Billboard's List Of 2010 Money Makers

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.

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.

5. Britney Spears: It seemed unlikely that Britney Spears could ever recover professionally from a series of bizarre events that led up to her 2008 "Circus" CD. But the album bowed atop the Billboard 200 in December of that year, and the pop star's success continued into 2009 with an arena tour that earned her $36.4 million and album sales that totaled 763,000 copies. Digitally, Spears sold 7.5 million downloads; the largest seller was the racy Max Martin-produced single, "3," which moved 1.6 million downloads.

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Source: Billboard.com

30 June 2010

Producers Talk Britney's New Album

Britney Spears' next album will be 'hard-hitting,' Danja says. The producer reveals he's in pre-production on pop star's LP; Darkchild also teases Gaga-esque 'hits' for Spears, in new online video.

Britney Spears has kept quiet since wrapping up her Circus Tour, a 97-date extravaganza took her around the world last year. But according to some of the producers helping to prep her next album, it won't be long before we hear from the pop star again. In fact, a musical storm is brewing, producer/songwriter Danja told Rap-Up TV of what to expect from Spears' next project.

"We're getting things together," Danja revealed. The pair have collaborated on Spears' last two LPs, and Danja is the man responsible for giving Brit her comeback single "Gimme More." "I've actually been doing tracks that I love, and I can't wait to go into full production mode, but more or so [we're in] pre-production than anything," he said.

Asked what direction the pop princess' material will take, the producer said it was hard to tell; things tended to be unpredictable in the studio.

"We can start one way and end up a totally different way, I really don't know," Danja told Rap-Up TV. "I'm definitely gonna do my part and try to make it hard-hitting, uptempo, high-energy. That's what I think we need and that's what I'm gonna shoot for."

While Danja has worked with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, the producer revealed that the chemistry between him and Spears is "so easy and fun." "It's one of the easiest - probably the easiest - sessions I've had in my career, so I'm looking forward to getting back in," he gushed.

And after all the commotion that erupted after Spears' demo version of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" leaked online, it's maybe not surprising that Darkchild is also onboard for the singer's next album. The hitmaker, who penned and produced the Gaga/Beyoncé smash, took to Ustream last week to tease some of the tracks he'll soon be presenting to Britney and her people.

"In a minute, I'm going to play some music that I think is the bomb for Britney," says Darkchild, who's also known for crafting much of Brandy's catalog. "What I think is [some] incredible stuff for Britney. I'm gonna start with my meetings in a couple of weeks and start playing these records for them, for her and her team.

"Hopefully, you know, she'll get these hits and not let anyone else get 'em and keep 'em for herself. Y'know what I mean," he said seemingly referring to Spears' decision to pass on "Telephone," which, of course, later went on to become another megahit for Lady Gaga.

In May, Darkchild talked about creating new music for the singer, declaring that he would "write an international smash for her new album." No release date for Spears' album has been announced.

Source: MTV News

30 June 2010