Billboard 200 2/21/15: Taylor Swift #1 for 11th week 108,000

[areyoureadytojump]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6465865/taylor-swift-1989-11th-week-no-1-billboard-200


Taylor Swift's '1989' Spends 11th Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart
By Keith Caulfield | February 11, 2015 10:59 AM EST

'1989' ties 'Fearless' as Swift's longest-running No. 1 album.

As forecast, Taylor Swift's 1989 claims an 11th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, tying Fearless as Swift's longest-running No. 1 effort. (Fearless reigned atop the list in 2008 and 2009.)

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). 1989 earned another 108,000 units in the week ending Feb. 8, according to Nielsen Music (up 7 percent).

1989, which released last year on Big Machine Records, has yet to leave the top two rungs of the weekly Billboard 200 since the album's release 15 weeks ago.

Since 2000, only four albums have tallied at least 10 weeks at No. 1, and two of them are by Swift: 1989, Fearless, the Frozen soundtrack (13 weeks in 2014) and Adele's 21 (24 weeks in 2011 and 2012).

As previously reported, Swift and Whitney Houston are the only two women in chart history to earn multiple albums with 10 weeks at No. 1.

Arriving at No. 2 on the new Billboard 200 chart is the latest Now That's What I Call Music compilation, Now 53, with 99,000 units. All 53 of the numbered Now albums have reached the top 10, and every one since the second volume have debuted in the region. The new set is powered entirely by pure album sales. The last numbered Now effort, Now 52, debuted and peaked at No. 2 with 103,000 copies sold in its first week.

Ed Sheeran's x descends one rung to No. 3 with 97,000 units, though it's up by 32 percent for the week. Credit a chunk of that gain to Sheeran's performance on the Feb. 8 Grammy Awards, where he sang twice on the show. His first turn behind the mic came when he did x's "Thinking Out Loud," and was joined by John Mayer, Herbie Hancock and Questlove. Sheeran had a second go on stage with Jeff Lynne and Electric Light Orchestra on the latter's "Mr. Blue Sky."

While the Grammy Awards aired on CBS TV on the final day of Nielsen's latest tracking week, the show generates significant gains for many of its performers and winners. Take Sam Smith, for example. The singer won four Grammy Awards, performed on the show, and registers a 44 percent unit increase for his In the Lonely Hour album. It holds steady at No. 4, but earns the chart's Greatest Gainer award -- indicating the list's largest unit increase.

All four of Smith's award wins were televised on the Grammy Awards broadcast as well: best new artist, best pop vocal album, song of the year, and record of the year. He also performed the album's "Stay With Me" (winner of both song of the year and record of the year), joined by Mary J. Blige.

Sheeran's album sold 53,000 copies for the week (up 47 percent), while Smith's set moved 57,000 copies (up 53 percent).

Expect further gains for Grammy-related artists, albums and songs next week, after a full week's worth of post-show impact.

Starting at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 is Fifth Harmony's first full-length album, Reflection. It enters with 80,000 units (with 62,000 of that coming from traditional album sales). The five-member female vocal group visited the top 10 once previously, with their first EP, 2013's Better Together. It debuted and peaked at No. 6.

Meghan Trainor's Title album slips 3-6 with 59,000 units (down 13 percent).

Next up on the list, legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan notches his 21st top 10 album, as his Shadows In the Night arrives at No. 7 with 50,000 units. The new album consists of pop standards recorded by Frank Sinatra, including "Autumn Leaves" and "Some Enchanted Evening." Of the first-week unit total for Shadows In the Night, 99 percent were pure album sales.

Dylan's first top 10 album came almost 50 years ago, when Bringing It All Back Home rose 11-10 on the chart dated May 29, 1965.

Nicki Minaj's The Pinkprint is steady at No. 8 on the new Billboard 200, shifting 48,000 units (down 2 percent) and Maroon 5's V is also a non-mover at No. 9 with 47,000 units (up 10 percent).

Rounding out the top 10 is a new arrival from Diana Krall. Her new covers album, Wallflower, blooms at No. 10 with 44,000 units in its first week. The set features Krall's takes on such pop oldies as Eagles' "I Can't Tell You Why," The Mamas & The Papas' "California Dreamin'" and Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over." The new album marks Krall's sixth top 10 effort.

[kanimal]

No Smith unit total?

Also - why does Hits Daily Double keep missing on Ed Sheeran? This is at least the second week in which the site drastically understated the album's TEA + SEA boost (and that data should be uniform between Billboard and HDD)

[Jeice]

Congratz to Swift, incredible achievement. How many weeks now has The Pinkprint been in the top 10?

[Deleted]

Dude... T-Swift's going for the record books next. Unstoppable!

[tucomrang]

Feb 11, 2015 11:33:37 GMT -5 Jeice said:

Congratz to Swift, incredible achievement. How many weeks now has The Pinkprint been in the top 10?

8 weeks

[Joe1240]

Taylor is going to break Adele's record for most weeks at #1. Taylor is unstoppable. This album could still be top 10 by the end of the summer. This album has legs. :)

[jjose712]

Feb 11, 2015 12:11:58 GMT -5 Joe1240 said:

Taylor is going to break Adele's record for most weeks at #1. Taylor is unstoppable. This album could still be top 10 by the end of the summer. This album has legs. :)

Adele's record is very difficult to beat (21 sold more than 10 million). She will need to release monster hits to have a chance (and have some luck too)

[kanimal]

Feb 11, 2015 14:13:54 GMT -5 jjose712 said:

Feb 11, 2015 12:11:58 GMT -5 Joe1240 said:

Taylor is going to break Adele's record for most weeks at #1. Taylor is unstoppable. This album could still be top 10 by the end of the summer. This album has legs. :)

Adele's record is very difficult to beat (21 sold more than 10 million). She will need to release monster hits to have a chance (and have some luck too)

The record people are referencing is for weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200.  The steadiness of 1989 + the uncompetitive overall album sales climate (although 2015 is off to a good start - and there will always be the occasional high-profile release) + the inclusion of TEA data makes it seem very possible.

[jjose712]

Feb 11, 2015 14:16:13 GMT -5 kanimal said:

Feb 11, 2015 14:13:54 GMT -5 jjose712 said:

Adele's record is very difficult to beat (21 sold more than 10 million). She will need to release monster hits to have a chance (and have some luck too)

The record people are referencing is for weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200.  The steadiness of 1989 + the uncompetitive overall album sales climate (although 2015 is off to a good start - and there will always be the occasional high-profile release) + the inclusion of TEA data makes it seem very possible.

Possible, yes, easy, no way. Taylor is selling right now around 100000 albums per week, that could work in weeks with weak releases but it's not a guarantee at number one. And even with monster hits the usual is sales slowing down a bit.
24 weeks at number one are many many weeks. Even if Taylor ends selling as much as Adele that doesn't mean it will reach her record

[Daryl the Beryl]

Country album sales this week:

roughstock.com/news/2015/02/32773-country-album-chart-report-for-february-11-2015/

Top 10 CNTRY Artist Album Week Total Scans
1 Sam Hunt Montevallo 14,800 302,400
2 Jason Aldean Old Boots New Dirt 10,200 827,800
3 Carrie Underwood Greatest Hits: Decade #1 8,600 271,100
4 Florida Georgia Line Anything Goes 7,800 556,200
5 Eric Church The Outsiders 6,800 845,400
6 Garth Brooks Man Against Machine 6,400 582,700
7 Miranda Lambert Platinum 6,100 626,800
8 Luke Bryan Crash My Party 5,900 2,370,200
9 Blake Shelton Bringing Back The Sunshine 4,700 321,700
10 Zac Brown Band Greatest Hits...So Far 4,100 108,900
5 11 Chase Rice Ignite The Night 4,000 167,700
12 George Strait The Cowboy Rides Away 3,900 303,200
13 Brantley Gilbert Just As I Am 3,800 729,400
14 Dierks Bentley Riser 3,500 295,400
15 Little Big Town Pain Killer 3,500 136,500

-- Lee Brice I Don't Dance 3,200 157,700
-- Sturgill Simpson Metamodern Sounds In... 2,800 100,000
-- Cole Swindell Cole Swindell 2,800 321,800
-- Tim McGraw Sundown Heaven Town 2,700 230,321
-- Thomas Rhett It Goes Like This 2,600 239,900
-- Brandy Clark 12 Stories (WB Re-Release) 1,600 3,700
-- Big Smo Kuntry Livin' 1,400 130,100
-- Keith Urban Fuse 1,300 432,300

Chris Young A.M. 1,200 237,900
Colt Ford Thanks For Listening 800 90,100
Eric Paslay Eric Paslay 700 54,300
Huner Hayes Storyline 500 178,300
Scotty McCreery See You Tonght 400 266,500
Old Dominion Old Dominion EP 400 8,200
Kelsea Ballerini Kelse Ballerini EP 400 4,300

[areyoureadytojump]

www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.32506/title.hip-hop-album-sales-nicki-minaj-kid-ink-ne-yo

Top 10 Billboard Top 200 Hip Hop & R&B Albums For The Week Ending 02/08/2015

Note: The first number below is this week’s “total album equivalent units” count, an intersection of album sales, single sales and streams implemented by Billboard's new rating system. A pure album sales figure is available in bold in parenthesis and information about each album's streaming count is available in brackets.

#8. Nicki Minaj – The Pinkprint – 47,686 (20,560) [12,701,231]

#11. Mark Ronson - Uptown Special - 42,780 (6,258) [6,181,284]

#14. Kid Ink - Full Speed - 37,243 (28,547) [3,239,182]

#16. Ne-Yo – Non-Fiction – 27,287 (18,744) [3,790,007]

#19. J. Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive – 26,066 (17,485) [7,469,251]

#28. Pitbull – Globalization – 15,827 (3,455) [3,611,920]

#31. Rae Sremmurd – Sremmlife – 14,782 (4,745) [5,405,531]

#33. Beyonce - Beyonce - 14,512 (5,759) [4,558,022]

#35. Skizzy Mars - Red Balloon Project - 13,632 (12,739) [188,114]

#38. Missy Elliott - Under Construction - 12,423 (2,389) [867,856] - YES!

[Enigma.]

No way 1989 will beat 21's weeks at #1, sorry. It sells 100k units/week which is not enough for number one during most weeks of the year. It still has 13 weeks to go to tie the amount of 21. If I had to guess, I'd say 1989 will be #1 for 15 weeks.

[Gary]

BB200

This Week Last Week Two Weeks Ago Weeks Title, Artist Peak
1 1 2 15 #1 11 wks 1989, Taylor Swift 1
2 0 Hot Shot Debut 1 NOW 53, Various Artists 2
3 2 4 33 x, Ed Sheeran 1
4 4 9 34 GG In The Lonely Hour, Sam Smith 2
5 0 New 1 Reflection, Fifth Harmony 5
6 3 3 4 Title, Meghan Trainor 1
7 0 New 1 Shadows In The Night, Bob Dylan 7
8 8 6 8 The Pinkprint, Nicki Minaj 2
9 9 11 23 V, Maroon 5 1
10 0 New 1 Wallflower, Diana Krall 10
11 7 10 4 Uptown Special, Mark Ronson 5
12 11 15 18 Hozier, Hozier 2
13 6 1 3 American Beauty / American Psycho, Fall Out Boy 1
14 0 New 1 Full Speed, Kid Ink 14
15 10 12 3 Grammy 2015 Nominees, Various Artists 10
16 5 – 2 Non-Fiction, Ne-Yo 5
17 28 57 67 PS PRISM, Katy Perry 1
18 16 17 15 Montevallo, Sam Hunt 3
19 14 16 9 2014 Forest Hills Drive, J. Cole 1
20 20 22 24 My Everything, Ariana Grande 1
21 13 13 4 Kidz Bop 27, Kidz Bop Kids 3
22 33 152 197 Teenage Dream, Katy Perry 1
23 23 23 28 1000 Forms Of Fear, Sia 1
24 18 21 28 Guardians Of The Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1, Soundtrack 1
25 0 New 1 I Will Follow, Jeremy Camp 25
26 21 19 12 FOUR, One Direction 1
27 24 27 9 Greatest Hits: Decade #1, Carrie Underwood 4
28 26 32 11 Globalization, Pitbull 18
29 35 33 63 Frozen, Soundtrack 1
30 34 30 18 Old Boots, New Dirt, Jason Aldean 1
31 27 24 5 SremmLife, Rae Sremmurd 5
32 0 New 1 Daves Picks, Volume 13: Winterland, San Francisco, CA-2/24/74, Grateful Dead 32
33 50 46 61 Beyonce, Beyonce 1
34 30 36 13 Nick Jonas, Nick Jonas 6
35 0 New 1 The Red Balloon Project (EP), Skizzy Mars 35
36 42 37 78 Crash My Party, Luke Bryan 1
37 40 29 17 Anything Goes, Florida Georgia Line 1
38 0 Re-Entry 36 Under Construction, Missy Elliott 3
39 0 Re-Entry 28 Morning Phase, Beck 3
40 0 Re-Entry 43 Miss E ...So Addictive, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott 2
41 17 – 2 Forever Charlie, Charlie Wilson 17
42 58 55 52 The Outsiders, Eric Church 1
43 52 50 127 Night Visions, Imagine Dragons 2
44 87 69 73 Love In The Future, John Legend 4
45 39 26 98 Native, OneRepublic 4
46 49 45 14 Motion, Calvin Harris 5
47 48 48 130 +, Ed Sheeran 5
48 45 43 22 Dream Your Life Away, Vance Joy 17
49 43 25 4 Chapter One, Ella Henderson 11
50 0 New 1 NOW That's What I Call Movies, Various Artists 50
51 99 100 36 Platinum, Miranda Lambert 1
52 68 66 106 Unorthodox Jukebox, Bruno Mars 1
53 12 – 2 We Will Not Be Shaken, Bethel Music 12
54 65 58 10 Rock Or Bust, AC/DC 3
55 36 8 3 The Pale Emperor, Marilyn Manson 8
56 46 56 8 Black Messiah, D'Angelo And The Vanguard 5
57 32 35 19 BRINGING BACK THE SUNSHINE, Blake Shelton 1
58 61 54 21 X, Chris Brown 2
59 31 7 3 What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World, The Decemberists 7
60 51 44 11 For You, Selena Gomez 24
61 56 52 74 AM, Arctic Monkeys 6
62 60 61 19 Queen Of The Clouds, Tove Lo 14
63 62 51 15 NOW 52, Various Artists 2
64 0 New 1 WOW Gospel 2015, Various Artists 64
65 73 72 71 Greatest Hits, Fleetwood Mac 14
66 0 Re-Entry 18 The Cookbook, Missy Elliott 2
67 15 – 2 F.E.A.R., Papa Roach 15
68 69 60 15 Sweet Talker, Jessie J 10
69 114 108 350 Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley And The Wailers, Bob Marley And The Wailers 5
70 57 53 158 Born To Die, Lana Del Rey 2
71 66 – 39 The New Classic, Iggy Azalea 3
72 105 107 342 Journey's Greatest Hits, Journey 10
73 93 83 164 Back In Black, AC/DC 4
74 41 5 3 B4.Da.$$, Joey Bada$$ 5
75 85 73 13 Greatest Hits So Far..., Zac Brown Band 20
76 74 74 212 Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Bruno Mars 3
77 113 – 92 One Of The Boys, Katy Perry 9
78 0 New 1 Hyperview, Title Fight 78
79 77 64 114 Here's To The Good Times, Florida Georgia Line 4
80 19 – 2 Wanted On Voyage, George Ezra 19
81 53 87 9 Prayer, Robin Schulz 42
82 133 138 47 Riser, Dierks Bentley 6
83 71 62 10 TALKING IS HARD, WALK THE MOON 26
84 0 Re-Entry 31 Greatest Hits, Neil Young 27
85 59 41 4 Reality Show, Jazmine Sullivan 12
86 94 77 66 The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Eminem 1
87 82 70 69 Nothing Was The Same, Drake 1
88 84 75 22 I Dont Dance, Lee Brice 5
89 75 68 30 These Things Happen, G-Eazy 3
90 80 65 25 Blacc Hollywood, Wiz Khalifa 1
91 76 63 29 5 Seconds Of Summer, 5 Seconds Of Summer 1
92 88 93 9 Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart?, K. Michelle 6
93 92 76 13 Lost On The River, The New Basement Tapes 23
94 116 106 28 Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You, Queen 42
95 98 94 201 The Eminem Show, Eminem 1
96 55 38 12 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I, Soundtrack 18
97 91 84 49 Trilogy, The Weeknd 4
98 72 49 94 Save Rock And Roll, Fall Out Boy 1
99 104 91 207 21, Adele 1
100 122 99 58 Because The Internet, Childish Gambino 7
101 81 67 16 Sadnecessary, Milky Chance 17
102 79 59 13 Man Against Machine, Garth Brooks 4
103 129 125 101 Take Care, Drake 1
104 0 New 1 Afraid Of Ghosts, Butch Walker 104
105 110 110 16 Pain Killer, Little Big Town 7
106 102 98 40 It Goes Like This, Thomas Rhett 6
107 38 14 3 Tetsuo & Youth, Lupe Fiasco 14
108 134 128 38 Ghost Stories, Coldplay 1
109 97 78 71 Pure Heroine, Lorde 3
110 108 105 10 The London Sessions, Mary J. Blige 9
111 101 103 49 Cole Swindell, Cole Swindell 3
112 112 86 23 Ignite The Night, Chase Rice 3
113 160 175 86 Ultimate Hits, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band 19
114 106 89 75 Bad Blood, Bastille 11
115 64 39 11 Annie, Soundtrack 12
116 118 115 204 The Legend Of Johnny Cash, Johnny Cash 5
117 140 122 47 G I R L, Pharrell Williams 2
118 115 101 12 No Fixed Address, Nickelback 4
119 117 92 32 Trigga, Trey Songz 1
120 100 81 119 good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar 2
121 103 80 41 Talk Dirty, Jason Derulo 4
122 123 140 38 Just As I Am, Brantley Gilbert 2
123 67 71 21 Partners, Barbra Streisand 1
124 183 – 19 Cheek To Cheek, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga 1
125 121 113 16 Paperwork, T.I. 2
126 63 40 8 Into The Woods, Soundtrack 8
127 127 116 95 Red, Taylor Swift 1
128 126 88 21 Sundown Heaven Town, Tim McGraw 3
129 0 New 1 Lost Themes, John Carpenter 129
130 0 New 1 Big Dark Love, Murder By Death 130
131 0 New 1 Hogg Life: The Beginning, Slim Thug 131
132 0 New 1 Beyond The Red Mirror, Blind Guardian 132
133 135 130 8 Luca Brasi 2: A Gangsta Grillz Special Edition, Kevin Gates 38
134 155 165 302 Greatest Hits, Guns N' Roses 3
135 141 129 227 Curtain Call: The Hits, Eminem 1
136 152 150 16 .5: The Gray Chapter, Slipknot 1
137 0 Re-Entry 27 The Essential Billy Joel, Billy Joel 15
138 143 134 20 This Is All Yours, alt-J 4
139 0 New 1 Ojos En Blanco, La Arrolladora Banda el Limon de Rene Camacho 139
140 156 187 154 Dark Horse, Nickelback 2
141 196 121 104 Pitch Perfect, Soundtrack 3
142 137 102 20 The Big Revival, Kenny Chesney 2
143 109 79 14 Bring You Back, Brett Eldredge 11
144 124 109 11 Listen, David Guetta 22
145 145 137 53 The Wrong Side Of Heaven...Volume 1, Five Finger Death Punch 2
146 0 Re-Entry 92 Toxicity, System Of A Down 1
147 0 Re-Entry 2 All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra, Electric Light Orchestra 128
148 83 18 3 No Cities To Love, Sleater-Kinney 18
149 0 Re-Entry 18 Talking Dreams, Echosmith 109
150 174 163 21 The Cowboy Rides Away: Live From AT&T Stadium, George Strait 4
151 144 146 98 Based On A True Story ..., Blake Shelton 3
152 138 112 11 ShadyXV, Various Artists 3
153 148 132 62 Midnight Memories, One Direction 1
154 147 136 19 WOW Hits 2015, Various Artists 23
155 119 158 197 Greatest Hits, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers 5
156 159 159 38 Testimony, August Alsina 2
157 0 Re-Entry 66 Greatest Hits, Bon Jovi 5
158 0 Re-Entry 235 Thriller, Michael Jackson 1
159 153 135 135 Songs About Jane, Maroon 5 6
160 195 – 193 Rumours, Fleetwood Mac 1
161 158 42 11 Reclassified, Iggy Azalea 16
162 150 139 42 Oxymoron, ScHoolboy Q 1
163 142 117 34 Ultraviolence, Lana Del Rey 1
164 171 179 8 Game Changer, Johnny Gill 56
165 162 160 19 Frozen: The Songs, Soundtrack 16
166 0 Re-Entry 72 Greatest Hits 1970-2002, Elton John 12
167 0 Re-Entry 25 Rivers In The Wasteland, NEEDTOBREATHE 3
168 149 119 13 Under Pressure, Logic 4
169 132 95 7 The Young OG Project, Fabolous 12
170 90 147 199 Number Ones, Michael Jackson 13
171 161 157 176 Recovery, Eminem 1
172 136 131 80 Halcyon, Ellie Goulding 9
173 0 Re-Entry 13 It's The Girls!, Bette Midler 3
174 179 170 214 Chronicle The 20 Greatest Hits, Creedence Clearwater Revival 22
175 181 – 8 The Very Best Of Travis Tritt, Travis Tritt 124
176 146 118 13 Sonic Highways (Soundtrack), Foo Fighters 2
177 139 114 8 I LOVE MAKONNEN (EP), I LOVE MAKONNEN 72
178 172 142 8 Sucker, Charli XCX 28
179 0 Re-Entry 11 Love Ran Red, Chris Tomlin 8
180 163 173 82 Greatest Hits, 2Pac 3
181 0 Re-Entry 144 Red River Blue, Blake Shelton 1
182 125 148 99 Greatest Hits... So Far!!!, P!nk 5
183 0 Re-Entry 98 Devil Without A Cause, Kid Rock 4
184 0 Re-Entry 4 Empire: Music From The Pilot (EP), Soundtrack 36
185 0 Re-Entry 73 Paramore, Paramore 1
186 187 184 190 1, The Beatles 1
187 130 96 61 The 1975, The 1975 28
188 200 – 193 Mothership, Led Zeppelin 7
189 0 Re-Entry 54 Graduation, Kanye West 1
190 0 Re-Entry 40 Greatest Hits Vol. I, Korn 4
191 0 Re-Entry 80 RIOT!, Paramore 15
192 173 155 22 Anomaly, Lecrae 1
193 0 Re-Entry 176 Tailgates & Tanlines, Luke Bryan 2
194 89 82 10 People Keep Talking, Hoodie Allen 8
195 176 171 85 Greatest Hits, Foo Fighters 11
196 0 Re-Entry 95 Get Rich Or Die Tryin', 50 Cent 1
197 0 Re-Entry 63 Watch The Throne, Jay Z Kanye West 1
198 189 164 19 747, Lady Antebellum 2
199 186 185 334 Metallica, Metallica 1
200 0 Re-Entry 140 Chief, Eric Church 1

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

It will be hard for Taylor to get back to #1 and stay there long enough to break Adele's record at this point. In the next month there are releases from Big Sean and Madonna to contend with, and Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna and Kanye should all be announcing release dates in the near future who should all open over 100k.

[areyoureadytojump]

^Yup.

2/28: 50 Shades Sdtk.
3/07: Imagine Dragons
3/14: Kid Rock
3/21: Kelly Clarkson - maybe
3/28: Madonna

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

The one thing Taylor can fall back on is TEA, but honestly I feel like that makes for an apples to oranges comparison considering Adele's week's were from raw sales alone.

[areyoureadytojump]

www.metalinsider.net/columns/metal-by-numbers/metal-by-numbers-212-blind-guardian-go-above-and-beyond

Metal by Numbers 2/12: Blind Guardian go above and beyond
Posted by Matt Brown on February 12, 2015

Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.

We knew that Blind Guardian was going to have a solid first week when we saw last week’s Metal by Numbers, when it sold 300 copies even though it wasn’t technically in stores yet. This is a monster week, though. And hey, Udo Dirkschneider didn’t come up short either. Meanwhile, even though there were only a few days of sales after the Grammys, AC/DC see an immediate boost of Rock or Bust that should probably experience a bigger bounce next week.

Notable Debuts:

Blind Guardian, Beyond The Red Mirror (Nuclear Blast) #61, 5,125 sold

The actual debut numbers for Blind Guardians latest album are the best they’ve ever done in the US. So basically, it was a good week for European metal debuts in the states.


Notable Sales:

AC/DC, Rock or Bust (Columbia) #30, 8,950 sold

No bust here. The title track got the most exposure it’ll probably ever get at the opening of the Grammys.

Marilyn Manson, The Pale Emperor (Loma Vista) #37, 8,100 sold

Manson’s third week finds the album having sold more than 70,000 copies, despite a 34% decline.

Papa Roach, F.E.A.R. (Eleven Seven) #43, 6,625 sold

A pretty big 73% second week drop, but it shouldn’t strike too much fear into them.

Slipknot, .5: The Grey Chapter (Roadrunner) #76, 4,175 sold

These Grammy nominees have a 17% bounce, will likely cross 300,000 sold within a month.

Foo Fighters, Sonic Highways (RCA) #84, 3,725 sold

I got another confession to make… I haven’t heard this album all the way through. It’s up to 430,000 sold.

Periphery, Juggernaut: Alpha (Sumerian) #103, 2,900 sold

A huge 84% drop for Alpha, but it’s sold a respectable 21,000 already…

Periphery, Juggernaut: Omega (Sumerian) #115, 2,775 sold

…and a matching 84% drop for the second album, which has sold about 1,500 less.

Avenged Sevenfold, Hail To The King (Warner Bros.) #127, 2,600 sold

This must have been on sale somewhere, as it had a 79% sales increase from last week.

In This Moment, Black Widow (Atlantic) #163, 2,000 sold

Up to about 86,000 sold.

I Prevail, Heart Vs. Mind (Self-Released) #180, 1,700 sold

A 10% increase and up past 15,000 sold for an album that doesn’t even have that Taylor Swift cover on it. 15,000 for self-released is pretty great though.

The Pretty Reckless, Going To Hell (Razor & Tie) #188, 1,625 sold

Pretty yes, reckless not so much.

[areyoureadytojump]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6465937/grammys-sales-bump

Grammys Spur Big Sales Gains for Performers & Winners
By Keith Caulfield | February 11, 2015 5:52 PM EST

Looking at big gains by albums, we looked at the biggest-selling albums of the Feb. 8 week by the performers on the show. In total, those titles gained by 47 percent in sales, rising to 250,000 for the week (up from 170,000 a week earlier).

(Our album calculations include the soundtrack to Selma, which was showcased in the Grammy Awards finale by John Legend, Common and Beyonce.)

The biggest unit gain among the performers' albums was Sam Smith's In the Lonely Hour, which sold 57,000 (up by 20,000 units -- a gain of 53 percent).

The next-largest gainers (by units) were Ed Sheeran's x (53,000; up by 17,000 -- a gain of 47 percent), Beck's album of the year-winning Morning Phase (11,000; up by 10,000 -- a gain of 945 percent) and Hozier's self-titled album (21,000; up by 6,000 -- a gain of 40 percent).

The largest percentage increase among the week's biggest selling albums by performers is owned by Morning Phase, followed by Juanes' Loco de Amor (less than 1,000 sold; but up by 329 percent), Brandy Clark's 12 Stories (2,000 sold; up by 275 percent) and Electric Light Orchestra's All Over the World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra (3,000; up by 242 percent).

The biggest selling album of the week by a performer was In the Lonely Hour.

[areyoureadytojump]

nielsen.tumblr.com/post/110905464496/february-13-2015-with-five-debuts-in-the-top

Music Sales - Top Album Sales chart

With five debuts in the top ten and an immediate sales impact from Sunday’s Grammy Awards, overall album sales are up 9% over last week and up 1% over the same week last year.

Year-to-date album sales are down 2% over the same period in 2014.

Physical CD sales are up 13% over last week, down 5% over the same week last year and down 6% year-to-date over 2014.

Digital album sales are up 4% over last week, up 5% over the same week last year and down 1% year-to-date over 2014.

The “Now 53” compilation debuts at number one on the Top Albums chart with 99,000 units sold. It is the series’ first chart-topper since the “Now 50” collection entered at the top in May 2014.

Fifth Harmony’s “Reflection” debuts at No. 3 with 62,000 units sold. It is their highest chart peak to date, topping the No. 6 entry of their debut EP “Better Together” in 2013.

Bob Dylan’s “Shadows In The Night” enters at No. 6 with 50,000 units sold, his fifth straight top ten studio album debut.

Diana Krall’s “Wallflower” debuts at No. 7 with 43,000 units sold, her third straight top ten entry.

Other new entries in the top 30 include Kid Ink No. 10, Jeremy Camp No. 17, Grateful Dead No. 21 and Skizzy Mars No. 23.

Sunday’s Grammy Awards had an immediate sales impact on a number of winners and performers. Big winner Sam Smith holds at No. 4 with a 53% sales increase and Ed Sheeran remains at No. 5 with a 47% gain. Other big moves include Hozier 20-13 (+40%), Katy Perry 35-22 (+52%), AC/DC 42-31 (+21%), Ariana Grande 55-42 (+24%) and Eric Church 70-43 (+55%).

Country

Sam Hunt’s “Montevallo” holds at the top of the Country Albums chart with a 5% sales increase over last week. Two artists who performed on Sunday’s Grammy Awards broadcast post strong sales increases, as Eric Church moves 10-5 (+55%) and Miranda Lambert jumps 12-7 (+65%).

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www.billboard.com/files/pdfs/Bulletin/february-13-2015-billboard-bulletin.pdf

4,559,000s album were sold last week.

2,050,000 were digital albums.

2,509,000 were cds, vinyl albums and cassettes.

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www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6472965/billboard-200-chart-moves-jimmy-fallon-gain-for

Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Jimmy Fallon Aids 664% Sales Gain for Neil Young's 'Old Man'
By Keith Caulfield | February 15, 2015

On the newest Billboard 200 albums chart, Taylor Swift ruled the list for an 11th nonconsecutive week with 1989 -- tying Fearless for Swift's longest run atop the chart. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the week's most popular albums based on their overall consumption. That overall unit figure combines pure album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

Let's take a closer look at some of the action on the chart:

-- Grateful Dead, Dave's Picks Volume 13: Winterland, San Francisco, CA - 2/24/74 - No. 32 -- This is the whopping 66th chart entry for the band. It enters with 15,000 sold in the week ending Feb. 8, according to Nielsen Music, and is the act's best week since Sept. 2013. All of its sales were generated by Internet and mail order purchases through the group's official Web sites.

-- Arctic Monkeys, AM - No. 61 -- With 655,000 copies sold through Feb. 8, the set has shifted more copies than the band's previous three albums combined (511,000). Meanwhile, the new album's "R U Mine?" spends a 10th straight week in the Alternative airplay chart's top 10.

-- Neil Young, Greatest Hits - No. 84 -- Thanks in part to a performance of the album's "Old Man" with Jimmy Fallon (as a second "Neil Young") on NBC's The Tonight Show (Feb. 4), the set hits its highest rank since 2005 and its best sales week (4,000; up 248 percent) since 2010. Also impressive: "Old Man's" download sales gained by 664 percent to 9,000 for the week -- its largest digital sales week ever.

-- Adele, 21 - No. 99 -- As 21 jumps back into the top 100 (104-99 with 7,000 units; up 12 percent), it earns a 183rd week in the top 100. That's the third-most weeks in the top 100 since the chart started using Nielsen data on May 25, 1991. Metallica's self-titled album has the most in the span of time, with 232 weeks. Taylor Swift's self-titled album is in second place with 186 weeks. Not far behind 21 is Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More, with 175 weeks in the top 100.

-- Electric Light Orchestra, All Over the World - No. 147 -- Thanks to a Ed Sheeran-enhanced performance by the band on the Grammy Awards (Feb. 8), this hits package (5,000 units; up 224 percent) brings the act back to the chart for the first time since 2012.

-- The Beatles, 1 - No. 186 -- The fab four's authoritative best-of collection (12.5 million sold) has been an incredibly consistent seller -- it has sold more than 1,000 copies in every one of its 743 weeks of release.

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Paul Grein's Chart Watch columns are done:

@paulgrein @yahoomusic Thanks. I had fun with it. Alas, a new editor came in and killed the column. I'll still write for them.