BILLBOARD HOT 100 - TOP 50
1 1 LEWIS*LEONA BLEEDING LOVE - SINGLE
2 2 LIL WAYNE LOLLIPOP
3 3 JORDIN SPARKS DUET NO AIR
5 4 USHER LOVE IN THIS CLUB
6 5 RAY J FEAT. YUNG BERG SEXY CAN I
4 6 MADONNA 4 MINUTES
7 7 CAREY*MARIAH TOUCH MY BODY
19 8 NATASHA BEDINGFIELD POCKETFUL OF SUNSHINE
8 9 SARA BAREILLES LOVE SONG
14 10 JESSE MCCARTNEY LEAVIN’
15 11 DANITY KANE DAMAGED
11 12 FLO RIDA LOW/JEALOUS
13 13 JOHN MAYER SAY
12 14 MILEY CYRUS SEE YOU AGAIN
9 15 CHRIS BROWN FOREVER
10 16 CHRIS BROWN WITH YOU
16 17 ONEREPUBLIC STOP AND STARE - STILL BULLETED
17 18 RIHANNA DON’T STOP THE MUSIC (JODY DEN
23 19 PLIES FEATURING NE- BUST IT BABY (PART 2)
26 20 COLBIE CAILLAT REALIZE
20 21 COLBY O’DONIS FEATU WHAT YOU GOT - STILL BULLETED
18 22 ROSS*RICK BOSS
22 23 BUCKCHERRY SORRY
21 24 TIMBALAND/ONEREPUBLIC APOLOGIZE - SINGLE
28 25 2 PISTOLS FEATURING SHE GOT IT
24 26 KEYS*ALICIA NO ONE
30 27 JAMES OTTO JUST GOT STARTED LOVIN’ YOU
29 28 TAYLOR SWIFT PICTURE TO BURN
31 29 TAYLOR SWIFT OUR SONG
41 30 3 DOORS DOWN IT’S NOT MY TIME
60 31 LIL WAYNE A MILLI
27 32 TRACE ADKINS YOU’RE GONNA MISS THIS
35 33 LIFEHOUSE WHATEVER IT TAKES
47 34 GAVIN DEGRAW IN LOVE WITH A GIRL
34 35 DAUGHTRY FEELS LIKE TONIGHT
45 36 METRO STATION SHAKE IT
44 37 ASHANTI THE WAY THAT I LOVE YOU
32 38 MARIAH CAREY BYE BYE
25 39 WEBBIE, LIL’ PHAT & INDEPENDENT
40 40 BRAD PAISLEY I’M STILL A GUY
38 41 CAILLAT*COLBIE BUBBLY - SINGLE
39 42 FINGER ELEVEN PARALYZER
33 43 FLO RIDA FEATURING ELEVATOR
37 44 GEORGE STRAIT I SAW GOD TODAY
46 45 SPEARS*BRITNEY BREAK THE ICE REMIXES
42 46 NELLY FEATURING FER PARTY PEOPLE
51 47 FLYLEAF ALL AROUND ME
50 48 PHIL VASSAR LOVE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING
48 49 TAYLOR SWIFT TEARDROPS ON MY GUITAR
56 50 CARRIE UNDERWOOD LAST NAME

INTERESTING MOVES & DEBUTS
62 53 RIHANNA TAKE A BOW
69 54 NE-YO CLOSER
– 57 MADONNA GIVE IT 2 ME
77 58 CHRIS BROWN TAKE YOU DOWN
79 59 USHER FEATURING BEY LOVE IN THIS CLUB, PART II
87 61 DUFFY MERCY
– 65 BUSTA RHYMES FEATUR WE MADE IT
93 71 ESTELLE AMERICAN BOY
– 83 KEYSHIA COLE HEAVEN SENT
– 88 AUGUSTANA SWEET AND LOW
– 92 SEAN KINGSTON FEATU THERE’S NOTHIN
– 93 THE TING TINGS SHUT UP AND LET ME GO
– 96 COLBIE CAILLAT DREAMS COLLIDE
– 100 MIRANDA LAMBERT GUNPOWDER & LEAD

BUBBLING UNDER
– 1 ALICIA KEYS TEENAGE LOVE AFFAIR
14 4 M.I.A. PAPER PLANES (HOMELAND SECURIT
– 9 DAVID GUETTA & CHRI LOVE IS GONE
– 21 SCARLETT JOHANSSON FALLING DOWN

4 Minutes is currently at #6 this week and Give It 2 Me, debuted at #57 on Billboard.

nymag.com

Madonna Reinvents Herself As a Ticket-Scalping Profiteer

In a despicable move likely to disappoint even the crazy fans who didn’t hate American Life, Madonna has signed an endorsement deal with StubHub that will make her the first musician to earn a profit on scalped tickets to her concerts. The 49-year-old pop star will reportedly be paid a flat fee, plus a percentage of sales of all tickets purchased by fans who were unable to get them through Ticketmaster (because they were all bought by scalpers planning to sell them online at an exorbitant markup through StubHub). “It’s the future of the ticketing business,” claims StubHub head of business development Chuck La Vallee — and he’s probably right, at least until Madonna, the Rolling Stones, and the other dinosaurs who’ve been keeping the touring industry afloat this past decade keel over from old age. Anyway, if you’ve been looking for an excuse not to pay $700 for a balcony seat at one of the shows on her upcoming Sticky and Sweet Tour, we think this is a pretty great one.

Wall Street Journal

StubHub Enlisted in Resale Of Madonna Concert Tickets

By ETHAN SMITH
May 9, 2008; Page B6

Madonna’s coming concert tour is to feature what appears to be a first in the concert business: An official ticket reseller that will peddle seats at marked-up prices to fans who couldn’t get them through normal channels.

In the U.S. and Canada, eBay Inc.’s StubHub will serve as the “official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace.” In Europe, the role will be filled by Viagogo Ltd., a ticket reseller that also will sell “VIP packages” — higher-priced tickets that include amenities like backstage passes and meetings with performers.

The endorsements highlight the growing popularity and influence of so-called secondary ticketing companies, which let both fans and brokers sell tickets to others at prices that often far exceed their face values. Concert promoters and artists have long complained that they are locked out of the secondary marketplace, putting money in the pockets of speculators and middlemen who aren’t involved in staging or promoting concerts.

Sports teams and leagues have entered partnerships with secondary ticketing companies. But executives at Viagogo and StubHub called this the first time a major music artist has officially embraced the secondary market on this scale.

“It’s the future of the ticketing business,” said Chuck La Vallee, StubHub’s head of business development for music. “Promoters have always complained that we don’t have skin in the game.”

Terms weren’t disclosed, but people close to the deal said Viagogo is paying promoter Live Nation Inc. and Madonna a flat fee, while StubHub is offering a percentage of revenue on top of a fee. Despite the official status of the two companies, fans would still be able to buy and sell tickets on other online marketplaces, such as TicketsNow, RazorGator or Craigslist. But Viagogo and StubHub will be promoted in emails to fans and other marketing materials.

The tour is the first for Madonna since she announced a $120 million partnership with Live Nation in which the promoter is to participate financially in nearly every aspect of the pop star’s career. The album she is promoting, “Hard Candy,” is the last under her record contract with Warner Music Group Corp. The “Sticky and Sweet” tour is to start in August, with nine dates in Europe, followed by 18 U.S. shows in the fall. There will be several stadium shows in the U.S., including at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium — far larger venues than the arenas Madonna has historically performed in. Prices weren’t announced.

Live Nation’s contract in the U.S. with IAC/InterActiveCorp’s Ticketmaster expires at the end of this year. At that point Live Nation will begin selling its own tickets for its concerts. Arrangements like the one with Viagogo — in which Viagogo handles a portion of the so-called primary ticketing, in addition to resales — could become more common on Live Nation tours once Ticketmaster is out of the picture.

ditaluver posted this on fanzine:

OK I just did a practice run with some other lame artist on the Citi site.

First and foremost, when I clicked the link to purchase the tickets you HAVE TO HAVE A LIVE NATION ACCOUNT. Get that here

http://www.livenation.com/Userreg/signup

You have to confirm and accept your account by checking your email to get it all started so make sure you do this BEFORE the ticket buying process.

I assume this will be the same for M since it is a Live Nation Tour.

So once you have all that set up, go to private pass for the presale

http://www.privatepass.citi.com/site/main.aspx

You will Click MADONNA PRESALE (it is not one the site yet, so don’t freak out)

It will bring up a list of venues. Under the buy tickets column, it will list presale dates and times. Click the proper link for your show…

it will then take you to LIVE NATION

Scroll down a little bit and you’ll see a little BLUE CITIBANK TICKET

LOOKS LIKE THIS->

Click on link

It will then bring up the MADONNA info page and you’ll see drop down menus for Prices and Sections.
Chose what you like
Enter CODE

It will randomly chose your seats. You WILL have the option to look at the seating chart. You have 5 minutes to decide what you want to do. You can either remove, which will start the ticket search all over again…OR you choose your delivery method

Please Select Delivery Method For Your Tickets
Print At Home (Delivery Fee: $0.00)
Regular Mail (Delivery Fee: $0.00)
Express Delivery (Receive in 2-3 business days) (Delivery Fee: $18.50)

Once you are ready to purchase hit CONTINUE and you go to purchase page. (see below pic)

PASSWORD is the first 6 digits of the card # (i forgot who mentioned it, but they were right )

You should be good to go from there. YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES! DON’T PANIC! JUST DO IT RIGHT! hahahahahaha

I certainly hope this helps

	Monday, 10/6/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	More Info Coming Soon
	Tuesday, 10/7/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Madison Square Garden	New York, NY	More Info Coming Soon
	Wednesday, 10/15/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	TD Banknorth Garden	Boston, MA	Pre-Sale Tue, 5/13 at 10:00 am to Fri, 5/16 at 12:00 pm EDT Add to Outlook
	Saturday, 10/18/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Air Canada Centre	Toronto, ON	More Info Coming Soon
	Wednesday, 10/22/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Bell Centre	Montreal, QC	More Info Coming Soon
	Sunday, 10/26/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	United Center	Chicago, IL	On Sale Sat, 5/17 at 11:00 am CDT Add to Outlook
	Thursday, 10/30/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	BC Place Stadium	Vancouver, BC	More Info Coming Soon
	Saturday, 11/1/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Oracle Arena	Oakland, CA	More Info Coming Soon
	Tuesday, 11/4/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Petco Park	San Diego, CA	More Info Coming Soon
	Thursday, 11/6/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Dodger Stadium	Los Angeles, CA	More Info Coming Soon
	Saturday, 11/8/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	MGM Grand Garden Arena	Las Vegas, NV	More Info Coming Soon
	Tuesday, 11/11/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Pepsi Center	Denver, CO	On Sale Sat, 5/31 at 10:00 am MDT Add to Outlook
	Sunday, 11/16/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Minute Maid Park	Houston, TX	More Info Coming Soon
	Wednesday, 11/19/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Wachovia Center	Philadelphia, PA	More Info Coming Soon
	Saturday, 11/22/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Boardwalk Hall	Atlantic City, NJ	More Info Coming Soon
	Monday, 11/24/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Philips Arena	Atlanta, GA	More Info Coming Soon
	Wednesday, 11/26/08	Madonna: 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” Tour	Dolphin Stadium	Miami, FL	On Sale Sat, 5/31 at 10:00 am EDT Add to Outlook

http://www.livenation.com/artist/getArtist/artistId/1535/

Are Madonna’s first-week sales numbers a disappointment? Blame Mariah.
While Madonna scored yet another No. 1 album, it may not have been the blockbuster opening that some were expecting.

She sold 280,000 copies of “Hard Candy,” according to Nielsen SoundScan, in its first week in stores. First things first: With the days of the CD as the music format of choice seemingly numbered, any album that sells in the six-figure range is a bonus for the music biz these days.

And those who rolled their eyes at yet another blog alluding to the death of the CD, ask Madonna herself, who last year signed a $120-million deal with a touring company in Live Nation. And this summer, fans will get to see that deal start paying off. Madonna will be generously coming to a whopping 16 North American markets, according to Billboard.

Great Diva Sales Race of 2008

Yet it’s also hard not to note that Madonna’s “Hard Candy” sold about 180,000 copies less than Mariah Carey moved two weeks ago. She’s still significantly ahead, though, of the 181,000 copies sold by Janet Jackson’s “Discipline” when it debuted in March.

But back to Carey. Her “E=MC2″ scored the highest debut of the year when it opened at No. 1 after selling 463,000 copies. In just three weeks on the chart, “E=MC2″ has sold more than 740,000 copies.

Album sales may be down across the board, but Madonna would certainly be expected to be closer to Mariah than, say, Leona Lewis, on the diva totem pole. Newcomer Lewis entered at No. 1 a few weeks ago, her debut, “Spirit,” selling 205,000 copies.

To compare “Hard Candy’s” stats to Madonna’s last record: in 2005 her Euro-influenced “Confessions on a Dance Floor” opened with 350,000 copies, according to Billboard. It’s rare these days for an artist to actually top the first-week sales of a prior album, but if anyone could do it, it would certainly be Madonna. And Mariah just did it.

So it’s easy to view Madonna’s sales tally as a disappointment, a sign that she’s losing her grip on the pop marketplace. But don’t.

CD sales just an added bonus

Billboard downplays Madonna’s sales dip, noting that “Confessions” opened during the holiday season. The trade also fairly points out that Mariah may have benefited from appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “American Idol.”

On one hand, Madonna is a bigger international brand than Mariah will ever be, and she was just inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But on the other, the marketing campaign for “Hard Candy” was one based less on promotion than it was partnerships. The album may not have been endorsed by Oprah, but the marketing campaign leading up the release of “Hard Candy” has been far from what anyone would call subtle. There’s the Sunsilk commercials, the branding promotions with Verizon, the odd YouTube video and the video gift to gossip blogger Perez Hilton.

Additionally, Madonna’s lead single “4 Minutes” has been inescapable. It’s still a top-10 hit, and her second single, “Give It 2 Me,” has just debuted inside the top-100. But even more important, “4 Minutes” has given Madonna something she didn’t have at all with “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” and that’s a hit on U.S. radio.

But if there’s a problem — if this is a problem — with “4 Minutes,” it’s that it is as much a Justin Timberlake or Timbaland single as it is one from Madonna. It’s also a song that will spur download sales, but not necessarily album sales.

For instance, as fun and silly as it may be, “4 Minutes” also could have appeared on Timbaland’s 2007 album “Shock Value,” or Timberlake’s “FutureSex/LoveSounds.” It’s a song fit for an iTunes playlist as much as it is a new Madonna album.

Indeed, by lining up today’s top producers and superstars — Timberlake, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, etc. — Madonna has created an album that may sound swell stacked up with everyone else on the radio, but it also risks the danger of failing to set itself apart.

But “Hard Candy” doesn’t really need to stand alone in order to be a success. The end result is an album seemingly built to sell millions of single-track downloads, ring tones, videos and bits of whatever digital accessories exist. And for pop music as business plan, that may prove to be one of Madonna’s smartest moves yet, whether intentional or not.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/extendedpl…adonnas-fi.html

By Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) - Timbaland and the Neptunes are so dominant as producers, they can sometimes upstage the artist they’re working with … unless that artist is Madonna.

On her new album, “Hard Candy,” Madonna made sure that she wasn’t a guest star on her own album.

“I thought of it as a true and equal collaboration. … I like to think that when you listen to the record, you don’t just go, ‘Oh, that is a Timbaland record or that’s Pharrell (of the Neptunes).’ That you hear it and you go, ‘There is something new and different about it.”

Finding something new and different is the approach that’s kept Madonna on top for most of her 25-year recording career - and made her a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.

The 49-year-old pop queen is once again dominating music airwaves, but she’s also making her mark far away from the celebrity spotlight, in Malawi. The impoverished African nation, from which she found David, the young child she is in the process of adopting, is the subject of her new documentary, “I Am Because We Are,” and her charitable efforts.

Madonna sat down with The Associated Press recently and chatted about her new musical path, life in Malawi and raising kids in the eye of the paparazzi, among other things

AP: You recently signed a deal with Live Nation and “Hard Candy” is your last on Warner Brothers Records. What do you hope to accomplish with the deal?

Madonna: No. 1, coming up with new interesting ways of releasing music. Finding new ways to get music to people, that is one thing. Two is being an equal partner on my records which I have never been before. I have always been signed to a label and I get a percentage of what I earn and now it is 50/50, which is great, and three, is all the great shows I plan on doing.

AP: Would you ever do a pay for play with your music similar to Radiohead?

Madonna: No … I don’t know. I am not sure I like the idea of saying pay whatever you want for it. I think it is good to be specific. … Put a value on it.

AP: Your film, “I Am Because We Are,” is about Malawi, a country that has been ravished by AIDS and poverty. Is it difficult to find hope in such depressing circumstances?

Madonna: I did find hope there because in spite of all of the hardships that people have to endure there, as I say in the film, I saw so much happiness there. I saw that people with so little had so much appreciation for life and so much joy. It gave me a real sense of appreciation for what I have and it made me, it put things in perspective for me. … We have so much and we can often get caught up in our little stupid problems. The kids have nothing to play with. They get plastic bags and bunch them together in what looks like a ball with twine and that is their soccer ball. They are happy. It is fine. You get a real sense of appreciation there.

AP: Do you think the documentary will help to silence some of your critics?

Madonna: It helps explain a lot of the story and the mystery to people. People will have a better perspective. It is always good to know the whole story before you jump to conclusions. The movie isn’t just about the adoption, but I hope it will fill in some blanks for people.

AP: What is the hardest thing you had to endure while making this documentary?

Madonna: I think the hardest thing is watching parents lose their children. I think that is a pain that is unendurable, to bury your children. It is supposed to be the other way around.

AP: Would you adopt again from Malawi?

Madonna: I would like to. They are still trying to finesse the laws and make it so it is not such a long waiting period, which would be good. I would prefer that.

AP: How are you going to balance your projects in Malawi with promoting this album?

Madonna: Not that I have very much free time, but I have a lot of ongoing projects in Malawi. I am building a girls school, and orphan care center. I am refurbishing an orphanage. I have lots of kids to look after on scholarship funds, so I have relationships with people and I want to go back and check in on everybody.

AP: How do you deal with the paparazzi always taking pictures of your children?

Madonna: I don’t like it when they get in their face. It is scary and frightening especially if you are not used to it and you are a kid. I think Lola is a little bit more familiar with it now. My son (Rocco) is still seriously irritated by it.
AP: You, Prince and Michael Jackson turn 50 this year. Will you be throwing a big, joint party?

Madonna: If there is, I am not throwing it. I am tired of throwing parties!

AP: Maybe you all could do a Rolling Stone cover together.

Madonna: Really? (smiles) I don’t know. Ask them. I am a little bit tired of being the one who always has to ask everything. You are going to have to go to them.
http://www.klewtv.com/news/entertainment/18725539.html

Madonna’s tour to kick off in UK

Madonna will perform in a number of major cities Pop icon Madonna has announced that she will launch her 27-date world tour in Cardiff on 23 August. The Sticky and Sweet tour will start at the Millennium Stadium, winding up in Miami on 26 November. Tickets go on sale from 0900 BST 16 May with prices for the Cardiff show, starting at £55. The tour will stop in major cities across Europe including London and Paris, as well as cities in the US. Her last tour was in 2006 and concert organisers said more than 1.3m people went to her shows at venues across the world. It made her the highest-grossing concert tour by a female artist at the time. Her recent album, Hard Candy, has debuted at number one at 27 countries so far including the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan and Australia, according to her record company. The 49-year-old star is due to play BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Kent on Saturday.

Reuters

Published: Thursday, May 08, 2008

LONDON (Reuters) - Pop star Madonna kicks off her new international tour in Cardiff, Wales, on August 23, she announced on Thursday.

The “Sticky and Sweet” tour, which follows her latest chart-topping album “Hard Candy,” will also stop in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Britain in August and September.

The European leg includes performances at London’s Wembley Stadium on September 11 and Paris’s Stade de France on September 20.

Entertainer Madonna arrives for the premiere of the film “I Am Because We Are” during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York April 24, 2008. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

It moves to North America on October 3 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with stops at New York’s Madison Square Garden followed by performances in Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles before ending at Miami Dolphin Stadium on November 26th.

According to a statement on her Web site ( http://www.madonna.com ), Madonna will also visit Mexico and South America later in 2008.

The U.S. singer will once again team up with music tour and promotion company Live Nation, with which she signed a recording and touring contract last year.

The 10-year deal, reported to be worth $120 million, involves a three-album commitment and brought her long-term collaboration with Warner Brothers to an end.

It was an example of the so-called “360-degree deal” which is increasingly popular in a music business struggling to make money just selling records. The agreements typically involve publishing, touring and merchandising as well as recording.

“Hard Candy,” Madonna’s 11th and last studio album with Warner, debuted at number one in 27 countries including the United States, Britain and Japan.

Madonna’s 2006 “Confessions” tour was the highest grossing concert tour of all time by a female artist with ticket sales of just under $195 million.

Tickets to some of the “Sticky & Sweet” concerts will go on sale from May 16.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

Madonna Announces Summer Tour

Madonna

RELATED: Madonna Leads Busy Billboard 200 With 7th No. 1 Madonna’s ‘Hard Candy’ Is No. 1 In U.K. Madonna Fetes ‘Hard Candy’ With Free NYC Show Madonna Confirms Deal With Live Nation

May 08, 2008, 12:00 AM ET

Ray Waddell

Madonna’s upcoming tour will begin Aug. 23 in Cardiff, Wales, and will include between 50-60 shows total, Billboard.com has learned. Details of the tour, produced globally by Live Nation, will be announced later today (May 8).

Billed as the Sticky and Sweet tour, Madonna’s trek in support of her current chart-topping Warner Bros. release “Hard Candy” — which debuted atop the Billboard 200 yesterday — will play stadiums in the U.K. and Europe until the end of September, arenas and a “handful” of stadiums in 16 markets in North America in October and November, and then stadiums in Mexico and South America late November-December.

“I’m thrilled to be involved in another worldwide Madonna extravaganza,” Arthur Fogel, chairman of global music for Live Nation, tells Billboard.com. Fogel has helmed Madonna’s last three world tours, which grossed almost $400 million combined. Her 2006 Confessions tour is, at $194 million, the top-grossing tour ever by a female artist.

The upcoming tour is the first major manifestation of the multi-faceted
10-year deal between Madonna and Live Nation, valued in published reports at $120 million.

“The reality is she’s delivered her last album to Warner Bros., and it’s a smash, which is great for everybody,” Fogel says. “We now have a tremendous opportunity with a tremendous artist to do all kinds of new and innovative things on many different levels, and this tour will be the start of that rollout.”
The tour follows a familiar Madonna touring blueprint in that it visits a limited number of markets in a four-month time frame, with multi-night stands in major cities. Ticket on-sale details will be announced today, along with a presale through Live Nation’s corporate sponsorship partner Citi. Fogel says ticket prices will be “basically the same as they’ve been the past two tours,” which means primarily in the $55-$350 range.