Songs for Japan explained

Songs for Japan
Type:compilation
Artist:various artists
Cover:Songs for Japan album cover.svg
Border:yes
Alt:Large red circle centered on a white background. The words "Songs for Japan" appear in black majuscule font above the circle, with "Japan" written in red.
Label:EMI, Sony, Universal, Warner

Songs for Japan is a charity compilation album created to benefit relief efforts for the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. A collaborative project between the music industry's "big four" record labels (EMI, Sony, Universal, and Warner), the album was released through the iTunes Store on March 25, 2011 through Universal.[1] [2] Royalties for the songs featured on the album were waived so that all proceeds could be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society.[3] [4] A physical album was released on April 4, 2011 through Sony.[5]

Reception

Although Songs for Japan received praise for its charitable purpose it was criticized for being a compilation of already released songs, with the exception of Lady Gaga's remixed "Born This Way". This is unlike past charity albums such as Hope for Haiti Now that have included original music and performances.[6]

Commercial performance

The album sold 68,000 copies in its first sales week in the United States, debuting at number six on the Billboard 200.[7] It sold 8,000 copies in Canada and debuted at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart.[8] On the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand's compilations chart, the album debuted at number one.[9] As of May 4, 2011, over 500,000 copies of the album have been sold, and over $5 million has been raised.[10]

The album was certified as a gold record by the RIAJ in Japan for a shipment of 100,000 or more physical copies.[11]

Track listing

The CD features 37 tracks,[2] [12] while the iTunes version contains 38 tracks.

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2011)Position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[13] 38
US Billboard 200[14] 86

Notes and References

  1. Global Music Effort Launches "Songs for Japan" Album on iTunes to Benefit Japan Disaster Relief. March 25, 2011. PR Newswire. New York. March 25, 2011.
  2. Web site: Songs For Japan Includes Eminem, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga And More. https://web.archive.org/web/20110401030339/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660688/songs-japan-includes-eminem-justin-bieber-lady-gaga-more.jhtml. dead. April 1, 2011. James. Montgomery. MTV. March 25, 2011. March 25, 2011.
  3. News: John Lennon, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Josh Groban hits together on 'Songs for Japan' benefit album. Los Angeles Times. March 25, 2011. March 25, 2011.
  4. News: Major Labels Join for Compilation for Japan. ABC News. Associated Press. March 25, 2011. March 25, 2011.
  5. News: Major record labels join for Japan relief album. March 25, 2011. Mike. Collett-White. Reuters. London. March 25, 2011.
  6. 'Songs for Japan': Justin Bieber, Bob Dylan, and Beyonce Unite for Random Compilation of Unoriginal Music. The Atlantic. Kevin. Fallon. 2011-03-25. 2011-03-29.
  7. Chris Brown Nets First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart. March 30, 2011. Keith. Caulfield. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Los Angeles. March 30, 2011.
  8. News: Six new debuts crash charts. https://archive.today/20120524172441/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2011/03/30/17809576.html. usurped. May 24, 2012. March 30, 2011. John. Williams. JAM! Music. Canadian Online Explorer. QMI Agency. March 30, 2011.
  9. Web site: Chart #1766  - Monday 28 March 2011: Top 10 Music Compilations Chart. March 28, 2011. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. March 29, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120319170253/http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp?chartNum=1766&chartKind=C. 19 March 2012.
  10. News: Songs for Japan' Album Raises $5 Million for Earthquake and Tsunami Relief. May 4, 2011. Reuters. May 4, 2011.
  11. Web site: ja:ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2011年05月 . Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (May 2011) . http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/201105.html . . Japanese . June 10, 2011 . June 13, 2011.
  12. Web site: Songs for Japan by Various Artists. iTunes Store. March 25, 2011.
  13. Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2011. Billboard. August 14, 2020.
  14. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2011. Billboard. August 14, 2020.

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