You’ve read the speculations, assumptions, and projections, but tonight Billboard yields the official report of where Beyonce’s fifth album stands regarding its chart placement and first week numbers.
Indeed, competitors were already distraught by the digital records demolished by the ‘Bow Down’ beauty, but now Billboard’s ruling now brings with it new records the pop queen has broken.
Let your curiosity lead you below:
“…Beyonce’s new self-titled album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making her the first woman to hit No. 1 with her first five studio albums. “Beyonce” [the album] was released on the morning of Friday, Dec. 13 — exclusively via the iTunes Store without any pre-release announcement — and it sold 617,000 copies through the week ending Sunday, Dec. 15, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
It follows the chart-topping “Dangerously In Love” (2003), “B’Day” (2006), “I Am… Sasha Fierce” (2008) and “4” (2011). All five of her albums also debuted at No. 1.”
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Chart stats: ‘Beyonce’
- “Beyonce” also notches the largest sales week for a woman in 2013
- “Beyonce” tallied the largest sales week for an album in its U.S. iTunes Store
- Fastest-selling title ever globally (828,773 sold worldwide through Dec. 15).
- “Beyonce’s” launch is also the second-largest digital sales week overall — counting all digital retailers. It’s second behind the debut frame of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” which sold 662,000 downloads in its first week. (That number was enhanced by Amazon MP3’s decision to sell the set for 99-cents for two days during its first week. Billboard has estimated that Amazon MP3’s 99-cent version resulted in 440,000 copies sold.)
- “Beyonce” is only the second digital-only album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
- “Beyonce” is Beyonce’s best ever first sales week
Your thoughts?