Innholdsfortegnelse for December 8, 2012 i Billboard Magazine

Black Friday ain’t what it used to be. U.S music sales last week were flat when compared with the same time frame last year, according to retailers who spoke with Billboard. But some merchants appear to have enjoyed banner sales. According to sources, Target and Amazon rocked sales last week, particularly during the Black Friday weekend, and indie merchants are reporting strong numbers too, thanks to exclusive Record Store Day releases. However, the trend by major chains to open on Thanksgiving Day diluted Black Friday’s sales punch, some retailers say. “There is no such thing as Black Friday anymore,” one music retailer says. “ I am now calling it ‘Grey Friday.’” That merchant says that overall traffic was down on Friday, probably because so many people were out shopping on…

For nearly three years, women have been conspicuously absent from Billboard’s Latin music charts. Since the beginning of 2010, only six titles by female acts have hit No. 1 or No. 2 on the Top Latin Albums chart. So far this year, only two have done so: Ednita Nazario and the late Selena. Radio-wise, things were only slightly better. Since the beginning of the year, only three female soloists—Gloria Estefan, Paulina Rubio and, last month, Leslie Grace—have topped the Latin Airplay chart, each for only a week. Even if one adds women as featured acts—America Sierra with 3BallMTY, Natti Natasha with Don Omar and Jennifer Lopez with Wisin & Yandel—out of 47 chart weeks, women have occupied only eight at No. 1. However, the recent Latin Grammy Award wins by…

Damon Krukowski, a member of indie-rock band Galaxie 500 and later Damon & Naomi, captured the industry’s attention this month with an articulate piece for Pitchfork that dissected Galaxie 500’s royalty statements and criticized the speculative nature that drives today’s digital music businesses. Unfortunately, the article is filled with errors and questionable logic. Not only does Krukowski compare apples and oranges, he expects quite a lot from a decades-old catalog. Krukowski’s article targeted Pandora and Spotify, which both have multibillion-dollar valuations in spite of the losses they amass each quarter. Pandora is a public company with a market capitalization of $1.3 billion. Spotify’s latest round of fundraising valued it at $3 billion, a highly speculative figure for a company yet to prove its business model can work on a global…

MORE THAN ANY SINGLE PERSON, Frank Barsalona—the pioneering founder of the Premier Talent booking agency—helped turn rock'n'roll into a viable, consistent business where artists could have lengthy and lucrative touring careers. Examining the evolution of the thriving, complex touring platform that artists enjoy today, all roads lead back to Barsalona, who died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on Thanksgiving Day. He elevated the role of the agent like none before him and, most believe, none since. "[Barsalona] changed the image of a cigar-smoking, pinky-ring-wearing hustler into one that reflects intelligence, career development, smart deal-making and an ability and recognition of the need to be involved with every facet of an artist's life," Creative Artists Agency managing partner Rob Light said when Billboard recognized Barsalona as a Legend of Live in…

FROM THE EDITOR Katy Perry became Billboard's Woman of the Year on Tuesday, June 26. Neither she nor her management had any idea this was the case, but these are quibbling details. I'd gone to Los Angeles to attend the Pepsi and Billboard Summer Beats concert she was headlining as part of premiere night for her movie "Katy Perry: Part of Me." The biopic tells the story of her first major, international arena tour. The concert was amazing— thousands of fans cheering from Hollywood Boulevard—which was shut down for hours—but also from nearby apartment windows and rooftops. And why not? Her last album alone had a record-tying (some guy named Michael Jackson did it with his 1987 album Bad) five No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. It turned…

when Katy Perry first visited the Los Angeles offices of Direct Management Group in early 2004, she did cartwheels. “And then the splits,” manager Bradford Cobb recalls. “She didn’t stop for the receptionist.” “That makes you pay attention,” co-manager Martin Kirkup adds with a laugh. And that’s exactly what Kirkup, Cobb and the Direct Management Group team have been doing ever since, helping to guide Perry through the challenges of her early career to her current status as global superstar. Pleased? You betcha. Surprised? Well . . . not entirely. “To us, it’s not remarkable that she’s hugely successful—without sounding like wise-asses, that’s why we signed her,” Kirkup says. “We really believed in her and felt she had huge potential.” “What’s amazing is this all happened in four years,” he…

Katy Perry takes advantage of her downtime on tour by exploring the city where she’s booked to perform. In the hours before showtime, she says, “I pull the bikes off the bus and we go riding. I put on my baseball cap and sunglasses and go grab a coffee.” But the disguised outings also allow Perry to give unsuspecting fans a story they'll never forget. "I go look around at the different parks and give tickets away," she says, "and people don't know it's me." Indeed, Perry's commitment to super-serving fans has played a significant role in helping her graduate from the side stage of the 2008 Vans Warped tour to headlining sold-out arenas across the world just three years later. "The growth is geometric," says Brian Murphy, a veteran…

A host of men and women have supported Carly Rae Jepsen on her remarkable rise in 2012. At Billboard’s request, Schoolboy Records CEO Scooter Braun, whose label has released Jepsen in the United States through Interscope Records, singled out two of the women for this issue. Here’s a look at the roles and experience of Interscope Geffen A&M’s Laura Hess and Kesi Smyth at 604 Records, Jepsen’s label in Canada. Laura Hess first met Carly Rae Jepsen in February, when the singer signed her deal in the United States with Schoolboy/Interscope and before “Call Me Maybe” graced the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Since then, Jepsen’s marketing director at Interscope Geffen A&M has watched her label; Justin Bieber’s label, Schoolboy Records; and the singer’s Canadian home, 604 Records, work together to…

Rob Light, managing partner and head of music at Creative Artists Agency, had a change of heart this year regarding Billboard's Women in Music issue. And, as with most big decisions at the company, his change came from listening to his team. § In the past, Light and CAA have simply opted out of the Women in Music nomination process, which specifies that executives must be nominated as individuals, not as members of a team. Since Light and CAA have preferred to focus on the firm's teamwork ethic, they previously declined to submit individual nominations. "We've always felt that CAA's culture has been team-oriented, and I think we embody that better than anyone in the business," Light says. "So when you single out individuals, it sort of takes away from…

Floetry in motion: indie rapper/singer/spoken-word artist Dessa hits the road for a five-date swing this winter. The mc continues to support last year’s Castor, The Twin (Doomtree). booked by Christian Bernhardt of the Agency Group, the tour will make stops at Schubas Tavern in chicago (Jan. 8), Shadow Lounge in pittsburg (Jan. 10) and Stage 48 in New york (Jan. 12) . . . lone wolves: on the heels of its critically hailed new lp, Lonerism (Modular), australian psychedelic group Tame Impala will embark on a world tour booked by Alastair Green of Artist Voice (australia, New zealand) and Kevin French of Paradigm (the americas). The run kicks off down Under at the Forum Theatre in melbourne (dec. 5-6), with stops at the HQ Complex in adelaide (dec. 11) and…

His soothing tenor has crooned its way to 19 Grammy Award nominations in 11 genres, including R&B, gospel and country. Now Aaron Neville is focusing on his doo-wop roots for My True Story, his first album with Blue Note Records (Jan. 22, 2013). Co-produced by Blue Note president Don Was and the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, the 12-song set revisits classics like "Tears on My Pillow," "Under the Boardwalk," "Ting-a-Ling" and "Work With Me Annie." Helping the self-described student of doo-wop-ology take the music forward: a spirited rock'n'roll band including Richards, fellow guitarist Greg Leisz (Beck) and drummer George Receli (Bob Dylan). Members of the group and special guests performed at New York's Brooklyn Bowl on Nov. 28 for "Aaron Neville: My True Story." PBS taped the special concert for…

BIFFY CLYRO Black Chandelier (4:06) Writers:Biffy Clyro, S. Neil Producers:GGGarth, Biffy Clyro Publisher:Good Soldier Songs administered by Warner/Chappell 14th Floor biffy clyro doesn’t make especially weird music, but it’s a very weird band: during the course of six studio albums, the Scottish rock band has veered among snot-nosed punk aggression, neo-prog technicality and arena-pop hummability. The band’s previous LP, 2009’s Only Revolutions, spawned a handful of hit singles overseas, but “black chandelier,” biffy clyro’s tuneful lead single off its 2013 album, Opposites, sounds like its first sure-fire worldwide smash. At first, the simplicity is jarring—the song commences with a round of chirpy vocal harmonies, giving way to a reflective verse that calls Keane to mind. “When it’s just the two of us—only the two of us, I could die,” frontman…

Last year, Efrain Fines Nevarez, better-known as Tito “El Bambino,” was named songwriter of the year at ASCAP’s annual Latin Music Awards. For the Puerto Rican star, the honor as a composer marked a decisive credibility point in his career. More than a decade since his debut as the sweet-faced half of dance-leaning reggaetón duo Hector & Tito, Tito is far removed from his days as a fad. This week, Tito’s fifth studio album, Invicto, debuts at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as its lead single, “Porque les Mientes?” (Why Do You Lie?) featuring Marc Anthony, sits at No. 3 on the Tropical Airplay tally and at No. 4 on the Latin Airplay chart. “Porque Les Mientes?” is a melodic, romantic merengue, similar to Tito’s biggest hit,…

A WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF NOTABLE CHART ACHIEVEMENTS ’TIS THE SEASON >>The Holiday Albums and Holiday Songs charts return to the magazine this week (see pages 88 and 91), and will continue to appear during the season. The latter—a hybrid tally of sales, airplay and streaming data—leads with Mariah Carey’s “All i Want for Christmas is You” (from Merry Christmas). BACK AT 1 >>Rod Stewart ends a 19-plusyear hiatus from the Adult Contemporary summit, as “let it Snow, let it Snow, let it Snow” storms 18-1. He last led AC with “Have i Told You lately” beginning the week of May 29, 1993. “Snow” marks his fourth AC no. 1. EIGHT IS GREAT >>Taylor Swift’s “We Are never ever Getting Back Together” logs an eighth week at no. 1 on Hot…

BETWEEN THE BULLETS POPE’S ‘OVER’ SHINES After a head-turning performance of Miranda Lambert’s “Over You” on the Nov. 19 episode of NBC’s “The Voice,” contestant Cassadee Pope snares the Hot Shot Debut at No. 3 on Hot Country Songs and opens atop Country Digital Songs with 152,000 downloads. Pope’s version arrives at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Lambert’s original re-enters Country Digital Songs at No. 7 with 40,000 sold—it previously peaked at No. 2 in March and topped the Country Airplay chart on May 19. Lambert wrote the song with husband/“Voice” coach Blake Shelton. —Wade Jessen…

BETWEEN THE BULLETS THANK ‘GLOBAL WARMING’ Pitbull’s English-language Global Warming bows at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 with 64,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Its one Spanishlanguage song, “Echa Pa’lla (Manos Pa’rriba),” available on the album’s deluxe version, jumps 11-2 on Hot Latin Songs thanks in part to the visibility afforded by the album’s release. In its 19th week on Latin Digital Songs, it leaps 21-3 (5,000), and its radio audience increases 75% to 9.8 million listener impressions, according to Nielsen BDS. ÑRauly Ramirez…

APPLE RELEASES ITUNES11 With just a day to spare before its second deadline, Apple released the newest version of iTunes on nov. 29, one that gives users the ability to stream their entertainment from the internet through icloud. The release came after the technology giant in october announced it would delay its iTunes 11 launch by a month in order to “get it right.” other new or updated elements include a new “edge-to-edge” design for iTunes that’s meant to take better advantage of screen space, an “up next” display to make it easier for users to see which songs are playing next, a smaller player that takes up less screen space and improved search. EMI PUBLISHING CATALOG DOWN TO FOUR SUITORS With one bid still outstanding, the auction to sell…

Desmond Child has written and produced music for some of the industry’s most recognized acts from Aerosmith to Ricky Martin. But forming the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame (LSHOF) may be his biggest creation. Along with producer/songwriter Rudy Perez, the president of the newly formed nonprofit, Child will serve as chairman/CEO of the organization that serves to recognize veteran Latin songwriters while helping usher in a new generation of music scribes. Much in the way the Recording Academy helped launch the Latin Recording Academy, Child and Perez have been spreading the word about their vision and bringing onboard such volunteers as music mogul Emilio Estefan Jr., Academy Award-winning composer/ASCAP chairman/president Paul Williams and ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento. (Billboard publisher Tommy Page and Leila Cobo, executive director of content and programming…

GOOGLE MUSIC GOES PAN-EUROPEAN Google Music was the first digital service to reach a deal with Armonia, a Pan-European hub created by collection societies SACEM, SGAE and SIAE to facilitate licensing of digital services. Armonia has the rights for digital and mobile uses for more than 5.5 million works in 31 countries, thus offering services a less fragmented experience. "Music users all around the world will be able to access their songs in a quicker and easier way," SGAE chairman Anton Reixa said in a statement. "Online and mobile services are currently the future of music." WIMP DEBUTS 'FREEMIUM' SUBSCRIPTION Aspiro, maker of the WiMP subscription service, has introduced in Denmark a "freemium" version while partnering with Politken, one of the country's largest daily newspapers. The new edition of WiMP…

Barsalona's ability to spot rock stars on the rise helped build both his agency and legendary careers Frank Barsalona was the first to book the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds in the United States. He founded Premier Talent in 1968 with a small roster that included the Who and Mitch Ryder. In the '70s, the Premier roster included some of the biggest touring acts of the era, like Led Zeppelin and Grand Funk Railroad, and a rising star named Bruce Springsteen. "He knew how to nourish and develop artists, and he cared about every one of them," Springsteen's manager Jon Landau says. "He was a deep friend to Bruce and myself. I was thrilled to have the chance to work with him for so many years, and our…

Sitting back on a comfy sofa at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, Katy Perry is chatting about nail art. ❈ In place of the election-themed nails she sported Oct. 7 at a campaign fund-raiser for President Obama, the singer/songwriter is f lashing a vampire-design manicure. The occasion this time is her similarly themed early birthday bash the following evening at Hollywood’s Magic Castle. ❈ “Nail art is very trendy now, but I started getting into it when I went to Japan seven years ago,” says Perry, who turned 28 on Oct. 25. “I love showing my feelings and my support through my nail beds,” she adds with a laugh. “God is in the details.” ❈ So true: right down to the sunflower pin and earrings accessorizing Perry’s black-skirted dress,…

Katy Perry certainly began her relationship with Capitol/EMI Records on a provocative note—or is it all new artists that favor a first single about kissing someone of the same gender? Executive VP of marketing/promotion Greg Thompson remembers there was “some spirited discussion” about whether “I Kissed a Girl” should be the calling card from Perry’s first album for the label, One of the Boys, in 2008. “We definitely had a few people that pushed back on us,” Thompson recalls. “I seem to remember a little [protest] rally in a Beaumont, Texas, parking lot. But Katy believed in it, and we believed in it—and her— so you have to kind of make the decision that the song is just so great that even if it ruff les a few feathers, the…

In touring markets outside the United States, promoters and fans can’t get enough of America’s current pop sweetheart, Billboard Woman of the Year Katy Perry. “She’s hot everywhere right now,” says Emma Banks, a senior agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) who books Perry’s shows from the London office. “We’re seeing a massive interest in China and India. These places are catching up with other markets, such as Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the U.K. and South America, where she’s already done amazing business. She has established herself as a global superstar,” Banks says. Perry appears to have hit all the right live-music notes internationally. Her shows sold 1.6 million tickets worldwide for the California Dreams tour, which ran Feb. 20, 2011, through Jan. 22, 2012, according to her management company,…

Competition is nothing new to executives in the music business. But those who put forth their achievements to vie for a place on Billboard’s annual Women in Music list face a different kind of competition. Here, hits by record companies are weighed against deals by music publishers, ratings by radio programmers are considered against new technologies launched by digital companies, and breakthrough branding partnerships are put up alongside boxscore records by live tours. All these achievements and more are considered—and ultimately ranked—before Billboard presents our annual Women in Music list in our Power Players series. This year, we once again received nominations for nearly 200 executives. A team of Billboard editors then methodically reviewed the nominations, numerically ranking the nominees on their achievements in the past 12 months. (A statistical…

WITH SOCIAL MEDIA TRANSFORMING every corner of the music industry, in this Women in Music issue, Billboard chose to salute four executives who are at the forefront of this new era of digital connection. TATIANA SIMONIAN HEAD OF MUSIC INDUSTRY RELATIONS, TWITTER @TWITTERMUSIC Tatiana Simonian’s potent combination of perspectives as a musician (she’s part of an indie band called Nitemute) and self-described “nerd” gives her an insider’s view into how artists can leverage her company. Her career in digital marketing began in 2006, when she helped promote the Smashing Pumpkins’ Zeitgeist album on the Web. Today, she’s Twitter’s liaison to the music industry, helping artists and music companies find their voice among the platform’s 140 million active users. She also runs the @Twitter-Music account, which started in October 2011 and…

Dayve Hawk, the musician behind New Jersey indie outfit Memory Tapes, went into his latest album, Grace/Confusion, with specific intent. The disc, due Dec. 4 on Carpark, began almost as a reaction to previous set Player Piano (2011). Where Hawk focused on stripping away his electronic tendencies on his last release, the new album (his third) is an exercise in abundance, which, as it turned out, needed its own boundaries. "The starting point was to not have any limitations," Hawk says. "But at the same time I was just directionless and confused, and I had a lot going on in my life. So the freedom didn't feel liberating—it felt confusing. I decided to try to make the kind of record that people make when they disappear into their mansion with…

For Hinder's fourth album, Welcome to the Freakshow, Republic Records isn't concerned with changing the rules of the promotion game. Instead, the label's strategy for the project, due Dec. 4, is pretty straightforward. What Republic co-president/COO Avery Lipman calls "a meat-and-potatoes approach—radio, retail, press." "We took a view of the landscape out there and there's really not many hard rock albums being released," Lipman says. "Part of the marketing plan and strategy is to provide the marketplace with what we feel is a much-needed new piece of great product." VP of marketing Frank Arigo agrees. "We're not getting away from the basics on this one," he says. "We feel that there is room for a hard rock record that's not out there right now. That's why we picked this time…

The next phase in Olly Murs’ much-anticipated North American push will have to wait a little while longer. Originally due to release his first U.S. album, Right Place, Right Time, on Dec. 4 through Columbia Records, the 28-year-old’s stateside debut has been postponed until next spring to ensure that the British singer can commit all his energies into breaking the United States. In the meantime, the former U.K. “X Factor” star is, once again, riding high in his home country. Murs’ new single, “Troublemaker” featuring Flo Rida, debuted atop the U.K. singles chart in the week ending Nov. 25 with first-week sales of 121,000, according to the Official Charts Co. It’s the singer’s fourth U.K. No. 1, following previous chart-toppers “Please Don’t Let Me Go,” “Heart Skips a Beat” and…

On Nov. 18, French Montana released his latest mixtape, Mac & Cheese 3, as a gift to fans. Since its release, the tape, which features guest appearances from Sean "Diddy" Combs, Fat Joe, Rick Ross and more, has logged more than 437,000 downloads on DatPiff.com and 225,000 streams on WorldStarTapes. For the Bronx rapper, the key to success is treating every recording like it's intended for retail release. "Those are songs that I was going to use on my album," says Montana, who estimates that he has 140 album-ready cuts stashed on his hard drive. "Those are 20 songs I picked out to throw out to the people, because I could never forget that's the market that made me, the mixtape market." With his Bad Boy/lnterscope debut, Excuse My French,…

One week after Rihanna scored her 12th No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Diamonds,” the singer earns her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. Her latest release, Unapologetic, opens atop the Billboard 200, selling 238,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The SRP/Def Jam set is her seventh studio release in slightly more than seven years and follows six earlier top 10 efforts. Rather infamously, until this week, Rihanna held the distinction of having the most No. 1 songs on the Hot 100 without having claimed a No. 1 album. Unapologetic also gives Rihanna her best sales week yet for an album. The new set’s arrival surpasses her previous best frame, racked when 2010’s Loud launched at No. 3 with 207,000. It’s…

BETWEEN THE BULLETS LAMAR, ROSS MAKE MOVES A month after major-label debut good kid, m.A.A.d city opened at No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Kendrick Lamar nabs his first airplay chart-topper as “Swimming Pools (Drank)” skips 3-1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop. The move makes him only the second new artist to top the list this year behind Ca$h Out’s three-week run with “Cashin’ Out.” Lamar is also featured on A$AP Rocky’s “F***in’ Problems,” alongside Drake and 2 Chainz, which opens at No. 38 on the list (see Billboard.biz). Breaking into the top 10 of Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop is Rick Ross’ “Diced Pineapples,” featuring Wale and Drake, which hops 11-9 with a 2% increase to almost 3,000 spins, according to Nielsen BDS. For Drake, this is his 27th top 10 hit, tying him…

EXECUTIVE TURNTABLE Send submissions to:exec@billboard.com RECORD COMPANIES: Atlantic Records appoints Aaron Bay-Schuck senior VP of A&R. He was VP of A&R. Sony Music Entertainment names Salaam Remi executive VP of A&R/production. He is a Grammy Award-nominated producer/songwriter whose most recent credits include Alicia Keys' "Girl On Fire" and Tamia's "Beautiful Surprise," plus credits on the latest albums by Miguel (Kaleidoscope Dream) and Nas (Life Is Good). Red Bow Records names Hilary Hoover Northeast director of promotion. She was an editorial assistant at All Access Music Group in Nashville. PUBLISHING: The National Music Publishers' Assn. appoints Mark Fried to its board of directors. He is the founder/president of Spirit Music. DISTRIBUTION: INgrooves Fontana taps veteran sales and marketing executive Bryan Mead as senior VP of its newly announced in-house artist marketing…

The sequencing of tracks on an a l b u m may have long been subject to artists’ creative muses in the heyday of vinyl and CDs, but , according to A&R and streaming services decision-makers, song order can s till have far-reaching impact on acts’, and labels’, bottom lines. As digital music becomes the primary avenue by which many fans discover, sample, engage and share an album, label executives are paying closer attention to whether the track order of an album has grown or diminished in importance outside of the physical format. In particular with subscription services like Spotify or Rhapsody, which pay labels on an agreed per-play basis, there has been interest to see if the order of tracks could have a significant enough effect on payouts made.…

TERRA TO STREAM SANz CONCERT Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz’s Miami concert on Dec. 6 will stream live on Terra.com. The Universal Music Latin Entertainment artist can be seen in the Terra Live Music concert— presented by American Family Insurance, Kia, Pepsi and T-Mobile—on several platforms. The performance, at Bamboo in Miami Beach, will be accessible online and through mobile devices and tablets in 19 countries including the United States and Spain. The show is part of an ongoing series that is also available on demand. ‘VICENTE FERNANDEZ’ FILM OPENS DEC. 7 Seven months after its premiere at the Newport Beach (Va.) film festival, “The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez,” starring the late Ernest Borgnine in his last performance, will open in select theaters on Dec. 7 just…

Bon Jovi’ upcoming Because We Can tour will feature more than 1,000 tickets in each market priced below $20 before service fees—because it can. One of the reasons the band can is because more aggressive pricing for the top 10% of the house allows Bon Jovi to price conservatively for the other 90%. And the consistency of having the same promoter tour after tour—Because We Can will be Bon Jovi’s fourth straight run with AEG Live—allows the band to market, route and strategically scale the house, with each party possessing a depth of knowledge about the other. Offering tickets for less than $20 is a statement-making move for a band that owns the global touring gravitas of Bon Jovi. “And there are a lot of those $20 tickets. It’s not…

Jon Bon Jovi gave a short solo show two days before Thanksgiving to 80 people packed into the Mint, an unassuming club on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles. The performance capped a whirlwind 24 hours in Los Angeles that, one could say, kicked off the season. No, not Christmas or Thanksgiving. It's Academy Awards campaign time in Los Angeles and Bon Jovi, with two songs in the dark comedy "Stand Up Guys," is one of the first established artists to start promoting his work. In two nights and a day, Bon Jovi told the story of his involvement with the film to an audience of composers and lyricists at a press conference with the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and in one-on-one interviews with eight other journalists. "This is unique," he…

Woman of the Year Katy Perry has been a tireless hit maker on the Billboard Hot 100 since her debut on the tally in 2008. The singer/songwriter arrived on the list on May 24 of that year with her controversy-stirring “I Kissed a Girl.” In less than two months, the song shot to No. 1, marking the first of thus far seven chart-topping singles. Along the way, Perry became the first woman to score five No. 1s on the Hot 100 from a single studio album. 2010’s Teenage Dream yielded the chart-toppers “California Gurls” (featuring Snoop Dogg), the title track, “Firework,” “E.T.” (featuring Kanye West) and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).” She added another smash single from the set with “The One That Got Away,” which reached No. 3 on Jan.…

Teenage dreams, extraterrestrials, Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top and girls kissing girls: Apparently all have appeal beyond Katy Perry’s homeland— and, in fact, translate well all over the planet. During the course of her two Capitol/EMI releases, the singer has become a global superstar, selling more than 5.4 million albums outside of the United States, according to her label, and logging No. 1 singles in the United Kingdom, Australia and beyond. Teenage Dream topped the charts in 10 countries other than the United States, according to the label, with sales certifications in 36 nations. She won a BRIT Award for international female solo artist and an MTV Australia best breakthrough award, both in 2009, along with three MTV European Music Awards. Perry was nominated for another five EMAs this year.…

BY JASON LIPSHUTZ Carly Rae Jepsen describes the evening of Sunday, Nov. 11, as a “Cinderella night”—and one that would’ve been unimaginable a year ago. At the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards held in Frankfurt, Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” was nominated for song of the year, alongside hits like fun.’s “We Are Young,” Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” and Rihanna’s “We Found Love.” Those three songs spent a combined 24 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, but Jepsen’s smash, which held onto the peak position for nine frames last summer, was too undeniable to defeat. After performing “Call Me Maybe” earlier in the evening, Jepsen strode onstage in a flowing silver gown to collect the song of the year prize, and made sure to let the moment sink…

The performing rights organizations—ASCAP, BMI and SESAC—play a crucial role in the financial health of the music industry, paying performance royalties to songwriters, composers and publishers. § At each of the PROs, numerous female executives and staff contribute to their success of the mission of those organizations, protecting copyright and supporting the creative community. § This year, the following executives were singled out by their respective organizations for the importance of their work and Billboard is honored in our Women In Music issue to recognize their contributions. LAURENI0SSA SENIOR VP OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA ASCAP For Lauren lossa, senior VP of communications and media at ASCAP, the challenge of conveying information in the digital age to the PRO's members is clear. "You have to be always evolving," she says, "always…

New York has Big Boi seated on the brink of speechlessness. That seat currently rests inside a Mercedes-Benz executive coach van, where the accessible half of Southern hip-hop's iconic duo, OutKast, spent most of the past week zipping to and from interviews, performances and album-listening events. This brisk November morning precedes Big Boi's final afternoon of promotion before he flies back home to Atlanta, and the usually loquacious Antwan Patton is groggy, economic with his speech and fed up with the Big Apple. Once conversation arrives at the root of Big Boi's irritation, it's discovered that his issue isn't with New York as a whole, or even his unrelenting schedule—it's just the city's online media. During the week's publicity run, he was asked why partner Andre 3000 remained absent from…

Three days, maybe three-and-a-half was all Buddy Miller asked Jim Lauderdale to clear out on his calendar so they could concentrate on an album that, while not quite a tribute, would recall the country male duos of 50 years ago. Miller, who says he goes "groove hunting" when he's looking for songs to cover, gave Lauderdale a list of 50 songs to consider recording for Buddy eljim, (Dec. 11, New West). By the time they entered the studio, it was no longer a covers project but one that connected the spirit of'50s male duos with the unique pairing of Lauderdale and Miller. "I knew I wanted all two-part harmony and we pretty much did that," Miller says. Whittling the list down to 15 or 16 songs was easy compared with…

ElECTRONIC JUNKIE XL Synthesized Producer:Torn Holkenborg Nettwerk Records Release Date:Nov. 27 On sixth album Synthesized, Dutch-born producer Junkie XL (real name: Tom Holkenborg) lives up to his tunedin, dropped-out pseudonym. There’s a Timothy Leary sample on “Leave Behind Your Ego,” tracks cal led “Take Off on Molly’s E” and “Twilight Trippin’,” and heavy psychedelia throughout— whether it be with trance-y synth swells or epic ’70s guitar breakdowns. XL is a product of EDM’s first stateside wave, the “electronica” explosion of the late ’90s, when Fatboy Slim used an acid house smiley-face logo, and the U.K. Summer of Love was just a decade past. The line between hippie and raver, partying and subversion, was thinner back then. But while his perspective might be obscure to the funfocused ragers of today, his…

Adele’s 21 joins an elite group of albums this week, as the XL/Columbia set passes the 10 million U.S. sales mark, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It becomes one of only 21 titles to reach the threshold since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991. 21 reached the 10 million mark in only its 92nd week of release (see Over the Counter, page 85). The last set to hit 10 million faster was ’N Sync’s No Strings Attached, which hit diamond status in its 43rd frame in January 2001. So, 21 is the 21st album to sell 10 million copies, and becomes the 21st-biggest album of the Sound-Scan era. Clearly, 21 is a very lucky number for the pop diva. In a statement released by Columbia Records, Adele said, “What an incredible…

IT'S DA 'BOM BOM' After topping the U.K. singles chart in September, Sam & the Womp's club-ready party anthem "Bom Bom" (Warner Bros.) is making its way stateside. Aided by usage in an international TV campaign for Southern Comfort, which has helped its official video reach more than 12 million YouTube views, the song is winning fans at U.S. mainstream top 40 radio, led bySiriusXM's Hits 1 channel (54 plays in the Nov. 19-25 Nielsen BDS tracking week); KHHM Sacramento, Calif. (28); and WKSE Buffalo, N.Y. (26). The trio is touring the United Kingdom this month. IAMDYNAMITE EXPLODES lAmDynamite is getting fired up on Billboard's charts. The pair's noisy, stripped-down single "Where Will We Go" debuts at No. 40 on the Alternative chart. The Brando/Megaforcesigned act—Christopher Martin (guitars/vocals) and Chris…

BETWEEN THE BULLETS PHILLIPS AT ‘HOME’ IN TOP 10 AGAIN As he enters the Billboard 200 at No. 4 with debut album The World From the Side of the Moon, reigning “American Idol” champ Phillip Phillips returns to the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 with “Home,” which, in its 22nd week on the chart, reaches a new peak (12-8). Following his “Idol” victory, the song debuted at No. 10 on June 9. It blasted back to the tier (84-9) the week of Aug. 18, fueled by its usage in NBC’s coverage of the Summer Olympics. The arrival of Phillips’ set helps “Home” bound 31-12 on On-Demand Songs, 9-6 on Hot Digital Songs and 14-12 on Hot 100 Airplay. —Gary Trust…

Between the Bullets COLE’S ‘WOMAN’DEBUTS AT NO.2 Although beaten out for No. 1 by Rihanna’s Unapologetic, Keyshia Cole’s Woman to Woman opens at No. 2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums—her fifth straight top five set. With 96,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, Cole’s start is less than the 128,000 first-week copies that 2010 set Calling All Hearts sold, though it benefited from a release during Christmas week. Woman’ second single, “Trust and Believe,” notches 15,000 downloads, helping it move 39-36 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. —Rauly Ramirez…