ETA: Here’s is an iTunes chart I just ran using the search phrase “American Idol”. According to what came up, Jordin Sparks and Daughtry are both “more popular” than any of the Season 7 iTunes performances. Currently, “No Air” is #5 on the overall iTunes chart, “Tattoo” is #58, and I can’t find “Home” or “It’s Not Over” on the overall chart…
Just by looking at this chart, “Billie Jean” isn’t even in the Top 100. But who knows. These little queries are fun to run, but obviously, they are super-unscientific…
The Top 10 performance recordings are now available at iTunes.
These are full-length studio recordings of the songs the contestants perform Tuesday night. There are also downloadable videos available. So if y’all are going to buy–Support mjsbigblog! Click any of the iTunes icons on the site or just click the handy icon right here. Thank you!
Here are the Top 10 iTunes popularity rankings as of this morning (posted by primeminister in comments this morning, thnx!):
David Cook takes the lead!
1. David Cook - Billie Jean
(Gap, with the 2-4 going neck-to-neck)
2. David Archuleta - You’re the Voice
3. Michael Johns - We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions
4. Brooke White - Every Breath You Take
(Steadily moving downwards from here)
5. Carly Smithson - Total Eclipse of the Heart
6. Jason Castro - Fragile
7. Kristy Lee Cook - God Bless the USA
8. Syesha Mercado - If I Was Your Woman
9. Ramiele Malubay - Alone
10. Chikezie - If Only for One Night (Selling less than 8 Days a Week. Yikes!)
ETA: Top 10 Overall (”Billie Jean” is #1!)
Related Posts
If only I could buy from iTunes, I would. Unfortunately, I can’t (
iTunes), so I just do what I gotta do to get the music… 
(Speaking of buying, last night, I finally bought a copy of the Season 5 Encores album from a local record store. It was on the bargain bin, selling for less than $4. Heh. I really wish the full versions of all the songs from the Top 12 were also available back then. Oh, well…)
Regarding the AI Top 10 full songs, after a couple of listens, I think my favorites are David Cook’s and Carly’s. I also like Michael’s (but still not as much as I liked his Across The Universe…I know that’s so yesterday’s news, but that’s what firmly converted me into a fan, so there…heh). I’m also repeatedly listening to Chickezie’s song (I liked his performance and would have voted for him some if I could). Ramiele’s Alone is better than her live performance…it isn’t great, but it didn’t make me cringe, at least. I don’t love Jason’s but it is alright (and after that cheestasticness in the group performance last night, he remains tops in my heart, heh). ;)
wow.. they all sound so much better.. My “son” sounds wonderful…although I told him not to pick those old church reunion songs again..
David Cook sounds fantastic and I’m ok with a David/David final….(crossing fingers & praying)
Tonite from home I will buy both Davids, chickezie and Jason’s :-)
The iTunes studio version of the David Cook cover of the Chris Cornell cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean ;) sounds great…kid has serious range! Of course Archie will probably still end up winning this thing but it’s awesome how DCook has come up out of nowhere and changed up the script for this season.
I got the studio version of Jason’s “Fragile”. It’s excellent. I didn’t know the song before. It’s a very soulful song about stopping killing. No wonder he likes it.
Jason’s ‘Fragile’ is a great ipod song. If only he had as many votes as he has downloads, he wouldn’t have been among the bottom 3.
Michelle - with the itunes sales info and popularity I think my son may be lucky to be in the top 2.. He has to start making better song choices.. David Cook just crushed everyone with BJ!
Agreed. The studio version of Fragile (without the frightful clapping) is lovely. It highlights the lyrics, which I don’t think were given enough attention during the live performance.
Yeah, and looking at the last few weeks, Ramiele’s fans vote, but don’t buy.
Wow! BJ made it to #1 in about 12 hours. Pretty impressive. I hope Clive is seeing $$$.
I downloaded Jason’s and David’s songs and they both sound completely lovely in their Jason and David ways.
I would so love to see the numbers for Billie Jean this week. Heck I went for a haircut this morning and my hairdresser who is a somewhat casual AI watcher was raving about the brilliance of that perormance.
How can you tell how many songs they have sold?!?!?!
I would LOVE to see David Cook win this whole thing. He does have amazing range, and I don’t care whose songs he’s covering-he sings the hell out of them!
I’m still iffy on whether I want David C to win, AI winner duties and coronation single and all. Maybe tptb will be smart and let the final two do something to the last song this year.
Second would be good, maximum face time on tv! in any case, Clive is a fool if he isn’t already drawing up the papers for a record deal.
We can’t..but we can see the popularity bars which is a sales indicator.
I loved Michael’s recording as usual… Wow I just enjoy the tone of his voice so much. I definitely recommend his track.
Even though “We are The Champions” is more of a performance song, he totally nails all the notes and emotions on this one.
Way to go MJ! Keep it up…. You still can make your way up. Your #1 fan.
I love Michael’s song too, Maracaibo. While I was at it I bought the cd from his former band, The Rising. I’ve been enjoying the mini live/accoustic album.
I’m not buying Billie Jean but may pick up Day Tripper.
Well, it’s official: David Cook’s Billie Jean is the #1 song on iTunes, beating Mariah’s Carey’s “Touch My Body”, Madonna’s “4 Minutes” and Leana Lewis’ “Bleeding Love”.
Congratulations David Cook! You are the new front-runner on American Idol!
OMG
http://www.rickey.org/?p=7483
Front-runner status is tricky. America loves an underdog and likes to knock TCO’s off their pedestals. Hoping for DCook’s sake he didn’t peak at Top 10 and it’s downhill from here. (I know, shame on me for even thinking this about my bf)!
I did something I’ve never done before from watching Idol - I downloaded all of David Cook’s songs from itunes this morning and burned them to a CD. While listening in my car I am blown away by this guy’s voice and song choices. It’s like listening to a great album by a great artist unrelated to AI.
This guy has star written all over him, and if he by some chance has some good music he’s written over the years I am thinking he hits it big. This is my first time commenting in awhile but it’s amazing to me what a star in the making he is turning out to be - who knew?
What is the search criteria that shows the comparison of David’s song to the other top iTunes songs (Touch My Body, Bleeding Love, Lollipop, etc.)?
Ditto that cheese. I also downloaded Michael’s and Brooke’s, both of which I like a lot. And I bought Chikeze’s - just to show some support!
I sure hope the contestants are getting a piece of these itunes downloads. I don’t want to just be lining Nigel’s pockets. (Although I am clicking on the link from here to make sure that I line MJ’s pockets
)
I just checked iTunes. Billie Jean’s selling about half of what Jordin’s No Air is selling. Search “American Idol” to see this.
If Rickey somehow managed to pull up some other chart and is correct, then WOW, congratulations to David Cook! I’m so excited for him!
grayhound, David C’s been on the scene for a while and even had a solo EP out…of course Idol won’t let them sell anything while they’re on the show but you can listen here.
i just recreated mj’s “american idol” search and billie jean is now 2nd after jordin’s no air. anyone know what sort of time period the chart tracks over?
Michelle. Thanks for the info. I knew he had been around before but I hadn’t listened to anything of his yet. But I sure am a fan of that voice.
I have a question for anyone who knows, for what its worth - after AI is over, is it possible to re-record, for example, DC’s version of Hello with him (and whatever record co.) making a profit? Or, is the AI version “the one” that is considered the single?
Well, I think that depends. If the press starts singing his praises and crowning him now, yeah, people will turn. Especially if he slips up. But if he continues on the path he’s on, consistently giving great performances, with a couple more “WOW” ones (which I firmly believe he’s fully capable of), and keeps the “smugness” and ego in check, he might be okay. But if he starts to slip, things can, and will, turn ugly. He’s just gotta keep up the the smart game-playing and stay ahead of the curve.
And *ahem*. He’s my bf, darlin. Get in line. ;)
I did, I did! :)
Naw, seriously, I totally agree. I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical at first because of the Daughtry comparison shit that TPTB kept throwing at us. But I was impressed with his voice early on, and always found myself voting for him in the semi’s, in addition to some others… Jason, Michael, Danny, David H.
Confession time - his endearing “word nerd” clip coupled with the completely rawkstah performance of “All Right Now” (backtalk to Simon notwithstanding; do most people even remember that ever happened now?) is what sealed my status as a fantard.
Once top 12 hit, aside from 45 minutes of voting for Jason on Tuesday, I haven’t voted for anyone else.
Sarah - I also noticed him from the beginning but he didn’t get a great deal of screen time so he didn’t start to stand out too much until top 24. I’ve been steady voting for him (who knew I could love again) since then, although I did cheat early on and voted for Michael and Jason a few times.
Anyhow, I am really excited about him and want to see him go far. He deserves it - I respect a real musician who writes music, plays an instrument and struggles to get somewhere. I hope he gains steady support in the weeks to come.
And hey - I remember the backtalk, but don’t remember what was said to Simon!
WOOT!! Just purchased Jason’s “Fragile” - love it! It reminds me of something you might hear on the “Chocolat” soundtrack, one of my favorites.
I hope Simon has some influence and they can do away with that extremely annoying and distracting mosh pit. Phooey!
Mosh pit needs to go - buh bye. VERY distracting.
So far I’ve only downloaded “Fragile” and “Bilyl Jean”. Very pleased with both. :-)
Jason can sing en espanol to me any day. /fangirl
I know it’s a big no-no to talk back to the judges, but I think I’m the only person in America who thought that was justified. For one, the look on Simon’s face was priceless. But, he had basically slammed David for being a “braniac” instead of a jock like Michael or a drag racer like Robbie. I feared for his safety the next night, but secretly (well, not so secretly, since I lauded him in my recap), I cheered him on. Apparently, he’s learned his lesson, though. :)
Quick question for MJ or anyone else that may have this answer. Do the Idols get a cut of $$ from the downloads off itunes??? Does anyone know?
Just curious…
OK, I found an explanation for Rickey’s iTunes chart in his comments. Apparently if you click on “Complete My Album”* on the Quicklinks box on the iTunes main page, you may see a chart that says “Today’s Top Songs”. This is apparently where the chart came from. Not everyone seems to see it, but a couple of his posters confirmed that they saw the same list. It may depend on the iTunes version you’re using.
Based on Ryan’s comment last night about the Idols having the top 5, maybe this is right?? I don’t know.
*Only people with no albums to complete seem to see this chart - I have 14 albums to complete, and as much as I love DC, I’m not completing them just to see if the chart is there for me.
In other news - DC fans who have been listening to Analog Heart - the album is available for puchase on Amazon in their mp3 store. Someone found it very easily today - not sure how long it’s been there or how long it will stay there. Weird. Anyway, it felt good to pay for it since I’ve been enjoying the songs for a couple of weeks now.
Thanks for the info, cheese. I guess the rolling period for the normal iTunes popularity bars has to be longer than just a week.
Wow Cheese - that worked for me!
Todays Top Songs:
1 David C
11 David A
12 Michael
15 Brooke
24 Carly
33 Jason
53 KLC
I just downloaded Fragile and Billy Jean (through MJ’s of course) and I LOVE both of them. I may have to get Michael and Brooke too. Damn - I need a second job!!!!!
eta: I now want to get all DC and Jason’s songs - I already had Hallelujah.
I hope so Baxter. The kids deserve a cut. Surely they get one.
Wow…that “complete my album” thing worked, and it puts the Idol’s songs in a different perspective.
“If I Fell” is absolute love!!!!
okay pj - you talked me into downloading “If I Fell” and it is love.
Interesting that DC and Jason are so different and I love both of their voices and styles for different reasons. Music is cool that way.
Currently, when you do the old fashioned “American Idol” search, “Billie Jean” is nestled in between “Tattoo” and “No Air”. Popularity bars are about 2.5 times the first and 3/4 of the second.
Last week, “No Air” sold 128,745 while “Tattoo” sold 34,589. The sales will be a little different this week and we don’t know how long the polling interval is. If “Billie Jean” continues to have popularity bars that big, it would sell in the range of about 90-100K.
That said, there are a lot of “ifs” there and bars are hard to compare in size unless you get really OCD about it and sales number fluctuate between weeks and those totals for Jordin include sales from all sites and not just iTunes.
The really interesting thing to do would be to capture these sales bars on a Sunday night. Then, when the real numbers come out on Wednesday we can get a very, very rough idea about how many they sold. Mid-week bars are hard to predict anything with, but the Sunday night ones might be more useful (the sales week ends on Sunday)
Take this all with a huge grain of salt because there are SO many unknowns. And maybe Nigel is just toying with us. He just has iTunes randomly generate popularity bars for the Idols. He’s sitting there in his jammies, eating popcorn and laughing maniacally.
Could somebody explain to me why “No Air” has a larger bar than “Billie Jean” the old fashioned way, but not the “complete my album” way? What is the difference between the two?
Like Kirsten said, grain of salt and all…
Dante, I wish the background singers would back off with Jason. Even with the “Fragile” recording.
MJ, I gave up on trying to figure that shiz out. LOL. We know David is really popular right now.
Could it be because the old-fashioned way’s polling period is probably more than a week, while the “complete my album” way looks at popularity within a smaller time frame?
Yep.
To peeps who are clicking my links:
LOVE :)
Thank you!
I don’t know exactly what the “complete my album” is showing us. If you do a search on “Jordin Sparks” or “Daughtry” or just look at the Best Sellers, you can see their two songs on the “American Idol” chart have consistent popularity bars amongst all three charts (the sizes change because the biggest seller changes, but relative to each other, they are the same).
I can’t look at the “Complete My Album” on the US site because I have a foreign account, but from the screen captures of this phenomina, it seems that there is something funky with the “Complete My Album”. Primeminister is probably correct about the smaller polling time frame which may mean that “Billie Jean” is outselling them at the current hour or for the last 24 hours or something. There might even be an extra boost because of pre-sales counting in that window.
I say that those who are so inclined should monitor it in conjunction with the “old-fashioned” way and see if you can spot anything. It’s a black box. You have to poke it a little if you want to find out what is inside. LOL. Blind men and elphants and all that.
This is TOTAL conjecture, but my first thought was that maybe “No Air” had a larger American Idol “tag” than Billie Jean…meaning that “No Air” has been designated to be more closely related to American Idol than a current contestant, since Jordin won.
With a few exceptions (like Wanda Sykes), everyone listed under “American Idol” is either a winner, a former contestant, or a current contestant, and that ALL of the songs are songs that can be distributed by 19R. You’ll notice that Elliott’s “Moody’s Mood For Love” turns up, but not “Wait For You”.
But it appears that “Billie Jean” is going to overtake “No Air” even under the “American Idol” search string since more and more people are downloading it, using the string to search for the song. The tag might be smaller than “No Air” (going by my hypothesis), but it’s not going to matter if a much higher number of people are downloading “Billie Jean” and associating it with American Idol.
Just a guess :)
THANK YOU!!!!! I totally never would have known that. I’ve been listening and enjoying for a couple weeks now too, so I’m glad to now have his album and have paid for it. I am a happy, happy woman.