Beyonce top charts third straight week, One Direction goes platinum, 'Frozen' soundtrack sets mark

Last week was the last for musicians to make a statement on the charts for 2013, and at least four albums left a mark during the closing moments of the year. Let's start with the notable accomplishers.

Beyoncé, as you can imagine, was one of those doing notable things. First of all, her self-titled album stayed atop the Billboard 200 thanks to 310,000 units moved. That makes her the first performer to top the list for three weeks since Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience in April. Beyoncé was also the first album to sell 300,000 copies in its first three weeks since Susan Boyle's I Dreamed A Dream in 2009.

Kelly Clarkson managed to survive the post-Christmas drop off for holiday albums, and her Wrapped in Red stuck at no. 10 with 62,000 albums sold. Although this is most likely the last week you'll see Clarkson in the Top 10, it was the tenth week the album stayed in the Top 10, making it the most consecutive weeks within the Top 10 for any album from 2013. The Duck Dynasty crew fell off the list to no. 11, ending its tie with Clarkson.

The Frozen soundtrack jumped up to no. 4 with 106,000 copies sold. That placement makes it the highest charted animated film soundtrack since Pocahontas's soundtrack reached no. 1 during 1995. One Direction also deserves some kudos after Midnight Memories reached platinum status during its fifth week of release, moving 142,000 copies and placing no. 2.

Eminem may catch Clarkson's streak, as The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is back at no. 3 after eight weeks, selling 122,000 copies. Katy Perry's PRISM has been out for 10 weeks, although it fell off several weeks ago. It's back at no. 5 after selling 99,000 post-Christmas copies.

Perry's position was bolstered thanks to iTunes "Chart Toppers" sale, which offered discounts on the bestselling albums of 2013 ("Thanks guys," say small performers everywhere). Other performers that got help getting back in the Top 10 thanks to the sale: Lorde and Pure Heroine (no. 7, 78,000 copies), Miley Cyrus's Bangerz (no. 8, 63,000 copies), and Imagine Dragons' Night Visions (no. 9, 62,000 copies).

That leaves Garth Brooks (who doesn't offer his music on iTunes), whose Blame It On My Roots dropped to no. 6 with 90,000 copies sold.

Tags

Beyonce, One Direction, Eminem, Katy Perry, Garth Brooks, Lorde, Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons, Kelly Clarkson