USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
Morgan Wallen spends seventh weet at No.1
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album makes chart history as the only country album to spend its first seven weeks at No. 1 in the 64-year history of the Billboard 200.

The set rules the list for a seventh total week, all consecutive, after having debuted atop the list six weeks ago (chart dated Jan. 23). Dangerous earned 89,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 25 (down 5%), according to MRC Data. The only other country set to tally its first six weeks at No. 1 was Garth Brooks’ The Chase. It debuted at No. 1 on the Oct. 10, 1992-dated list and spent six weeks in the lead (through Nov. 14, 1992). It then slipped from the top slot for two weeks, returning for one more week at No. 1 (Nov. 28, 1992). Dangerous and The Chase are two of only eight country albums that have spent at least seven weeks in total at No. 1. Of Dangerous’ 89,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week ending Feb. 25, SEA units comprise 80,000 (down 1%, equaling 110.79 million on-demand streams of the album’s songs), album sales comprise 7,000 (down 31%) and TEA units comprise 2,000 (down 22%). Dangerous

is one of just eight country albums that have spent at least seven weeks in total at No. 1 since the Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular weekly basis in March of 1956. The last album to spend seven weeks in a row at No. 1, regardless of genre, was Drake’s Views, which spent its first nine weeks at No. 1 in 2016. Views spent a total of 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1, all in 2016. Only three albums of any genre have spent at least seven weeks at No. 1 in the last five years: Dangerous, Taylor Swift’s Folklore (eight nonconsecutive weeks, 2020) and Drake’s Views (13 nonconsecutive weeks, 2016). At No. 2 on the Billboard 200, Ariana Grande’s former No. 1 Positions rises seven spots with 49,000 equivalent album units earned (up 66%). The album was reissued on Feb. 19 with five additional tracks. Pop Smoke’s Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon rises 4-3 with 43,000 units (up 13%). Lil Durk’s The Voice falls 3-4 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned (down 3%), Pooh Shiesty’s Sheisty Season is a non-mover at No. 5 with 37,000 units (up less than 1%) and The Weeknd’s former No. 1 After Hours falls 2-6 with just under 37,000 units (down 13%). BTS’ former No. 1 Be bounds 74-7 with 36,000 equivalent album units earned (up 254%) after the album was issued on Feb. 19 in a new deluxe CD package, dubbed the “essential edition.” Of the album’s units earned in the week ending Feb. 25, album sales comprise 28,000 (up 888%). No additional tracks were added to the essential edition of the album, which sells for $30.98 on BTS’ official U.S. webstore. The essential edition offers different packaging and internal paper goods (including one randomized collectible photocard) as compared to Be’s original CD release, which sold for $50.98 and had more paper goods (though none were randomized). Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia slips 7-8 on the latest Billboard 200 with 30,000 equivalent album units earned (down 7%), Luke Combs’ former No. 1 What You See Is What You Get climbs 11-9 with just over 28,000 units (up 4%) and Lil Baby’s former leader My Turn bumps 13-10 with 28,000 units (up 11%). Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" logs a seventh week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, encompassing its entire run on the chart so far. "License" was released Jan. 8 on Geffen / Interscope Records and debuted at No. 1 on the Jan. 23-dated Hot 100, marking Rodrigo's first leader. The song from the singer-songwriter and actress, who broke through with roles on Disney Channel's Bizaardvark and Disney+'s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, totaled 21.5 million U.S. streams (down 4%) and 13,000 downloads sold (up 38%) in the week ending Feb. 25, according to MRC Data. It also drew 67.3 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 13%) in the week ending Feb. 28. The track rebounds 8-2 on the Digital Song Sales chart (after three weeks at No. 1), as it wins the Hot 100's top Sales Gainer award; pushes 5-2 on Radio Songs; and slips 2-3 on Streaming Songs (after four weeks at No. 1). Cardi B's "Up" jumps 5-2 on the Hot 100, returning to its highpoint where it debuted two weeks ago. It rises 3-2 on Streaming Songs (24.3 million, up 8%), 5-4 on Digital Song Sales (9,000, down 17%) and 41-33 on Radio Songs (22.8 million, up 20%). Chris Brown and Young Thug's "Go Crazy" soars 8-3 for a new Hot 100 high, besting its prior No. 5 peak, following the Feb. 19 release of its remix featuring Future, Lil Durk and Mulatto. The track adds a seventh week atop Radio Songs (77.6 million in audience, down 2%); blasts 50-12 on Streaming Songs (13.2 million, up 74%); and re-enters Digital Song Sales at No. 35 (3,000 sold, up 76%). (Future, Lil Durk and Mulatto are not credited on the song on the Hot 100, as the remix did not draw the majority of its activity in the tracking week.) Brown posts his highest Hot 100 rank in over a dozen years, since "Forever" peaked at No. 2 for two weeks in summer 2008. Ariana Grande's "34+35" drops to No. 4 on the Hot 100, a week after it revisited its No. 2 high (when it was sparked the Feb. 12 premiere of its official video starring Grande, Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion). The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" dips 4-5 on the Hot 100. The song spent four weeks at No. 1 last April-May (eventually finishing as the Hot 100's top hit of all of 2020) and posts its 64th total week on the chart. It adds a record-extending 51st week in the top 10 and record-padding 42nd week in the top five. The Weeknd boasts back-to-back hits in the Hot 100's top 10, as "Save Your Tears" holds at No. 6, two weeks after reaching its No. 4 high. 24kGoldn's "Mood," featuring Iann Dior, keeps at No. 7 on the Hot 100, after eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in October through mid-January. It rules the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a 26th week each. Lil Tjay's "Calling My Phone," featuring 6LACK, falls to No. 8 on the Hot 100, a week after it launched at No. 3. It adds a second week atop Streaming Songs (25.4 million, down 25%). Rounding out the Hot 100's top 10, Grande's "Positions" rises 10-9, after spending its first week on the chart at No. 1 in November, and Dua Lipa's "Levitating," featuring DaBaby, backtracks 9-10, after reaching No. 5.

Record Of The Month

United Kingdom
Music Week (excerpt)
Scottish post-rock band Mogwai bows at number one
Monday, March 1, 2021
by Alan Jones, London

It has taken 13 albums and over 23 years but veteran Scottish experimental wizards Mogwai finally have a No.1 album to their name. Unable for obvious reasons to promote them on tour the band instead gave their new tracks a live premiere via a webstream shot at Glasgow Tramway earlier this month. Their reward is to see their

10th studio release As The Love Continues debut at the top of the charts. The album posts sales of 10,456, 7,305 of these physical. It is the group's third Top 10 album in a row following Rave Tapes (No.10, 2014) and Every Country's Sun (No.6, 2017). Their biggest seller is 1999's Come On Die Young which has accumulated 51,306 sales since release. Also enjoying a best ever chart week is Ghetts, who flies straight to No.2, landing 7,554 sales for himself with his third studio album Conflict Of Interest. He made No.23 in 2014 with Rebel With Cause and No.30 in 2018 with Ghetto Gospel: The New Testament, records now eclipsed in some style by this 16-track collection which boasts collaborations with artists such as Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sande and Stormzy. As reported by Music Week, Dua Lipa's career album sales now number over one million. Future Nostalgia continues to add to that total and as the most streamed album of the week it is back in the

Top 3 for the first time since early January and its 10th week in total since its release almost 11 months ago. Its 5,715 sales this week take the acclaimed album’s total to date to 302,011. Dua Lipa's eponymous debut also continues to tick over steadily. No.37 with 2,061 sales it has been a Top 75 album for all but two of the 194 weeks since its 2017 release with its own cumulative sales standing at 709,076. A lack of any other big new releases gives the Top 5 room to breathe and The Highlights from The Weeknd climbs back to No.4, adding a further 5,425 sales. Positions by Ariana Grande was expanded to a new digital-only deluxe edition this week, although with the exception of the 34+35 remix none of the five new tracks are much more than two minutes in length. But the renewed interest was enough to send its sales surging, 4,955 sales taking the album to No.5 and its highest chart placing since its second week on release back in November. Meanwhile Greatest Hits by Queen continues to do extraordinary things. No.6 (4,708 sales) is its highest chart placing as a standalone release since January 1992 in the immediate aftermath of Freddie Mercury’s death. This is its 34th week as a Top 10 record and 664th week overall on the Top 75. Not bad for a compilation album whose newest track turns 40 years old this year. Albums sales slide 2.55% to stand at 1,748,817 for the week. A thin release slate inevitably means physical sales take a greater tumble shedding 10.56% week on week to sit at 272,133, their lowest total for seven weeks. A week free of any suitably heavyweight challengers means Olivia Rodrigo strolls comfortably to a seventh consecutive week at No.1. Drivers License has now enjoyed the longest uninterrupted run at the top of the charts since Dance Monkey's 11-week spell at the end of 2019. A further 46,404 chart sales (44,533 from streams) mean the American teenager's cumulative sales to date top half a million for the first time. Unable to match their opening week totals, Lil Tjay and 6lack still add a further 37,654 sales to remain at No.2 for a second week with Calling My Phone. Just below Nathan Evans enjoys a fifth consecutive week in the Top 3 with Wellerman. No longer just an internet meme, the sea shanty has instead turned into a genuine pop smash, a further 36,970 sales taking its cumulative total to 175,370. The Top 5 is completed by The Business by Tiesto rising to another new peak of No.4 (31,652 sales) and Kid Laroi's Without You steady at No.5 (29,398 sales). Friday by Riton / Nightcrawlers / Mufasa & Hypeman continues to make strides, rising to No.7 (25,899 sales). It further hammers home the extraordinary versatility of the core groove, originally created by Mark Kinchen as a remix of the Nightcrawlers' original track Push The Feeling On in 1994 and most recently used last year as the basis of AJ Tracey's Dinner Guest. Changes in artist credits during a single's run are rare and only happen in exceptional circumstances, but in an acknowledgement that it is the remix which is driving the popularity of Goosebumps the Top 10 smash is as of this week credited to Travis Scott and HVME together. The single holds firm at No.9 (24,126 sales) and now officially Scott's fourth Top 10 single, his first since Highest In The Room in October 2019. Singles sales are down 0.69% to 21,765,403. Paid-for sales slide 3.36% to 444,536.