Al Green, A&R Execs & Artists Sound Off on Obama's Performance It's the best sales week for the song since SoundScan began tracking downloads in 2003. "Those guys didn't think I would do it," joked Obama, gesturing to his staffers on the side of the stage. "I told you I was going to do it. The Sandman did not come out." While there are multiple videos of the moment on YouTube, the most-viewed clip has been watched more than 4 million times.
Obama Bumps Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together' Sales by 490%
Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" got a sales boost last week from an unlikely source -- President Barack Obama.
A video of the president singing the first line of the song at a Jan. 19 fund-raising event went viral the next day, sparking a 490% weekly sales increase for the song. It sold 16,000 downloads in the week ending Jan. 22 according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The fundraiser took place at New York's Apollo Theater, where Green was also making an appearance. As Obama took to the stage, he noted Green's presence in the room and surprised the crowd (and his aides) with a bit of his crooning.
Watch: President Obama Sings Al Green's, "Let's Stay Together"
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Who knew the President would be a one-man stimulus package for the music industry?
A day after President Obama sang a bit of Al Green's classic "Let's Stay Together" from the podium at a January 19th fundraising event in Harlem, videos of the crooner-in-chief went viral on YouTube, racking up millions of views. But it wasn't just Obama's version of the song that the web's music fans sought out: according to Nielsen (via The Hollywood Reporter), digital download sales for Green's version of the song jumped up 490% in the period ending on January 22nd.
With 16,000 downloads, the song had its most successful online sales week since Nielsen began keeping track of web transactions in 2003. It's good news for Green's wallet, just as the President's cover was music to his ears.
"He nailed it," Green told TMZ, praising Obama's rendition. In fact, the singer was just "thrilled that the president even mentioned my name."
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