Billboard: Rebel Heart Comes In At #2

 It's official: Fox TV's breakout hit series Empire crashes in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as its soundtrack debuts atop the list after a battle was brewing between it and Madonna's new Rebel Heart album.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

The Empire soundtrack was released March 10 through Columbia Records and bows with 130,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending March 15, according to Nielsen Music. It's the first TV soundtrack to debut at No. 1 since 2010, when three different Glee albums arrived atop the list. (Both Empire and Glee air on Fox TV.)
Madonna's Rebel Heart, also issued on March 10, starts in the No. 2 slot with 121,000 units. The Live Nation/Interscope Records release is Madonna's 21st top 10 album.
The rest of the new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed on Wednesday, March 18.

Although Rebel Heart debuts with more albums sold than Empire, it fell behind the soundtrack when it came to streaming and track equivalent album units -- so it ended up at No. 2 on the overall Billboard 200 chart.

Read the full article at Billboard.com

Hits Daily Double: Chart Attack: Debuts Rule The Top 3

Madge Tops Album Chart, Empire Takes Sales Plus Streaming, Luke Takes #3 on Both

Live Nation/Interscope’s Madonna has topped the HITS Album Sales Chart with 116k, passing Twentieth Century Fox/Columbia’s Empire soundtrack in a photo finish. Season 1’s smash-filled ST earned 107k, locking it in at the #2 spot. The tables were turned, however, on the Sales Plus Streaming (SPS) Chart, where Empire snagged 128k to Madge’s 122k. An array of singles from the show helped power it to the top. Meanwhile, bowing third on both charts, Luke Bryan’s spring-break collection hog-tied 84k in album sales and 95k at SPS for Capitol Nashville.

Hits Daily Double

What does this mean? Basically, since Billboard now incorporates streaming data and individual track sales into the Billboard 200, Madonna will most likely be #2 even though she actually sold the most albums this week. THUMBS DOWN. 

Hits Daily Double Building Albums Sales Chart: 76.14% In

Here is a current look at the building chart for last week's albums sales according to Hits Daily Double. As you can see,  only about 76% of retailers have submitted their sales. Madonna is currently in the lead but the race is very close and anything can happen. Don't be surprised if she is #2 on this week's album chart. Expect the worst but hope for the best! The rest of Hits' figures should be in by tomorrow.

"Ghosttown" Radio Initiative To Begin On Monday?

News is coming in that a few radio stations across the country have started playing "Ghosttown" this weekend, including Z100 in New York and Y100 in Miami. Apparently, a company-wide iHeart radio airplay initiative is scheduled to kick off on Monday. No word yet if it will only be a week-long deal like it was for "Living For Love". Hopefully "Ghosttown" will fare better with radio listeners than "Living For Love" did! Stay tuned...

Hits Daily Double Updated Sales Predictions

YOUR TOP 15: EMPIRE VS. THE EMPRESS
It Looks Like a Battle for the Top Spot on our Sales Plus Streaming (SPS) Chart

Yesterday's iTunes outages are affecting the forecasts for next week, with wonderers wondering how many consumers either resorted to physical retail during the store's downtime or simply lost the impulse to buy. In any case, it could still be a battle for #1 as our margin of error today is somewhat greater due to the aformentioned outages. Empire still gets the edge. Here’s what we think headed into the weekend:

*Empire Soundtrack (Twentieth Century Fox/Columbia) 110-120k (90-95k sales)
*Madonna (Live Nation/Interscope) 110-120k (105-115k sales)
*Luke Bryan (Capitol Nashville) 100-110k (90-95k sales)
Fifty Shades of Grey (Republic) 65-70k (35-40k sales)
Taylor Swift (Big Machine) 65-70k (35-40k sales)
Drake (YMCMB/Republic) 50-55k (25-28k sales)
Ed Sheeran (Atlantic) 50-55k (25-28k sales)
Sam Smith (Capitol) 50-55k (30-35k sales)
Maroon 5 (222/Interscope) 40-45k (14-17k sales)
Big Sean (G.O.O.D/Def Jam) 35-40k (18-21k sales)
Kelly Clarkson (RCA) 35-40k (24-27k sales)
Meghan Trainor (Epic) 35-40k (20-23k sales)
Nicki Minaj (YMCMB/Republic) 27-30k (9-11k sales)
Hozier (Columbia) 27-30k (12-15k sales)
Imagine Dragons (KidinaKorner/Interscope) 25-28k (19-22k sales)

*Debuts

Hits Daily Double

Chart News: Week Of 3/21/2015

Living For Love
Dance Club Songs: #6 (Down from #2)
Hot Dance / Electronic Songs: #21 (Down from #12)

Dance / Electronic Digital Songs: #30 (Down from #20)
Billboard Twitter Top Tracks: #46 (Down from #28)
Dance / Mix Show Airplay: #25 (Up from #33)

Madonna Confirms "Ghosttown" As Second Rebel Heart Single

During her live interview on Howard Stern's show today, Madonna confirmed that "Ghosttown" will be the second single from Rebel Heart. She also confirmed that she is filming the video next week. Drowned Madonna is reporting that Jonas Åkerlund will be the director.

Billboard.com: Madonna Vs. 'Empire' For No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

"The Queen of Pop is battling TV's hottest new series for No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart next week.

Industry forecasters say Madonna's new album, Rebel Heart, and the soundtrack to Fox TV's Empire are both aiming to shift around 125,000 equivalent album units in the week ending March 15. The two sets were released on March 10.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based onmulti-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Billboard 200's top 10 will be revealed on Wednesday, March 18.

If Madonna opens atop the list, it will mark her ninth No. 1, stretching back to 1984's Like a Virgin. She last led the chart with her previous studio album, 2012'sMDNA. (Among all women, Madonna has the second-most No. 1s, behind onlyBarbra Streisand, with 10.)

However, if Empire bows at No. 1, it will be the first TV soundtrack to hit No. 1 since 2010, when Glee, the Music: Journey to Regionals debuted atop the tally (dated June 26, 2010). Like Empire, Glee airs on Fox (at least for two more episodes).

Rebel Heart was released through Live Nation/Interscope Records, while theEmpire album was issued by 20th Century Fox TV/Columbia Records.

Also on tap for a big debut: Luke Bryan's latest spring break-themed album,Spring Break…Checkin' Out. It could move around 100,000 units and possibly debut at No. 3 on the chart, behind Madonna and Empire."

Billboard.com