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Following the release of her Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film, streams and sales of Taylor Swift’s music rose in the Oct. 13-19 tracking week, spurring gains and re-entries for her catalog on the Billboard charts dated Oct. 28.
In all, Swift’s catalog of songs earned 369.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams Oct. 13-19, according to Luminate. That’s a 22% leap from 302.3 million Oct. 6-12.
Additionally, digital song sales of her music jumped 275% from 25,000 downloads to 94,000, while album sales leaped 7% from 51,000 to 55,000.
Leading the way, Lover‘s “Cruel Summer,” which concurrently crowned the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, as previously reported, received 18.6 million streams, up 35%. That said, the song was assisted by a push to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100 for the first time, with streams and sales boosted by a pair of newly released versions of the track on Oct. 19 — a live edition from the Eras Tour and a remix from LP Giobbi.
The next largest is “Anti-Hero,” from 2022’s Midnights, which jumped 12% to 9.6 million streams. “Blank Space,” from 2014’s 1989, places third at 7.8 million streams, up 18%.
The cross-catalog gains thanks to the film spur appearances from Swift material on a variety of genre-specific Billboard charts. Gains for the Folklore and Evermore tracks “Cardigan,” “August,” “Willow” and “Champagne Problems” even drive all four songs onto the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs tally, where older songs are able to re-enter if in the top 25 of chart points and with a meaningful reason for their re-entry. “Cardigan” paces the group at No. 12 thanks to 5.7 million streams, a gain of 17%.
All four songs also appear on Alternative Streaming Songs, led by “Cardigan,” which lifts 11-8.
Additionally, “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” taken from 2021’s Red (Taylor’s Version), returns to Hot Country Songs at No. 19 via 5.8 million streams, a 27% boost. It’s also found at No. 20 on Country Streaming Songs.
A pair of Swift albums appear in the top 10 of the Billboard 200: Lover, at No. 8 (52,000 equivalent album units, up 36%) and Midnights (No. 9, 51,000 units, up 20%). Three more in Folklore (No. 14, 38,000 units, up 20%), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (No. 18, 32,000 units, up 13%) and 1989 (No. 19, 32,000 units, up 17%) also make the top 20, with Reputation just outside the top 20 (No. 21, 31,000 units, up 29%).
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which chronicles her popular (and ongoing) concert tour of the same name, was released in theaters on Oct. 13. After starting March 17 in Glendale, Ariz., the tour is currently scheduled to continue through Nov. 23 in Toronto, with much of its 2024 trek taking place outside of the United States.
Taylor Swift may be one of the most prolific songwriters of our time, but for one of Grimes‘ songs, she actually serves as the muse.
In a Tuesday (Oct. 24) conversation with K-Pop girl group Aespa hosted by Rolling Stone in celebration of both acts’ love of tech innovation, Grimes revealed that her song “California” was made with the “Anti-Hero” singer in mind. “‘California,’ I think I was just doing Taylor Swift cosplay,” the musician said of the track, which came out in 2015 as part of her album Art Angels.
“But it’s also vaguely about how the media is obsessed with portraying you as this troubled soul or something,” Grimes added. “I don’t know if you guys get that the same way in your media.”
“Oh, we definitely get that,” agreed Aespa’s Giselle, adding to bandmates Karina, Winter and Ningning in Korean, “Like how the media tries to portray us badly, scandals, things like that.”
The lyrics on “California” reflect the pressures of public scrutiny and exploitation, themes Swift herself has sung about on songs such as “Nothing New” and “Lucky One.” “‘Cause I get carried away/ Commodifying all the pain,” Grimes sings on the track. “Bad things they see in me, I cannot see myself/ When you get bored of me, I’ll be back on the shelf.”
The “Oblivion” artist’s revelation comes shortly after she endorsed the idea of a Swift presidential bid on Twitter, writing, “In many ways Taylor Swift is the only presidential candidate who can unite the country.” She added at the time, “Trump v Swift is totally occurring in a parallel universe rn.”
Swift has never hinted at being interested in running for President of the United States, not that she’s even old enough to do so. Grimes, however, isn’t the only person who’s taken to the idea. The View‘s Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former communications staffer for Trump, recently said that the “Karma” pop star is “probably the only person” who could defeat Trump “once and for all.”
Doja Cat just brought Scarlet to BBC Radio 1. The latest artist to stop by the Live Lounge, Doja performed two tracks off her new album, Scarlet, as well as a sultry cover of Hiatus Kaiyote’s “Red Room.” For both “Red Room” and her own red-themed track, Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “Paint the […]
It’s been more than six decades since The Beatles started their iconic journey as a band with their debut UK single “Love Me Do” — and now, in 2023, the surviving members are releasing the group’s final song together.
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“Now and Then” will arrive on Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT from Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe, and it marks the last song written by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. McCartney and Starr finished the song together, more than 40 years after its inception.
The double A-side single also includes a sweet full-circle moment, as its paired with “Love Me Do,” featuring the original cover art shot by Ed Ruscha. Both songs have been mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos.
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Additionally, a 12-minute Now and Then — The Last Beatles Song documentary film will arrive on Nov. 1. The Oliver Murray-writen doc will tell the story behind the track and will feature exclusive footage and commentary from McCartney, Starr and Harrison, as well as Sean Ono Lennon Get Back director and Peter Jackson. Watch the trailer below.
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“Now and Then” begins in the late 1970s, when John recorded a demo with vocals and piano at his home in New York’s Dakota Building. In 1994, his wife, Yoko Ono Lennon, gave the recording to Paul, George and Ringo, along with John’s demos for “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” In 2022, Paul and Ringo set out to complete “Now and Then.” In addition to John’s vocal, the song includes electric and acoustic guitar recorded in 1995 by Harrison; Starr’s new drum part; and bass, guitar and piano from McCartney, who also added a slide guitar solo inspired by George.
“It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room, so it was very emotional for all of us. It was like John was there, you know. It’s far out,” Starr said of the process in a press statement, with McCartney adding, “It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing.”
And that’s not all: On Nov. 10, The Beatles’ 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album) collections will be released in 2023 Edition packages by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. Both collections’ track lists have been expanded, with all the songs mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos and new 4CD and 180-gram 6LP vinyl collections that pair Red and Blue in slipcased sets. The UK single version of “Love Me Do” now kicks off 1962-1966 (2023 Edition) and “Now and Then” is featured on 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) to complete the career-spanning collections.
Preorder and pre-save 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (2023 Editions) here.
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What better way to celebrate Halloween than dressing up in your most “Unholy” outfit? On Thursday morning (Oct. 26) Sam Smith posted a video encouraging Australian fans to do their unholy worst for their Oct. 31 gig at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena. “I’m so excited for Melbourne show because it’s Halloween and we’re gonna have […]
Kim Kardashian has conquered the worlds of TV and fashion, so why not pop music? During the latest episode of The Kardashians, the de facto lead singer of the No. 1 reality TV supergroup revealed that she’d once dressed up as a member of the Spice Girls for a school talent show. She was, “Victoria. […]
As a member of One Direction and solo artist, Louis Tomlinson has seen more tears and wailing than a veteran midwife. Sometimes, that hysteria shifts into overdrive, with gripping, shirt-ripping and knocks to the body.
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The British pop singer is used to wearing bruises as badges, the result of close encounters with overeager fans, he tells Australia’s commercial radio network Nova.
Leaning into the pit, “it’s by far my favorite part of the show,” he shares with Nova host Smallzy. “The minute you walk out to stage you feel that adrenaline. But literally the closer you get to the crowd, the more of that adrenaline you feel and by the end of the show, yeah I get down in the pit and just kind of immerse myself. And that feeling is absolutely amazing.”
There’s a line, he admits. And it’s sometimes crossed. “I kind of like getting in there and it feeling a little bit rough. I like that. That’s part of it. When they start ripping the clothes off me, it gets a little bit on top, you know? But yeah, is what it is.”
Zooming in from a rainy Berlin, one stop on his current European tour, Tomlinson reveals he’s “got a fat bruise on the back of the arm from the from the other night,” all because “some girl got me in the grip.”
Tomlinson also discusses his star turn in the feature-length documentary, All of Those Voices, which dropped on Paramount + earlier this month. There’s times in the life of a pop star “when it’s been incredibly liberating and times when it’s been tough as well. I’m hoping it gives an honest portrayal of that,” he explains. Was anything cut from the final edit? “Maybe some bad banter or shit jokes,” he quips.
The former 1D star also answers a smattering of fan questions — does he read DMs from randoms (occasionally), will there be a live album or new rock version of “Back to You” (no comment, but he does hint at something in the works), and the song he’s most proud of (“Saturdays.” There’s “something about it live, it feels special”).
Tomlinson’s tour reaches home soil next month for a run of U.K. and Ireland arena shows, in support of Faith In The Future, his second solo album.
Faith In The Future debuted at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart last November, for his first solo leader and fifth including his work as a member of One Direction. In the United States, Faith In The Future debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales, and at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200, his highest-charting set yet on both tallies.
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen proved once again that they’re couple goals, when the Sports Illustrated model took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday night (Oct. 24) to share a sweet moment in which her husband serenaded her. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the short […]
The Kid LAROI is gearing up to release his new album, The First Time, and the star sat down with Audacy Check In to discuss his recently released collaboration with Jung Kook and Central Cee, “Too Much.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “This one just felt so […]
The NFL has become NFL (Taylor’s Version) in the past month, as Taylor Swift continues to make appearances at Kansas City Chiefs games to cheer on her rumored boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news As Swift continues to take the NFL world by storm, […]