Bieber’s song “Baby” featuring Ludacris becomes the highest-certified single in history now that the RIAA incorporates on-demand streaming numbers into its Gold and Platinum certifications for digital singles. Elton John’s double-sided hit “Candle in the Wind”/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight” was previously the top song in history with a certification of 11-times platinum…

It started with a Facebook post: Two helmets, one gold and one silver, halved and fused down the center, set against plain black. Then came the 15-second ad, aired during the March 2 episode of “Saturday Night Live”; its first appearance online was through an excited fan’s YouTube video of his TV screen.  With each…

As we informed you yesterday, Vampire Weekend wins the week and lands at #1. Right below, we could see a battle for the #2 spot depending on how this weekend trends. Here’s how it looks at midweek: *Vampire Weekend (XL) 125-135k *George Strait (MCA Nashville) 115-120k *Demi Lovato (Hollywood) 110-115k Great Gatsby Soundtrack (Interscope) 90-95k…

This week’s Top 5 is not only in exactly the same order as last weeks, its occupants sales totals are all within 10% +/- of last week’s numbers as well. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis follow-up hit cooled off slightly, slipping 8%, while P!nk was off 10%, though both stayed well above 200k, a level no…

Having a hit album and single from the same act will do wonders for a labels overall share plus TEA, and having a double-double pretty much ensures a high finish. This week, we give you The Great Gatsby, with 135.5k albums plus 77k Lana Del Rey track sales (for a total of 143.2k including TEA);…

Rock band Vampire Weekend is winging its way to a second No. 1 album next week. Its new Modern Vampires of the City album, released yesterday (May 14), may sell around 120,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday (19), according to industry forecasters. It could mark the act’s second No. 1,…

When superstars come together on a collaboration, the results can be electrifying. The 2013 Billboard Music Awards promise to be a highly-charged night, with confirmation that some of the biggest names in music will team-up to perform their biggest hits on the night. A few of the collaborations tipped for the May 19 show are…

Country trio Lady Antebellum earns its third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as its new Golden debuts with 167,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album sold slightly better than initially forecast: A week ago, industry sources suggested that Golden was to move around 150,000 copies. But the album performed well over…