Millennials are driving pop culture as broadband internet juices music piracy into overdrive, but Ringtones are raking in $4 billion/year as Hip-Hop’s Bling Era endures, Kelly Clarkson confirms American Idol’s star-making prowess once and for all, and “Hollaback Girl” becomes the first song with a million paid downloads the year the Hot Digital Songs and Ringtones charts debut.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. Kelly Clarkson
2. 50 Cent
3. Mariah Carey

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• 50 Cent (8)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 27.7 years

#1 Songs   List of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1

1. Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell – Drop It like It’s Hot (December ’04, 3 wks)
2. Mario – Let Me Love You (January, 9 wks)
3. 50 Cent feat. Olivia – Candy Shop (March, 9 wks)
4. Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl (May, 4 wks)
5. Mariah Carey – We Belong Together (June, 14 wks)
6. Carrie Underwood – Inside Your Heaven (July, 1 wk)
7. Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx – Gold Digger (September, 10 wks)
8. Mariah Carey – Don’t Forget About Us (December, 2 wks)