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Taylor Swift had lots to celebrate on May 30, when the megastar announced that she had officially acquired the masters of her first six albums from private equity firm Shamrock Capital, along with videos, concert films, art and other unreleased content. The firm had acquired the catalog in late 2020 from Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, after Braun had bought Swift’s old label Big Machine Records the year before.
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The purchase marked the end of a six-year kerfuffle that resulted in Swift’s Taylor’s Version project, where she re-recorded four of her first six albums that she recorded for Big Machine. After announcing her big purchase — which Billboard estimated cost about what Shamrock initially paid in late 2020, around $360 million — Swifties were quick to buy and stream her music, resulting in a big Billboard chart week.
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Let’s break down the impact of Swift’s announcement, by the numbers (on the latest charts dated June 14 — reflecting activity May 30-June 5, the first full week after the news of the deal).
54,000
Swift’s albums catalog sold a combined 54,000 copies in the U.S. in the tracking week, up 235% from the week before, according to Luminate. This includes each of her albums, re-recordings and all. That 54,000 is the most among all artists this week.
The biggest seller in her catalog was her sixth studio LP and final Big Machine project, 2017’s Reputation, which sold 15,000 copies alone (up 1,183% week-over-week). The album is one of two (along with her 2006 debut, Taylor Swift) that the singer hasn’t re-recorded and released yet. In the letter on her website, she wrote, “Full transparency: I haven’t even re-recorded a quarter of it.” She left fans hopeful though, adding, “There will be a time (if you’re into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch.” The gains for reputation help the album rank at No. 4 on the Top Album Sales chart and No. 10 on Top Streaming Albums, and surge 78-5 on the Billboard 200 (marking its highest placement since January 2018).
The second-biggest seller was Taylor Swift, which she wrote she has finished re-recording but didn’t announce a release date yet. That album sold 8,000 copies (up 955%) and ranks at No. 6 on the Top Album Sales chart. The set also re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 64, marking its highest rank since 2010.
222 million
Swift’s catalog raked in a combined 222 million official U.S. streams in the week following her announcement, up 32% from the week prior.
“Cruel Summer” was her most-streamed song of the week, tallying 5.4 million U.S. streams (up 6%). Her next four-highest-streamed songs are from Reputation: “…Ready for It” (3.8 million; up 70%), “Delicate” (3.8 million; up 76%), “Look What You Made Me Do” (3.6 million; up 70%) and “Don’t Blame Me” (3.4 million; up 84%).
Those 222 million streams in the U.S. are the second-most among all artists this week, following Morgan Wallen. The country star, who just dropped his latest album, I’m the Problem on May 16, raked in 379 million streams.
11
Swift charts 11 albums on the latest Billboard 200, tying her career weekly best. Here’s a look, with re-entries noted:
No. 5, ReputationNo. 18, The Tortured Poets DepartmentNo. 30, LoverNo. 50, MidnightsNo. 52, FolkloreNo. 61, 1989 (Taylor’s Version)No. 64, Taylor Swift (re-entry)No. 73, 1989 (re-entry)No. 147, Red (Taylor’s Version)No. 170, Speak Now (re-entry)No. 185, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (re-entry)
This is the 31st total week that Swift has charted 11 albums simultaneously. The only artists to chart more in a single week — since the list was combined from its previously separate mono and stereo album charts into one all-encompassing ranking in August 1963 — are Prince (who charted 19 albums after he died in 2016, plus 13 the week after that) and the Beatles (14 albums simultaneously for a week in 2010 and 13 during a week in 2014).
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remains the biggest song in the world, as it scores a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and a fourth week atop Billboard Global Excl. U.S.
Meanwhile, two songs are new to the Global 200’s top 10: MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng and Shenseea’s “Shake It to the Max (Fly)” bounds 12-6 and Tate McRae’s “Just Keep Watching,” from the forthcoming film F1, races onto the chart at No. 8.
The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.
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Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
“Ordinary” leads the Global 200 with 70.2 million streams (essentially even week-over-week) and 12,000 sold (down 10%) worldwide May 30-June 5.
The rest of the Global 200’s top five is likewise static, with Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” at No. 2, after 18 weeks at No. 1 starting last September (second only to the 19 weeks at No. 1 for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” since the chart began); ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” at No. 3, after 12 weeks at No. 1 starting in November; Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” at No. 4, following three weeks at No. 1 last August; and Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” at No, 5 after seven weeks on top starting in February 2024.
MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng and Shenseea’s “Shake It to the Max (Fly)” surges 12-6 on the Global 200 with 44.1 million streams (up 15%) and 3,000 sold (up 42%) worldwide. The first top 10 on the chart for each artist leads the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a fifth week.
Tate McRae’s “Just Keep Watching” speeds onto the Global 200 at No. 8 with 33.8 million streams and 2,000 sold following its May 30 release. Her third top 10 is from the Brad Pitt-starring film F1, premiering internationally June 25 and in North American theaters June 27, the same date as its soundtrack. (The song marks McRae’s latest vehicle-related … vehicle; her “Sports Car” revved to the chart’s top 20 in February.)
“Ordinary” commands Global Excl. U.S. with 50.6 million streams (down 1%) and 5,000 sold (down 5%) outside the U.S.
“Die With a Smile” is steady at No. 2 after 17 weeks atop Global Excl. U.S. starting last September. Only “APT.,” which holds at No. 3, has led longer: 19 weeks, beginning in November. “Birds of a Feather” ascends 5-4, following three weeks at No. 1 last August, and “Shake It to the Max (Fly)” shimmies 10-5, a week after it became each act’s first top 10 on the ranking.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated June 14, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, June 10. For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
“Weird Al” Yankovic has amassed countless fans over the decades, including some of the artists he’s spoofed. And in the musical parody pioneer’s new Billboard cover story published Monday (June 9), Don McLean shared that he thinks Yankovic’s take on one of his classic hits is even better than his.
Speaking to executive editor Rebecca Milzoff, the folk-rock legend praised “The Saga Begins,” Yankovic’s iconic take on “American Pie,” in which he hilariously describes the plot of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. “When I heard his version, I thought it was better than the original,” McLean said.
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“The sound quality was superb,” McLean continued, adding that he sees Yankovic as a “straight-ahead good boy” who “could be on Leave It to Beaver.”
Though it didn’t exactly match the commercial success of “American Pie” — which for many years was the longest song to top the Billboard Hot 100, before Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” dethroned it in 2021 — “The Saga Begins” is one of Yankovic’s best-loved creations. It appeared on his 1999 album, Running With Scissors.
“Oh my, my this here Anakin guy/ Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry,” Yankovic sings on the track from the perspective of Obi-Wan Kenobi. “He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye/ Sayin’, ‘Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi.’”
The quality of Yankovic’s vision for an “American Pie” spoof was such that McLean gave him rare permission to remake it. McLean was one of several musicians who praised the oddball hitmaker for Billboard, with Clairo and Lin-Manuel Miranda also sharing thoughts on how they both look up to Yankovic.
“Growing up with his videos was a massive thing in my generation,” the “Bags” singer told Milzoff. “Back when YouTube was really simple, it really hit home for us in middle school to watch his parodies. He always knew how to draw people in.”
“When I was a kid, I used to fantasize about being the next Weird Al, like it’s a position he applied for and got,” added the Hamilton creator. “And then you grow up and realize, ‘Oh, there’s only one of that guy.’ We’re not going to see another Weird Al.”
See Yankovic on the cover of Billboard below.
When you have a cerebral rap savant like Kendrick Lamar in your Rolodex, who wouldn’t take advantage of that? Ray Vaughn revealed that he sought out Kendrick’s guidance on certain tracks during his battle with Joey Bada$$.
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The Top Dawg Entertainment rapper stopped by The Bootleg Kev Podcast on Friday (June 6), where he opened up about what advice he received from Lamar.
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“I can call him,” he said of Lamar. “I’m on the phone when I’m going at Joey [Bada$$], ‘Ay, do you f–k with this?’ I always get feedback. It still got a protocol.”
Vaughn said some of the advice he got from Lamar was that less is more at times, as K.Dot suggested he remove ad-libs from tracks.
“If anything, it’s take something out. Like ad-libs, take some ad-libs about,” he continued. “Or if it’s not, it didn’t come out… It’s still the way we run TDE, it’s still the same thing. You’ve got to go down the line. When they post it, it’s going on TDE’s page. N—a, you speaking and it’s coming from our side, come correct.”
The Long Beach rapper also confirmed that he received advice from TDE’s Ab-Soul, but stated that he “couldn’t go too far” due to the nature of Soul’s relationship with Joey.
Joey Bada$$ continued to bait Kendrick Lamar by taking swipes at the Compton MC, but Lamar never ended up issuing an official response.
After a series of jabs earlier this year, Ray Vaughn lit the fuse with his “Justin Credible Freestyle” in May, which sparked over a dozen diss tracks being heaved back-and-forth with drops from Bada$$, Daylyt, Ray Vaughn, Reason, Az Chike, Kai Ca$h and even Ab-Soul and YG.
Vaughn contributed plenty of fuel to the fire with “Crashout Heritage,” “Impossible Patty,” “Hoe Era” and “Golden Eye.”
He clarified to Bootleg Kev that there’s “no real beef” with Joey and claimed, “It’s good for the sport.” “We got all the podcasters [and] hip-hop media talking about hip-hop. Not who’s texting who, not who’s f—ing who,” he added. “We pushed hip-hop to the forefront again.”
Watch Ray Vaughn speak about Kendrick Lamar below.
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” adds a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a week after it became the singer-songwriter’s first leader on the list. Warren co-wrote “Ordinary” with Mags Duval, Cal Shapiro and Adam Yaron, who solely produced it. As reported on Billboard’s new Substack channel, Duval, celebrated the song topping the […]
Doja Cat, Tems and J Balvin will headline the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup Final Halftime Show, with the sports organization and Global Citizen announcing Monday (June 9) that the three musicians will take the stage for one of the most-watched sporting events on Earth. This year’s final will take place July 13 at MetLife […]
Just one day before the 2025 BET Awards are set to take over Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on Monday night (June 9), a slew of the most prolific songwriters and producers across R&B and hip-hop convened at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons for the 2025 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards on Sunday (June 8).
Decked out in a floor-length, figure-hugging brown dress, Cardi B graciously accepted the Voice of the Culture Award as her fellow songwriters and artists looked on.
“My voice has always been a reflection of what I live and what I’m living, which I feel is a true reflection of the people, the culture, my friends, my family, and the environment that I grew up in,” the Grammy-winning rapper said while accepting her “big girl” award from ASCAP executive vice president & head of creative membership, Nicole George-Middleton. “I like to put that in my music — my joys, my pains, my drama, everything.”
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With Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers like “Bodak Yellow,” “I Like It,” “WAP” and “Up,” to her name, Cardi B has helped keep female rap at the top of the Billboard charts ever since she first broke through in 2017. Her resounding commercial success and cultural impact make her a natural successor to Usher, who received the same award last year. The Voice of the Culture Award is presented to ASCAP members who have had a major influence on music and culture, recognizing their success as creators and changemakers. Additional past recipients of the award include Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, D-Nice and T.I.
“I hate the idea that if you don’t write every line on your own, it makes what you have to say not real. Music is a collaboration, it has always been. The biggest hits [and] the greatest records come from teamwork,” Cardi continued. “They come from sharing experiences, energy, pain and joy. It’s not about ego, it’s about impact. I write, I co-write, I rewrite. I speak to what’s true to me. My pen, my mind and my feelings are in every verse and in every hook. I respect every writer who brings their magic to the table. This award is not just for me, it’s for the culture.”
Cardi, who also picked up an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award for her 2024 Hot 100 top 10 hit “Enough (Miami),” made history in 2020 as the first woman to receive the esteemed ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year Award two years in a row. She has earned eight ASCAP Pop Music Awards and 23 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. At Monday night’s BET Awards, Cardi will be vying for her third consecutive win for best female hip-hop artist, which would mark her first victory in that category this decade. Last week, the rapper dominated headlines after making her relationship with New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs Instagram-official.
Kendrick Lamar’s cultural juggernaut “Not Like Us” was named ASCAP R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Song of the Year. Co-written by Mustard, the searing Drake diss spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, swept all five of its Grammy nominations, and became the first-ever rap song to spend 52 consecutive weeks on Billboard’s marquee singles chart.
Lamar leads this year’s BET Awards with 10 nominations, including album of the year (GNX), video of the year (“Not Like Us”) and best male hip-hop artist.
Swiss songwriter OZ earned this year’s ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year honor, commemorating his contributions to hits like Drake and J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter,” Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” and Travis Scott’s “I Know?” Cece Winans’ “That’s My King,” co-written by Taylor Agan and Kellie Besch, earned the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Gospel Song of the Year title, and Sony Music Publishing was named ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Publisher of the Year.
Some of Sony’s biggest 2024 hits included Hot 100 chart-toppers like Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” as well as year-defining tracks like Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby,” SZA’s “Saturn,” Sexyy Red’s “Get It Sexyy,” Muni Long’s “Made for Me,” Chris Brown’s “Residuals” and “Sensational,” Lil Baby and Central Cee’s “Band4Band,” Cardi B’s “Enough” and GloRilla’s “Yeah Glo!”
Additional 2025 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award-winning songwriters include 21 Savage (“Prove It,” “Redrum,” “Surround Sound”), Offset (“Worth It”), Lil Uzi Vert (“Everybody”), Tee Grizzley (“IDGAF”), Playboi Carti (“Carnival,” “FE!N,” “Timeless”), Tasha Cobbs Leonard (“In the Room”), and Tye Tribbett (“Only One Night Tho”).
The ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed songs of the past year based on Luminate data for terrestrial and satellite radio and streaming services, as specified by the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards rules.
Sometimes all you need is a song — but a little support from Oprah Winfrey and Adam Lambert doesn’t hurt, either. Cynthia Erivo opened the 2025 Tony Awards on Sunday night (June 8) with a show-stopping number featuring epic cameos from both the talk show legend and American Idol alum. Just before taking the stage […]
Silvestre Dangond and Emilia’s “Vestido Rojo” slides into an 8-1 climb, to rule Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart dated June 14. The coronation on the overall Latin radio tally follows a 39% surge in audience impressions in the United States, which translates to 8.3 million, during the May 29-June 5 tracking week, according to Luminate. It’s the third No. 1 for Dangond and second for Emilia.
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“Vestido Rojo” was released Feb. 6 on Sony Music Latin. It lands at the summit in its eighth week on the chart, and after three weeks in the top 10. Three Univision radio stations become the single’s main supporters. San Jose, Calif’s KVVF-FM registered the biggest gain in the period, with Phoenix’s KQMR-FM and Houston’s KAMA-FM landing in second and third place, respectively.
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Thanks to the 8.3 million radio haul, “Vestido Rojo” marks Dangond’s return to the top of the ranking in over six years. He last secured a No. 1 through another female team-up: “Justicia,” with Natti Natasha, ruled for one week in November 2018. Among other placements, his first No. 1, “Cásate Conmigo,” with Nicky Jam, reached No. 1 that same year, in February 2018.
For Emilia, before ‘Vestido Rojo” unlocked the penthouse, the Argentinian singer earned her first chart-topper on Latin Airplay with “Perdonarte Para Qué?” with Los Ángeles Azules, in July 2024. The song earned the family group its first coronation after nine top 10s.
“Vestido Rojo” also dresses up the top spot on Tropical Airplay, where Emilia achieves her first No. 1 through her first chart appearance on the list. Dangond, meanwhile, secures his third chart-topper onnTropical Airplay, likewise, his first since 2018, when “Cásate Conmigo,” with Nicky Jam, monopolized the top slot for eight consecutive weeks.
Beyond its Latin Airplay and Tropical Airplay coronations, “Vestido Rojo” rises to a new peak on the multi-metric Hot Tropical Songs chart, climbing 9-4.
All charts (dated June 14, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, June 10. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Lola Young and Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall will collect prestigious awards from ASCAP at a ceremony in London next Tuesday (June 17).
The “Messy” hitmaker will be awarded the Vanguard Award which recognises an artist whose “innovative work is helping to shape the future of music,” and follows Young’s success at the Ivor Novello Awards in May in the Rising Star Category.
First released in May 2024, “Messy” enjoyed a month-long stay at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart earlier this year, and peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also topped the Pop Airplay and the Rock & Alternative Airplay charts. Later this month, Young will perform at Glastonbury Festival.
Simply Red’s Hucknall will also be celebrated at the ASCAP London Music Awards with the Golden Note Award which recognizes his songwriting catalog over the past 40 years as the lead singer and songwriter in Simply Red as well as in his solo career.
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The group released their debut LP, Picture Book, in 1985 and the band boasts five U.K. No. 1 LPs, and two of their songs – “Holding Back the Years” (1986) and “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” (1989) – hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2025, Simply Red embarked on a 40th anniversary tour through the U.K., Europe and South America.
”Mick Hucknall has made an indelible mark on a generation with his impassioned vocals and classic songwriting,” said songwriting great and ASCAP chairman of the board and president Paul Williams. “His singular mix of soul, funk and pop sounds made him a master of blue-eyed soul. We are thrilled to present him with the ASCAP Golden Note Award.”
The Golden Note Award has not been handed out since 2016 when Duran Duran were chosen for the prize. Other previous recipients include George Michael, Elton John, Blondie, Usher, Lionel Richie, Jay-Z and Stevie Wonder.
ASCAP will celebrate both Young and Hucknall at a private event in London on June 17, with U.K. songwriters honored in categories such as song of the year, top streaming song, top hot dance/ electronic song and more.
