One Direction, Frank Ocean and P!nk were just a few of the artists that registered huge increases in album sales after performing at this year’s Video Music Awards, continuing a trend from past years of MTV’s hallmark event.
One Direction, a big winner at the VMAs with three moon men (the VMA trophy), saw album sales jump 27 percent following the broadcast while sales of their single, “One Thing,” rose 51 percent. The group also performed “One Thing” at the event, causing some teenage girls in attendance to swoon.
P!nk’s trapeze act at the awards show must have made an impression with viewers, as sales of her single “Blow Me One Last Kiss” spiked 89 percent, moving the song to sixth on the iTunes singles chart.
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“Once again we see the immediate impact in sales from the VMAs,” Joe Riccitelli, EVP of Promotion at RCA Recods, P!nk’s label, said in a statement. “Both of our performing artists, P!nk and Alicia Keys, showed increases at iTunes in the 80 percent and 100 percent ranges respectively. They also both jumped inside of the Top 10 on ITunes songs chart within 24 hours. Now that is immediate impact.”
Though ratings for the awards show were down considerably from the past year, due in part to a move from Sunday night to Thursday night, the social buzz around the show was considerable.
As Riccitelli noted, Keys, who performed “Girl on Fire” at the VMAs alongside Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas, saw sales of the song rise 88 percent. In climbing to 8th on the iTunes chart, “Girl on Fire” is Keys’ highest ranked single on iTunes since “No One.”
Frank Ocean and Rihanna also benefited from their VMA, Ocean in particular. Sales of his debut album, the widely praised “Channel Orange,” jumped 49 percent while sales of “Thinkin Bout You,” which he performed in front of a faux desert campfire, rose 209 percent.