Elton John :: Charts & Sales History

[chartobserver]

Billboard Money Makers 2012

Elton at # 13 with earned $11,973,990

Elton John returned to Las Vegas in 2011 and performed 16 of his "Million Dollar Piano" shows before heading to Russia and Australia. His Colosseum at Caesars Palace residency accounted for a third of his concert grosses, which hit $32.5 million and a personal take of $11 million. A summer tour of Europe, scattered U.S. dates and the soundtrack to his animated "Gnomeo & Juliet" dominated John's activity prior to setting up shop in Vegas, while "The Union," Cameron Crowe's documentary about John's collaboration with Leon Russell, debuted in April at the Tribeca Film Festival. Concert income was significant for John in 2011 as sales of his recordings dipped: Physical album sales were 254,000 units, while digital album and single track sales were 148,000 each. John also contributed music to "Billy Elliot: The Musical," and though the Broadway stand ended in January 2012, road versions continued in other territories around the world.

to compare:

Elton in 2011 at # 33 with earned $7,160,887

Elton John proved last year that he's nowhere near retiring his massive hit collection--and that he's still exploring new musical ground. He released his 30th studio album, "The Union," with Leon Russell in October, which sold 289,000 units in the United States through the end of the year. John's total album sales in 2010 reached 454,000 units, while his digital track sales topped 1.6 million. But most of his earnings came from touring, which included dates early in the year with Billy Joel and in the fall with Russell. John went on to gross $18.2 million from his U.S. dates, netting about $6.2 million.

Elton in 2009 at # 14 with earned $22,141,315

As half of the most successful co-headlining tour in history with Billy Joel, as well as being very active on his own, Elton John again struck box-office gold in 2009. Even without an album of new material, John still moved a quarter of a million physical units in the United States.

[lucad]

This week we have some cumulative digital sales in US (elton's catalog is available from 26 march 2007 - nearly five years)

JOHN*ELTON GREATEST HITS 112529
(current week: 1315 +95% last week:674)

JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S 159112 / of 925k total with physical
(current week: 930 -83% last week:5587)

JOHN*ELTON GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD 61654
(current week: 669 +208% last week:217)

LION KING SOUNDTRACK 82444
(current week: 738 -3% last week:761)

[Jonathan]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/ma ... sfeed=true

Elton John announces his 'most exciting record' in years

Elton John has announced his 31st studio album, which he has called "the most exciting solo record I've done in a long, long time". Mostly recorded with a two-piece band, The Diving Board will be released this autumn.

"Quickest record I've ever made," John told Rolling Stone magazine. The singer didn't expect to make a new album, he said, so soon after 2010's The Union. When longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin sent him some new lyrics, John – who was on holiday – "didn't even look at them". "But I said: 'I'll go into the studio and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't matter.'"

Instead of a wasted session, The Diving Board "just came flooding out", John said. Working with producer T Bone Burnett, with whom he and Leon Russell recorded The Union, John wrote six new songs in just 48 hours, and recorded the whole thing in less than four days. "It was T Bone's idea to get back with piano, bass and drums," John explained. "He said: 'Let's start with that.'" They recruited drummer Jay Bellerose and bassist Raphael Saadiq, with guitarist Doyle Bramhall appearing on two tracks.

The album recalls some of John's earliest work, according to Rolling Stone, such as his live album 11-17-70. "As I said with The Union," John said, "I had to go back to go forward."

In addition to the new album, John is working on a book of reminiscences from the Aids epidemic. Plans are also advancing for a proposed biopic, which could star Justin Timberlake. "We're searching for a director," John's partner, David Furnish, recently told E! "There's no race to make this. We're just going to take the time to make it right.

[lucad]

This week we have the digital sales in US for the double GH of 2002

JOHN*ELTON GREATEST HITS 1970-2002 Total: 12567
(this week:672 +45%, last week:464)

[lucad]

'Lion King' box office record
Tuesday, April 10 2012
Musical takes title Of All-Time Highest Grossing Show from 'Phantom of the Opera'.
http://www.eltonfan.net/cgi-bin/news/vi ... l=viewnews

Very quietly, almost stealthily, a new king has been inaugurated on Broadway. Box office figures released on April 9, 2012 show that "The Lion King" last week swiped the title of Broadway's all-time highest grossing show from "The Phantom of the Opera," The Associated Press has learned.

The cumulative gross for "The Lion King" is $853,846,062, according to the show's numbers. Its chandelier-swinging rival's cumulative total is $853,122,847, according to musical's publicist. The "Lion King" surged past "Phantom" after netting over $2 million at the box office for the week ending April 8, 2012, while "Phantom" pulled in about $1.2 million.

What makes the achievement all the more remarkable is that "The Lion King" chased down and grabbed the title despite "Phantom" having almost a full 10 years' head start. The Disney show opened in November 1997, while "Phantom" debuted in January 1988. The upstart's victory is due in large part to its higher average ticket prices and a slightly larger theater.

"It doesn't surprise me," said Cary Ginell, a music historian and biographer who edited the seventh edition of "Broadway Musicals: Show By Show." He compares "The Lion King" to a Disneyland ride. "It's a spectacle that satisfies on many different sensory elements – audio, visually, emotionally. It's also good for all ages – just like Disneyland is. For the kids, it's the visual elements – the colors, the costumes and the puppetry. For the adults, it's `Hamlet,' basically. And the music is not geared to one age or gender or race. It's as universal a show can get."

Disney Theatrical Productions was gracious when contacted about reaching the milestone, saluting "Phantom" song writer Andrew Lloyd Webber and "Phantom" producer Cameron Mackintosh, who also co-produced Disney's hit "Mary Poppins," and calling their show "a global phenomenon of historic proportions." Thomas Schumacher, producer and president of Disney Theatrical Productions, also gave credit to Julie Taymor, the director, costume and mask maker of "The Lion King." "Her vision, continued commitment to the show and uncommon artistry account for this extraordinary success," he said in a statement. "This accomplishment belongs to our audiences, millions of whom are experiencing their first Broadway show at `The Lion King,'" Schumacher added. "Surely, introducing so many to the splendor of live theater is our show's greatest legacy."

"The Lion King" is the sixth longest-running show on Broadway with over 5,900 performances over 14 years and has sold just over 10 million tickets. "The Lion King" may now have won on Broadway, but "Phantom" is still a juggernaut elsewhere. Its producers have even declared it the most successful entertainment venture of all time, with revenues higher than any film, including "Titanic," "Star Wars" and "Avatar."

"The Lion King" has seven – soon eight – productions worldwide, while "Phantom" has seven productions around the world: London, New York, Hungary, Japan, South Africa, Las Vegas and a UK tour. Ginell points out that about 40 percent of "Phantom" tickets are sold to repeat customers, an extremely high number. Plus, 68 percent are women. "`Phantom is kind of a live-action romance novel," he said. "I think that's what's attracting a huge percentage of women to the show."

The two share some attributes: Both have musical giants behind them: "Phantom" has songs by Lloyd Webber and is directed by Harold Prince, while "The Lion King" features music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice and the vision of Taymor. Both have multiple Tony Awards, movie tie-ins, simple-to-understand stories and are spectacles – important for attracting tourists whose command of English might be weak. Both are not dependent on having stars on stage. And both call home in similar-sized theaters, "Phantom" at the 1,605-seat Majestic and "Lion" at the 1,677-seat Minskoff.

The staying power of each is remarkable. Over their first 750 playing weeks – which "The Lion King" has recently reached – they've played to roughly the same number of people: "The Lion King" at 10,092,235 and "Phantom" at 9,241,333. Most shows that have achieved a ripe old age never appear in the top 10 by this point in their ages, but both "Lion" and "Phantom" are still routinely among the top earners, week in and week out. On the other side of the ledger, over 500 shows have opened and closed on Broadway during lifetime of "The Lion King."

Ginell tips his cap to the new box office king and doesn't see a time soon when it abandons its kingdom. "`Lion King' is the perfect family musical and I think it always will be as long as expenses don't go so far up that they won't be able to afford to put it on anymore."

[chartobserver]

Re-Entry in Australian Album Charts this week

99 RE ELTON JOHN – Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits

[lucad]

also up in canada
99 ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S
ELTON JOHN ( ISLAND )
67 weeks

i don't know why universal has not certified this PLAT in canada or australia. also us is so near to plat (about 930k)

[chartobserver]

This week Canada

Total 2W LW TW Title Artist

68 165 99 86 ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S
ELTON JOHN

[chartobserver]

At least you will find him in the lower area of the charts:

Rocket Man - Number Ones

Billboard Top 200
# 199

Canadian Top 100
# 100

[lucad]

us billboard
re-entry 199 * JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S
TW2783 +132% LW1199 total:938561

[chartobserver]

ARIA Album Charts (Australia)

86 RE ELTON JOHN – Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits

[lucad]

From Officialcharts.com:

The Official Charts Company today unveils the Diamond Dozen – the 12 artists who have sold more than 10m singles in the history of the UK ‘s Official Singles Chart.

This definitive list of chart royalty is published to coincide with the Diamond Jubilee of both Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the UK’s Official Singles Chart - both celebrating 60 glorious years of heritage in 2012 – the list forms part of a BBC Radio 2 show running from 2pm till 5pm on Bank Holiday Monday (June 4).

In November 1952, five months after Queen Elizabeth II took the throne, the first ever Official Singles Chart was published in the New Musical Express. To mark this joint Jubilee, the Official Charts Company has compiled the definitive list of the biggest singles artists of all time, to be counted down by BBC Radio 2's Tony Blackburn in a special Jubilee Bank Holiday Monday show.

The list reveals The Beatles at the top, having sold the most chart singles over the past 60 years in the UK, followed by Elvis Presley and Sir Cliff Richard – all three have sold more than 20m singles in the UK. The Top 5 is completed by Madonna (on 17.6m) and Michael Jackson (15.3m).

Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company, adds, “The Diamond Dozen, from the Beatles to Kylie, with Rihanna, Madonna, Elvis and Bowie in between, is truly the cream of music makers over the past six decades years. Over the past 60 years, the Official Singles Chart has provided the musical soundtrack to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s reign – and these artists have been her entertainers.”

The full Diamond Dozen are as follows:

01 THE BEATLES 21.9m

02 ELVIS PRESLEY 21.6m

03 CLIFF RICHARD 21.5m

04 MADONNA 17.6m

05 MICHAEL JACKSON 15.3m

06 ELTON JOHN 14.8m

07 QUEEN 12.6m

08 ABBA 11.2m

09 DAVID BOWIE 10.6m

10 RIHANNA 10.4m

11 PAUL McCARTNEY 10.2m

12 KYLIE MINOGUE 10.1m

http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-new ... aled-1431/

[lucad]

From the Guardian 1st June Interview:
1973's 31m-selling double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was recorded in 17 days
I suppose 15,5 million copies x 2

[chartobserver]

No. That´s not correct. The Guardian just took the number from wrong internet sources such as wikipedia. And to say that you can double numbers on the grounds that it´s a double album is quite incorrect because the RIAA (US) is the only certifiying institution I know that counts a double CD twice. In most of the countries (GER, UK, FRA, IFPI .....) you have to sell 1 million double albums and it will be tracked as 1 million untis.

The truth is, that GYBR is indeed his best selling studion album but far away from 31m. It has sold nearly 8 million copies in US, more than 1 million units in UK and has also mediocre catalogue sales in continental Europe (it was all but a chartbreaker outside of the US, UK and Australia).
Serious sources would say that worldwide sales of this album are 13-14million.

[lucad]

i agree with "serious" sources

[mansfield]

Today on I-tunes UK

Singles chart
107° Crocodile rock
156° Your song ( da Greatest Hits 70-02)
165° Your song (da Rocket man)
194° I'm still standing

albums chart
24° Greatest Hits 70-02
172° Rocket man


This is due to the Elton's performance at the Diamond Jubilee concert.

[chartobserver]

I understand that:

250000 in the audience

and millions on TV

[lucad]

The PINK effect.... Let's see if we'll have a re-entry in the next official charts in uk

[mansfield]

Elton disappeared from RIAA Gold/platinum database.

[lucad]

you need to write

john, elton

it's crazy...

[mansfield]

Ok thanks.
It's a news !

[chartobserver]

Canada Albums Top 200

Weeks 2W LW TW Title Artist

73 155 173 148 ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S
ELTON JOHN


Australian Albums Top 100

# 86 (same as last week)

[lucad]

UK Charts - 16 June Week - after Jubilee Concert
Singles:
113. (RE) CROCODILE ROCK (Elton John)
122. (RE) I'M STILL STANDING (Elton John)
130. (RE) YOUR SONG (Elton John)
Albums:
115. (RE) ROCKET MAN - THE DEFINITIVE HITS (Elton John)
117. (RE) THE GREATEST HITS 1970-2002 (Elton John)

[chartobserver]

Once more a small comeback in the US Charts this week

# 175 on the Billboard Top 200 (56weeks)
# 37 Top Catalog Charts (46weeks)

[chartobserver]

Billboard Charts

Week ending 24th June

Nice: Back in the Top 100

2 175 89 * JOHN*ELTON ROCKET MAN-NUMBER 1'S 5234 50 3478 952934

In the Catalog Charts he is back in the Top 10.