Billboard has crowned Bruno Mars as its artist of the year over many musicians who grabbed more headlines through the year such as Miley Cyrus, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.
But in calculating which musicians exerted the strongest pressure on its charts throughout the year, Billboard found that no one topped Mars.
“Mars’ artist of the year nod may come as a surprise,” Billboard notes in its year-end wrap-up issue. “But as if on a stealth mission, the adventurous ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ commanded a steady presence on the Billboard 200 following its No. 2 debut last December.
“Remaining in the top 20 every week since then through the Sept. 14 issue, the Atlantic album hit No. 1 in its 12th week,” Billboard continues. “To date, ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’ has sold 1.8 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.”
In addition to album sales, Billboard factors in performance on the Hot 100 singles chart, which incorporates radio airplay, sales and streaming figures, plus artists’ touring revenue, Social 50 chart activity and ringtone sales.
Billboard pointed out that Mars’ album generated three Top 10 singles and that his Moonshine Jungle world tour ranked in the Top 25 tours of the year. He returns to the road on Feb. 28; the itinerary is still to be announced.
Behind Mars at No. 2 is Swift, followed by Timberlake, Rihanna, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Pink, Imagine Dragons, One Direction, Cyrus and Maroon 5.
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