Top Recording Artists 2009
Sep 16, 2009 | Posted by in Featured, People and Places | 0 Comments
The Top Recording Artists of 2009
Gaga. Beyonce. Mariah. Madonna. Britney. These music artists are so big, they only need to go by their first names. In a sense, their name is their brand -universally recognized. top recording artists produce work consistently and do not stay off the public radar for very long. A prime example is Britney Spears: after her career was sidelined from raising kids and her rocky relationship with Kevin Federline, she eventually bounced back and is still going strong with two more albums since her three-year hiatus.
The following is an overview of some of today’s current top music artists in the US. These artists were selected based on a combination of factors: number of weeks and number of singles currently on the Billboard Top 100 chart, iTunes downloads, career longevity, awards and nominations, and overall brand recognition. Billboard rankings are based on Nielsen ratings, radio airplay, record sales data, and online streaming.
Top recording artists of 2009 such as Pop divas Madonna, Mariah Carey, Rihanna Fenty, and Britney Spears are without question among today’s top female stars, all of whom are listed as having the most albums that are certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Mariah Carey ranks only second behind Elvis Presley for having the most RIAA-certified singles, followed by Madonna, who is number four on the list, and Rihanna (#11), and Britney Spears (#17). Their current singles are Obsessed, Run This Town, and Radar, respectively. Of the four, only Madonna has not had any recent radio airplay.
Another top female musician, Beyoncé Knowles, has continued her successful career following her departure from the group Destiny’s Child. Starting with her first solo album in 2003, Dangerously in Love, her singles have been on heavy rotation in radio stations all over the country. On the RIAA’s list of most certified albums, Beyoncé ranks #8. Her recent singles are Halo, Ego, and Sweet Dreams from her I am…Sasha Fierce album. Knowles’ longtime partner and spouse, Jay-Z, is just as successful, having sold numerous albums and producing and collaborating on projects with big-name artists such as Timbaland, Kanye West, Eminem, Linkin Park, and Lil Wayne. Other notable rapper-collaborator-artists are Lil Wayne, Pitbull, and Kanye West, with Lil Wayne being the most prolific. Lil Wayne’s current single is aptly titled Successful.
Linkin Park has been on the music scene since 1999 and is unique among mainstream artists due to their heavy musical experimentation and fusion of different genres such as rap rock, alternative, hip-hop, and electronica. This band is not afraid to take risks in reinventing their sound. Their latest single is A New Divide, which appears on the soundtrack for the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Linkin Park is known for hosting their Projekt Revolution tours which features a lineup of bands representing different music genres. The Black-Eyed Peas, as well as Shakira, are musicians in the same vein whose refusal to limit themselves to any particular genre allows them to expand and evolve musically. The same could be said about American Idol’s original superstar, Kelly Clarkson, albeit to a lesser degree.
Finally, although newcomer Lady Gaga has been writing and producing music collaboratively with other artists since 2005, she did not become a household name until last year, 2008, when her single, Just Dance, made a giant cannonball dive into the airwaves. She has not left the mainstream since, and her singles Starstruck, Lovegame, and Poker Face continue to be on heavy rotation in radio stations across the country. With her rare stage presence, larger-than-life personality, and musical genius, she leaves her fans, well, starstruck.
At the conclusion of this brief listing of top American music artists, a disclaimer is hereby warranted: there are many brilliant artists who do not get airplay on nationally syndicated radio programs, which have the widest listener base. It is very difficult to break into the mainstream without the implicit endorsement of these programs. Then there is also that dirty “P” word that is whispered among record label executives and music and program directors of radio stations: payola. Payola is the common practice of exchanging money for airplay. However, the advent of the Internet, YouTube, Pandora, and eMusic has provided artists with avenues for greater exposure, and the direction in which the music scene will evolve remains to be seen.