One Direction is Up

SYCO KILLERS: Syco/Columbia sensations and X Factor U.K. alumni One Direction (who have the #5 album year to date with 625k—see our four-month marketshare report here) went clean on a dozen shows at London’s O2 Arena on the heels of a sold-out U.S. tour, complete with massive merch sales. What’s really jaw-dropping is that the boy band has already sold out an amphitheater tour of the States for the summer of 2013. This is a huge win for Simon Cowell's Syco/Sony joint venture. Sony made a reported $50m investment in its joint venture with Syco, which includes all revenue generated by Syco and its acts. (5/17p)