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Experts answer your questions. For
November 30, 2008
Ask Billboard is updated every Friday. Submit your burning music questions to Keith Caulfield at askbb@billboard.com. Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S.
Hey Keith
Madonna teamed up with Justin Timberlake for the top 10 Hot 100 smash "4 Minutes." She had a No. 1 Hot Dance Club Play hit with "Give It 2 Me," but that single didn't strike a cord with radio and (only peaked at No. 57 on the Hot 100).
Now does Madonna have any plans to release anything else from the "Hard Candy" album? I read on the Internet that "Miles Away" was released to radio in the U.K., along with a handful of dance remixes. Does she have plans to release that single or any other tracks from her latest CD while she's on tour?
Thanks!
Chad Larson
Mitchell, South Dakota
Hi Chad,
I'm listening to the dance mixes of "Miles Away" right now on my iTunes. They were commercially released this week both in the U.S. and the U.K. through digital download services (and possibly in many other global territories).
The producers enlisted to remix the tune for dance floors include Thin White Duke, Johnny Vicious, Morgan Page, Rebirth (Demacio "Demo" Castellon, Vincent di Pasquale, Larry Grant), Aaron LaCrate and Debonair Samir.
I don't believe the single has been promoted to U.S. radio stations yet. Right now, the focus is on dance clubs here in the States. (On the Hot Dance Club Play chart out next week, dated Dec. 13, "Miles" will move from No. 35 to No. 20 in its second week on the chart. It is her 55th Hot Dance Club Play hit.)
In Europe, Miles Away moves up to No. 13 on the Nielsen Music Control Euro Radio Airplay chart (dated Nov. 20).
However, it would seem that, at least in the U.K., the favorable radio support isn't translating into success with digital downloads. It's looking like the song is selling rather poorly and it may miss the top 40 of the
Official U.K. Singles Chart this Sunday (Nov. 30) when the new chart is released.
A few chart-geek notes:
If "Miles" misses the top 40, it will be her first single to miss the top 10 in the U.K. since 2003 ("Love Profusion") and her first single to miss the top 20 since 1984 (with the original release of "Borderline").
Not exactly records you'd want to set.
Hi Keith,
Just curious, as I've heard different answers depending on where/who you ask.
Double albums or multiple CD album releases are generally one unit of sale, fair enough. But I have heard that in the U.S. the RIAA counts (those types of albums) as two sales (when certifying gold and platinum albums).
Fact or fiction?
Yours curiously,
Ross Muir
Prestwick
Ayrshire
Scotland
Hi Ross,
In the U.S, the RIAA (the trade group that represents the recording industry) certifies albums (for gold/platinum/diamond awards), and they have irregular rules for multi-unit sets. You can find out more about this at www.riaa.com. Check out the "gold and platinum" section of the Web site.
However, to be clear, Billboard's weekly sales charts are powered by Nielsen SoundScan sales data. When an album is counted by Nielsen SoundScan, it doesn't matter if there is one CD inside the package, or 20: it still counts as ONE sale.
Keith,
I was wondering why AC/DC never released the "Let There Be Rock" video on DVD. Can you answer that? Also when a purchase is made of the "Bonfire" box set, which includes the "Back in Black" album, does that count as another
copy of "Back in Black" sold?
Thanks,
Brian Grega
Illinois
Hi Brian,
Not sure about why they haven't put that title out on DVD. As for "Bonfire," when you buy the box, it counts as a sale just for "Bonfire," not for the "Back in Black" album. Or, if you bought the limited edition vinyl box that had replicas of all of AC/DC's albums inside -- that counted as a sale just for that specific box -- not for each of the albums inside.
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Keith Caulfield is a chart manager and analyst for Billboard. He
oversees Top Digital Albums, Top Internet Albums, Top Pop Catalog Albums, Top
Soundtracks, Top Compilations and Top Cast Albums. Additionally, he is
the editor of Billboard Chart Alert ( www.billboardchartalert.com) and
sometimes contributes singles and albums reviews to the magazine and Web site. He
holds a bachelor of arts degree in print journalism from the Annenberg
School for Communication at the University of Southern California.
Note: Questions regarding the Recording Industry Association of America's gold and platinum certification program can be answered by visiting RIAA.com.
Send all your burning music questions to Keith at askbb@billboard.com
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