Mariah Carey debuts at Number One on this week's Billboard 200 chart. First week sales of her new album, E=MC2, reached 463,000 copies to give Mariah the highest debut sales of her career. Her previous album, The Emancipation of Mimi opened with sales of 404,000 copies. E=MC2 is Mariah's sixth Number One album. Its first single, "Touch My Body," holds at Number 5 on the Hot 100 chart for the week ending May 3.
Madonna's final studio album for Warner Brothers Records will hit stores April 29. However, she made it available on MySpace four days early. The album includes collaborations with Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams and Timbaland. Warner Brothers will release a Madonna greatest hits collection, then she'll begin recording for Artist Nation as part of her new deal with concert promoter Live Nation. Last October, she signed a 10-year deal with Live Nation for a reported $120 million.
15-year-old singer and actress Miley Cyrus recently signed a deal with Disney-Hyperion Books. Her book will feature family stories, never-before-seen photos and "a look at her inner circle of loved ones." Miley issued a statement that said, "I am so excited to let fans in on how important my relationship with my family is to me. I hope to motivate mothers and daughters to build lifetimes of memories together, and inspire kids around the world to live their dreams." The memoir is due out in early 2009.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES
New albums scheduled for release on April 29 include: "Songs From The Sparkle Lounge" by Def Leppard, "Raven-Symone" by Raven-Symone, "Greatest Hits - Limited Edition" (Wal-Mart exclusive double CD packaged with his 2000 and 2006 greatest hits albums) by Tim McGraw, "Lyfe Change" by Lyfe Jennings, "Robyn" by Robyn, "This Kind of Love" by Carly Simon, "Rollin' With The Flow" by Mark Chesnutt, "Nine Lives" by Steve Winwood, "Rising Down" by The Roots, "Mudcrutch" by Mudcrutch, "Live In Concert" (CD/DVD set) by Martina McBride, "The Spice of Life" by Earl Klugh, "Zappa Plays Zappa" (live album) by Dweezil Zappa, "Rarities, B-Sides 2 and Other Stuff, Volume 2" by Sarah McLachlan and "Phil Stacey" by Phil Stacey.
MUSICAL EVENTS/FESTIVALS/BENEFITS
On May 2, the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland will host the first of three all-day 2008 Campus Invasion Music Festivals. MTV's college concert tour, mtvU, will also hold festivals on May 3 at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and May 4 at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. Wyclef Jean will headline all three dates. Other artists appearing on select dates include The Bravery, Simple Plan, Flo Rida and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.
The Eagles, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw and Big & Rich are among the Country stars performing at Stagecoach 2008. More than 40 acts will appear on four stages at the festival, which takes place May 3 and 4 in Indio, California.
TOUR DATES AND INFORMATION
On April 29, Swedish pop singer Robyn will begin a three-week U.S. theater tour to support her new self-titled album. The album was originally released in 2005 only in Sweden. She gained U.S. interest following its U.K. release last year. Robyn's shows begin in Boston and wrap up in Los Angeles on May 17.
