Nielsen: Music Sales Way Up After Super Bowl Halftime

SALES HIKE: Nielsen's latest piping-hot plate o' research says Super Bowl halftime performances drive big digital-track sales. SVP of Client Insights David Bakula declared that any song performed at halftime, old or new, "can yield an exponential jump in sales" from the preceding week. Data shows a 165% sales surge for Madonna following her 2012 perf (522k in the week after the Super Bowl, compared to 197k the week before); a 108% spike (406k after, 196k before) for Black Eyed Peas in 2011; and a 396% increase (59k after, 12k before) for The Who in 2010. Digital-music sales were also driven by songs in Super Bowl commercials; in 2012 songs like "Smokescreen" by Willis and Jay-Z/R. Kelly's duet "Don't Let Me Die" got enormous bumps from Super Sunday ad placements. How will Beyoncé's 2013 perf compare? Will that commercial with the astronaut baby make people buy stuff? Please show your work. And yes, we lip-synched this entire item, but you didn't notice because we're that good. (1/30p)