Top 40 Best Bets for 2011 - Rod Stewart & Stevie Nicks #16

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Will They Be The Taylor/King of 2011?

Hopes are high that the pairing of Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks for the Heart and Soul tour of North American arenas will strike the kind of boomer gold that led James Taylor and Carole King to a $62 million gross in 2010 - the sixth-highest among all tours for the year, according to billboard boxscore.

from Billboard Magazine January 29, 2011 issue

FLEETWOOD MAC AT #11 ON BILLBOARD ANNUAL TOP MONEY EARNERS LIST

In music, success can be measured by many yardsticks: Billboard No. 1s, Grammy Awards, AA medallions. But as acts from Barrett Strong to Pink Floyd to Sean "Diddy" Combs have testified in song, when you come right down to it, it's all about the benjamins.

The fourth edition of our annual countdown of music's highest earners finds wide-eyed youngsters (Kings of Leon, Taylor Swift) rubbing elbows with their well-heeled elders (Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac). As the music industry grows ever more complicated, so does our top-secret* Money Makers formula -- comprising, among other variables, monies earned from CD and digital sales, publishing royalties and all forms of streaming. But one thing remains constant: Touring is the prime fattener of bank accounts, as evidenced most dramatically in the eye-popping, chart-topping tally of high-end road hog U2.

Here's the top 11. The full article and top 40 list can be found at Billboard Magazine

Fleetwood Mac lands at No. 11

11. Fleetwood Mac
$24,751,540

The baby boomer idols land on the list for the first time thanks to the group's $24 million take from its Unleashed tour, its first in five years. The trek grossed $71.2 million from 65 shows reported to Boxscore and landed at No. 14 on Billboard's top tours list last year. Fleetwood Mac earned less than $700,000 in the United States from its album sales, with its 1988 "Greatest Hits" moving 135,000 copies -- about half its U.S. album total for the period. The band earned roughly the same amount from digital track sales ($71,100) as it did from digital album sales (70,200).

10. Metallica - $25,564,234

9. Kenny Chesney - $26,581,141

8. Coldplay - $27,326,562

7. Jonas Brothers - $33,596,576

6. Pink - $36,347,658

5. Britney Spears - $38,885,267

4. AC/DC - $43,650,466

3. Madonna - $47,237,774

2. Bruce Springsteen - $57,619,037

1. U2 - $108,601,283

FLEETWOOD MAC'S RUMOURS PART OF ELITE GROUP OF 18

FEARLESS JOINS RUMOURS AMONG TOP 10 ELITE

A Full Year In The Top 10

Chartwatch

Taylor Swift's Fearless logs its 52nd week in the top 10 on The Billboard 200. The country/pop blockbuster is one of only 18 albums to spend a full year in the top 10 since 1963, when Billboard combined its separate stereo and mono charts into one comprehensive listing.

The list of 18 albums is highly eclectic. It includes hard rock, R&B/pop, even a little hip-hop. It includes two movie soundtracks and an album of instrumental pop and a live album. In short, a little bit of everything.

There are some surprises on the list. If you asked people to name the group with the longest-running top 10 album, they'd probably guess the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eagles or Fleetwood Mac before they'd come up with the right answer, Def Leppard. And if you asked people to name the all-female group with the longest-running top 10 album, they'd probably run through such more obvious choices as the Supremes, Go-Go's, Bangles, Dixie Chicks, TLC and Destiny's Child before they'd come up with the correct answer, Wilson Phillips.

With the Grammys coming up on Jan. 31, Fearless is likely to remain in the top 10 and thus continue moving up this list. Fearless is already just one week away from tying Shania Twain's Come On Over as the longest-running top 10 album by a country artist.

Twelve of these 18 albums were released in the 1980s and 1990s. Three were released in the ‘60s, two in the ‘70s and only one (Fearless) in the ‘00s. This suggests that taking out a full year's lease in the top 10 is harder than it used to be.

As usual, I have a little bit of fine print: Michael Jackson's Thriller is in third place on the list, with 78 weeks in the top 10. But Thriller logged 13 additional weeks as one of the nation's 10 best-selling albums in the past two years--five weeks in 2008 (when Thriller 25 was released) and eight weeks in 2009 (following Jackson's death). At the time, catalog albums were barred from The Billboard 200. Billboard wisely changed its policy late last year and now allows catalog albums to compete on the big chart. If the new policy had been in place throughout 2008 and 2009, Thriller would have a total of 91 weeks in the top 10 and would move up to second place on this list.

1. Soundtrack, The Sound Of Music, 109 weeks (May 1965 to January 1968). Julie Andrews headlined this blockbuster soundtrack, which appeared in the top 10 in four different years. Oddly, the album was #1 for just two of these 109 weeks. A second Andrews soundtrack, Mary Poppins, spent nearly a year (48 weeks) in the top 10.

2. Bruce Springsteen, Born In The U.S.A., 84 weeks (June 1984 to January 1986). You know how seven is considered a lucky number? This was Springsteen's seventh album, it logged seven weeks at #1 and it spawned seven top 10 singles, including "Dancing In The Dark." This remained in the top 10 longer than any other rock album.

3. Michael Jackson, Thriller, 78 weeks (January 1983 to June 1984). This remained in the top 10 longer than any other pop or R&B album. It spent nearly half of these 78 weeks (37) at #1. The album spawned seven top 10 hits, including "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney), "Beat It" (featuring Eddie Van Halen) and "Thriller" (featuring Vincent Price).

4. Def Leppard, Hysteria, 78 weeks (August 1987 to March 1989). This had the longest run in the top 10 of any album by a group. This was the English rock band's fourth album. It logged six weeks at #1 and spawned four top 10 hits, including the #1 "Love Bites."

5. Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill, 72 weeks (August 1995 to January 1997). This had the longest run in the top 10 of any album by a female artist and any American debut album. (Morissette had two previous albums in her native Canada.) The album logged 12 weeks at #1 and spawned three top 10 hits: "Ironic," "You Learn" and "Head Over Feet."

6. Soundtrack, Doctor Zhivago, 71 weeks (June 1966 to January 1968). Maurice Jarre composed and conducted this soundtrack, which remained in the top 10 longer than any other instrumental album. The album logged just one week at #1. Ray Conniff turned "Lara's Theme" into the schmaltzy top 10 hit "Somewhere, My Love."

7. Paula Abdul, Forever Your Girl, 64 weeks (February 1989 to May 1990). This album, Abdul's debut, logged 10 weeks at #1 and spawned five top 10 hits, including "Straight Up" and "Opposites Attract" (with The Wild Pair). Abdul had just a few years as a top artist, but she was red-hot.

8. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Whipped Cream & Other Delights, 61 weeks (July 1965 to March 1967). The album, Alpert's third, logged eight weeks at #1. Alpert's zesty version of "Taste Of Honey" reached the top 10. In addition to being the hottest instrumental act of the ‘60s, Alpert co-founded A&M Records, home of artists ranging from Peter Frampton (see #16) to the Black Eyed Peas.

9. Celine Dion, Falling Into You, 61 weeks (March 1996 to June 1997). This was the Canadian superstar's fourth U.S. album. It logged three weeks at #1 and spawned three top 10 hits: "Because You Loved Me," "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" and a cover of Eric Carmen's "All By Myself."

10. Lionel Richie, Can't Slow Down, 59 weeks (November 1983 to December 1984). This was Richie's second album apart from the Commodores. It logged three weeks at #1 and spawned five top 10 hits, including the #1 hits "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello."

11. Hootie & The Blowfish, Cracked Rear View, 55 weeks (February 1995 to March 1996). The pop group's debut album logged eight weeks at #1 and spawned three top 10 hits: "Hold My Hand" (featuring David Crosby), "Let Her Cry" and "Only Want To Be With You." Lead singer Darius Rucker is now a country star.

12. Shania Twain, Come On Over, 53 weeks (November 1997 to January 2000). This album, the Canadian star's third, remained in the top 10 longer than any other album that failed to hit #1. (It spent two weeks at #2.) The collection spawned three top 10 hits: "You're Still The One," "From This Moment On" (featuring Bryan White) and "That Don't Impress Me Much."

13. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, 52 weeks (February 1977 to February 1978). This was the second album by the most famous line-up of this veteran band. It remained in the top 10 longer than any other album by a mixed-gender group. Most of these 52 weeks (31) were spent at #1. The album spawned four top 10 hits, including the #1 "Dreams."

14. M.C. Hammer, Please Hammer Don't Hurt ‘Em, 52 weeks (April 1990 to April 1991). This is the only rap or hip hop album to log a full year in the top 10. The album, Hammer's second, spent 21 weeks at #1 and spawned three top 10 hits: "U Can't Touch This," "Pray" and a remake of the Chi-Lites' "Have You Seen Her."

15. Taylor Swift, Fearless, 52 weeks (November 2008 to January 2010). Swift's second regular studio album has logged 11 weeks at #1 and has yielded four top 10 hits, including "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me." How much longer will it remain in the top 10? Place your bets.

16. Peter Frampton, Frampton Comes Alive!, 52 weeks (February 1976 to February 1977). This is the only live album to log a full year in the top 10. The album, the English rock star's fifth, logged 10 weeks at #1 and spawned two top 10 hits: "Show Me The Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do."

17. Guns N Roses, Appetite For Destruction, 52 weeks (April 1988 to April 1989). This was the debut album by the legendary hard rock band. It spent five weeks at #1 and yielded three top 10 hits: "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Welcome To The Jungle" and "Paradise City."

18. Wilson Phillips, Wilson Phillips, 52 weeks (June 1990 to June 1991). This remained in the top 10 longer than any other album by an all-female group. It was the debut album by the second-generation pop trio. The album logged 10 weeks at #2 and featured four top 10 hits, including the #1 smashes "Hold On," "Release Me" and "You're In Love."

BILLBOARD: HOT TOURS: FLEETWOOD MAC

Hot Tours: Fleetwood Mac
Billboard

Totals from the European leg of its Unleashed Tour place Fleetwood Mac on the Hot Tours list with grosses topping $13 million from ten venues. Top-grosser is a two-show run at Wembley Arena (Oct. 30-31) with 22,209 in attendance and ticket sales at $2.5 million. After the U.K. trek, the tour will continue in December with dates in Australia and New Zealand.

#4 FLEETWOOD MAC

Gross: $13,124,830
Dates: Oct. 8-Nov. 3
Total Attendance: 124,021 (130,343)
- Parken Stadion, Copenhagen (1/0)
- Ericsson Globe, Stockholm (1/0)
- Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium (1/0)
- Ahoy, Rotterdam (1/1)
- Le Zenith, Paris (1/1)
- Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Glasgow, U.K. (1/1)
- Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester, U.K. (1/0)
- Wembley Arena, London (2/0)
- Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, U.K. (1/0)
- National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, U.K. (1/1)

FLEETWOOD MAC "LIVE"

Fleetwood Mac's 10 month, four continent tour that began in Oct. 1979 and ended in September 1980 is documented in this two-recorded live set. Recorded in various locales, the LP spans some of the best of the group's material, all delivered in crisp fashion. Much of the material deviates from their studio counterparts in that there is spontaneous interaction among members. While such Mac standards as "Rhiannon," "Go Your Own Way," "Over My Head" and "Don't Stop" are included, there are also less obvious cuts selected such as "Fireflies" and Brian Wilson's "The Farmer's Daughter." The sound quality is extraordinary and the packaging exceptional making it a valid collection by one of the world's most popular groups. Best cuts:"Go Your Own Way," "The Farmer's Daughter," "Sara," "Monday Morning," "Landslide," "One More Night." (Billboard Magazine, 12/20/80)

"Live" debuted at no.49 on Billboard Magazines Top LP's and Tape Chart December 27, 1980 and peaked at no.14 spending 18 weeks on the chart.

FLEETWOOD MAC vs CHICAGO

BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Ask Billboard
May 15, 2009

Hi Gary,

I was wondering if you could help me win a bet I have with my brother. I say that Fleetwood Mac has had more hits than the band Chicago and has, thus, been more successful.

Which one of us gets to brag?

Thanks so much!

Suzanne Niceley
Florence, Kentucky


Hi Suzanne,

I notice you ask me to help you "win a bet." You don't request that I help "settle a bet." Careful, you wouldn't want your brother to be suspicious that you influenced the judge's decision ...

Since you didn't qualify "hits," or which charts to use, let's look at this from a couple of angles.

In terms of overall hit songs on the Billboard Hot 100, Chicago has collected 46, Fleetwood Mac 25. Their top 40 totals stand at 34 for Chicago and 18 for the Mac. Chicago has notched 20 top 10s, Fleetwood Mac nine. Chicago also has more No. 1s, three to one. So, as for hit singles, Chicago wins.

Now let's check each group's album sales since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991 (realizing, of course, that the acts released much of their highest-charting product in the '70s and '80s). Since the dawn of the SoundScan era, Chicago has totaled 11.9 million in album sales. Fleetwood Mac has sold 16.6 million. So, going by album sales according to Nielsen SoundScan, Fleetwood Mac wins.

A possible tie-breaker? Fleetwood Mac was enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Despite its immense success, Chicago, surprisingly, has yet to be elected.

When it comes to your bet, I'll diplomatically stand back and let you and your brother interpret the information as you see fit. Fleetwood Mac's most recent Hot 100 entry was, after all, entitled "Peacekeeper."

"GREATEST HITS" HITS BILLBOARD CHARTS

Fleetwood Mac's "Greatest Hits" reaches the Billboard Comprehensive Album chart at #178 (issue 4/18/09) for the first time, a week after cracking the Billboard Catalog Album chart for the first time since May 24, 2003. This album was a Catalog staple in the 1990's, and ranks #16 in Catalog longevity, with 434 weeks.

NUMBER 1

Stevie's "Live in Chicago" is the new No.1 Music Video DVD on Billboards April 18, 2009 chart.

Congratulations Stevie!

Nicks also debuts on Billboards Comprehensive Albums Chart at #48 with "The Soundstage Sessions". and #5 on the Top Internet Albums Chart.

Summary

- Billboard 200 #47

- Billboard Comprehensive Albums #48

- Top Internet Albums #5

- Top Music DVD's #1

STEVIE NICKS SOUNDSTAGE BILLBOARD 200 CHART POSITION

Stevie Nicks "Soundstage Sessions" debuts on the Billboard 200 chart at #47 with 13,052 in sales.

"Live in Chicago" debut on the Top Music Video Charts at #1.

INCREASE IN SALES FOR GREATEST HITS

With Fleetwood Mac back on the road "Greatest Hits" released in 1988 experiences a sales increase on the Catalog and Digital Album Sales Charts.

Catalog Album Sales:
Week ending 3/22/09 Sales: 2,007 Chart Position: 90
Week ending 3/29/09 Sales: 2,750 Chart Position: 39
Total sales for the CD: 4,192,247

Digital Albums Sales:
Week Ending 03/22/09 Sales: 740
Week Ending 03/29/09 Sales: 628
Total Sales for the Digital Album: 75,264

Fleetwood Mac has sold 16.4 million albums

THE 'MAC IS BACK

Ask Billboard

January 2, 2009

Hi Keith,

With Fleetwood Mac going on tour again soon, I was wondering how many albums they have sold since Nielson SoundScan started, specifically their last few releases?

Thanks!
Kevin Markowski
Chicago

Hello Kevin,

I'm excited that Fleetwood Mac is going back on the road, but still sad that they are touring without Christine McVie. Really, the band just isn't the same without her. But you didn't ask about that, did you?

Since 1991, when SoundScan began tracking sales, Fleetwood Mac has sold 16.4 million albums in the U.S. The biggest seller is its 1997 live album "The Dance," which has sold 4.5 million. The group's last studio set, 2003's "Say You Will," has shifted 858,000.

Fleetwood Mac's Unleashed tour begins on March 1, 2009 in Pittsburgh.

Stevie has been one of the magical things in my life

Billboard Q&A: Songwriter Rick Nowels
By Hillary Crosley, L.A.
January 09, 2009

After penning songs for the likes of Stevie Nicks and Belinda Carlisle, veteran pop songwriter Rick Nowels used 2008 as the year to write for the urban pop audience. As such, Nowels, who lives in London, traveled to Los Angeles and helped balladeer John Legend write his uptempo song, "Green Light," which currently sits at No. 6 on the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart. In December, "Green Light" was nominated for a Grammy for best rap/sung collaboration and here Nowels spoke to Billboard.biz about his inspiration, writing "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and why he loves Kanye West's "Love Lockdown."

What was your inspiration for "Green Light?" 

We wrote the song a year ago in Los Angeles, I was playing electric guitar and John was singing. My inspiration was Curtis Mayfield and Prince.

When did you begin song writing, what were your first hits? 

I started writing songs when I was 13. I did a lot of performing throughout my teens and twenties. Then, in a very random way, Stevie Nicks heard a few of my songs and we ended up writing together.

We had a hit with "I can't wait" in 1986, which led to writing for and producing Belinda Carlisle. Ellen Shipley, another songwriter, and I wrote "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and "Circle in the Sand" and I produced the "Heaven on Earth" album. That set me on the path I am today as a writer/producer.

How would you describe your chemistry with Stevie Nicks? 

Working with Stevie has been one of the magical things in my life. When she walks in the room you feel that old school otherworldly rock star thing. When you hear her voice coming through the speakers you know you're hearing greatness. She's a poet. I've been lucky to have written songs with her on every record she's made since "Rock a Little" in 1986. We had a big hit in 1989 called "Rooms on Fire". Stevie opened the door for me in the music business. 

Full article

Gift of Screws Tour Stats (so far)