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A music download is the transfer of music as a digital file from a provider (such as iTunes) to a device capable of playing it; legal sales of music downloads have been monitored and charted in the United Kingdom since 2004. As of 9 September 2014 [update] , the UK's most downloaded song of all time is "Happy" by Pharrell Williams, which topped both the UK Singles Downloads Chart and UK Singles Chart. [1]
A music download is the digital transfer of music via the Internet into a device capable of decoding and playing it, such as a home computer, MP3 player or smartphone. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyrighted material without permission or legal payment. According to a Nielsen report, downloadable music accounted for 55.9% of all music sales in the US in 2012. By the beginning of 2011, Apple's iTunes Store alone made US$1.1 billion of revenue in the first quarter of its fiscal year.
iTunes is a media player, media library, Internet radio broadcaster, and mobile device management application developed by Apple Inc. It was announced on January 9, 2001. It is used to play, download, and organize digital multimedia files, including music and video, on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating systems. Content must be purchased through the iTunes Store, whereas iTunes is the software letting users manage their purchases.
"Happy" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer Pharrell Williams, from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack album. It also served as the lead single from Williams' second studio album, Girl (2014). It was first released on November 21, 2013, alongside a long-form music video. The song was reissued on December 16, 2013, by Back Lot Music under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music.
The first single to sell 1 million downloads in the UK was "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas [2] and "Someone like You" and "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele are the best-selling downloads by a female artist. [1] The best-selling song not to top the UK Singles Chart is "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera, whilst the best-selling song not to top the Download Chart is "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem featuring Rihanna, which peaked at number two. [1]
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth album The E.N.D., produced by French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on June 23, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom Pow", making the group one of 11 artists who have occupied the top two positions of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. It later reached number one on the US charts and 20 charts worldwide.
The Black Eyed Peas is an American musical group, consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo. Originally an alternative hip hop group, they subsequently changed their musical sound to pop and dance-pop music. Although the group was founded in Los Angeles in 1995, it was not until the release of their third album, Elephunk, in 2003, that they achieved high record sales. Since that time, the group has sold an estimated 76 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling groups of all time. As of 2011, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the Black Eyed Peas were the second-best-selling artist/group of all time for downloaded tracks, behind Rihanna, with over 42 million sales.
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins is an English singer-songwriter. After graduating from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a recording contract with XL Recordings. In 2007, she received the Brit Awards Critics' Choice award and won the BBC Sound of 2008 poll. Her debut album, 19, was released in 2008 to commercial and critical success. It is certified eight times platinum in the UK, and three times platinum in the US. The album contains her first song, "Hometown Glory", written when she was 16, which is based on her home suburb of West Norwood in London. An appearance she made on Saturday Night Live in late 2008 boosted her career in the US. At the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009, Adele received the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
No. | Artist | Song | Record label | Year | Peak position | Copies sold [lower-alpha 1] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pharrell Williams | "Happy" | Sony | 2013 | 1 | 1,922,000 [3] |
2 | Adele | "Someone Like You" | Beggars | 2011 | 1 | 1,637,000+ [4] |
3 | Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams | "Blurred Lines" | Universal | 2013 | 1 | 1,620,000+ |
4 | Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera | "Moves Like Jagger" | Universal | 2011 | 2 | 1,500,000+ |
5 | Gotye featuring Kimbra | "Somebody That I Used to Know" | Universal | 2012 | 1 | 1,470,000+ |
6 | Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams | "Get Lucky" | Sony | 2013 | 1 | 1,400,000+ |
7 | The Black Eyed Peas | "I Gotta Feeling" | Universal | 2009 | 1 | 1,350,000+ |
8 | Avicii | "Wake Me Up" | Universal | 2013 | 1 | 1,340,000+ |
9 | Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris | "We Found Love" | Universal | 2011 | 1 | 1,337,000+ |
10 | Kings of Leon | "Sex on Fire" | Sony BMG | 2008 | 1 | 1,293,000+ |
11 | Carly Rae Jepsen | "Call Me Maybe" | Universal | 2012 | 1 | 1,264,000+ |
12 | Bruno Mars | "Just the Way You Are (Amazing)" | Warner | 2010 | 1 | 1,247,000+ |
13 | Psy | "Gangnam Style" | Universal | 2012 | 1 | 1,229,000+ |
14 | LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock | "Party Rock Anthem" | Universal | 2011 | 1 | 1,229,000+ |
15 | Jessie J featuring B.o.B | "Price Tag" | Universal | 2011 | 1 | 1,188,000+ |
16 | Eminem featuring Rihanna | "Love the Way You Lie" | Universal | 2010 | 1 | 1,173,000+ |
17 | Little Mix | "Shout Out To My Ex" | Syco | 2016 | 1 | 1,159,827+ |
18 | David Guetta featuring Sia | "Titanium" | EMI | 2012 | 1 | 1,158,000+ |
19 | Little Mix | "Black Magic" | Syco | 2015 | 1 | 1,146,000+ |
20 | Lady Gaga | "Poker Face" | Warner | 2009 | 1 | 1,131,000+ |
21 | Passenger | "Let Her Go" | Nettwerk | 2012 | 1 | 1,114,000+ |
22 | Rihanna | "Only Girl (In the World)" | Universal | 2010 | 1 | 1,103,000+ |
23 | fun. featuring Janelle Monáe | "We Are Young" | Warner | 2012 | 1 | 1,095,000+ |
24 | Kings of Leon | "Use Somebody" | Sony BMG | 2008 | 2 | 1,068,000+ |
25 | James Arthur | "Impossible" | Sony | 2012 | 1 | 1,053,000+ |
26 | Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne | "Rather Be" | Warner | 2014 | 1 | 1,053,000+ |
27 | Ed Sheeran | "The A Team" | Warner | 2011 | 3 | 1,053,000 |
28 | Little Mix | "Touch" | Syco | 2016 | 1 | 1,041,000+ |
29 | Snow Patrol | "Chasing Cars" | Universal | 2006 | 6 | 1,023,000 |
30 | Rihanna | "Diamonds" | Universal | 2012 | 1 | 1,006,000 |
31 | Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith | "La La La" | Universal | 2013 | 1 | 1,000,000+ |
32 | Katy Perry | "Firework" | EMI | 2010 | 3 | 1,000,000+ |
33 | Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer | "Give Me Everything" | Sony | 2011 | 1 | 1,000,000+ |
34 | Adele | "Rolling in the Deep" | Beggars | 2011 | 2 | 1,000,000+ |
35 | Journey | "Don't Stop Believin'" | Sony | 1981 | 6 | 1,000,000 |
36 | Lady Gaga | "Bad Romance" | Universal | 2009 | 1 | 1,000,000 |
37 | Katy Perry | "Roar" | Universal | 2013 | 1 | 990,000 |
38 | Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin | "Don't You Worry Child" | Universal | 2012 | 1 | 980,000 |
39 | LMFAO | "Sexy and I Know It" | Universal | 2011 | 5 | 974,000 |
40 | Nicki Minaj | "Starships" | Universal | 2012 | 2 | 967,000 |
41 | CeeLo Green | "Forget You" | Warner | 2010 | 1 | 963,000 |
42 | Bruno Mars | "Grenade" | Warner | 2011 | 1 | 949,000 |
The UK Singles Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday.
"Evergreen" is a pop song, co-written by Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger, and originally recorded by Irish boy band Westlife. The song appears on their album World of Our Own, and was released as a single only in the Philippines, where it reached number one. It was composed in the traditional verse–chorus form in C major, with Filan and Feehily's vocal ranging from the chords of F#3 to B4.
"Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer Adele for her second studio album, 21. It is the lead single and opening track on the album. The song was written by Adele and Paul Epworth. The singer herself describes it as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune". The largest crossover hit in the United States from the past 25 years, "Rolling in the Deep" gained radio airplay from many different radio formats. It was first released on 29 November 2010 as the lead single from 21 in digital download format. The lyrics describe the emotions of a scorned lover.
"Someone Like You" is a song by English singer Adele. It was written by Adele and Dan Wilson for her second studio album, 21. It is the second single and final track on the album. The song was inspired by a broken relationship, and lyrically speaks of Adele's coming to terms with it. XL Recordings released the song as the second single from the album on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and on 9 August 2011 in the United States. Accompanied only by a piano in the song, Adele sings about the end of the relationship with her ex-boyfriend. The song received wide acclaim from music critics, who chose the song as a highlight of 21 and praised the lyrics, its simple sound and Adele's vocal performance.
"Get Lucky" is a song by French house music duo Daft Punk, featuring vocals by Pharrell Williams and co-written by the duo, Williams, and Nile Rodgers. It is the lead single from Daft Punk's fourth studio album, Random Access Memories. Before its release as a single, "Get Lucky" was featured in television advertisements broadcast during Saturday Night Live, after which Rodgers and Williams announced their involvement in the track. Small excerpts also appear throughout the promotional video series The Collaborators.
"Freedom" is a song by Pharrell Williams which was released for streaming on Apple Music and played by Zane Lowe on his show on Beats 1 on its launch date of June 30, 2015. Part of the song was made available as a teaser on Williams' Twitter page and was also used in a promotional video for Apple Music. Its music video was nominated for Best Music Video at 58th Grammy Awards. The song is included on the soundtrack album of the film Despicable Me 3.
The UK Album Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday. The chart was introduced in April 2006 to coincide with the OCC's decision to include sales of album downloads in the UK Albums Chart. The first album to top the download chart was This New Day by Embrace.
The Official Charts Company, also referred to as Official Charts is a British inter-professional organisation that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, including the UK Singles Chart, the UK Albums Chart, the UK Singles Downloads Chart and the UK Album Downloads Chart, as well as genre-specific and music video charts. The OCC produces its charts by gathering and combining sales data from retailers through market researchers Millward Brown, and claims to cover 99% of the singles market and 95% of the album market, and aims to collect data from any retailer who sells more than 100 chart items per week.