The album sales for this week were disappointing for those of use hoping Lady Gaga would give Justin Timberlake a run for the best-selling debut of 2013. But then again, we can't imagine Lady Gaga is terribly happy about it either.
WHAT'S NEW
Lady Gaga's ARTPOP was the big debut of the week, in case you hadn't heard. Although the Mother Monster came out on top of the Billboard 200, we were surprised at the relatively low sales total: 258,000 copies moved.
That might not seem too bad, but in comparison to the debut of her last album, Born This Way -which debuted with 1.1 million copies sold-ARTPOP doesn't seem too hot. It has to be considered that Born This Way was aided by a $.99 Amazon.com promotion, but more than 75 percent difference is still alarming. Even more interesting is that Gaga failed to match the premieres of Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus, two pop stars typically believed to be less stellar on the sales chart than Gaga. We'll see what happens in week two.
Now 48 saw an impressive growth in sales, on the other hand, since its last release. Now 47 only peaked at 82,000, but its follow-up scored 114,000 albums sold at no. 3. It's the first Now to debut above 100,000 since Now 43. It doesn't hurt that the two best-selling singles of the year, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" and Daft Punk's "Get Lucky," are included on the compilation.
The Beatles debuted at no. 7 with On Air: Live at The BBC Volume 2, which sold 37,000 copies. Its the band's 31st Top 10 appearance, but that still leaves theme behind The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand. It's never too late for more new compilations to come forth however.
Jhené Aiko is the last debut of the week, coming in at no. 8 with her first album, Sail Out. The R&B vocalist's debut moved 37,000 copies.
IT'S STILL TOO EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS, BUT ONLY WE SEEM TO THINK SO
The Ducky Dynasty crew and Kelly Clarkson kept stead in their third weeks on the charts. The former's surprising success, Duck The Halls, moved another 66,000 copies as it fell one spot to no. 4. Clarkson hasn't managed to beat a duck-hunting, reality show cast for album sales, but that's not to say Wrapped In Red is doing poorly. It's stayed at no. 6 for two weeks, selling 42,000 copies last week.
BIG SELLERS IN THEIR FIRST MONTH
There was talk that Eminem might keep Gaga from finding the top spot, and he almost came through. The rapper sold 210,000 copies of his Marshall Mathers LP 2 during its second week, but had to settle for no. 2. Still, if our numbers and Nielsen Soundscan's numbers are correct, that means the album went platinum during its second week.
Katy Perry hasn't been nearly as successful as Eminem, but after four weeks of release, her album PRISM sure ain't doing bad. The record sold another 46,000 copies while coming in at no. 5.
BIG SELLERS IN THEIR SECOND MONTH
The nos. 9 and 10 spots on the Billboard 200 go to performer's who've had albums out for nearly two months. We'll see if either are able to stick around for one more week next Wednesday.
Drake pushed another 33,000 copies of his Nothing Was The Same, and Lorde 32,000 copies of her debut Pure Heroine. Looking at next week's release schedule, return performances are very possible for both. Luke Bryan spent eight weeks in the Top 10 with Crash My Party, and Drake can set the standard for 2013 next week.
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