s smash hit from 2016 on the next.
Solo music producer Vaundy made a splash nationwide on the year-end live music extravaganza, the 73rd NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, and the effects are showing on the charts. The 22-year-old singer-songwriter currently charts eight songs on the Japan Hot 100: “Kaiju no Hanauta” (No. 3), “Odoriko” (No. 30), “CHAINSAW BLOOD” (No. 42), “Fukakouryoku” (No. 46), “napori” (No. 72), “Tokyo Flash” (No. 80), “Hanauranai” (No. 95), and “Koikaze ni Nosete” (No. 97). These tracks increased points in streaming, downloads, video views, and karaoke, indicating that his performance of “Kaiju no Hanauta” on the historic music program left a strong impression and spilled over to other songs in his catalog. The young artist also performed “Omokage (produced by Vaundy)” with star singers milet, Aimer, and Lilas Ikuta on the program, which also boosted this track from No. 84 to No. 20 this week.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, YouTube and GYAO! video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Jan. 2 to Jan. 8, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
In 2022, for the second year in a row — and only the second year since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991 — vinyl albums outsold CD albums in the U.S. Vinyl continues to be the leading format for album purchases for the second straight year, according to figures announced in the U.S. 2022 Luminate Year-End Music Report.
Vinyl was the dominant format for album purchases in the U.S. up until the early 1980s. After that, cassettes took hold until the early 1990s, when the CD format blossomed and remained king until 2021.
Further, vinyl album sales grew for a 17th consecutive year in the U.S., with Taylor Swift’s Midnights ruling as the top-selling vinyl LP in 2022. It sold 945,000 copies last year — the largest yearly sales total for a vinyl album since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991.
Growth for the format is slowing, though. Following a 51.4% year-over-year increase in vinyl album sales in 2021 and a 46.2% year-over-year increase in 2020, sales in 2022 rose just 4.2% over the year. Whether that’s due to slowing demand or supply issues that more pressing plants could help alleviate — it marks a significant deceleration following a pandemic-fueled period of rapid expansion.
17 YEARS OF VINYL GROWTH: 43.46 million vinyl albums were sold in 2022 (up 4.2% from 41.72 million in 2021). 2022 was the 17th consecutive year vinyl album sales grew in the U.S., and the largest year for vinyl album sales since Luminate began tracking data in 1991. Plus, vinyl LP sales posted their single-largest sales week of the Luminate era when 2.232 million vinyl albums were sold in the week ending Dec. 22.
43% OF ALL ALBUMS SOLD WERE VINYL LPS: Vinyl album sales comprised 43.4% of all album purchases in the U.S. in 2022 (43.46 million of 100.09 million total sales across all formats — both digital and physical). Vinyl LPs accounted for 54.4% of all physical albums sold last year (43.46 million of 79.89 million; physical albums include CDs, vinyl LPs, cassette tapes and other niche physical formats). Both sums are Luminate-era records for vinyl’s share of the album sales market in the U.S.
In 2022 there were a total of 88 albums that sold at least 50,000 copies on vinyl — up from 87 in 2021. To compare, only 56 albums in the CD format sold at least 50,000 copies in 2022 (down from 67 in 2021).
ONLY HALF OF U.S. VINYL BUYERS OWN A RECORD PLAYER: While vinyl album sales continue to gain each year in the U.S., only half of those fans buying records actually own a vinyl record player, according to a research survey commissioned by Luminate. Last September, the firm published the statistic as part of its U.S. Music 360 2022 – Wave 2 report. Of those respondents over the age of 13 who had purchased vinyl in the previous 12 months, there was a question asked about which devices they owned, and only 50% said they owned a record player. Total respondents for the Music 360 study: 3,992.
NEARLY HALF OF ALL VINYL ALBUMS WERE SOLD AT INDIE STORES: in 2022, 48% of all vinyl albums sold in the U.S. were purchased at independent record stores (20.92 million of 43.46 million). The second-largest seller of vinyl LPs in 2022 was Luminate’s category of Internet/mail order/venue, which accounted for 32.8% of the market (14.26 million of 43.46 million). Sales included in the Internet/mail order/venue category include those generated by mail-order websites like Amazon, Target.com and Walmart.com, official artist web stores and merchandise stands at concert venues. In third place was the mass merchant category, which includes in-store sales at stores like Target and Walmart. The segment had 13.6% of vinyl album sales in 2022 (5.90 million of 43.46 million).
ROCK RULES: Among Luminate’s core music genres measured, rock music accounted for a leading 51.83% of all vinyl albums sold in 2022 (22.52 million of 43.46 million). That’s essentially the same volume as in 2021 when rock accounted for 51.78% of all vinyl albums sold (21.60 million of 41.72 million). The second-biggest genre for vinyl album sales in 2022 — and in 2021 — was R&B/hip-hop, which accounted for 17.59% of the market last year (7.65 million of 43.46 million). In 2021, R&B/hip-hop held 17.38% (7.25 million of 41.72 million). R&B/hip-hop is an umbrella genre that includes most R&B and/or rap albums.
‘MIDNIGHTS’ IS MASSIVE: The top-selling vinyl album of 2022 is Swift’s Midnights, with 945,000 copies sold across all of its vinyl variants and editions (see top 10 list, below). Midnights has the largest yearly sales total for a vinyl album since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. The set also posted the single-largest sales week for a vinyl LP in Luminate history, when it launched with 575,000 copies in its first week.
TOP 10 SELLING VINYL ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S.1. Taylor Swift, Midnights (945,000)2. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (480,000)3. Olivia Rodrigo, Sour (263,000)4. Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city (254,000)5. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (243,000)6. Tyler, the Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost (211,000)7. Taylor Swift, Folklore (174,000)8. Tyler, the Creator, Igor (172,000)9. Michael Jackson, Thriller (168,000)10. The Beatles, Abbey Road (160,000)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.
Eight of the year-end top 10-selling vinyl albums saw their sales enhanced by their availability across multiple variants (including assorted color-vinyl editions). Among the top 10 vinyl sellers, only Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost (No. 6) and Igor (No. 8) were available in one iteration each.
Midnights, for example, was available in four vinyl LP editions, each with a different cover and colored vinyl (dubbed Moonstone Blue Edition, Jade Green Edition, Mahogany Edition and Blood Moon Edition). Target stores also carried an exclusive colored-vinyl Lavender Edition. To further enhance sales, Swift’s official web store sold signed copies of the four standard vinyl LPs during a pre-order window before the album launched. As previously reported when the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, some superfans may have been motivated to purchase all four vinyl variants, as the back covers of the albums fit together like a puzzle to display a clock face (a literal reference to Midnights). Swift shared the news through her social media in mid-September, saying: “If you put all the back covers together, she’s a clock. It’s a clock… It makes a clock.” (Swift’s official web store previously sold hardware to hold the four CDs or the four vinyl LPs together as a wall clock.)
SWIFT IS QUEEN OF VINYL: Swift sold the most vinyl albums among all acts in 2022 in the U.S., with 1.695 million sold across her entire catalog of albums. (She sold more vinyl LPs last year than the next two biggest sellers on vinyl combined: Harry Styles with 719,000 and The Beatles with 553,000.) Swift loomed so large on vinyl in 2022 that one of every 25 vinyl LPs sold last year in the U.S. was a Swift album (1.695 million of 43.46 million).
Swift has six of the year’s top 40-selling vinyl albums — Midnights (No. 1; 945,000), Folklore (No. 7; 174,000), Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 11; 153,000), Evermore (No. 14; 134,000), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (No. 30; 97,000) and Lover (No. 36; 91,000). Styles and Kendrick Lamar have the second-most titles among the year’s top 40-selling vinyl LPs, with three each.
Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991 when the company was known as SoundScan. Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data is used to compile Billboard’s weekly charts. Luminate’s 2022 tracking year ran from Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022. Luminate is an independently operated company owned by PME TopCo, a PMC subsidiary and joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge. Billboard is an independently operated company owned by PME Holdings, a subsidiary of PME TopCo.
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton reap streaming benefits from their much-watched New Year’s Eve special performance, Gracie Abrams eyes her first crossover hit after a valuable Netflix synch and the recently convicted Tory Lanez hits the Hot 100 for the first time in a couple years.
Miley & Dolly’s Classic Singles Rise After the Ball Drops
Miley Cyrus is about to kick off a new era with the release of “Flowers,” the lead single to her forthcoming album (and Columbia Records debut) Endless Summer Vacation. Two weeks before the scheduled debut of “Flowers,” however, Cyrus kicked off a new year alongside her godmother Dolly Parton, as the host of Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party on NBC, ringing in 2023 on network television with hits, covers and medleys of both.
Cyrus has been covering Parton’s “Jolene” in concert for years, so naturally it made sense to belt out the classic single (which is turning 50 this year!) alongside the legend who wrote and recorded it. “Jolene,” which Cyrus and Parton sang after warbling some of Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” together on New Year’s Eve, received a bump on streaming services last week as a result, with a 29.6% increase in U.S. on-demand streams (up to 1.71 million), along with a 57% bump in digital sales, in the week ending Jan. 5, according to Luminate.
“Wrecking Ball,” which Cyrus and Parton sang together on the show before segueing into Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” fared even better. Cyrus’ first career Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper (which is turning 10 this year!) scored a 44.5% rise in streams during the same week, up to 1.79 million for the week ending Jan. 5. “Wrecking Ball” also earned a digital sales increase of over 400% for that week.
Plus, Cyrus used Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party as the network TV platform to announce “Flowers,” dropping a pair of teasers in between hosting and performing duties as 2023 got underway. Widely announcing an upcoming single while also causing an older hit’s streaming revival — now that’s an enviable way to flip the calendar. – JASON LIPSHUTZ
Ginny & Georgia Doesn’t “Miss” With Gracie Abrams Synch
Interscope’s Gracie Abrams has steadily built a devoted fan base — and a reputation as your favorite singer-songwriter’s favorite singer-songwriter – over the past few years, but has yet to score the sort of crossover hit enjoyed by some of her more famous supporters. That may be changing with the recent streaming growth of her tear-jerking ballad “I miss you, I’m sorry,” a highlight from her 2020 debut EP, Mirror. The song got a big showcase moment in the finale of the Jan. 5-released second season to Netflix’s hit dramedy Ginny & Georgia, playing over a lovelorn montage of Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and her on/off romantic interest Marcus (Felix Mallard), both getting emotional while separately looking at old photos of the couple together.
As more viewers connected with the finale’s sentimental moment, the song has climbed steadily in streams – from 54,000 daily on-demand official U.S. streams on Jan. 5 to 81,000 by Jan. 8, according to Luminate, a gain of 50%. That number looks to still be growing in the days since, as fans of both Abrams and Ginny & Georgia have begun to spread it on TikTok and other social platforms. The increased exposure should be coming right on time for Abrams, who is set to release her long-anticipated debut full-length, Good Riddance, via Interscope on Feb. 24. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Tory Lanez Returns to Hot 100 Following Trial Guilty Verdict
While Tory Lanez awaits sentencing after being found guilty on three felony counts in the 2020 shooting of star rapper Megan Thee Stallion, he returns to the Hot 100 with his first new entry on the chart since the year of the assault.
“The Color Violet,” a Weeknd-reminiscent pop&B track from his 2021 One Umbrella release Alone at Prom, slowly developed into a prolific streaming hit over the course of 2022, and climbs 22.2% to 5.5 million in weekly official on-demand U.S. streams for the week ending Jan. 5, according to Luminate. While the song does not yet have a radio presence of any kind, as programming directors are likely reluctant to publicly support the disgraced singer-rapper at this point, streaming audiences have not been so dissuaded – and their embrace of “Violet” earns it a No. 87 bow on the Hot 100 this week. — AU
Welcome to The Contenders, a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming Billboard 200 albums chart dated Jan. 14): SZA’s SOS continues to dominate, while YoungBoy Never Broke Again makes a quick return after a busy 2022 and a half-decade-old BTS album debuts on vinyl.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again, I Rest My Case (Motown/Never Broke Again): After an absurdly prolific 2022 that included seven full-length releases – two collaborative albums, four mixtapes and one official album – star rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again returns, just two weeks into 2023, with his fifth solo studio album, I Rest My Case. The 19-track set is his first release on his new Motown label, after completing his deal with Atlantic in 2022.
From the early returns, YoungBoy’s previous productivity may be working against him, since the album’s tracks have not taken over the daily DSP charts like past YoungBoy solo albums, the last three of which hit the Billboard 200’s top two. Case will also not be helped by any big-name guests, since the album has no features on its 11 tracks. It will have its work cut out for it getting YoungBoy back to the chart’s top five, let alone threatening the four-week reign of SZA’s SOS blockbuster, which shows little sign of slowing down in its fifth week.
BTS, Love Yourself: Her (Big Hit/Universal): The Love Yourself: Her EP release marked a big U.S. breakthrough for K-Pop superstars BTS back in 2017, reaching the Billboard 200’s top 10 and spawning their first two Billboard Hot 100 hits in “DNA” and “Mic Drop.” The EP is likely to return to the chart’s top tier after making its physical debut on vinyl — the septet’s first-ever release on the format — along with a package that includes seven photo cards (one for each member), two posters, a sticker and a bookmark.
French Montana & DJ Drama, Coke Boys 6 (Coke Boys): Outside of YoungBoy, few hip-hop artists were as prolific on the 2022 charts as DJ Drama, who notched hit albums alongside Jeezy, Snoop Dogg and several other big-name rappers. He’s back this week with veteran New York hitmaker French Montana, for the latest installment in the latter’s signature Coke Boys series. CB6 boasts 20 tracks and a wide variety of big-name guests, including fellow rap stars Kodak Black, Nav and A$AP Rocky, and the set already has its own Money Heist Edition deluxe reissue, adding an extra nine tracks to the total.
Houston-based duo Hotel Ugly scores its first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Jan. 14), as the act’s breakthrough hit “Shut Up My Moms Calling” debuts at No. 96.
The duo comprises brothers Chris and Mike Fiscella.
The song, which the pair released independently, debuts on the strength of 5.7 million official U.S. streams (up 11%) in the Dec. 30-Jan. 5 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also re-enters the Hot R&B Songs chart at No. 23 (after reaching No. 11 in November) and rises 44-40 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (after climbing to No. 39 in December).
“Shut Up My Moms Calling” is also scoring success around the world, as it jumps 167-93 on the Billboard Global 200 and re-enters the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 136, with both placements marking new peaks. The track drew 14.9 million streams worldwide in the tracking week, a boost of 8%.
TikTok has been a big factor in the song’s growing popularity, as the cut has been used in more than 66,000 videos on the platform to date. (TikTok does not presently contribute directly to Billboard‘s charts.)
Hotel Ugly is a newcomer to Billboard’s listings, as the song marks the duo’s first chart appearance.
The act currently reaches the top 20 of the Emerging Artists chart for the first time, jumping 27-19 in its 14th week on the survey.
The song is slated to appear on the group’s upcoming LP, due later this year.
Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti wrapped 2022 as the most popular album of the year in the U.S., according to music data tracking firm Luminate. Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby” was the year’s top song by on-demand streams, while Harry Styles’ “As It Was” ruled as both the top-streamed song by on-demand audio streams and the most-heard song on the radio. Meanwhile, total music consumption in the U.S. — as measured in equivalent album units — grew by 9.2% in 2022. (View the U.S. 2022 Luminate Year-End Music Report.)
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See the year’s top 10 albums chart, along with other year-end rankings and overall volume numbers, below.
But first, the fine print:
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 sale, 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 audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. Album titles and album chart rankings by equivalent album units do not include user-generated content (UGC) streams, but UGC streams are included in Luminate’s industry volume numbers. (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.
Luminate’s equivalent album unit totals include SEA and TEA for an album’s songs registered before an album’s release, but during the tracking period. For example, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House album unit total includes SEA and TEA for its song “As It Was” from April 1, 2022 (its release day) through May 19, 2022, before the album was released on May 20, 2022.
Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991 when the company was known as SoundScan. Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data is used to compile Billboard’s weekly charts. Luminate’s 2022 tracking year ran from Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.
Luminate is an independently operated company owned by PME TopCo, a PMC subsidiary and joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge. Billboard is an independently operated company owned by PME Holdings, a subsidiary of PME TopCo.
Highlights from Luminate’s 2022 year-end data:
Music consumption in the U.S., as measured by equivalent album units, grew by 9.2%
Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti is the first Latin album, all-Spanish-language title, and non-English-language effort to be Luminate’s year-end No. 1 album, since the firm began tracking data in 1991.
Children’s music and Latin music had the largest growth among Luminate’s core genres in the U.S., rising 30% and 28.2%, respectively.
Overall U.S. on-demand song streams (audio and video combined) increased 12.2% to 1.268 trillion.
Yearly U.S. on-demand audio streams surpassed 1 trillion for the first time.
29% of all on-demand audio streams in the U.S. in 2022 were R&B/hip-hop songs.
U.S. vinyl album sales outsold CDs for the second year in a row & vinyl sales grew for a 17th consecutive year.
43% of all albums sold in 2022 in the U.S. – across all formats, physical & digital combined – were vinyl LPs.
Taylor Swift sold more vinyl albums than any act in 2022 in the U.S., accounting for 1 of every 25 vinyl LPs sold nationwide.
Total U.S. album sales for the year (physical and digital download purchases combined) fell by 8.2%
Swift’s latest album Midnights sold 1.8 million in traditional album sales in the U.S. in 2022 – the biggest-selling album of any year since 2017, when Swift’s Reputation sold 1.9 million. Further, an album by Swift has been the year’s top seller in three of the last four years: Midnights in 2022, Folklore in 2020 and Lover in 2019.
U.S. digital track sales declined for the 10th consecutive year, falling 25% in 2022. And for the first time since 2004, no song sold more than 500,000 downloads in a calendar year. From 2005-21, there was at least one song that sold a million downloads in each year, and from 2006-21, at least one song sold 1 million each year.
Un Verano Sin Ti debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated May 21, 2022, and spent 13 nonconsecutive weeks atop the list. That marked the most weeks at No. 1 for any album since Drake’s Views also logged 13 frames at No. 1 in 2016. All 22 new songs on Bad Bunny’s album charted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously, with the set launching four top 10-charting hits.
Un Verano Sin Ti was a streaming powerhouse, with 97% of its total activity in 2022 coming from on-demand streams of its 23 songs. Its tracks generated 4.649 billion on-demand streams in the U.S. in 2022 – easily making it the most-streamed album of the year (equaling 3.314 million in SEA units). The album sold just 70,000 in traditional album sales (CD and digital album download purchases – it was not available in any other format at retail). In terms of straight album sales – Un Verano Sin Ti was the No. 121st biggest-selling album of the year. And, Un Verano Sin Ti’s tracks sold just 148,000 downloads in 2022 – equaling 15,000 in TEA units.
Un Verano Sin Ti is the first Latin album, all-Spanish-language title, and non-English-language effort to be Luminate’s year-end No. 1 album, since the firm began tracking data in 1991.
2022 is the seventh consecutive year a solo male artist has Luminate’s top album by equivalent album units, following Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (2021), Lil Baby’s My Turn (2020), Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding (2019), Drake’s Scorpion (2018), Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) (2017) and Drake’s Views (2016). The last time an album not by a solo male was tops for the year was in 2015, when Adele’s 25 ruled.
TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S., BY TOTAL EQUIVALENT ALBUM UNITS1. Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti (3.400 million)2. Taylor Swift, Midnights (3.294 million)3. Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album (2.405 million)4. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (2.204 million)5. The Weeknd, The Highlights (1.879 million)6. Soundtrack, Encanto (1.839 million)7. Future, I Never Liked You (1.460 million)8. Olivia Rodrigo, Sour (1.438 million)9. Lil Durk, 7220 (1.357 million)10. Drake, Certified Lover Boy (1.317 million)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022. UGC streams are not included in this chart, but are included in Luminate’s on-demand streaming charts (below).
The second-biggest album of 2022 by equivalent album units is Taylor Swift’s Midnights, with 3.294 million units earned in just 10 weeks (the album was released on Oct. 21, 2022). Unlike the streaming-powered Un Verano Sin Ti, the Midnights album saw its success distributed more evenly across streaming, album purchases and track sales.
Midnights was by far the top-selling album of 2022, with 1.818 million copies sold – the biggest-selling album of a calendar year since 2017, when Swift’s own Reputation was tops (1.903 million). Midnights’ songs generated 1.854 million on-demand official streams last year, equating to 1.407 million SEA units. And, in terms of tracks sold from the album, Midnights’ collected songs sold 680,000 – resulting in 68,000 TEA units for the set. The album’s “Anti-Hero” is also 2022’s top-selling digital song, with 436,000 sold.
Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album is 2022’s No. 3-biggest album by units (2.405 million). It was 2021’s top album. Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (2.203 million) and The Weeknd’s hits compilation The Highlights (1.879 million) round out Luminate’s top five albums of 2022.
TOTAL ALBUM CONSUMPTION INCREASES 9.2%: Equivalent album units increased by 9.2% in 2022, to 974.9 million (up from 893.1 million in 2021). There were 19 albums that earned at least 1 million equivalent album units in 2022 – down from 26 in 2021.
R&B/HIP-HOP LEADS, LATIN & CHILDRENS MUSIC GAINS: R&B/hip-hop music continues to have the largest share of total album consumption, with 261.7 million units earned in 2022 – accounting for 26.8% of total volume (973.9) last year across all of Luminate’s core genres measured. R&B/hip-hop consumption increased 5.7% in 2022 over its volume in 2021 (247.5 million). (R&B/hip-hop is an umbrella genre for Luminate that contains most titles categorized as either R&B and/or rap.)
2022’s second-largest genre, by total album consumption, was rock with 194.7 million units (up 9% from 178.7 million in 2021). Pop music was third, with 123.7 million (up 6.2% from 116.5 million) and country music was fourth, with 75.7 million (up 4.8% from 72.2 million). The Latin genre rounded out the top five with 61.7 million units (up 28.2%) from 48.2 million in 2021.
Latin music had the second-largest percentage gain among Luminate’s core genres, in terms of total album consumption in 2022, rising 28.2%. Notably, Bad Bunny holds the top four Latin albums of 2022 by units earned: Un Verano Sin Ti (3.398 million units), YHLQMDLG (802,000), El Ultimo Tour del Mundo (577,000) and X 100PRE (386,000). Rauw Alejandro’s Vice Versa is 2022’s No. 5 biggest Latin album, with 375,000 units. (Those five albums, in order, are also the five total Latin albums among the year-end all-genre top 200 albums, ranking at Nos. 1, 40, 83, 179 and 186, respectively.)
2022’s second-largest gain among Luminate’s core genres was children’s music, which increased 30% to 13.4 million units in 2022 (up from 10.3 million in 2021). The genre was got a big boost from the massive success of the soundtrack to the Disney animated film Encanto, which finished the year as the No. 6 album overall with 1.839 million units. The set topped the weekly Billboard 200 chart for nine nonconsecutive weeks – the most weeks at No. 1 for any soundtrack since Disney’s own Frozen ruled for 13 nonconsecutive frames in 2014. The Encanto album – which boasts the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” – also racked up 24 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Kid Albums chart (which ranks the most popular children’s albums of the week).
TAYLOR SWIFT’S ‘MIDNIGHTS’ IS 2022’s TOP-SELLING ALBUM: Taylor Swift’s latest studio album Midnights was a monster sales success in the U.S., closing 2022 as the top-selling album of the year with 1.818 million copies sold across all formats (physical and digital combined: CD, vinyl LP, cassette, digital download album). (See the top 10-selling albums of 2022, below.)
With 1.818 million sold in 2022, Midnights is the biggest-selling album of any year since 2017, when Swift’s Reputation sold 1.903 million. Further, an album by Swift has been the year’s top-seller in three of the last four years: Midnights in 2022, Folklore in 2020 and Lover in 2019. (The top-selling album in 2021 was Adele’s 30, with 1.464 million sold.)
Midnights’ sales were bolstered by an array of available versions and variants of the album, including four standard CD editions (each with different cover art, both clean and explicit), four vinyl LP editions (each with a different cover and colored vinyl), a cassette tape and multiple digital iterations (including a “3am Edition” of the set with seven bonus tracks). Target stores also carried an exclusive “Lavender” edition of the album on CD and colored-vinyl, with the CD boasting three bonus tracks.
To further enhance sales, Swift’s official webstore sold signed copies of the four standard CD albums and vinyl LPs during a pre-order window before the album launched. As previously reported when the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, some superfans may have been motivated to purchase all four variants of the album on either CD or vinyl, as the back covers of the albums fit together like a puzzle to display a clock face (a literal reference to Midnights). Swift shared the news through her social media in mid-September, saying: “If you put all the back covers together, she’s a clock. It’s a clock… It makes a clock.” (Swift’s official webstore previously sold hardware to hold the four CDs or the four vinyl LPs together as a wall clock.)
The idea of assembling multiple versions of an album’s back cover (or cover) together to reveal a larger complete image isn’t unique to Swift, as other acts (frequently in the K-pop world) have employed a similar marketing idea.
And, It’s not unusual for many artists to offer collectible variants of a physical album package – from multiple color vinyl editions to collectible CD editions and beyond. (Swift herself has done it for previous releases.) In 2022, acts ranging from Ghost, Ozzy Osbourne and Red Hot Chili Peppers to BLACKPINK, Madonna and Harry Styles all leaned in to the practice of offering multiple iterations of a physical album where usually the only difference is in packaging or the color of a vinyl LP.
Midnights was the only album to sell a million copies in the U.S. in 2022. It’s the fifth year in a row where just one album surpassed 1 million in U.S. sales. In 2021, Adele’s 30 was the only million-seller (1.464 million); in 2020, Swift’s Folklore was tops (1.276 million); in 2019, Swift’s Lover was the lone million-seller (1.085 million), and in 2018 the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman ruled with 1.489 million.
Swift is the only act to have the top-selling album of the year at least six times since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. (Swift also had the top-seller in 2020, 2019, 2017, 2014 and 2009.)
All but two of the year’s top 10-selling albums were aided by their availability on vinyl LP. Of the top 10, BTS’ Proof and TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child were the only titles not available on vinyl (the two K-pop projects were only available as digital download albums and on CD). It’s typical for many K-pop albums to bypass a release on vinyl LP in the U.S.
TOP 10 SELLING ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S. (PHYSICAL & DIGITAL SALES COMBINED)1. Taylor Swift, Midnights (1.818 million)2. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (757,000)3. BTS, Proof (422,000)4. Olivia Rodrigo, Sour (354,000)5. Beyoncé, Renaissance (335,000)6. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (310,000)7. Adele, 30 (296,000)8. Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city (278,000)9. Michael Jackson, Thriller (236,000)10. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child (229,000)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.
Taylor Swift sold the most albums in total among all artists in 2022, with 2.928 million sold across her entire catalog and via all formats (physical and digital combined). Harry Styles was the No. 2 biggest-seller with albums, as he sold 1.068 million in 2022.
U.S. ALBUM SALES DECLINE BY 8.2%: Total U.S. album sales fell by 8.2% in 2022 to 100.09 million (down from 108.98 million in 2021). In 2021, album sales posted their first yearly gain in a decade, when sales increased by 6.3%, thanks partly to the release of her hot-selling 30 in that year (2021’s top-selling album). Album sales have declined in every year from 2012-20, and again in 2022, as fans increasingly adopt streaming services as a means to consume music.
Physical album sales (CD, vinyl LP, cassette, etc.) declined by 3.5% to 79.89 million (down from 82.79 million in 2021).
VINYL CONTINUES TO OUTSELL CDS: For the second year in a row, and only the second year since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991, vinyl albums outsold CD albums. Vinyl continues to be the leading format for album purchases for the second straight year.
Vinyl was the dominant format for album purchases in the U.S. up until the early 1980s. After that, cassettes took hold until the early 1990s, when the CD format blossomed and remained king until 2021.
43.46 million vinyl albums were sold in 2022 (up 4.2% from 41.72 million in 2021). 2022 was the 17th consecutive year vinyl album sales grew in the U.S., and the largest year for vinyl album sales since Luminate began tracking data in 1991. Plus, vinyl LP sales posted their single-largest sales week of the Luminate era when 2.232 million vinyl albums were sold in the week ending Dec. 22.
The top-selling vinyl album of 2022 is Swift’s Midnights, with 945,000 copies sold across all of its vinyl variants and editions (see top 10 list, below). Midnights has the largest yearly sales total for a vinyl album since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. The set also posted the single-largest sales week for a vinyl LP in Luminate history, when it launched with 575,000 copies in its first week.
Eight of the year-end top 10-selling vinyl albums saw their sales enhanced by their availability across multiple variants (including assorted color-vinyl editions). Among the top 10 vinyl sellers, just Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost (No. 6) and Igor (No. 8) were only available in one iteration each.
TOP 10 SELLING VINYL ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S.1. Taylor Swift, Midnights (945,000)2. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (480,000)3. Olivia Rodrigo, Sour (263,000)4. Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city (254,000)5. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (243,000)6. Tyler, the Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost (211,000)7. Taylor Swift, Folklore (174,000)8. Tyler, the Creator, Igor (172,000)9. Michael Jackson, Thriller (168,000)10. The Beatles, Abbey Road (160,000)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.
Swift sold the most vinyl albums among all acts in 2022 in the U.S., with 1.695 million sold across her entire catalog. (She sold more vinyl LPs last year than the next two biggest-sellers on vinyl combined: Styles with 719,000 and The Beatles with 553,000.) Swift loomed so large on vinyl in 2022, one out of every 25 vinyl LPs sold last year in the U.S. was a Swift album (1.695 million of 43.46 million).
Vinyl album sales comprised 43.4% of all album sales in the U.S. in 2022 (43.46 million of 100.09 million). Vinyl LPs accounted for 54.4% of all physical album sold last year (43.46 million of 79.89 million). Both sums are Luminate-era records for vinyl’s share of the album sales market in the U.S.
In 2022 there were a total of 88 albums that sold at least 50,000 copies on vinyl – up from 87 in 2021. To compare, only 56 albums on the CD format sold at least 50,000 copies in 2022 (down from 67 in 2021).
CD SALES FALL, K-POP & COLLECTIBLE SETS BOLSTER TOP-SELLERS: 35.87 million CD albums were sold in 2022 (down 11.6% from 40.59 million in 2021), making it the second-most popular format among consumers who bought albums.
The top-selling album on the CD format in 2022 was Midnights with 640,000 copies sold. Swift sold the most CD albums last year, with 923,000 copies sold across her entire catalog of titles. BTS was the No. 2-seller on CD, with 917,000 copies sold.
Notably, of the year’s top 10-selling CD albums (see list, below), seven are K-pop titles (Nos. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10). K-pop titles sell particularly well on the CD format, as many releases in the genre are issued in collectible CD editions, each usually housed in elaborate packaging with branded paper goods contained inside (sometimes with randomized elements).
There are three non-K-pop titles in the year-end top 10 CD albums ranking: Midnights (No. 1), Harry’s House (No. 4) and Beyoncé’s Renaissance (No. 9). Midnights’ CD sales were bolstered by its availability in multiple collectible editions with different cover art, while Harry’s House was issued in zine-CD and casebook CD editions. All three titles were also available in deluxe boxed sets containing branded T-shirts.
TOP 10 SELLING CD ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S.1. Taylor Swift, Midnights (640,000)2. BTS, Proof (413,000)3. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child (227,000)4. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (219,000)5. Stray Kids, ODDINARY (204,000)6. TWICE, Between 1&2 (199,000)7. Stray Kids, MAXIDENT (177,000)8. ENHYPEN, Manifesto: Day 1 (173,000)9. Beyoncé, Renaissance (163,000)10. NCT 127, 2 Baddies (148,000)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.
Digital album sales were the third-most popular format in 2022 for album purchases, and the category declined by 22.9% in 2022 to 20.2 million (down from 26.17 million in 2021). The top-selling digital album of 2022 was Midnights, with 219,000 sold. Swift was also the top-selling act across digital albums in 2022, with 292,000 download albums sold across her catalog in total. Beyoncé was the second-best selling act in digital album sales in 2022, with 69,000 copies sold.
CASSETTE TAPES SPIN BIG GAIN: In 2022, sales of albums on cassette tape in the U.S. increased by 28% to 440,000 (up from 343,000 in 2021). That’s a robust figure for a format that was mostly non-existent a few years ago, when yearly cassette sales numbered just 74,000 in 2015. Now a niche offering marketed to superfans, cassettes were once the leading format for album purchases in the U.S., from the early 1980s until the early 1990s.
The top-selling album on cassette in 2022 was the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, with 17,000 copies sold. Two more Guardians-related titles dot the top 10 (at Nos. 3 and 6). As actual cassette mixtapes feature prominently in the Guardians’ storyline, it makes sense that a real-world cassette album offering, mirroring those seen in the films and series, could be a solid seller. (The three Guardians tapes that rank in the year-end top 10 have sold, combined, more than 238,000 since their release a number of years ago.)
TOP 10 SELLING CASSETTE ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S.1. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 (17,000)2. Taylor Swift, Midnights (14,000)3. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (13,000)4. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (11,000)5. Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever (8,000)6. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix, Vol. 1 (8,000)7. Nirvana, Bleach (7,000)8. Bo Burnham, Inside (The Songs) (5,000)9. Bad Bunny, YHLQMDLG (5,000)10. Ghost, Impera (5,000)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.
TOTAL STREAMING INCREASES BY 12.2%: Total U.S. on-demand song streams (audio and video combined, inclusive of UGC streams) grew 12.2% to 1.268 trillion in 2022 (up from 1.130 trillion in 2021). Yearly on-demand audio streams (inclusive of UGC) bolted past the 1 trillion mark for the first time, rising 12.2% to 1.108 trillion in 2022 (up from 988.15 billion in 2021).
The R&B/hip-hop genre accounted for the most on-demand streams (audio and video combined, inclusive of UGC) in 2022, among Luminate’s core genres, with 28.6% of the year’s volume (362.77 billion of 1.268 trillion). In 2021, R&B/hip-hop represented a leading 30.1% of volume.
The rock genre had the second-largest share of on-demand song streams (audio and video combined, inclusive of UGC) in 2022, with 16.7% of the volume (210.71 billion of 1.268 trillion). Pop was third with 13.1% (166.65 billion of 1.268 trillion). Latin overtook country as the fourth-largest genre in on-demand streams, with 7.8% of the volume (99.08 billion of 1.268 trillion), while country was in fifth place with 7.3% (92.52 billion of 1.268 trillion). In 2021, Latin had 77.37 billion streams versus country’s 84.26 billion, when they were in fifth and fourth place, respectively.
In terms of year-over-year growth in total on-demand streams (audio and video combined, inclusive of UGC) among Luminate’s core genres, children’s music had the largest percentage increase in 2022, rising 35.5% (to 17.02 billion, up from 12.56 billion in 2021). World music (an umbrella genre which includes, among its many sounds and styles, most K-pop music), had the second-biggest percentage increase, climbing 28.5% (to 26.98 billion, up from 21.01 billion in 2021). Latin had the third-largest gain, spiking 28.1% (to 99.08 billion, up from 77.37 billion in 2021).
Looking just at on-demand audio streams for 2022 (inclusive of UGC), R&B/hip-hop led the way with 28.7% of volume (318.02 billion of 1.108 trillion). Rock (17.1%; 190.82 billion of 1.108 trillion), pop (12.5%; 138.97 billion of 1.108 trillion), country (7.8%; 85.91 billion of 1.108 trillion) and Latin (7.3%; 80.35 billion of 1.108 trillion) were Nos. 2-5 for the year, as they were in 2021.
The genres that saw the largest percentage growth in year-over-year on-demand audio streams (inclusive of UGC) were Latin music (up 31.5% to 80.35 billion; up from 61.12 billion in 2021), children’s music (up 30.6% to 14.43 billion; up from 11.05 billion in 2021) and world music (up 27.5% to 21.8 billion; up from 17.09 billion in 2021).
Note: UGC streams are included in Luminate’s industry streaming on-demand volume numbers and its year-end streaming song charts. UGC streams are not factored into any of Billboard’s weekly charts.
‘BABY’ & STYLES LEAD STREAMS: Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s co-billed smash “Industry Baby” was the most-streamed song of 2022 in the U.S., with 877.25 million on-demand audio and video streams combined (inclusive of UGC). “Industry Baby” garnered a sizable number of streams via user-generated video content. The most-streamed song by on-demand audio streams (inclusive of UGC) was Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” with 609.67 million clicks.
The most-streamed song of 2021 was Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” with 804.71 million on-demand audio and video streams (inclusive of UGC), and it was also the top song by on-demand audio streams (inclusive of UGC) with 626.56 million.
See the top 10 most-streamed songs, below.
TOP 10 MOST STREAMED SONGS OF 2022 IN U.S., ON-DEMAND (AUDIO & VIDEO COMBINED)1. Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow, “Industry Baby” (877.25 million)2. Harry Styles, “As It Was” (763.45 million)3. Glass Animals, “Heat Waves” (758.07 million)4. Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto Cast, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (684.90 million)5. Imagine Dragons X JID, “Enemy” (627.61 million)6. The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay” (622.39 million)7. Kodak Black, “Super Gremlin” (609.88 million)8. Future featuring Drake & Tems, “Wait for U” (602.69 million)9. Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone, “Me Porto Bonito” (565.38 million)10. Bad Bunny, “Titi Me Pregunto” (551.57 million)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022. Includes UGC streams.
TOP 10 MOST STREAMED SONGS OF 2022 IN U.S., ON DEMAND AUDIO1. Harry Styles, “As It Was” (609.67 million)2. Glass Animals, “Heat Waves” (528.73 million)3. Future featuring Drake & Tems, “Wait for U” (507.89 million)4. Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone, “Me Porto Bonito” (471.36 million)5. Kodak Black, “Super Gremlin” (471.15 million)6. Bad Bunny, “Titi Me Pregunto” (451.12 million)7. Jack Harlow, “First Class” (433.93 million)8. Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto Cast, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (421.80 million)9. Steve Lacy, “Bad Habit” (421.09 million)10. Zach Bryan, “Something In the Orange” (406.79 million)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022. Includes UGC streams.
DIGITAL TRACK SALES FALL 25%: For the first time since 2004, no song sold more than 500,000 downloads in a calendar year in the U.S. And, 2022 marked the first year since 2005 that no song sold 1 million.
Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” was the year’s top-selling digital song in 2022, with 436,000 paid downloads. And, total digital track sales declined for a 10th consecutive year, falling 25% in 2022 to 151.90 million sold (down from 202.92 million in 2021).
In 2021, the top-selling digital song was BTS’ “Butter,” with 1.89 million sold.
The last time a year closed without a million-selling digital song was 2005, when Weezer’s “Beverly Hills” was the top-seller with 962,000. The last year without a song surpassing 500,000 was 2004, when Hoobastank’s “The Reason” was the top-selling digital song, with 380,000 sold. (2004 was also the first full year of the iTunes Store, which launched mid-2003.)
TOP 10 SELLING DIGITAL SONGS OF 2022 IN U.S.1. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero” (436,000)2. Lizzo, “About Damn Time” (217,000)3. Latto, “Big Energy” (206,000)4. Elton John & Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart” (202,000)5. Kate Bush, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” (188,000)6. Harry Styles, “As It Was” (183,000)7. Nicki Minaj, “Super Freaky Girl” (172,000)8. Cody Johnson, “Til You Can’t” (145,000)9. Walker Hayes, “AA” (144,000)10. Sia, “Unstoppable” (143,000)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021 through Dec. 29, 2022.
‘IT WAS’ BIG ON THE RADIO: Harry Styles’ “As It Was” rules 2022 as the biggest song on the radio, as it collected 3.001 billion audience impressions across all monitored radio stations. Audience impressions are measured by cross-referencing plays with Nielsen Audio audience data – i.e., a play of a song on a top-rated New York station at 8 a.m. on a Monday has more listeners (audience) than an overnight weekend play in a smaller city.
TOP 10 RADIO SONGS OF 2022 IN U.S. (BASED ON AUDIENCE IMPRESSIONS)1. Harry Styles, “As It Was” (3.001 billion)2. Glass Animals, “Heat Waves” (2.789 billion)3. The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay” (2.779 billion)4. Lizzo, “About Damn Time” (2.344 billion)5. Justin Bieber, “Ghost” (2.325 billion)6. Latto, “Big Energy” (2.205 billion)7. Lil Nas X, “Thats What I Want” (2.064 billion)8. Ed Sheeran, “Bad Habits” (2.060 billion)9. Adele, “Easy On Me” (1.963 billion)10. Jack Harlow, “First Class” (1.859 billion)Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.
Luke Combs notches his 17th top 10 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-powered Hot Country Songs chart, as “Going, Going, Gone” surges from No. 12 to No. 6 on the Jan. 14-dated survey.
Combs co-authored the song with Ray Fulcher and James McNair.
On Country Airplay, “Going” ranks at its No. 11 high, as it increased by 13% to 15.8 million impressions in the tracking week ending Jan. 5, according to Luminate. It also attracted 10.1 million official streams (up 31%) and sold 2,000 downloads (up 6%) in the U.S. in the tracking week.
“Going” marks Combs’ 17th Hot Country Songs top 10 and his first since “The Kind of Love We Make,” which became his fifth No. 1 when it logged its first of four frames atop the list last July. On Country Airplay, “Love” reached No. 2 in September. Prior to that, Combs achieved a record run of 14 straight career-opening No. 1 singles, dating to his debut hit “Hurricane” in 2017.
“Going” is the third single from Combs’ album Growin’ Up, which opened at No. 1 on Top Country Albums in July.
On Jan. 4, Combs took to social media to announce that he’ll release a new (as yet untitled) LP, sporting 18 songs, March 24.
Grimes Gallops to New Best
Luke Grimes, who stars on the popular Paramount TV series Yellowstone as Kayce Dutton, released his debut song, “No Horse to Ride,” Dec. 16. Grimes, who co-penned the track with Tony Lane and Jonathan Singleton, recently signed with Universal Music Group Nashville.
“Horse” was featured in the midseason finale of Yellowstone, which premiered Jan. 1, helping spark a 697% surge to 3,000 downloads sold in the week ending Jan. 5. The track re-enters Country Digital Song Sales at a new No. 7 high, after it debuted at No. 9 last month.
