ARC Weekly Top 40... March 10, 2012

Adele spends a 5th week at #1 with "Set Fire To The Rain" on The ARC Weekly Top 40. Katy Perry is back in the Top 10, big moves by Fun. featuring Janelle Monae, Karmin, and Drake featuring Lil Wayne, and new debuts by B.o.B, One Direction, Ellie Goulding, Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, Havana Brown featuring Pitbull, and the return of Gotye featuring Kimbra.

2011: Top Song and Top Pop Artist

The year-end tabulations of songs that have peaked on The ARC Weekly Top 40 in 2011 have resulted in the Top Pop Songs of 2011. Adele leads the list with "Rolling In The Deep" commanding the top spot. Several songs are still charting, and final rankings are determined when a chart run has ended. Currently the # 2 ("Moves Like Jagger"), #3 ("We Found Love"), and #4 ("Someone Like You") songs are still charting but likely to remain in the year-end Top 5, but not take over the top spot.

The rankings for the Top 100 Pop Artists of 2011 are final (because the rankings only include chart appearances from January 1 to December 31st) - and Rihanna has garnished enough points during the year to not only rank her the #1 Female Artist of the Year, but the Top Pop Artist of the Year. Bruno Mars came in at #2, but is the #1 Male Artist of the Year. LMFAO comes in as the #1 Group/Duo of the Year.

Grammy Nominations To Be Announced This Week...

The nominations for the 54th Grammy Awards will be announced this week (Wednesday, Nov. 30) with a live special on CBS. The Grammy Awards will be held on February 12, 2012. There is no doubt that one name will be topping the list of nominations: Adele has been dominating the charts all year with her critically acclaimed LP 21. It's likely her name will be included in the major categories of Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year, in addition to other pop and contemporary categories. Other contenders for nominations include the Grammy favorites Lady Gaga, Foo Fighters, Beyonce, Jay-Z & Kanye West, Rihanna, Maroon 5, and newcomers Foster The People. Katy Perry had her eligability for last year's ceremony, but her single "E.T." with Kanye West is likely to hit a few categories.

This year's ceremony does already have some controversy. Last April, it was announced that some categories were dropped and categories in major fields would no longer be separated by gender. There is also word that many 'pop' artists would not be allowed in the dance categories.

New CD Releases... Rihanna, Blige, Gaga...

In the past week many artists released new material in time for the holidays. Adele released the DVD/CD combo Live At The Royal Albert Hall, Taylor Swift released the CD/DVD Speak Now World Tour Live, and Lady Gaga released the 2CD/DVD Born This Way - The Collection which includes a DVD of her HBO special.




New CDs by Drake (Take Care), Mary J. Blige (My Life II: The Journey Continues, Act 1), Kate Bush (50 Words For Snow), Daughtry (Break The Spell), Michael Jackson (Immortal), Lady Gaga (Born This Way - The Remix), Willie Nelson (Remember Me 1), Nickelback (Here & Now), Rihanna (Talk That Talk), and the Rolling Stones (Some Girls: Deluxe Edition).

The ARC Weekly Top 40... this week

Rihanna lands her 11th #1 song on The ARC Weekly Top 40 with "We Found Love" (featuring Calvin Harris). Jason Derulo makes it into the Top 10 with "It Girl." Strong moves up the chart by T-Pain and Lady Gaga, and new debuts by Taio Cruz featuring Flo Rida nd Pitbull featuring Chris Brown.