Music Power Rankings: Lady Gaga, Coachella times two, Scotty McCreery

All of her efforts paid off. Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” ended up selling around 1.1 million in its opening frame, making it the best first week tally since 50 Cent’s 2005 set “The Massacre,” sold 1.14 million in its first week.  Only 17 albums have accomplished the feat in the 20 years that Nielsen SoundScan has been keeping count—the last to do so was Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now,” which squeaked by last fall with 1,006,000 copies.

1) Lady Gaga (Last Week: No. 1): If she was “Born This Way,” why did she still have to work so hard to sell 1.1 million albums?

2) Apple (not ranked): The new iCloud is here, the new iCloud is here!

3) Coachella Coachella (not ranked): No, you’re not seeing double. The Indio, Calif. rock festival will become a twin as it announces that next year it will hold two identical festivals, featuring the exact same acts both weekends. Let’s hope they clean the port-a-potties on the off days.

4) Sony (not ranked): So they give up their “American Idol” rights (and just in the nick of time, it would seem) but pick up “Glee.” Now, they’ve smartly hedged their bets and gone ahead and inked a deal to replace music from “Smash,” NBC’s mid-season replacement about the making of Broadway musical. It’s executive produced by Steven Spielberg and stars Katherine McPhee. Look, all roads do lead back to “AI.”

5) Scotty McCreery (No. 2): Speaking of “AI,” the new winner’s first single, “I Love You This Big,” enters Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart at no. 32, the highest ever for a new artist on the chart in at least 21 years since BDS has kept track. Take that, doubting country music programmers.

6) Alex Da Kid (not ranked): Grammy-winner producer best known for his work with Eminem gets his own Interscope label, KIDinaKORNER. That will be the absolute last time we indulge him by writing it that way. First signing is singer/songwriter Skylar Grey, with whom he and Em co-wrote “Love the Way You Lie.”

7) Bjork (not ranked): She takes The Gorillaz’ “The Fall,” which was created primarily on an iPad, several steps further with Blophilla. It will be made on an iPod and then released  via as iPad apps.

8) Vevo (not ranked): After rival YouTube  live streamed the Coachella festival, Vevo gets into the game with  exclusive rights to stream next weekend’s Bonnaroo, snagging it away from YouTube who streamed it last year. Viva la Vevo.

9) Adele (not ranked): Even while she’s sick and has to cancel the remainder of her U.S. tour, she’s still setting records. She becomes the first woman to have a song, “Rolling in the Deep,” top  the Mainstream Top 40, Triple A and Hot 100 Airplay charts. Just start clearing the shelf for all the Grammys now.

10) Foo Fighters (not ranked): They didn’t do anything that spectacular this week except for put out another amazing video, this time for “Walk.”  Anyone who references “Falling Down” is thumbs up with us.

Last Week’s Rankings

What do you think of this week’s rankings? Share your thoughts below.