‘Hollaback’ set to break digital mark

Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” has not only been a hit on the radio but also in cyberspace, where it’s poised to become the first song to register 1 million legal downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The No Doubt singer will be recognized for that numerical milestone with a certification that will be presented to her when she performs Oct. 21 at the Hollywood Bowl, her manager said. As of Wednesday, “Hollaback Girl,” from Stefani’s debut solo album, “Love. Angel. Music. Baby,” had been downloaded more than 980,000 times, and continues to generate about 14,000 downloads a week, a Nielsen SoundScan spokeswoman said.

“It’s a pretty big deal,” says Silvio Petroluongo, director of Billboard’s Hot 100 and Digital Songs charts. “The digital market ... has really rejuvenated the singles genre, and it’s pleasant to see that, to be honest.”

So far in 2005, consumers have downloaded more than 230 million songs, Petroluongo said, compared to 85 million at the same point last year.

-- Randy Lewis