Billboard 200: 4/13/13: Justin Timberlake #1: 318k

[areyoureadytojump]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/1555877/justin-timberlakes-2020-spends-second-week-at-no-1-on-billboard

Justin Timberlake's '20/20' Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200

By Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles | April 03, 2013

Lil Wayne, OneRepublic, Blake Shelton and more score Top 10 debuts.

Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" easily spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 318,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's more than 100,000 ahead of the No. 2 album, the debuting "I Am Not a Human Being II" from Lil Wayne (217,000).

Timberlake's set is down by a moderate 67% in its second week. The last set to sell more than a half-million its first week was One Direction's "Take Me Home" last November. It fell by 67% as well in its second week, moving from 540,000 to 176,000.

Before that, the last half-million-plus start came a few weeks earlier, when Taylor Swift's "Red" launched with 1.2 million. It slipped by 72% in its second week.

After two weeks on sale, "The 20/20 Experience" has sold 1.29 million -- becoming the only album to sell 1 million copies this year. A week ago, "20/20" instantly became the year's biggest selling album after selling 968,000 in its first week.

Mumford & Sons' "Babel" is 2013's second-biggest selling album, with 693,000 sold.

As mentioned earlier, Lil Wayne's "I Am Not a Human Being II" starts in the runner-up slot with 217,000. It's one of six top 10 debuts this week. Wayne's last "Human" album, released in 2010, debuted at No. 2 with 110,000 as a digital-exclusive. Two weeks later, after the CD was released, it jumped to No. 1 with 125,000.


Blake Shelton logs his best sales week ever, as "Based On a True Story" bows at No. 3 with 199,000. His previous biggest week came when his last studio set, 2011's "Red River Blue," bowed at No. 1 with 116,000. Over on the Top Country Albums chart, "Based On a True" story starts at No. 1, giving Shelton his second No. 1 after "Red River Blue."

OneRepublic is also having a good week, as its "Native" album starts at No. 4 -- the group's first top 10 album. The set sold 60,000 -- their best sales frame since 2007 (when its debut album "Dreaming Out Loud" moved 75,000 in its first week). Their second set, 2009's "Waking Up," debuted and peaked at No. 21 off a 39,000 launch.

Alan Jackson bows at No. 5 with "Precious Memories: Volume II" (55,000), the sequel to his 2006 smash Christian collection. The original set debuted and peaked at No. 4 with 107,000 and went on to become that year's biggest-selling Christian/gospel album.

At No. 6 this week is veteran rock band Depeche Mode with its new "Delta Machine" album. The set -- its first for Columbia Records -- moves 52,000 and grants the trio its seventh top 10 effort. All seven of the band's studio releases from "Violator" through "Delta Machine" have reached the top 10.

Rounding out the top 10 debuts this week is the Strokes' "Comedown Machine," slipping in at No. 10 with 41,000. It's the act's smallest debut week since 2001 and follows three sets that all debuted and peaked at No. 4 between 2003 and 2011. Their last release, "Angles," bowed with 89,000.

As for the holdovers in the top 10: P!nk's "The Truth About Love" is pushed back 5-7 despite a gain (49,000; up 34%), as is Imagine Dragons' "Night Visions" (6-8 with 47,000 sold, up 59%). Bruno Mars' "Unorthodox Jukebox" is shoved way down -- falling 3-9 -- even though it earned a solid gain (47,000; up 13%).

All three titles -- like many on the chart this week -- profit from Easter holiday gift purchases and sale promotions. All but two albums in the top 30 post gains -- only Timberlake's "20/20" and Luke Bryan's "Spring Break . . . Here to Party" (4-12; down 3%) see declines.

Over on the Digital Songs chart, P!nk's "Just Give Me a Reason" (featuring Nate Ruess) holds at No. 1, selling 286,000 (up 18%). No. 2 is also a non-mover, as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop" (featuring Wanz) sells 282,000 (up 21%).

Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" flies 8-3 with 236,000 (up 117%), Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man" is steady at No. 4 with 235,000 (up 9%) and Rihanna's "Stay" (featuring Mikky Ekko) slips 3-5 with 229,000 (though it gains by 3%).

Ariana Grande's "The Way" (featuring Mac Miller) is the week's highest debut, as it enters at No. 6 with 219,000. It's the first entry on this chart for the Nickelodeon TV star, and serves as the lead single from her debut album, due out later this year.


Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" (featuring Jay-Z), rises 10-7 with 183,000 (up 81%) and Pitbull's "Feel This Moment" (featuring Christina Aguilera) slides 5-8 with 152,000 (up 10%).

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis notches a second top 10 this week as "Can't Hold Us" rises 16-9 with 136,000 (up 77%). It's the second radio single from the duo's album "The Heist," following "Thrift Shop."

Closing out the top 10 is Demi Lovato's "Heart Attack," rising 11-10 with 123,000 (up 30%).

Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending March 31) totaled 6.52 million units, up 7% compared with the sum last week (6.08 million) and up 6% compared with the comparable sales week of 2012 (6.16 million). Year to date album sales stand at 74.02 million, down 5% compared to the same total at this point last year (77.84 million).

Digital track sales this past week totaled 28.30 million downloads, up 14% compared with last week (24.78 million) and up 6% stacked next to the comparable week of 2012 (26.68 million). Year to date track sales are at 356.47 million, down 1% compared to the same total at this point last year (361.32 million).

Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2012 when: Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded" debuted at No. 1 with 253,000, giving the rapper her second chart-topper.

[HolidayGuy]

Album sales up compared to the same week last year- a good thing.

[areyoureadytojump]

music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-march-31-2013-albums-voice-lifts-150559790.html

Week Ending March 31, 2013. Albums: The Voice Lifts Blake Shelton
By Paul Grein | Chart Watch

The Voice has been very good for Blake Shelton. The country star’s Based On A True Story… sold 199K copies in its first week, which is more than any previous Shelton album has sold in any one week. (He achieved his previous best when Red River Blue sold 116K copies when it debuted at #1 in July 2011). Prior to the launch of The Voice in April 2011, Shelton had never sold more than 77K copies of an album in one week.

Based On A True Story enters The Billboard 200 at #3, behind Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience, which holds at #1 for the second week, and Lil Wayne’s I Am Not A Human Being II, which debuts at #2. Shelton’s album enters Top Country Albums at #1. It’s Shelton’s third #1 album on the country chart. It follows the 2010 EP All About Tonight and Red River Blue.

The first single from the album, “Sure Be Cool If You Did,” is expected to log its sixth week at #1 on Hot Country Songs. That would be the longest run at #1 for a hit by a male artist since Keith Urban’s “Better Life” spent six weeks on top in the fall of 2005. (Urban, of course, is also a star of a music reality show. He’s a judge on American Idol.) A sixth week on top would also allow “Sure Be Cool If You Did” to surpass Shelton’s 2001 smash “Austin” as his longest-running #1 country hit to date.

Shelton was a surprise winner for Entertainer of the Year at the Country Music Assn. Awards in November. (He beat the expected winner, Taylor Swift, as well as Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley.) Can he repeat that victory November? Place your bets.

The Voice, of course, has also put fellow coach Adam Levine back on top. He has amassed five top 10 hits on the Hot 100 since the show went on the air—four with Maroon 5 and one as a featured artist on Gym Class Heroes’ “Stereo Hearts.” And the show has revived Christina Aguilera’s flagging recording career. She was featured Maroon 5’s massive hit “Moves Like Jagger” and returned to the top 10 last week as the featured artist on Pitbull’s “Feel This Moment.” (She’s currently on leave from the show, with Shakira taking her slot this season.)

Incidentally, if the title of Shelton’s album seems familiar, it should: 2 Chainz’s Based On A T.R.U. Story debuted at #1 in August 2012.

Both of the top two albums on this week’s Billboard 200 are by former teen stars who are now superstars in their 30s. Justin Timberlake was 17 in August 1998 when he first hit the top 10 with *NSYNC. Lil Wayne was just 16 in August 1999 when he first hit the top 10 as a member of the New Orleans rap collective the Hot Boys.

The 20/20 Experience sold 318K copies in its second week, bringing its two-week total to 1,287,000. It’s the first album to sell 1 million copies in 2013. Note: Taylor Swift’s Red sold nearly as many copies (1,208,000) in just one week in October. By holding at #1 for a second week, 20/20 matches the showing of its 2006 predecessor, FutureSex/LoveSounds.

The 20/20 Experience sold 115K digital copies this week. It’s only the second album to top 100K in digital sales in each of its first two weeks. It follows the all-star Hope For Haiti Now, which achieved the feat in January 2010. It had an advantage. It was a digital-only release. The 20/20 Experience has sold 558K digital copies in two weeks. That’s more than FutureSex/LoveSounds has sold to date (422K).

20/20 also logs its second week at #1 on The Official U.K. Chart. It’s the first album to log two or more weeks at #1 in both countries since Mumford & Sons’ Babel spent five weeks at #1 in the U.S. and two weeks at #1 in the U.K. It’s the first album by an American artist to log two or more weeks on top in both countries since Beyonce’s 4.

If 20/20 winds up as the best-selling album of 2013 (I know, it’s a little early to think about such things, but I write Chart Watch; I can’t help it), it will be the second time that Timberlake has had the #1 album of the year. With *NSYNC, he had the best-selling album of 2000 with No Strings Attached. Timberlake would become the third artist in the Nielsen SoundScan era to have the best-selling album of the year twice. Eminem scored in 2002 with The Eminem Show and in 2010 with Recovery. Adele scored in both 2011 and 2012 with 21.

20/20 is very likely to receive a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Timberlake’s first two albums, Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds, were both finalists for the honor. This would make Timberlake the first former group member to be nominated in that category for his or her first three solo albums. He would pull ahead of Donald Fagen and Sting, each of whom was nominated for his first two solo albums. *NSYNC didn’t have a fraction of the credibility of the groups that spawned Fagen and Sting—Steely Dan and The Police, respectively—which makes Timberlake’s achievement all the more impressive.

I Am Not A Human Being II is Lil Wayne’s 11th top 10 album (counting a 1999 album with the Hot Boys and 2006 collabo with Birdman). The first I Am Not A Human Being debuted at #2 in October 2010 as a digital-only release. It rose to #1 in its third week, after the CD was released. I Am Not A Human Being is Lil Wayne’s second franchise to spawn two or more top five albums. He has also reached the top five with all four editions of Tha Carter. I Am Not A Human Being II sold 115K digital copies this week. The first I Am Not A Human Being sold 110K digital copies in its peak week.

OneRepublic’s third studio album, Native, debuts at #4. It’s the group’s first top 10 album. Dreaming Out Loud reached #14 in 2007. Waking Up hit #21 in 2009.

Alan Jackson’s Precious Memories, Vol. II bows at #5. The first Precious Memories debuted and peaked at #4 in March 2006. (Note that there are two sequels to hit albums in the top five this week.)

Jackson is one of the few secular artists in chart history to reach the top five with two or more spiritual albums. “Tennessee” Ernie Ford scored with three such albums in 1957-1958: Hymns (#2), Spirituals (#5) and Nearer The Cross (#5). Ford was a huge star in the 1950s. Even if you’re too young to remember his #1 smash “Sixteen Tons,” you probably remember his appearances as Cousin Ernie on I Love Lucy. Ford died on Oct. 17, 1991—which, as it happens, was Jackson’s 33rd birthday.

Depeche Mode’s 13th studio album, Delta Machine, debuts at #6. It’s the band’s seventh studio album in a row to make the top 10. The English band released its first album, Speak & Spell, in November 1981. The band first reached the top 10 with Violator in 1990.

P!nk’s The Truth About Love drops from #5 to #7. The album tops the 500K mark in digital sales this week. That’s more than P!nk’s previous studio album, Funhouse, has sold to date (401K). P!nk achieves two other notable feats this week. She tops the 15 million mark in career album sales. And her smash, “Just Give Me A Reason” (featuring Nate Ruess) tops Hot Digital Songs for the second week in a row (286K). Will it jump from #5 to #1 on the Hot 100? (It would be P!nk’s fourth #1; Ruess’ second.) You’ll find out later today when we post Chart Watch: Songs.

Here’s the low-down on this week’s top 10 albums.

The Top Five: Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience is #1 for the second week (318K)… Lil Wayne’s I Am Not A Human Being II debuts at #2 (217K). It’s his 11th career top 10 album…Blake Shelton’s Based On A True Story debuts at #3 (199K). It’s his seventh top 10 album…OneRepublic’s Native debuts at #4 (60K). It’s the group’s first top 10 album…Alan Jackson’s Precious Memories, Vol. II bows at #5 (55K). It’s his 12th top 10 album.

The Second Five: Depeche Mode’s Delta Machine debuts at #6 (52K). It’s the band’s seventh top 10 album…P!nk’s The Truth About Love drops from #5 to #7 in its 28th week (49K). This is its 10th week in the top 10… Imagine Dragons’ Night Visions drops from #6 to #8 in its 30th week (47K). This is its sixth week in the top 10…Bruno Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox drops from #3 to #9 in its 16th week (47K). It has been in the top 10 the entire time… The Strokes’ Comedown Machine debuts at #10 (41K). It’s the band’s fourth top 10 album.

Les Miserables drops from #8 to #16. It’s #1 on the Top Soundtracks chart for the seventh week. Five other albums drop out of the top 10 this week. Kacey Musgraves’ Same Trailer Different Park dives from #2 to #31. Luke Bryan’s Spring Break…Here To Party drops from #4 to #12. Bon Jovi’s What About Now drops from #7 to #34. Mumford & Sons’ Babel drops from #9 to #14. Rihanna’s Unapologetic drops from #10 to #17.

Thompson Square’s sophomore album, Just Feels Good, debuts at #13. It’s the country couple’s second top 15 album. Thompson Square reached #15 in 2011…Sevendust’s ninth studio album, Black Out The Sun, debuts at #18. It’s the band’s seventh top 20 album.

Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon vaults from #114 to #28 in its record-extending 829th week on the chart. The album owes its surge to a $2.99 sale at Amazon MP3. (Sweet deal.) The album first cracked the top 30 in the issue dated March 31, 1973 (which was its third week on the chart). This is the album’s 23rdweek at #1 on Top Catalog Albums (since 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard).

First Quarter: This week marks the end of the first quarter of 2013. Three albums sold 500K or more copies during the quarter, the same number as in the first quarter of last year. One (The 20/20 Experience) made it to 1 million, the same number as in the first quarter of last year. But none made it to 2 million, as Adele’s phenomenal hit 21 did in the first quarter of 2012. The second and third best-sellers so far this year are Mumford & Sons’ Babel (693K) and Bruno Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox (661K).

Shameless Plug: Fifty years ago this week, an original, audacious and gifted singer from Brooklyn entered the Billboard album chart for the first time. Barbra Streisand, who was not yet 21 when her debut album charted, was unconventional from the start, from the quirky way she altered the spelling of her first name to the defiant way she refused to alter the shape of her nose. Remarkably, 50 years later after her debut, Streisand continues to hold many of the most coveted records pertaining to female vocalists. We posted a Chart Watch Extra on Monday in which I look at those records.

R.I.P. Phil Ramone won 14 Grammys, including three awards for Album of the Year. He won for producing Billy Joel’s 52nd Street and for co-producing Paul Simon’s Still Crazy After All These Years and Ray Charles’ Genius Loves Company. Only one other producer (David Foster) has won Album of the Year three times for work with three different artists. In addition, Ramone was the engineer on a fourth Album of the Year winner, the 1964 jazz classic Getz/Gilberto. Ramone, who was a kind man as well as a great producer, died on Saturday. He was 79.

Iron Maiden’s Maiden England ’88 is #1 on Top Music Videos.

Coming Attractions: The Band Perry’s Pioneer is expected to be next week’s top new entry. The trio’s eponymous debut album hit #4 in October 2010. Also due: Tyler, The Creator’s Wolf and New Kids On The Block’s 10.

[areyoureadytojump]

www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.23446/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-3-31-2013

Hip Hop Album Current Album Sales: The Week Ending 3/31/2013

#1. Justin Timberlake - 20/20 Experience - 318,000 (1,287,000)

#2. Lil Wayne - I Am Not A Human Being II - 217,000 (217,000)

#15. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist - 30,000 (526,000)

#35. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city - 16,000 (824,000)

#63. A$AP Rocky - Long.Live.A$AP - 9,200 (312,000)

#75. Drake - Take Care - 7,500 (1,998,000)

#92. T.I. - Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Head - 6,000 (441,000)

#98. Ces Cru - Constant Energy Struggles - 5,400 (5,400)

#113. 2 Chainz - Based On A T.R.U. Story - 4,800 (581,000)

#198. The Notorious B.I.G. - Greatest Hits - 3,100 (694,000)

* data comes from Nielsen Soundscan, rounded to nearest thousandth for units above 10,000, nearest hundredth for units below 10,000. Each week, HipHopDX presents top albums in Hip Hop/related, and five notables.

[areyoureadytojump]

*happy*

[Deleted]

Apr 3, 2013 10:10:15 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

Album sales up compared to the same week last year- a good thing.

Easter was a week later last year, though.

[Deleted]

Maeve, read this. It will save you from getting future warnings if you follow it.

Mar 7, 2013 15:03:27 GMT -5 @cynthiarose said:

Maybe it's because we haven't really issued official warnings for it but seriously you guys, NO SOUNDSCAN NUMBERS. Stop posting exact numbers and then leaving it up to the mods to have to go in and edit it out. It takes a millisecond to round the numbers and no one will doubt your accuracy, I swear.

[Duca]

Justin Timberlake Heading for Third Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

Timberlake's latest could be the first album since Taylor Swift's "Red" to spend its first three weeks at No. 1.

It looks like Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" will spend a third consecutive week atop the Billboard 200 chart next week. The set could sell in the range of 150,000 to 170,000, Billboard estimates, based on the sales patterns of the last couple albums that debuted with a half-million or more.

We'll have a more exact sales projection for "20/20" in the next day or two. The new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed on the morning of Wednesday, April 10.

If "20/20" holds for a third week at No. 1, it will be the first set to spend its first three weeks at the top since "Red" did so on the charts dated Nov. 10 through Nov. 24, 2012. ("Red" then left the top slot for three weeks, only to return for another four-week engagement at No. 1.)

The last male artist to rule for his first three weeks was nearly three years ago, when Eminem's "Recovery" spent its first three frames at No. 1 (July 10 through July 24, 2010).

Next week's top debut should be country trio The Band Perry with its "Pioneer" album. The act's second set might sell around 110,000, according to industry sources, and bow at No. 2. Their self-titled debut debuted and peaked at No. 4 in 2010 with 53,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The smash set has gone on to sell 1.5 million in the U.S. and was the No. 6 best-selling country album of 2011.

The second-highest entry next week could come from Tyler, the Creator with his second studio album, "Wolf." It may shift around 75,000 to 80,000 copies. His last set, "Goblin," debuted and peaked at No. 5 in 2011 off a 45,000 start.

Other albums aiming for a top 10 start include New Kids on the Block's "10" (50,000) and Killswitch Engage's "Disarm the Descent" (45,000).

[Enigma.]

Great success

[areyoureadytojump]

keelyskorner.com/category/soundscan/

SOUNDSCAN (WEEK ENDING 3/31/13)

1) Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience – 317, 587 (After 2 weeks – 1,286,677)
2) Lil Wayne – I Am Not A Human Being II – 217,010
3) Blake Shelton – Based On A True Story – 199,086

Other Debuts

4) One Republic – Native – 60,257
5) Alan Jackson – Precious Memories: Vol. II – 55,422
6) Depeche Mode – Delta Machine – 51,516
10) Strokes – Comedown Machine – 41,321
13) Thompson Square – Just Feels Good – 35,816
18) Sevendust – Black Out The Sun – 27,426
31) Dido – Girl Who Got Away – 17,525

[areyoureadytojump]

www.usatoday.com/story/idolchatter/2013/03/27/american-idol-sales-casey-abrams-carrie-underwood/2024641/

Idol albums

Phillip Phillips, The World From the Side of the Moon (21,000, -7%, 792,000) (#17 Billboard 200)
Kelly Clarkson, Greatest Hits-Chapter 1 (10,000, -6%, 340,000) (#41 BB200)
Carrie Underwood, Blown Away (9,000, -7%, 1.366 million) (#44 BB200)
Colton Dixon, A Messenger (4,000, -17%, 61,000) (#119 BB200)
Casey Abrams, Casey Abrams (3,000, 1,817%, 27,000) (#131 BB200)
Kelly Clarkson, Stronger (2,000, -6%, 1.046 million)
Carrie Underwood, Play On (2,000, +6%, 2.19 million)
Carrie Underwood, Some Hearts (2,000, -2%, 7.308 million)
Scotty McCreery, Clear as Day (less than 1,000, -40%, 1.163 million)
Casey James, Casey James (less than 1,000, -14%, 74,000)

Idol-related albums

Various, Now That's What I Call Music! 45 (25,000, +1%, 294,000) (#12 Billboard 200)
Various, 2013 Grammy Nominees (9,000, -18%, 272,000) (#48 BB200)
One Direction, Up All Night (8,000, +15%, 1.73 million) (#57 BB200)
Various, WOW Hits 2013 (5,000, -1%, 255,000) (#81 BB200)
Various, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part II (4,000, -63%, 294,000) (#97 BB200)
Beatles, Beatles 1 (3,000, +36%, 12.17 million) (#164BB200)
Ne-Yo, R.E.D. (3,000, +34%, 232,000) (#192 BB200)
Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday...Roman Reloaded (2,000, -6%, 831,000)

[areyoureadytojump]

6,513,000 albums were sold in the USA last week.

2,682,000 were digital albums.

3,831,000 were physical cds/vinyl albums/cassettes.

More figures here:

www1.billboard.biz/bbbiz/photos/pdf/2013/TFMm0404.pdf

[areyoureadytojump]

Newer albums on the Billboard 200 that have not been certified with the RIAA yet:

Numbers are not exact. They are estimated and rounded.

Numbers from the 4/13 chart:

Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis 525k
Florida Georgia Line 455k
Now 44 705k
T.I. 440k
Skrillex Scary 545k
Skrillex Bangarang 500k
David Guetta 485k

Albums only on the BB200 for 4+ weeks are listed and have sold over 400k.

[cartman2002]

Here's this weeks award for the BB200

8.Imagine Dragons-Night Vison (Platnium)
53.2013 Grammy Nomminess-Various Artists (Gold)
78.Set You Free-Gary Allan (gold)
122.CrazySexyCool-TLC (3x Platnium)
149.Legend-Bob Marley & THe Wailers (6x Platnium)
171.Our Versions of Events-Emile Sande (gold)
176.How Country Feels-Randy Houser (gold)

[areyoureadytojump]

lightup originally posted:

Albums with over 400k sold:

2011

(1) Born This Way – Lady Gaga – 1.108
(1) Watch The Throne – Jay-Z & Kanye West – 436
(1) Tha Carter IV – Lil Wayne – 964
(1) Mylo Xyloto – Coldplay – 447
(1) Take Care - Drake - 631
(1) Christmas - Michael Bublé - 479
(1) Christmas - Michael Bublé - 448
(1) Christmas - Michael Bublé - 467


2012

(1) 21 – Adele – 730
(1) Babel – Mumford & Sons – 600
(1) Night Train – Jason Aldean – 409
(1) Red – Taylor Swift – 1.208
(1) Take Me Home – One Direction – 540

2013

(1) 20/20 Experience - Justin Timberlake - 968

[areyoureadytojump]

www1.billboard.biz/bbbiz/photos/pdf/2013/current.pdf

Album sales are now down 4.9%

[areyoureadytojump]

www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/chart-alert/1556379/chart-moves-thompson-squares-best-week-yet-pink-floyds-dark

Chart Moves: Thompson Square's Best Week Yet, Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side' Soars

By Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles | April 05, 2013

This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience held firm at No. 1 for a second week. It sold 318,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan -- down a moderate 67% from its 968,000 start.

Timberlake's decline is soft when compared to all of the No. 1-debuting albums of the last 12 months. Of the 33 earlier No. 1 bows in the past year, more than half -- 21 -- had a greater second-week percentage decline than Timberlake. As Timberlake's album started with a blockbuster sales week, it naturally had farther to fall. However, in the past year, of the three earlier albums that debuted with a half-million or more, all dropped harder than JT in their second week: One Direction's Take Me Home slipped 67.43%, Taylor Swift's Red fell 71.51% and Mumford & Sons' Babel dropped 71.84%.

Elsewhere on the Billboard 200 this week there were a number of movers and shakers, as usual. Let's take a look at some of them:

-- Thompson Square: With their second release, Just Feels Good, the country duo logs its best sales week yet (36,000) and highest position on the Billboard 200 as the set bows at No. 13. Over on Top Country Albums, due to a busy chart, it bows at No. 4 -- one rung lower than the No. 3 bow/peak of its self-titled debut album in 2011.

-- Pink Floyd: Amazon MP3 sale pricing of The Dark Side of the Moon (for $2.99) last week sends it flying from No. 114 to No. 28 with a 419% sales gain. It's the album's highest rank since Oct. 15, 2011, when it reentered at No. 12 after it was reissued as part of the Why Pink Floyd? remasters campaign.

-- Dido: After a four-year absence from the chart, the British singer/songwriter returns with a low-key 18,000 debut at No. 32 for her fourth album Girl Who Got Away. Her last set, "Safe Trip Home," started at No. 13 with 51,000. Her first two releases both peaked at No. 4 in 2001 and 2003.

-- Fred Hammond: The gospel artist arrives at No. 39 with this collaborative project, United Tenors: Hammond, Hollister, Roberson, Wilson. On the set, Hammond is assisted by his fellow United Tenors: Dave Hollister, Eric Roberson and Brian Courtney Wilson. The effort also debuts at No. 1 on Gospel Albums, notching Hammond his eighth leader on the tally. Since the Gospel tally became a weekly chart in 1995, among all acts, only Kirk Franklin has had more No. 1s, with 10.

-- David Archuleta: Though the singer has been off the pop radar since he departed on his Mormon mission in March of 2012 -- he's been present on the charts thanks to banked recordings. His latest, No Matter How Far, arrives at No. 110 with 5,000 and marks his sixth chart entry on the tally. His highest-charting album remains his self-titled debut, released in 2008. It opened and peaked at No. 2 a few months after he placed second on that season's "American Idol."

-- Shirley Caesar: Charting since the 1970s on Billboard's various tallies, the gospel great finally arrives on the Billboard 200 with her new album, Good Good (No. 168 in its debut frame). With 4,000 sold, the title also enters at No. 4 on Gospel Albums.