MSFTExplains
Billboard Explains: When Older Songs Become New Hits
From dances and movies to TikToks, songs now more than ever have the unique ability to find new lives on the Billboard charts. But what are the rules for a song’s re-entry? Any song is allowed to re-enter the Billboard charts, but with a few conditions: The track in question must crack the top 50 of a respective chart and needs to have a meaningful reason for doing so. Songs that qualify for a re-entry generally see a resurgence due to dance trends, appearances in a film or trending sounds on TikTok. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Examples of this include Lizzo‘s hit single “Truth Hurts,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in September 2019 — despite its release two years prior — after being featured in Netflix’s Someone Great. Ghost Town DJ’s...
Who Gets Paid for a Stream?
Over a trillion times a year, somebody streams a song within the United States and sets in motion the process of paying royalties to the rights holders and creators responsible for the music. Each individual payment is minute — usually less than a cent — but for the most popular songs, royalties can add up to millions of dollars in a single year. Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” for example, which was 2021’s most-streamed song in the U.S., according to MRC Data, earned her, its songwriters and its various rights holders about $4 million, Billboard estimates. Exactly how each involved party is paid varies, but the recipients are the same: record label, performing artist, songwriter, music publisher and an intermediary or two. Both the sound recording and its underlying musical work receive royaltie...
Billboard Explains: When a Soundtrack Smashes the Charts
‘Encanto’ is the first soundtrack to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in over two years, taking the charts by storm like many of our favorite soundtracks of the past. In the latest episode of Billboard Explains, take a look back at the history of hit soundtracks and what factors create their success. [flexi-common-toolbar] [flexi-form class=”flexi_form_style” title=”Submit to Flexi” name=”my_form” ajax=”true”][flexi-form-tag type=”post_title” class=”fl-input” title=”Title” value=”” required=”true”][flexi-form-tag type=”category” title=”Select category”][flexi-form-tag type=”tag” title=”Insert tag”][flexi-form-tag type=”article”...
Billboard Explains: When a Soundtrack Dominates the Charts
The Billboard charts have been an integral part of the music industry since the 1940s, keeping records of the most-played songs and albums across a broad range of genres throughout the decades. On occasion, movie, television or musical soundtracks are popular enough to make appearances on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts — a feat that first started with the original West Side Story film and now continues with Disney’s Encanto. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Upon its release in 1961, the West Side Story soundtrack broke several records, spending 54 weeks on the Billboard 200 and laying the groundwork for soundtrack albums from The Graduate (1967), Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978) to top the all-genre albums chart following their release....
