Tag Archives: nielsen-sound

Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV Smashes iTunes Record

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Album is on track to sell more than 850,000 copies in its first week. By Gil Kaufman Lil Wayne Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage Lil Wayne always makes his fans wait longer than they might want to for his new albums. But when he does finally drop them, Carterites always show up to support their man. According to Weezy’s label, Tha Carter IV sold more than 300,000 downloads on iTunes in its first four days of release last week, beating out the first-week sales record recently set by Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne. The album, which was released digitally right after the 2011 VMAs, is also on pace to have the second biggest first-week sales of 2011, according to the Hollywood Reporter, with expected sales of 850,000. The combined physical and digital sales would make for the biggest first week for a hip-hop album since Tha Carter III, which sold 1.01 million in its first week in June 2008. While he will undoubtedly have an impressive bow on Wednesday when the final figures are released by Nielsen SoundScan, it will still likely fall short of the year’s biggest debut to date, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, which moved 1.3 million in its debut in June. Weezy, who closed the VMAs in memorable style, said that he wasn’t sweating the fact that Carter IV leaked five days early. In fact, he was kind of glad that fans got a sneak peek. “It just means people want to hear it,” Wayne told MTV News . “I mean, ’cause there’re people’s albums that come out that can be leaked and don’t leak, so I’m glad mines leaked.” Jay and Kanye avoided a leak with their Watch the Throne album, but the YMCMB camp has said they aren’t too concerned about how the leak could affect album sales. Via his Twitter account, Cash Money CEO Birdman has been promoting Weezy’s album for the past week or two, even predicting that Carter IV would sell a million copies in its first week, just like Carter III. Last week, he wrote , “C4.BMJR.#Dont Lie 1m. 1week They Know.” Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Lil Wayne Related Artists Lil Wayne

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Jill Scott Scores First #1 on Billboard 200

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Bon Iver debuts at #2, followed by Adele at #3 and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic at #9. By Gil Kaufman Jill Scott’s The Light of the Sun Photo: Blues Babe Records R&B singer Jill Scott will notch her first #1 album next week when her fourth effort, Light of the Sun, crashes the top of the Billboard 200 chart thanks to sales of 135,000 copies, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. That was more than enough to hold off the charge from another chart-topping newbie, sensitive Wisconsin folkie Bon Iver (a.k.a. Justin Vernon), whose self-titled second collection of pastoral Auto-Tuned hymns hits #2 after selling 104,000 copies. The pair leads a parade of new faces, which include country singer Justin Moore at #5 with Outlaws Like Me (65,000), Pitbull , whose Planet Pit lands at #7 (55,000), and perennial chart-crashing joke man “Weird Al” Yankovic , who yuks his way to #9 with Alpocalypse (44,000). The rest of the top 10: Adele , 21 (#3, 101,000); Jackie Evancho , Dream With Me (#4, 77,000); Bad Meets Evil , Hell: The Sequel (#6, 63,000); Lady Gaga , Born This Way (#8, 49,000); and Jason Aldean , My Kinda Party (#10, 40,000). Speaking of parties, all-night disco rockers LMFAO wiggle in just outside the top 10 with their second effort, Sorry for Party Rocking, which hits #12 (27,000), while soul singer Ledisi takes a 10-spot tumble in week two with Pieces of Me, which falls to #18 (20,000). Without a smash hit like “Fireflies,” fans seemed to flee Owl City ‘s latest, All Things Bright and Beautiful , which plummets 26 spots in week two to #32, as sales drop 73 percent to 13,000. Pop punk veterans Simple Plan rolled into the #52 slot with Get Your Heart On! (9,000). Over on the iTunes charts, it’s a different story, as Bon Iver rules the album tally, followed by Adele, Scott, the Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″ collabo Bad Meets Evil, Pitbull, Moore, Mumford & Sons’ Sigh No More, LMFAO, Matt Nathanson’s Modern Love and a Frank Sinatra greatest hits collection. Katy Perry was the queen of the iTunes singles chart thanks to “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” which beat out Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” collaboration with Christina Aguilera on “The Voice,” then LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem,” Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything,” Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass,” Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory,” Hot Chelle Rae’s “Tonight Tonight,” Lil Wayne’s “How to Love” and Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee.” Expect more shake-ups at the top next week when Beyonc

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Eminem, Taylor Swift Top Album Sales For 2010

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Recovery led the year’s new releases; Katy Perry was queen of song downloads. By Gil Kaufman Eminem Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage Despite late charges from Susan Boyle and Taylor Swift, Eminem came out on top in the year-end Nielsen SoundScan tally. According to figures compiled by Billboard magazine, the rapper’s return-to-form CD, Recovery, led all new releases in 2010 with sales of 3.4 million copies, followed by Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now (3.1 million), Swift’s Speak Now (3 million), Justin Bieber’s My World 2.0 (2.3 million) and Boyle’s The Gift (1.85 million). The rest of the top-selling albums including Lady Gaga’s still-moving debut, The Fame , which sold another 1.5 million copies last year, followed by Sade’s Soldier of Love (1.3 million), Drake’s Thank Me Later (1.2 million), Usher’s Raymond v. Raymond (1.18 million) and Ke$ha’s Animal (1.1 million). Recovery was also the #1 digital album, thanks to sales of 852,000 copies. A combination of her still briskly selling back catalog and her new hit album made Swift the year’s overall top-selling artist, with more than 4.4 million units shifted, followed by Slim Shady (4.3 million), Lady Antebellum (3.8 million), Bieber (3.7 million) and the cast of “Glee” (3.6 million). Katy Perry was the queen of the digital songs tally, racking up nearly 4.4 million downloads for her hit collabo with Snoop Dogg, “California Gurls.” Just behind was Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” (4.3 million), Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie” (4.2 million), Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite” (4 million) and B.o.B and Hayley Williams’ “Airplanes” (4 million). Albums sales continued their nearly decade-long slide, dropping another 12.8 percent to 326.2 million units as sales of CDs fell by almost 20 percent for the fourth year in a row. But individual digital track sales saw a slight 1 percent increase last year to 1.17 billion, and digital album sales grew by 13 percent to 86.3 million, meaning they accounted for more than 26 percent of all U.S. album sales in 2010. And, in one of those stories it feels like you hear every year, vinyl was big in 2010 as well, with the vintage category growing by 13 percent. That uptick was fueled largely by the Beatles’ Abbey Road, which sold 35,000 copies, followed by the Arcade Fire’s Suburbs (18,000), the Black Keys’ Brothers (18,000), Vampire Weekend’s Contra (15,000) and Michael Jackson’s Thriller (14,000). Related Photos The Evolution Of: Eminem Taylor Swift’s Dating History Related Artists Eminem Taylor Swift

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Taylor Swift Holds On To Billboard Top Spot

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Slow week produces no new names in top 50. By Gil Kaufman Taylor Swift Photo: Steve Granitz/ WireImage After gorging themselves on new releases over the holidays, music consumers seemed like they were in the mood to nest and cuddle up with the usual suspects during the final chart week of 2010. According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, Taylor Swift will once again hang on to the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart next week thanks to sales of 77,000 for Speak Now, which saw a 72 percent drop in business from the week before, even as the 21-year-old newly single singer zeroed in on 3 million in sales in just over two months in stores. With every album in the top 30 suffering from significant double-digit losses, the traditionally slow final week of the year was especially lethargic. Rounding out the top 10 are Eminem , Recovery (#2, 63,000, down 54 percent); Rihanna , Loud (#3, 62,000, down 44 percent); Nicki Minaj , Pink Friday (#4, 61,000, down 54 percent); Kanye West , My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (#5, 58,000, down 54 percent); the “Tron: Legacy” soundtrack by Daft Punk (#6, 54,000, down 22 percent); Bruno Mars , Doo-Wops & Hooligans (#7, 45,000, down 46 percent); Mumford & Sons , Sigh No More (#8, 39,000, down 29 percent); Katy Perry ‘s nearly platinum Teenage Dream (#9, 38,000, down 62 percent) and Keyshia Cole , Calling All Hearts (#10, 37,000, down 71 percent). It was no party for Jamie Foxx ‘s Best Night of My Life, which shed 75 percent of its business in week two to land at #11 on sales of 36,000. Keri Hilson also saw a significant dip in week two of her No Boys Allowed, which slips four spots and 68 percent to #15 after moving 33,000 copies. As the trial for his former doctor revs up, sales of the first posthumous studio album from late pop icon Michael Jackson , Michael, are slowing down. The disc slips 13 spots in its third week, as sales dropped off by 82 percent to 27,000. And on the cusp of a new season of a revamped “American Idol,” the chart battle between last season’s winner and runner-up has turned into a dud. Slipping another 15 spots to #62 in its third week, Farmer’s Daughter, the debut from the dreadlocked #2 finisher, soul mama Crystal Bowersox , sold 11,000 copies for a to-date total just north of 106,000. Meanwhile, winner Lee DeWyze ‘s major-label debut, Live It Up, dipped 68 percent as it slips another 45 slots to #170 while moving more than 4,000 copies for a seven-week total just over 102,000. Those figures make the pair of albums the weakest debuts by #1 and #2 “Idol” finishers in recent history. Over on the iTunes tally, the “Tron” soundtrack is tops on the albums chart, followed by Eminem, Swift, West, Mumford & Sons, Mars, Rihanna, Ke$ha ‘s Cannibal, the self-titled debut from Big Time Rush and Minaj. Sales figures aren’t provided, but the singles chart is topped by Mars’ “Grenade,” which edges out Perry’s “Firework.” The rest of the list includes Ke$ha, “We R Who We R,” Enrique Iglesias , “Tonight,” Pink , “Raise Your Glass,” Black Eyed Peas , “The Time (Dirty Bit),” Rihanna/Drake, “What’s My Name,” Wiz Khalifa , “Black and Yellow,” Trey Songz , “Bottoms Up” and Nelly , “Just a Dream.” With no new major releases this week, the charts are likely to look similar next week, at least until the Decemberists hit stores on the 18th with The King Is Dead.

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Nicki Minaj Surprised By Success: ‘I Never Saw All Of This’

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Nicki Minaj Surprised By Success: ‘I Never Saw All Of This’

‘When [Lil] Wayne first called and reached out, I thought it was a joke,’ MC admits to MTV News. By By Hillary Crosley, with reporting by Sway Calloway Nicki Minaj and Sway Photo: MTV News What’s a girl without her dreams? Nicki Minaj has realized more of hers than most this year, from releasing her highly successful debut LP Pink Friday to becoming MTV News’ #6 Hottest MC in the Game . And, the Queens MC said she’s still surprised by her achievements. “A part of me expected it, because I wanted it so bad, but I never saw all of this,” the MC told MTV News’ Sway Calloway. “You know, I never would’ve imagined that I would’ve signed to [Lil] Wayne, number one.” On Monday, Minaj took time between takes while filming her video for “Moment 4 Life” with Drake to talk about becoming the queen of rap’s reigning crew. “[I] never imagined that Young Money/Cash Money would be the hip-hop crew,” she said. “To be signed to them is one thing, but to be signed to them when they’re at their height, when this has become like an insane movement? No, I never imagined that, because when Wayne first called and reached out, I thought it was a joke. “I’ve wanted this for a very long time, but I couldn’t — not even with a crystal ball — I could not have predicted these things would really happen this way.” Minaj has even outsold, if we’re counting weekly sales, one of her idols: Mr. Kanye West. West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy dropped November 22, the same day as Pink Friday . And while West garnered bigger opening-week numbers, Barbie has outpaced his album sales per week for the past 14 days. To date, Minaj’s release has sold 658,439 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “Girl power!” she said, with a giggle. Are you surprised by Nicki Minaj’s success this year? Tell us in the comments below. Related Photos Nicki Minaj Takes Over New York For Pink Friday Release Related Artists Nicki Minaj

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Kanye West Bests Nicki Minaj In Billboard Battle

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Kanye West Bests Nicki Minaj In Billboard Battle

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy sold nearly half a million in first week. By Gil Kaufman Kanye West Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images In the end, the chart battle between Kanye West and Nicki Minaj wasn’t much of a contest. In the biggest album release week of the year, Yeezy easily bested the Young Money honey. Preliminary figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan peg his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy debuting with more than 495,000 copies sold compared to 375,000 for Minaj’s long-awaited major-label debut, Pink Friday. Though some questioned Kanye’s decision to leak a song a week in the months leading up to the release of Fantasy, including nearly all of the album’s major tracks, in the end, fans still appear to have come out for the rapper’s fifth studio album. Fantasy matched the #1 debut of Kanye’s previous effort, 2008’s vocal-heavy 808s & Heartbreak, which moved 450,000 copies in its first week. Neither, however, come close to reaching the MC’s chart peak, which he achieved in 2007 with Graduation , which also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart after selling a whopping 957,000 copies in its first week in the midst of a much-hyped chart battle with 50 Cent’s album Curtis . After more than two years of headline-grabbing guest spots on tracks by everyone from Gucci Mane to Mariah Carey, Trey Songz, Bobby Valentino, Mya, Robin Thicke, Ludacris and, of course, Kanye, anticipation was high for Minaj’s Friday . In the end, Minaj just narrowly missed the record for the best debut album sales by a female rapper, falling a bit short of the mark set by former Fugees member Lauryn Hill in 1998 with her smash hit The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which moved 423,000 copies in its chart bow. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Kanye West ‘Nicki Minaj: My Time Now’ Related Artists Kanye West Nicki Minaj

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Eminem And Jay-Z: By The Numbers

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Before their Home and Home Tour kicks off, we size up the superstars’ stats. By Gil Kaufman Eminem and Jay-Z Photo: Kristian Dowling/ Getty Images Cincinnati Bengals wide-receiving duo Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens refer to themselves as the Batman and Robin of the NFL, but in the hip-hop world, Jay-Z and Eminem are more like the Batman and Superman of music. And just like it’s rare to see the two titans of comics together in the same panel, you know it’s a special occasion when Slim Shady and Jigga team up for a live show. That’s why fans are freaking out about the first of four planned joint concerts between the dynamic duo, which kick off at Em’s hometown stadium, Comerica Park , on Thursday night and wind up next weekend in Jay’s backyard at Yankee Stadium on September 12 and 13. Nobody knows who the pair will bring onstage as special guests or what they’ll play , though we did learn Wednesday that VMA nominee B.o.B will open all four dates . But how do the massive careers of these two titans measure up? Both have sold tens of millions of albums and played to hundreds of thousands of fans during their decade-plus in the public eye, and each brings a unique strength and style. Let’s break down their numbers to get a sense of what led up to this historic collabo: On the Charts Eminem has been a chart titan for his entire career, posting six #1 albums in a row on the Billboard 200, along with four #1 singles on the Billboard singles chart. According to Nielsen SoundScan, his U.S. album sales are 38.3 million, with an additional 30.5 million U.S. downloads on songs where he’s the lead artist. His best-selling download to date is “Lose Yourself,” which SoundScan reports has sold 2.9 million copies, while his feature on the Akon tune “Smack That” pads his r

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Avenged Sevenfold Bump Eminem From Billboard #1

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

A7X’s Nightmare ends Recovery ‘s five week reign. By Gil Kaufman Avenged Sevenfold drummer The Rev Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images Last week, we wondered how long Eminem ‘s Recovery could hold on to the pole position on the Billboard 200, predicting that it might run the board until Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream drops on August 24. Someone forgot to tell Avenged Sevenfold . The SoCal hard rockers have managed to end Slim Shady’s five-week run at #1 with the best debut of their career. Their fifth album, Nightmare , debuts at the top on next week’s chart on sales of 163,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. That was just enough to edge out Em, who drops to #2 (159,000 units shifted),as Recovery edged toward the 2 million mark and he celebrated his nine VMA nominations . There are no other debuts this week, and the rest of the top 10 just features a shuffling of the cards. Last week’s #2, Rick Ross ‘ Teflon Don, only falls one slot to #3, but with a 64 percent sales drop-off, the Bawse sold considerably less product (63,000) in his second week on the charts. Justin Bieber ‘s My World 2.0 moves up a few to #4 (38,000), Drake ‘s Thank Me Later drops one (#5, 34,000), Kidz Bop 18 is down one to #6 (29,000), Lady Antebellum ‘s still-strong Need You Now is up two (#7, 27,000), Sheryl Crow ‘s 100 Miles From Memphis drops 5 to #8 (24,000), VMA queen Lady Gaga ‘s The Fame is up to #9 (24,000) and NOW 34 is down two spots to #10 (22,000). Veteran rapper Tech N9ne ‘s collabos album The Gates Mixed Plate — featuring Big Scoob , Glasses Malone , Devin the Dude and Brotha Lynch Hung — debuts at #13 (17,000). Fat Joe ‘s The Darkside Vol. 1 has a soft landing at #27 (12,000). Further down the line, R&B vocal group Dru Hill celebrate Indrupendence Day with a #30 bow on sales of 11,000, and new indie buzz act Best Coast sail into the #36 spot with Crazy for You (10,000). The iTunes charts tell a similar story, as Eminem holds on to the #1 slot on the singles tally with the smash Rihanna collabo, “Love the Way You Lie,” while A7X takes over the top spot on the album list. Nightmare is followed by Em’s Recovery , Ross’ Teflon Don , Drake’s Thank Me Later , Gaga’s Fame , an iTunes session from former 10,000 Maniacs singer Natalie Merchant at #6, the Black Keys ‘ Brothers , Mumford & Sons ‘ Sigh No More , the Hans Zimmer score to “Inception” and B.o.B ‘s B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray . While iTunes does not provide detailed sales data, it’s clear Em’s hold on the top of the singles heap is safe, as the rest of the top 10 is essentially the same as it was last week with just one new title, Usher ‘s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” at #6. Otherwise, it is: Taio Cruz ‘s “Dynamite” (#2), Enrique Iglesias ‘ “I Like It” (#3), Katy Perry ‘s “Teenage Dream” (#4), Perry’s “California Gurls” (#5), B.o.B’s “Airplanes” (#7), Mike Posner ‘s “Cooler Than Me” (#8), Jason Derulo ‘s “Ridin’ Solo” (#9) and Eminem’s “Not Afraid.” It’s not likely that Eminem will retake the top spot next week, as the Arcade Fire ‘s buzzed-about The Suburbs is due to debut, along with new albums from Bun B , Buckcherry and a Lady Gaga remix album.

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Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls’ Is ‘Infectious,’ Brian Wilson Says

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I’m flattered that Snoop Dogg used our lyric on the tag,’ the Beach Boys’ co-founder says. By James Montgomery Katy Perry in her music video for “California Gurls” Photo: Capitol Records In 1965, the Beach Boys released “California Girls,” a song that would not only become one of their biggest hits, but one of the most influential rock tunes of all time too. Forty-five years later, Katy Perry dropped “California Gurls,” a song that has quickly become one of her biggest hits , but still has a ways to go in the legacy department. It may very well be on its way — at least according to legendary Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson, who, along with Mike Love, wrote the original “Girls” back in the day. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times ‘ Pop & Hiss blog , he admitted to being a fan of the song — and a little bit flattered by Perry’s updated homage. “I love her vocal. … She sounds very clear and energetic,” he said in a statement issued by his manager. “The melody is infectious, and I’m flattered that Snoop Dogg used our lyric on the tag. I wish them well with this cut.” Of course, as Pop & Hiss points out, Perry and Snoop probably don’t need Wilson’s well-wishes (though they no doubt appreciate them). After all, “Gurls” is currently spending its sixth week atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart — it also tops the brand-new Songs of the Summer chart too — and has already sold more than 2.6 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. So far, Perry has remained mum on Wilson’s praise (she’s basically been tweeting about “Inception” nonstop), and a spokesperson for her label, Capitol, did not respond to MTV News’ request for comment by press time. Make your pick: “California Girls” or “California Gurls”? Sound off in the comments! Related Artists Katy Perry

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Eminem, Justin Bieber Are Rare Exceptions As Album Sales Fall

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Midyear figures show sales are down 11 percent over same period last year. By Gil Kaufman Eminem Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images Thanks to Eminem , Justin Bieber , Lady Gaga and Lady Antebellum , record sales for the first half of 2010 weren’t totally in the toilet. But strong sellers from those artists only helped slow the bleeding of an industry that has suffered declining annual sales for much of the past decade. According to midyear figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan on Thursday, overall U.S. album sales fell 11 percent in the first six months of the year to 213.7 million, down from the 232.8 million in sales during the same period in 2009. Between January 4 and July 4 physical album sales fell to 154 million, down from the 172.9 million over the same 26-week period in 2009. But while CD sales were sliding again, digital album sales were up by 13.7 million to 42 million. Sales of digital tracks were mostly flat, down .2 percent to 597 million. “Strong releases in 2010 have helped to slow the decline of new album sales,” said David Bakula, senior VP of analytics at Nielsen Entertainment, in a statement. “Albums by Eminem, Justin Bieber, Lady [Antebellum], Lady Gaga and Sade have each sold more than a million copies so far this year, and Lady A’s Need You Now has sold more than 2.3 million albums, surpassing last year’s best seller of this time period by a million units.” Eminem’s Recovery quickly passed the 1 million mark in two weeks and Drake’s Thank Me Later appears poised to reach that watermark within the month. Things are likely to be even more grim in the second half of the year in light of 2009’s second-half sales boost in the wake of Michael Jackson’s June 2009 death. After the King of Pop’s passing, fans snatched up millions of his solo and Jackson 5 CDs and digital tracks, boosting sales figures in an otherwise flat period. Jackson could help out again in the fall if a promised album of previously unreleased material hits shelves in time for the holidays. That LP, along with albums from T.I., Kanye West and Katy Perry in the coming months, could help boost the industry’s bottom line. Related Photos The Evolution Of: Eminem Related Artists Eminem Lady Gaga Justin Bieber Lady Antebellum

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