- Every American Idol needs to know how to rock bizarre outfits.
- Leave it to Amanda Palmer to pull off getting arrested in Amsterdam.
- Tupac lives!!!
- We can’t wait for the video to come out with Common and Obama freestyling.
- It’s a teenage dream come true.
- Lil Wayne will be the first ever hip hop artist to “unplug.”
- Mos Def vs. Dexter.
- Festivals are just getting so damn creative.
- So sneaky, Facebook!
- Pete Doherty catches a break in court. For once.
- No shit.
- So is Britney Spears crazy or what?
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Thursday, May 12, 2011
The Songwriters You Didn’t Know You Loved! (Or Hated!)
Black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow. Or maybe it feels like I’m living a teenage dream. Does this all make you want to Party in the USA? I’m sure you guys all recognize what we’re doing here. You all know who sung these songs, right? Not a trick question, folks. These ubquitous mega-hits are cultural shorthand and are part of our shared experience. That’s one of the beautiful things about music. But let’s not let things get too heavy. What do all these songs have in common (outside of being mildly-to-pretty annoying)?
You probably don’t know exactly who wrote them. “Wait,” you ask, “I mean, didn’t Wiz write “Black & Yellow”?” Are you saying Miley Cyrus isn’t the lyrical genius I thought she was?” Sorry guys, we didn’t mean to burst whatever bubble you may have had. Of course, there are a lot of singer-songwriters, even in the pop world. That said, more often than not most of the credit has to go to the co-writers—the people in the liner notes you don’t read with names you don’t recognize. Inspired by the recent ASCAP Pop Music Awards, we’re going to try to rectify that a bit by shedding a light on some of the unknown composers of the songs that you love and the songs you hate. This one’s for the collaborators.
The Smeezingtons
These guys haven’t been around for very long and their name makes them sound more like your uncle’s garage band. However, their track record is solid to say the least. Consisting of producers/writers Phillip Lawrence, Ari Levine and crooner Bruno Mars, you can thank The Smeez for the later member’s career. Scoring their first big hit co-producing “Right Round” by Flo Rida in 2009—which gave Ke$ha her first big break to boot—the group has been on a tear ever since. Not even counting all of the major singles Bruno Mars is either the solo or featured performer on, they also helped write and produce this song for Cee-Lo Green.
And that helps us forgive them for whatever pop transgressions they may have been responsible for before.
StarGate
Do the names Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel Storleer Eriksen ring a bell? Probably not, though these old pros have been in the music making game for years. This production duo started out with work on prominent European artists as though you couldn’t have guessed from looking at their names. They were producing hits for S Club 7 in the late ’90s and were active in the UK pop scene in the early aughts. But starting in 2005 Tor and Mikkel decided to try their hand at the scene stateside and the pair initially made a big splash ’06 with Ne-Yo‘s “So Sick”. StarGate’s relationship with Ne-Yo has been fruitful to say the least as they later co-wrote Beyoncé‘s uber-smash “Irreplaceable” with the singer and fellow production team Espionage. Wait wait, how does that one go again?
Dr. Luke and Max Martin
While not an official duo in the traditional sense, these frequent collaborators have had a lot of success together. A LOT. In fact they both shared the award for Songwriter of the Year at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards this past April.
Martin lived it up in the late 90s boy-band/pop boom but was laying low in the early aughts until he encountered Lukasz Gottwald at a house party in Manhattan. The two quickly formed a professional relationship just in time to help co-write and produce for a young, freshly-minted singer by the name of Kelly Clarkson. The two resulting singles, “Since U Been Gone” and “Behind These Hazel Eyes” helped push Clarkson’s debut Breakaway to platinum status six times over. The two have been #WINNING ever since; cranking out hits in collaboration and solo, working for a litany of top artists including P!nk, Backstreet Boys, Daughtry, Ke$ha (pictured above) and Britney Spears. And back to the present day where a string of recent hits including “California Gurls” by Katy Perry and “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz netted Luke and Martin Songwriters of the Year. Not too shabby gentlemen.
Sound And Vision: United They Stand (And Sell Out) — Superstars On Tour Together
It official: U2 is the biggest music act on the planet! The band might not go multi-platinum like it used to, and there’s been no blockbuster single since George Bush the elder was in office, but Bono and the boys just bagged some brand-new bragging rights. In early April, the group’s 360° world tour surpassed the Rolling Stones‘ 2005-2007 A Bigger Bang tour to become the biggest money-making road trip of all time. By the time the Live Nation-backed trek—which U2 launched in 2009 to support the No Line on the Horizon album—concludes in July, it will have pulled in a projected $700 million in ticket sales.
Of course, U2 didn’t do it alone. If a GRAMMY were awarded for Best Supporting Act, Muse— who opened for many of U2′s 360° dates, including the ones in Brazil that broke the Stones’ record— would have an excellent shot. (Jay-Z did the honors in Australia and New Zealand, while the Black Eyed Peas chipped in on some US and Canada dates.) Here’s a platinum-level UK band whose slow and steady trajectory in the US has been thrust further upward by key slots on the soundtracks to the Twilight films and frontman Matthew Bellamy’s romance with Kate Hudson, with whom he’s expecting a baby. Muse could sell out big venues on its own (and did, even before U2, Hudson or Twilight entered the picture), but with the group playing warm-up act for U2, it seems almost inevitable that major records would be broken.Two superstar acts for the price of one ticket: It’s a brilliant idea that’s spreading fast. With the international economy in shambles, and so much competition on the road, the biggest stars need to offer fans more than just the greatest show on earth to guarantee blockbuster box-office business. That’s where A-list opening acts come in. U2 could sell out stadiums and arenas solo, but why not hedge its bets by bringing in big-name support to pull some of the weight?
In previous decades, most big stars wouldn’t have been caught dead with an opening act that could possibly upstage them. They usually hit the road with bubbling-under, up-and-comers, safeguarding their own star billing while, by default, helping the upstarts bring their music to the masses. But with ticket sales skyrocketing closer to four-digit figures (U2′s $250 top-tier ticket price is practically a bargain), sometimes you need more than a name and a collection of hits to lure fans. Simply put, on their own, few superstars have the drawing power of Charlie Sheen anymore. It takes two (bankable draws) to make a gig go right.
These days the relationship between headliners and opening acts (or co-headliners) is far more symbiotic. Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks co-headlined—and sold out—the thirteen-city Heart & Soul North American tour in March and April, though she who goes on first (sorry, Stevie) is technically the opening act. Eighties teen queens Debbie Gibson and Tiffany just announced their own co-headlining summer tour (at press time, there wasn’t any word on who’d be opening), and Sade will bring fellow platinum-level GRAMMY winner John Legend along for the ride when her world tour arrives in North America on June 16 in Baltimore, Maryland. Though there is some fan overlap in all three cases, Nicks and Legend will be contributing to the financial potential of their tickets in a much larger way than your traditional opening act.
Meanwhile in the world of pop, Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj just signed a pact for Minaj to open dates on Spears’s upcoming Femme Fatale North American tour, which also launches on June 16, but in Sacramento, California. The unlikely alliance between a superstar and an up-and-comer who, at the moment, is probably just as hot, will benefit the headliner as much as the opening act. It will expose Minaj to pop fans who might otherwise know her only from her cameos on other people’s records, and it will give Spears a little bit of something that has eluded her for her entire career: street cred. It’s probably an even more winning combination than Spears and Enrique Iglesias, who had been in talks to open the tour before Minaj got onboard.
Over in the UK, Take That snagged Pet Shop Boys as the opening act on the Progress Live 2011 Tour, set to hit the road in May, despite the fact that the two acts ruled in different decades. (Fun fact: Newly returned Take That member Robbie Williams and PSB collaborated on “She’s Madonna” and “We’re the Pet Shop Boys,” two tracks from the former’s 2006 Rudebox album, and Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant sang on Williams’ early solo hit “No Regrets.”) Once again, though, the effect will be reciprocal. Pet Shop Boys will attract gays and the ’80s-obsessed, while Take That will pull in gays and children of the ’90s.Combine and conquer! It’s a concept that for years has worked for annual multi-artist tours like Ozzfest and Lollapalooza, yearly one-off festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury that touch down in the US and UK as well as the ones that regularly land in places like Argentina and Australia, and double-bills featuring reuinted ’80s icons. Fans will hand over the cash if you give them hours of entertainment featuring a smorgasbord of talent. This, however, might be the first time we’ve seen so many superstar acts settling for the opening slot, and it’s likely just the beginning. Can Ke$ha as the appetizer for Spears’s main course in Europe and beyond be far behind?
Soundcheck: Don’t Call It A Comeback
While there’s always one or two artists trying to get back into the limelight each year, frantically attempting to revive their once vibrant careers; few succeed. This year, however, the hip hop scene is flooded with one-time favorites who seem poised for positive reception. Check out the list of this year’s biggest, weirdest and most exciting comebacks, as well as some old favorites we’ll be rooting for.
Nelly: After his 2008 release, Brass Knuckles failed to make a big splash, Nelly released his long-delayed album, 5.0 in November. Singles, “Just a Dream” and “Move That Body” have been in heavy radio rotation for months, and his most recent release, “Gone” with Kelly Rowland is reminding everyone just how much they used to love the Midwest’s golden boy.
Bow Wow: At age 24, Bow Wow’s been at this game for years and enjoyed unparalleled success. Now, he’s re-branded himself with a new look, new sound and new label, signing up with Young Money Records in August. His single, “Ain’t Thinkin’ Bout You” featuring Chris Brown is one of his best in years, and his upcoming release, Underrated promises to show us a new side of the one we’ve raised from a pup.
Eve: It has been nine years since Philly rapper, EVE released a solo project, but it looks like this just may be her year. She is currently featured on singles with Jill Scott, Swiss Beatz and Alicia Keys, and recently told fans to keep an ear out for a “big record” she recorded with fellow Ruff Ryder alum, Swiss, called “Mama In The Kitchen”. Fingers crossed for a green-lit release date, we expect big things from her upcoming fourth album, Lip Lock.
Dr. Dre: After ten years of rumors and speculation, Dr. Dre made his triumphant return to the mic this year at The GRAMMY Awards. While his album, Detox, still hasn’t hit store shelves, twosingles, “Kush” and “I Need a Doctor” have made notable radio impact. While some are still skeptical, the label is promising a May release date for the long-awaited project.
R. Kelly: Kelly has been laying low since his 2007 child pornography trial, his viral video circulation and his ill-fated ‘Unfinished Business’ tour with Jay-Z put him on everyone’s sh*t list. Now, the Chicago-based singer, (who was found not-guilty on all charges) will hit the road with Keyshia Cole for the Love Letter Tour, kicking off this summer.
Eminem: After his 2009 album Relapse failed to impress, many thought this one-time icon had seen his last days of glory. The world was shocked when he released Recovery bringing him back to the forefront stronger than ever before, and making him the best-selling rapper of the year. The Detroit emcee racked up ten GRAMMY nominations for the project, bringing home the award for Best Rap Album and Best Solo Rap Performance. Now, he’s back on top and bringing some friends with him, including longtime friend and mentor, Dr. Dre, and newbie, Yelawolf.
Salt N Pepa: The ladies who put female rap on the map are ready to do it again, celebrating twenty-fve years since their debut, Hot, Cool & Viscious launched them to super-stardom with their Legends of Hip Hop Tour. The three lovely ladies lead a hip hop revival, joined by trailblazers like Whodini, Kurtis Blow, Doug E Fresh, Biz Markie, Naughty By Nature, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, Kool Moe Dee and Slick Rick to name a few.
Chris Brown: Depite making headlines again for his ill-tempered antics, his album F.A.M.E. is certified gold and debuted at Number 1 on the charts. He kicked off his F.A.M.E. Tour in Australia last week to a crowd of adoring fans, and his singles, “Deuces”, “Look At Me Now”, and “ Yeah” have been some of this year’s most successful songs.
Kelly Rowland: The former Destiny’s Child member is back to her R&B roots with her new, yet-to-be-titled album. While she heated up dance tracks internationally with her last project, it failed to register stateside. Now, she’s climbing back up the charts with her Nelly collabo, “Gone” and her sexy single, “Motivation” featuring Lil Wayne.
Da Brat: Recently out of jail from a 2007 aggravated assault incident, Da Brat rose to fame in 1994 when her hit, “Funkdafied” made her the first-ever platinum-selling female rapper. Nowshe’s back and hungry for a comeback, re-joing longtime friend and collaborator, Jermaine Dupri for her upcoming mixtape, due out Memorial Day weekend. She has already released three tracks, “Racks” featuring YC and “Fab 5 Freddy” featuring J.D. as well as a remix to Kanye’s “All The Lights” titled, “Turnt Up” featuring Dondria.
Lauryn Hill: After some impromptu appearances and rumors of a comeback swirling for months, Lauryn’s Coachella performance gave a big indication that she’s ready to return. The former Fugee performed fan favorites including “That Thing” and “Ex-Factor”, songs she had previously refused to perform anymore. She seemed more like the grounded superstar of her Miseducation days than she has in years, and she hinted at a surprise that would shock fans. Unless it’s a sixth child, we’re guessing she’ll be delivering news of a new album any day now.
Sound And Vision: Product Placement in Pop Videos — Good, Bad, Ugly Or Just Great Business?
—Art vs. Commerce. That was the declaration of war made by Neil Young in his controversial, confrontational 1988 single “This Note’s for You,” and he didn’t stop there. In the song’s scathing video, Young mocked stars like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston for using their image and music to sell consumer goods. The clip was promptly banned by MTV, but it still went on to win the 1989 Video Music Award for Best Video of the Year. Art 1, Commerce 0.Look who’s winning now. If Young were to relaunch the war with a 2011 sequel to “This Note’s for You,” the competition, no longer limited to such easy targets, would probably crush him. Shilling for corporations, particularly in music videos, has become as perfunctory to pop stardom as walking the red carpet, with more and more music acts seeking advertising dollars while mining for gold and platinum. For years, TV commercials have looked like MTV, and now it’s increasingly the other way around, too.
When Lady Gaga wore Diet Coke cans in her hair in the “Telephone” video, she wasn’t just making an offbeat fashion statement. She was earning a massive payday. And Coca-Cola, Virgin Mobile, Polaroid and Hewlett-Packard—to name a few of the brands that popped up in the video—were getting their money’s worth. If millions of video views on YouTube boosted Gaga’s album and single sales, imagine what they did for Diet Coke.
More recently, Britney Spears promoted her Radiance fragrance and reportedly made a cool half million for pitching Sony electronics, Make Up Forever cosmetics and the dating Web site PlentyOfFish.com and in her “Hold It Against Me” clip. Avril Lavigne endorsed Sony Vaio computers, Sony Ericsson HD digital cameras, her own Avril Lavigne perfume and Abbey Dawn clothing line as well as New York City taxis in “What the Hell,” while Jennifer Lopez advertised BMW, Swarovski crystals and Crown Royal whiskey in “On the Floor.”
Not one to miss a bandwagon, especially one that’s so profitable, Ke$ha worked Revolucion tequila and—like Spears and Gaga in their aforementioned clips as well as Jason DeRülo, Natasha Bedingfield, 3OH!3 and Flo Rida in their own videos—PlentyOfFish.com into “We R Who We R.” The clip also hawks Baby-G watches, and in return, the brand’s Web site features the video and photos of the singer wearing various models on its home page. Taio Cruz, the Black Eyed Peas, Kylie Minogue, Calvin Harris, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Katy Perry (who, thanks to a poorly-timed tweet, indirectly slammed Spears for her lack of imagination in product placing) are just a few of the others who’ve plugged for pay in videos.
Pretty much every star engages in some form of product placement, some in everyday life (though presumably, not for pay), so it’s not hard to see why more of them are giving in to the temptation to sell out. Those elaborate four-minute videos that you click to view on YouTube aren’t cheap to make—in some cases, the budgets could cover the price tag of a two-hour indie film—so the product-placing singers might argue that they’re just recouping expenses.Anyway, there’s long been product placement in movies, on TV shows, even, occasionally, in song lyrics. Nearly a decade after Busta Rhymes‘s cognac plug/hit single “Pass the Courvoisier, Part II,” Ke$ha gave a shout out—and a billion dollars worth of free publicity— to Jack Daniels in her debut solo hit “Tik Tok.” In 2009, Jennifer Lopez’s flop single “Louboutins” touted the designer heels, and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys‘ “Empire State of Mind” gave the Big Apple its best free publicity since Frank Sinatra turned “New York, New York” into a standard.
As record sales continue to slip and artists seek other sources of income, it might not be too long before Madison Avenue starts slipping songwriters compensation for mentioning its products in their lyrics. Who’s to say it hasn’t already begun?
In the end, it’s the music business. When Chris Brown says, “Look at me now, I’m getting paper,” in his latest hit, he might as well be speaking for all of his fellow pop stars. They rake in that paper from album and single sales, touring and merchandise, so why should videos (which fans get to view for free on TV or online) be any different? Even before the current wave of product placement, videos were already advertisements for the artists, their singles and their albums, which are all, essentially, product. So in a sense, product placement has been happening all along. It just arrived at its logical—and instantly lucrative—conclusion.
Soundcheck: Britney & Barbie Kick Off Girl-Powered Season
It’s Barbie Bitch…and Britney too. Last week, it was announced Nicki Minaj will join Britney Spears on The Femme Fatale Tour, kicking off in June. Neither of the fatal females are strangers to controversy, and somehow, we can’t take our eyes off them. Britney’s not dancing as much as she used to, and let’s be honest—no one goes to a Britney show for the vocal performances. On the other hand, Minaj is killing the competition with her unwavering ability to turn every show out. Her performances are more impressive than her tracks, delivering unprecedented consistency, a feat you’de have to see to believe. The unexpected pairing is a match made in “It Girl” heaven.
This is a winning combination for fans as well, with both ladies commanding a loyal legion of followers. I think they have more fans in common than they think (Femme Fatale and Pink Friday were highest on my personal wish list) and this tour will undoubtedly introduce die-hard Britney fans to Minaj’s hip hop stylings. On the other hand, Minaj is enough of a star to attract her own crowd, which may pack houses with more hip hop fans than Britney is used to. Let’s hope they don’t hate on the headliner for lip-synching.
All this talk of high-powered females got me in the mood for more. Luckily, it looks like some music’s loveliest ladies have some big plans for their female fans. Check it out:
“Shame” Jill Scott featuring Eve and The A Group: In the first track from her upcoming album, Light Of The Sun, Scott is feeling fun and frisky, delivery saucy lyrics about one of her favorite people; herself. “I can stand on my own, I’m magnificent. I’m the queen on a throne, I’m magnificent. It’s a shame you’re missing out on me.” Eve heats up the track, adding one more to her growing list of killer collabos by lending a sexy verse to the record. This won’t be the last of Eve’s sexy spitting—she’s set to drop her album, Lip Lock later this year.
“S&M” Rihanna featuring Britney Spears: Naughty meets naughtier when Britney joins Rihanna for a sexy remix of “S&M”. Spears, who rarely lends vocals to artists, loved the original track so much, she insisted on a makeover. In it, Spears give RiRi a run for her money with racy lyrics, “Just one night full of sin, feel the pain on your skin…the pain is my pleasure, and nothing could measure…”
“Girl” Beyoncé: We haven’t heard the song yet, but based on the photos circulating around the web, it looks like B is gearing up for a girl-power anthem to rival the success of “Single Ladies”. I’ve got a feeling she just might pull it off. “Girl” is reportedly the first single off her upcoming album, and the video features Mrs. Carter in some killer outfits, leading an army of ferocious women through a female-driven revolution.
Summer seems to be heating up with music’s hottest ladies. Other sexy starlets poised to make a splash this summer are Jessie J, whose singles, “Price Tag” and ” Nobody’s Perfect” are racing up the charts, and Janet Jackson, who just added more dates to her unprecedented, Number Ones: Up Close and Personal Tour. She kicked off her tour last week, stunning crowds with an amazingly buff bod, and a set that made it hard to believe she ever left the stage.
Friday, April 15, 2011
- Lil Wayne just can’t leave the guns at home.
- There’s the Britney we know and love!
- Another one bites the dust on American Idol.
- Didn’t Glenn Beck learn anything from David Byrne’s lawsuit?
- Charlie Sheen gets in touch with his inner scene kid.
- Who’s pumped for Record Store Day? We’re guessing not Radiohead.
- Did Martin Luther King, Jr. sing?
- Amanda Seyfried likes ‘em stuffed.
Soundcheck: ‘Rolling Papers’ Gets High Marks
Fans rarely realize that while some new artists seem to shoot to the top overnight, most of them have been at it for years. Hip hop’s current “it” boy, Wiz Khalifa is no exception. Last week, he released Rolling Papers, giving Britney a run for her money by landing in second place with a respectable 197,000 sold in its first week. While Rolling Papers is Khalifa’s first major-label debut, it’s far from his first time around the block. At 23, the Pittsburgh native—born Cameron Jibril Thomaz—has nine mixtapes and two albums under his belt, and a grass-roots fan base that’s been loyal from the start, helping to launch this homegrown hero into mainstream super-stardom.
After his first mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania hit the streets in 2005, he released his debut album, Show and Prove in 2006, making Rolling Stone’s coveted “Artist To Watch” list. He signed with Warner Bros. the following year and released two more mixtapes Grow Season and Prince Of The City 2 under Rostrum Records. The label released his single, “Oh Yeah”, which made the Hot Rap charts, but failed to get his slated debut release, First Flight off the ground. After the release of two more mixtapes, Star Power and Flight School, he left the label in 2009 and
released his second album, Deal or No Deal the same year. That summer, he teamed up with Curren$y for their mixtape, How Fly and followed up with another solo mixtape, Burn After Rolling.
By this time, the underground hip hop circuit predicted Wiz would go big, and mainstream critics were starting to catch on as well. He made XXL’s annual Freshman Class cover alongside J. Cole, and was named “Rookie Of The Year” by The Source. Wiz wowed the crowd when he performed at SXSW and headlined a 50-city tour with Shady records newbie, Yelawolf. He offered up his ninth mixtape, Kush and Orange Juice for free download and sent labels clamoring to sign him. He ultimately chose to ink a deal with Atlantic Records, who released his Steelers anthem, “Black and Yellow” at Number 1 on the Hot 100 chart, eventually going triple platinum.
Khalifa has proved his authenticity time and again, staying true to his grass-loving, grass roots style. His arrest last year (for possessing over two ounces of marijuana on his tour bus) proved the image is more than smoke and mirrors. His swagger was even enough to spark the attention of rumored fiancée, Amber Rose. Kanye’s ex admitted she never knew of Wiz’s music until she met him, but now calls him a “genius”. Rose has become a hip-hop icon of sorts in her own right, carving a career out of, well—nothing. At the very least, she’s a bona fide contender for hottest hip hop girlfriend, so in that regard—Wiz is winning on all counts.
Finally, the Taylor Gang, (his loyal fan base) and the rest of the world have their hands on Rolling Papers, and it seems the goods couldn’t come soon enough. The album’s lead single, “I’ll Roll Up” is in heavy rotation and his follow up, “No Sleep” is right on its heels. Khalifa is currently featured on “The Weed Iz Mine” alongside fellow ganja lover and constant collaborator, Snoop Dogg. The song is already a smash among the stoner circle with the video in heavy rotation, and appears on Snoop’s latest LP, The Doggumentary. The two plan to bridge the generation gap between old school and new school hip hop, offering themselves up as the Cheech & Chong of our generation in their upcoming film, High School. The movie starts shooting next month and will be accompanied by a full-length soundtrack. Until then, Wiz will be riding high…
Sound And Vision: The Rise and Rise of Pop’s Singles Scene
Looking for some hot chart action? The US singles scene is the place to be. Thanks to iTunes and pop’s hottest stars, lately, it’s moving and shaking— especially over on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs chart. For the week ending March 26, 2011, Katy Perry‘s “E.T.” ruled, with 216,000 downloads sold. At No. 5, Britney Spears‘ “Till The World Ends” had moved 158,000 units. The entire Top 10—which features songs by Jennifer Lopez (215K), Lady Gaga (176K), Rihanna (168K), Cee Lo Green (157K), Ke$ha (140K), Pink (124K), Dr. Dre (124K) and Chris Brown (117K)—had enjoyed downloads north of 100,000.
Whoa! What’s this? Isn’t the music industry supposed to be on life support, hanging by a thread? Well, it is, but as album sales continue to decline (only the Top 2 albums, by Lupe Fiasco and Adele, sold more than 100,000 during the same week), the singles market is prospering. Year-to-date album sales were down 7 percent compared to the same 2010 period, while year-to-date single sales were up 7 percent. One decade ago, the demand for singles was waning rapidly in the US, en route to bottoming out. Fewer labels were releasing physical CD singles, and Billboard’s Hot 100 was becoming increasingly weighted in favor of airplay, as many of the songs climbing the chart weren’t even available for purchase outside of the albums on which they appeared.
But iTunes has turned the singles scene around. With the click of a mouse, fans can have whatever song they want from a particular artist without having to buy an entire album. As a result, there’s been a surge in singles stars, recording artists like Katy Perry, Ke$ha and Bruno Mars, who sells tons of singles each time out while enjoying respectable but relatively modest album sales. For the week ending March 26th, Perry was on the verge of landing her fourth No. 1 Hot 100 single from her Teenage Dream album. Back in the day, an album would be platinum several times over by the time it launched its fourth No. 1—see Michael Jackson‘s Bad, or Janet Jackson‘s Rhythm Nation 1814—yet Perry’s album is currently only around 1.2 million, which is a long way from double-platinum.
The new crop of solo stars aren’t the only ones whose chart numbers are benefitting from the resurgent single. The cast of Glee recently surpassed Elvis Presley‘s record for putting the most songs on the Hot 100 almost completely on the strength of single sales, and the Glee kids keep putting out the hits. Four Glee songs debuted on the March 26 Hot 100, and three of them—”Landslide” at No. 23, with 115,000 downloads, “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)” at No. 57, and “Kiss” at No. 83— featured Gwyneth Paltrow on vocals.
The Academy Award winner just signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records, and although she has yet to release an album, she’s already sung lead on eight Billboard chart hits. But Atlantic executives shouldn’t count on seeing much green from the Paltrow deal just yet. Though single sales are more robust than ever, at just around $1.29 a download, they don’t line the coffers of record companies the way album sales do.If Paltrow is to help reverse the industry’s sagging fortunes, she’ll have to appeal to fans beyond one-single stands and inspire album-length devotion, which few new solo stars aside from Lady Gaga and Adele have done in recent years. (In three weeks, Adele’s 21 sold roughly half of what Teenage Dream, with its four hit singles, did in six months.) The road is long and hard, and with so many pop divas currently slogging through it, it’s going to take a lot more than a Gleek following for Paltrow to pull out into the lead.
Sound And Vision: Attention, Pop Stars! Can’t Get on “Glee”? Try “How I Met Your Mother”
Several weeks ago, I was watching a new episode of How I Met Your Mother, and there she was—another A-list pop singer. This time, Katy Perry, guest-starring as a dumb brunette the guys call Honey because they can’t remember her real name. That’s when it dawned on me: Though it has absolutely nothing to do with music (Is there ever even anything playing on the jukebox at McLaren’s?), HIMYM attracts more pop talent than any TV comedy this side of Glee.
A musical flashback: Enrique Iglesias had a two-episode arc at the beginning of the third season as Robin’s post-break-up-with-Ted Argentine holiday fling, while Mandy Moore appeared in that season’s premiere as Ted’s tattooed rebound bad girl. Britney Spears also worked two appearances into her comeback plan during season three, popping up as a receptionist who was obsessed with Ted but ended up getting sucked in by womanizer Barney.So did Jennifer Lopez. Before scoring her American Idol gig, she showed up in 2010 as a The Rules-type author who tried (and failed) to beat the man-slut at his own game and ended up breaking her own rules. Last year, Idol alumnus Carrie Underwood also waltzed into McLaren’s as a pharmaceutical sales rep who swept Ted off his feet and strung him along, and earlier this season, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger did her own guest stint as Robin’s former BFF from Canada.
What do the hitmakers of pop see in How I Met Your Mother? Why that show and not, say, The Big Bang Theory? A few, um, theories: HIMYM is a popular, trendy sitcom with cool characters (unlike the nerds that populate, say, TBBT), and though it won’t boost anyone’s thespian cred the way a stint on Modern Family might, it could certainly raise the hipness quotient of very mainstream pop stars.
Also, there isn’t much real acting involved. Iglesias, Underwood and Perry merely had to memorize their lines and look good. Scherzinger got to do what shedoes best: sing. And Spears, Lopez and Moore were required to do no more than they’d have to do in a Saturday Night Live skit. Getting onto HIMYM is an excellent way to tell the world, “Look, I’m still in,” without having to exhibit any Emmy-caliber acting talent or even be particularly funny. (Six seasons in, the show’s crack ensemble does all the heavy lifting without so much as breaking a sweat.)
Compared to Will & Grace, which in its later seasons depended too much on celebrity stunt casting, How I Met Your Mother still uses big-name guest stars pretty sparingly. You can accept a spot on the show without feeling like everyone else already beat you to it. And unlike on Glee, you don’t have to sing unless you want to, which must be music to the ears of lip-syncing, Auto-Tuned pop stars.
Who’s next? Jessica Simpson is too five years ago, Pink is too cool for Barney or Ted, Gaga is too Glee. (Despite the presence of Neil Patrick Harris, she’d no doubt want to go more gay than HIMYM for her first big TV guest spot.) Usher would be a great match for Robin, and Beyoncé would be an interesting choice for the titular “Mother,” but I can’t imagine the ultra-white show going there.
So might I suggest Ke$ha, the whitest pop star on the planet, as a tart who drinks Ted under the table, leaves blue lipstick marks all over Barney and cat fights with Lily. In other words, she’d basically be playing herself. They can even invite back her “Blow” video costar and season-three guest James Van Der Beek as Robin’s loser ex, a washed-up musician who gives Ke$ha a hard time and a preview of what might be in store.
