VMA Performers See Sales Spikes Post-Show

With ratings down more than 50 percent following last year’s record-setting broadcast, performers at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards are still reaping the benefits of appearing on one of the music industry’s largest stages.

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One week after the Sept. 6 telecast, Pink, Alicia Keys and Rihanna are among the musicians seeing big sales spikes on iTunes following the show.

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According to data from Apple’s music retailer, Pink’s summer single “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” jumped to No. 6 on the singles chart, increasing 89 percent in sales. Keys, who performed her new single “Girl on Fire” at the show, saw the song’s downloads rise 88 percent, landing at No. 8 on the chart -- her highest charting single since “No One.”

Rihanna hit fans with a “Cockiness” and "We Found Love" double whammy on the Staples Center stage, and while her album Talk That Talk saw a 49 percent increase, "Cockiness" spiked by a whopping 1,600 percent in the following week. "We Found Love," which also took home the award for Video of the Year, enjoyed an 86 percent bump.

As for the night’s big winner, One Direction, the Brit boy band’s album Up All Night jumped 27 percent and their latest single “One Thing” increased by 51 percent.

Frank Ocean, whose “Thinkin About You” shot up the charts with an impressive 209 percent increase, also saw his debut album, Channel Orange, spike 49 percent.

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But it isn't just performers reaping the sales benefits of a VMA appearance. Drake's "HYFR" single featuring Lil Wayne saw a 137 percent lift following his Best Hip-Hop Video win. For his part, Chris Brown's "Turn Up the Music" got a 59 percent boost after winning the moon man for Best Male Video.

Last year, Adele, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and -- again -- Brown were among those artists seeing sales increases after the VMAs. For a complete breakdown of 2011's numbers, click here. And in 2010, Florence + the Machine were the big standouts, with "Dog Days are Over" skyrocketing from No. 105 to No. 9 on the singles chart.

The 2012 Video Music Awards faced stiff competition in the broadcast landscape, moving from its typical Sunday slot to Thursday night, where it went up against coverage of the Democratic National Convention. MTV opted to move the ceremony up one hour, airing from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, in order to avoid direct conflict with President Obama’s planned speech.

Well known for creating must-see viral moments, this year’s ceremony marked the announcement of Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa’s pregnancy, a controversial kiss between Brown and ex-flame Rihanna, the return of Green Day and celebrity skewering from host Kevin Hart.

Email: Sophie.Schillaci@thr.com; Twitter: @SophieSchillaci