CDS Magazine: Issue #2 (June 5th, 2014)

Not a 'real' magazine.
 Original photo first published by NPR,
courtesy of artist/Kacper Kasprzyk.

Subtitled "Röyksopp & Robyn Do It Again", the 2nd ever issue of CDS Magazine is finally here! Among the highlights is the 2014 Mid Year CDS Music Chart Awards winner's list and the returns of Nicole Scherzinger and Alexandra Stan among others.

Cover story: After being available on digital retailers as an exclusive, Röyksopp & Robyn's Do It Again EP/mini album arrives to physical retailers at the premium price of $15.99. That's a pretty hefty price tag for a 5 song collection that you can buy for $5 at the cheapest, but it may very well be worth it.

Don't ask me how Americans (and people in general I suppose) decide what they're willing to pay a lot for because it baffles me every time. Most people don't use logic when considering what to purchase. It truly makes no sense. For example, next to no one was interested in Mariah Carey's 14th studio album, which sold less than 100,000 copies less than her previous album in its first week. Yet at the same time, thousands of dance fans decided to purchase Röyksopp & Robyn's Do It Again on digital retailers, though most likely hadn't even heard of them before. So what's my point? My point is if you publish a decent work of art, fans are willing to bust out the big bucks to purchase it. Unlike most artists, Röyksopp & Robyn do it right, spending quality time to create a work of art that blows up on both social media and on the digital services. So will that success carry over to physical platforms? It's highly likely.

You can read all the other stories in this issue below.

Chart Highlights: Clean Bandit Returns To Top 10

First Appeared: June 3rd, 2014

Kiesza's breakout hit, "Hideaway", holds at #1 for a fifth consecutive week. Just one month ago, "Hideaway" became only the 9th track in history to open in the #1 position. More amazingly, Kiesza became the first ever artist to launch at #1 with their debut single. Tallying a final weekly total of 108 chart points, "Hideaway" is the first ever song to tally over 100 points in any five frames. This week, "Hideaway" posted a 2.85% increase in points from the amount of points it scored last week. "Hideaway" ups 12-9 on the Voter's Top 50 despite a two percent decrease. That brings its approval rate to 29%. Overall, 222 voters cast nearly 2,000 votes to determine the "Best Songs of the Week" among CDS Music Chart twitter followers and users. Kiesza also holds at #1 on the Dance and Streaming component charts for a fourth consecutive frame.

Sanna Nielsen charges 3-2 with "Undo", the 3rd place finisher for this year's Eurovision Song Contest. "Undo" becomes the 3rd Eurovision track to reach the top 3, as well as the 4th to ever chart. Additionally, Sweden becomes the first country to see their track enter the Hot 50 for three consecutive years (the chart started in 2012; the only other entry to chart was Denmark's "Only Teardrops by Emmelie De Forest in 2013). Meanwhile this year's winner, Conchita Wurst's "Rise Like A Phoenix", bumps 59-58 (just short of the official chart) due to an increase on the Voter's Top 60 (14-9). "Undo" charges 3-2 on the Dance chart and crowns Pop Songs.

Coldplay's "A Sky Full of Stars" slips 2-3 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 after holding at #2 for a third straight week. The track jumps slips 10 points from 107 to 97, ending a 3 week run above 100 points. That's one of the largest totals for any song not in the #1 position. "Stars" drops 24-36 on the Voter's Top 50 dropping a dramatic 11% to a 15% , holds at #2 on the Dance component chart and remaining at #1 on the Pop chart for a third straight week. Additionally, Coldplay's lead single from their new album Ghost Stories, "Magic", moves 8-4 (a new peak). Read my album review for Ghost Stories.

Coldplay's "Magic" elevates 8-4 to become the band's second top 5 single after the #2 peaking "A Sky Full of Stars" (which drops 2-3 after holding the runner up position for a three consecutive weeks). The track soars into the top 5 courtesy of a large bump in chart points alongside the positive word of mouth of its recently released parent album, Ghost Stories. Following close behind is "Midnight" (the band's 1st promotional release of the new era), which is breaking havoc in the lower regions of the CDS Music Chart Hot 50. Another track from the new album, "Another's Arms", ups 58-57 on this week's extended chart. See the full top 10 bubbling songs at the end of this post.

OneRepublic's "Love Runs Out" moves 6-5 on this week's tally, while elevating 18-15 on the Voter's Top 60 and a large move on US Radio (#27; up 3 from the end of last week). Two weeks ago, OneRepublic became one of a few artists to tally at least one song in the top 10 for 26 or more consecutive weeks. "Counting Stars" was previously listed within the top 10 for 25 weeks, the second longest run within the region. "Runs" spends a 4th week in the top 10, with this frame being its first frame alone with no other OneRepublic tracks.

Iggy Azalea's latest single, "Fancy (feat. Charli XCX)", bounces 9-6 fueled by a rise to the top slot on the Billboard Hot 100. Last week, the track became Iggy's first ever top 10 single, while becoming Charli XCX's second consecutive top 10 single. Her first entry, "I Love It" (alongside Icona Pop), peaked at #1 for a single week and went on to become one of the largest tracks of the year (2013). Will "Fancy" become the next "I Love It"? It's hard to tell. Why? Because Nicki Minaj's latest release (and direct competitor), "Pills N Potions", hightails 18-11 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 this week.

John Legend's "All Of Me" dips 4-7 on this week's tally, after peaking in its 13th week (it's in 15th frame this week). It drops by 3 positions alongside its drop from #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it's single position drop on US Radio stations. "All of Me" does increase 40-30 on the Voter's Top 60 this week, leads the R&B/Soul chart for a 6th week and dips 4-5 on the Dance component chart.

Disclosure's first ever United States hit, "Latch (feat. Sam Smith)", drops 5-8 after peaking at #3 and holding at #4 for a 3rd consecutive frame. This week it droops just a tad in overall spins. After peaking at #3 just a few weeks ago, the track has remained level for the most part (until this week). "Latch" bumps 49-48 on the Voter's Top 60, an abysmal increase that did nothing to help save the track.

Lorde's former 3 week #1 "Team" drops 7-9 on the tally due to the rise of Iggy Azalea. As noted multiple times, Lorde's "Royals" (her first top 10 single/entry) previously peaked at #8 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50. It's also worth noting that "Team" topped the list in its 20th week on the chart. That would have tied for "Longest Climb to #1" if this event had happened back in 2013 (with Ellie Goulding's "Figure 8"), but OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" recently completed a 24 week journey to the top slot just a few weeks ago. Follow up single, "Glory and Gore", ranks at #59 on the extender chart, barely misssing inclusion in this week's top 50 for the 5th week in a row. "Team" ranks at #47 on the Voter's Top 60, a 23 position decline. The massive decline of the track on the Voter's Top  helped contribute to its drop on the Hot 50.

After spending three consecutive frames out of the top 10, Clean Bandit's two week #9 peaking "Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne)" advances 12-10. With the advance, the Gold certified track ties Katy Perry's "Dark Horse (feat. Juicy J)" as the track with the most total frames at #10 (5 non-consecutive each). "Horse" went on to reach #2 for 3 weeks after bouncing around on similar positions for many weeks. That track now ranks within the top 20 All Time. Will "Rather Be" end with a similar pattern. Only time will tell - though it's likely given it's surge into the Top 200 on US iTunes and the release of its parent album, New Eyes, looming in the distance (June 10th).

Greatest Gainer:
#25(+18) "Summer" by Calvin Harris

Voter's Choice:
#11(+8) "Pills N Potions" by Nicki Minaj

Airplay Gainer:
#13(+11) "Do It Again" by Röyksopp & Robyn

Hot 50 Debuts:
- "Say Yes" by Destiny's Child
- "Shades of Cool" by Lana Del Rey
- "Everybody" by Oceana
- "If I Go" by Ella Eyre

Genre Based Top 5's:

Pop Songs
#1(+1) "Undo" by Sanna Nielsen  (1 week @ #1)
#2(-1) "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay (3 weeks @ #1)
#3(+1) "Love Runs Out" by OneRepublic
#4(-1) "All of Me" by John Legend
#5(=) "Team" by Lorde (4 weeks @ #1)

Hip-Hop/Rap Songs
#1(=) "Fancy (feat. Charli XCX)" by Iggy Azalea (4 weeks @ #1)
#2(=) "Pills N Potions" by Nicki Minaj
#3(+1) "Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)" by Ariana Grande
#4(-1) "Drunk In Love (feat. Jay Z)" by Beyoncé (11 weeks @ #1)
#5(=) "Talk Dirty (feat. 2 Chainz)" by Jason Derülo

Dance Songs
#1(=) "Hideaway" by Kiesza (5 weeks @ #1)
#2(+1) "Undo" by Sanna Nielsen
#3(-1) "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay
#4(=) "All of Me" by John Legend
#5(=) "Latch (feat. Sam Smith)" by Disclosure (3 weeks @ #1)

Electronic Songs
#1(=) "Hideaway" by Kiesza (5 weeks @ #1)
#2(=) "Latch (feat. Sam Smith)" by Disclosure (5 weeks @ #1)
#3(=) "Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne)" by Clean Bandit (6 weeks @ #1)
#4(=) "Do It Again" by Röyksopp & Robyn
#5(=) "Mind Controller" by Ayah Marar (7 weeks @ #1)

On The Bubble:
New tracks you'll see on the chart soon.
#51(=) "Extraordinary (feat. Sharna Bass)" by Clean Bandit
#52(=) "A Place With No Name" by Michael Jackson
#53(NEW) "Am I Wrong" by Nico & Vinz
#54(=) "Waves" by Mr. Probz
#55(=) "Keep Us Safe" by Carrie Underwood
#56(+1) "Rude" by MAGIC!
#57(+1) "Another's Arms" by Coldplay
#58(+1) "Rise Like A Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst"
#59(-3) Gore & Glory" by Lorde
#60(NEW) "Battle Cry" by Imagine Dragons

Off:
- (#60) "Me and My Broken Heart" by Rixton

In the Mix:
Tracks that are just starting to surge in popularity. You'll see 'em on the Hot 50 real soon! Bold indicates that the track is one of the largest movers of the week.
- "Good Kisser" by Usher
- "PARTYNAUSEOUS" by Lady Gaga
- "Ghost" by Ella Henderson
- "UP!" by Samantha Jade
- "Rude" by MAGIC!
- "My Bae" by Pia Mia
- "Bartender" by Lady Antebellum
- "Get Her Back" by Robin Thicke
- "Keep Us Safe" by Carrie Underwood
- "Something Bad" by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood
- "Rise Like A Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst
- "Wiggle (feat. Snoop Dogg)" by Jason Derülo
- "Money Can't Buy (feat. Jezzy)" by Ne-Yo
- "Turn Down For What (feat. Lil Jon)" by DJ Snake
- "Another's Arms" by Coldplay
- "Rainmaker" by Emmelie De Forest
- "Rainbow" by Sanna Nielsen
- "Classic" by MKTO
- "Me and My Broken Heart" by Rixton
- "You and I" by One Direction
- "Gore & Glory" by Lorde
- "Waves" by Mr. Probz
- "Extraordinary (feat. Sharna Bass)" by Clean Bandit
- "A Place With No Name" by Michael Jackson
- "Am I Wrong" by Nico & Vinz
- "Battle Cry" by Imagine Dragons

Voter's Top 10:
The top 10 most approved songs by the public across all platforms. Red tracks didn't reach the Hot 50 this week. Bolded tracks debuted on the Hot 50. Italicized tracks were on Hot 50 last week and are listed again. Vote for your favorites each week.

#1(=) "Pills N Potions" by Nicki Minaj

#2(=) "Keep Us Safe" by Carrie Underwood
#3(=) "Something Bad" by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood

#4(+4) "Dare (La La La)/La La La" by Shakira
#5(+39) "Ghost" by Ella Henderson
#6(+40) "UP!" by Samantha Jade 
#7(-2) "Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)" by Ariana Grande
#8(-4) "Thirsty" by Mariah Carey
#9(+5) "Rise Like A Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst
#10(+5) "Fancy (feat. Charli XCX)" by Iggy Azalea

Top 10 Dropouts:
#16(-10) "Wiggle (feat. Snoop Dogg)" by Jason Derülo
#19(-12) "West Coast" by Lana Del Rey
#22(-13) "Hideaway" by Kiesza

Non Top 10 Debuts:
#12 (NEW) "Shades of Cool" by Lana Del Rey

#18 (NEW) "Glory & Gore" by Lorde
#24 (NEW) "Lipstick" by Sophia Del Carmen
#26 (NEW) "Me and My Broken Heart" by Rixton
#32 (NEW) "Gold Skies (feat. Alessia, DVBBS, Sander Van Dooran)" by Martin Garrix
#34 (NEW) "Cherry Pop" by Alexandra Stan
#45 (NEW) "Money Can't Buy (feat. Jeezy)" by Ne-Yo
#50 (NEW) "Lion Heart" by Sophie Elise
#52 (NEW) "Your Love" by Nicole Scherzinger

Come back for more posts!

Watch: CDS Music Chart Hot 50: June (6/7/14)

First Appeared: June 3rd, 2014

For the first time in over 2 months, you can watch the upper half of the Hot 50 before the official chart drops!

Carrie Underwood's Comeback

First Appeared: May 31st, 2014

After spending most of 2013 in solitude, Carrie Underwood is finally back with a flurry of new singles. Within the past two weeks alone, Underwood has whipped out 2 new tracks (one of which was a guest collaboration with Miranda Lambert), performed on television twice (once each with the new tracks) and given teasers about her new album.

By the looks of her vocals on "Keep Us Safe" and "Somethin' Bad" (her Miranda Lambert duet), her 5th studio album seems to be shaping up similarly to 2012's #1 smash Blown Away. "Keep Us Safe" is reminiscent of Blown Away's 4th single ("See You Again"), while "Somethin' Bad" continues in the fashion of 2012's "Good Girl", which peaked at #2 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50. As a side note, "Good Girl" ranks at #56 not the All Time list with just over 800 overall chart points. That's severely over her average, which stands at 540.

Carrie's duet with Miranda Lambert honestly shocked the world. The whirlwind vibe of the track recalled the Blown Away era, with "Somethin' Bad" inter folding sounds seemingly inspired by most of the album, most notably "Good Girl" (as mentioned earlier) and 'Two Black Cadillacs". Here's my initial review of the track:

"Wow. This is one crazy jam. First premiered at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards, "Somethin' Bad" is a huge tornado of power, as Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood - the two biggest female country singers (excluding Taylor Swift) - take on a more Rock radio style. It's actually pretty sweet. It's a force of vocals, swirled with an eerie rock sound and a completely different country thump."

On "Keep Us Safe", Carrie certainly keeps it simple and 'safe', but she doesn't stop there. All the stops and breaks of typical country music are wrapped tightly in this near ballad like track. While it being only available in a live download format would normally be a turn off, the 82 cent donation of each sale and the experience of Carrie's stellar live vocals in a remastered format remove all doubt.

Hopefully Underwood's new album era begins soon! What are your expectations and hopes? Leave a comment below!

Forecast: Nicki Minaj, Röyksopp & Robyn Rocket

First Appeared: May 28th, 2014

After narrowly defeating Coldplay's "A Sky Full of Stars" last week, Kiesza's 4 week #1 smash single  "Hideaway" is now facing direct competition from Sanna Nielsen's "Undo". Up by 15% through the mid week scan, "Undo" should be able to creep into at least 2nd place by the end of the week. Unfortunately, its large gain might not be enough to knock Kiesza's runaway smash from the #1 position when the charts refresh this weekend. So who will lead the final week of spring charts? Let's dig further into the numbers.

"Undo" has continued to post outstandingly large worldwide sales and remains somewhat popular among voters (reaching #13 at its high point). At the same time, Kiesza's "Hideaway" continues to post huge gains across the board including its leap into the top 10 on the Voter's Top 50 (12-9) and its current top 20 position on the worldwide most downloaded track list (currently stalled at its #18 peak position). So... it looks like "Hideaway" might take the crown for a 5th straight week in a row, but it's really hard to tell right now.

On the flip side, last week's top 2 debuts ("Pills N Potions" and "Do It Again") may in fact swap positions. It looks like  Röyksopp & Robyn's electronic synth sweeping smash "Do It Again" will likely reach the top 15 while Nicki Minaj's "Pills N Potions" should move into the same region. Despite this, "Pills N Potions" is increasing at a smaller rate than "Do It Again" is. It looks like "Do It Again" may even have a chance at the top 10. "Pills N Potions" on the other hand is likely to clock in near the edge of the top 15.

Come back for the final results and tally.

2014 Mid Year CDS Music Chart Awards: Winner List

First Appeared: May 27th, 2014

After receiving a few hundred votes during the duration of the first annual Mid Year CDS Music Chart Awards, I have finally been able to calculate the winners. So let's start off with the losers. The biggest bomb of all the acts? Sadly, Coldplay.

Though it was nominated for 5 awards in 4 categories, Coldplay failed to scoop a single award. That's the biggest shut out of the awards ceremony. Additionally, Coldplay only racked up less than 10% of the votes in each category, even ranking last in 2 categories. Despite all this, Coldplay won two bonus awards that were voted on by the public.

Additionally, Katy Perry, Jason Derülo, and Pharrell Williams also failed to pick up any wins though they scored nominations in 3 or more categories (Katy Perry scooped 1 bonus award). Now here's the winners.

2014 Mid Year CDS Music Chart Awards Winners List

Best Song

Counting Stars by OneRepublic

Best Artist

OneRepublic

Best Album

BEYONCÉ by Beyoncé

Best New Artist

Iggy Azalea

Best Band

Coldplay

Best Collaboration

Dark Horse (feat. Juicy J) by Katy Perry

Best Dance Recording

Undo by Sanna Nielsen

Best Alternative Recording

Tennis Court by Lorde

Best Pop Recording

Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea) by Ariana Grande

Best R&B/Hip-Hop Recording

Pills N Potions by Nicki Minaj

Best Latin Recording

Can't Remember to Forget You (feat. Rihanna) by Shakira

Best Upcoming Artist

Kiesza

Most Hyped Artist

Beyoncé

Icon Award

Coldplay

Most Awards At This Ceremony (First Time Winners In Bold)

- OneRepublic (2)

- Beyoncé (2)

- Iggy Azalea (2)*

- Coldplay (2)***

- Katy Perry (1)**

- Kiesza (1)

- Shakira (1)

- Nicki Minaj (1)

- Ariana Grande (1)

- Lorde (1)

- Sanna Nielsen (1)

- Rihanna (1)*

- Juicy J (1)* **

* One award as a featured artist/guest

** One special award not awarded by the public

*** All awards presented as special awards not by the public

Most Awards (All to Date; 2012-present)

(Bolded Artists = First time winners; Italicized Artists = Winners who added new awards)

1. Lady Gaga (4)

2. Loreen (3)

3. Rihanna (3)

4. OneRepublic (3)

5. Maroon 5 (2)

6. P!nk (2)

7. Vita Chambers (2)

8. Eminem (2)

9. Katy Perry (2)

10. Beyoncé (2)

11. Iggy Azalea (2)

12. Coldplay (2)

13. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (1)

14. Sia (1)

15. The Wanted (1)

16. Marina and the Diamonds (1)

17. Drake (1)

18. Ke$ha (1)

19. Ellie Goulding (1)

20. Foxes (1)

21. Mia Martina (1)

22. Ayah Marar (1)

23. Calvin Harris (1)

24. Kiesza (1)

25. Ariana (1)

26. Shakira (1)

27. Nicki Minaj (1)

28. Lorde (1)

29. Sanna Nielsen (1)

30. Juicy J (1)

Song Review: Shades of Cool by Lana Del Rey

First Appeared: May 26th, 2014

Lets just put it this way: "Shades of Cool" is shady and cool, but it's not a major win for Lana Del Rey. It's pretty much just a bit above average for her, falling behind both its predecessor ("West Coast") and its fellow (and most comparable) track "Born to Die". Interestingly enough, it draws you in for more and more each time you give it a listen (captivating).

Nevertheless, "Shades of Cool" still blows away all the competition. It's swelling with passion, oozing with remorse and remains more classy and straightforward than anything else you'll see on the iTunes Top 200.

So how does Ultraviolence look at this point? The tracks seem to have more variation this time around (compared to the Born to Die album era) which of course is a major positive. Hopefully it shapes up well. If these two singles ("West Coast" and "Shades of Cool") are any indication, the new album won't be flawless but it will still take a dig into the cheesy indie pop/pop/alternative tracks that are currently dominating US radio.

Rating: 81% (B-)

CDS Picks: Nicole Scherzinger, Alexandra Stan and More

First Appeared: May 25th, 2014

Welcome to yet another installment in CDS Music Chart's wildly popular CDS Picks feature. This time, I'm focusing on new recordings by Sander van Dooran, Martin Garrix, DVBBS and Aleesia, Alexandra Stan, Nicole Scherzinger and Sophie Elise. Have more picks for this week? Just tweet me them and I'll give them a spin? Maybe they'll be make next week's rundown.

Alexandra Stan - "Cherry Pop"

Following her controversial hiatus throughout most of 2013, Alexandra Stan is finally back with a fresh new 'pop' oriented new single entitled "Cherry Pop". The new single follows the Romanian pop singer's first 2014 promotional release, "Thanks For Leaving". If it reaches the Hot 50, "Cherry Pop" will follow Alexandra Stan's #7 peaking "Cliche (Hush, Hush)" which charted on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 back in 2012.

Sander van Dooran, Martin Garrix, and DVBBS - "Gold Skies (feat. Alessia)"

This sunshine coated new summer anthem is simple yet powerful, majestic and simply quite amazing. Featuring production from Dutch DJs Sander van Dooran and Martin Garrix, and duo DVBBS, the track also mixes in vocals from the female pop vocalist Alessia. Starting off with a fast pace beat, the production continues to progress as the track heads into the middle section. The sugary vocals provided by Alessia linger through the rest of the track, making it one of the most crossover/radio friendly dance tracks in recent months.

Nicole Scherzinger - "Your Love"

After the failure of "Boomerang" back in early 2013, Nicole Scherzinger is finally back with another new song. "Your Love" (based on its preview) is one of her dullest tracks, but it's still somehwhat decent when compared to another recently released songs. Overall, "Your Love" is likely to end up as a commerical failure but hopefully it will last long enough to get more than a handful of plays on radio.

Sophie Elise - "Lion Heart"

Norwegian singer Sophie Elise makes her debut with the Spotify exclusive track, "Lion Heart". The new track is a fresh breath of life into the extremely commercialized pop genre that is getting duller with every new released song. "Lion Heart" will likely reach the Hot 50, and if it doesn't it will easily reach the extender chart (#50-60).

That's all I got for you in this week's rundown! To see all these posts with corresponding pictures, videos, comments and more, please check the archive.