Tampabay.com
NOVEMBER 12, 2008

Top selling iTunes song? Yep, it's Journey

Journey's 1981 signature hit Don't Stop Believin' has just surpassed the 2-million mark in digital sales, making it the all-time leader in this new era of music downloading.

The Guardian newspaper in the UK says downloads of the power ballad soared after its inclusion the series finale of The Sopranos: "iTunes sales rocketed 482 per cent in the period between the episode airing on June 9 and the following Tuesday, June 12," the paper said.

The sales landmark, first reported by SoundScan, means the tune has surpassed the elite "double platinum" status, something that seemed impossible once the record biz reluctantly embraced the digital sales world.

(By the way, the live video of the band performing the song in Houston back in '81 during the Escape Tour? Yeah, that one at the top of this post. It's been viewed more than 11-million times.)

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About the blogger

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times entertainment news editor Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.

E-mail Steve Spears:
stuckinthe80s@tampabay.com
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