James Donio, President of the Music Business Association (Music Biz), commented on this week’s sales report issued by Nielsen SoundScan and published by Billboard.
“Taylor Swift has done it again, shattering sales records and making history with her new album 1989. The record sold nearly 1.3 million copies this week, making Swift the first artist of any kind to sell over 1 million copies in one week for three separate albums. It’s also the best sales week for any album since 2002 and instantly vaults Swift into the #2 slot for most albums sold this year, trailing only the Frozen soundtrack. And since that was actually released in 2013, 1989 is officially the best-selling album released this year. We couldn’t be more proud of Taylor, who made her industry debut at Music Biz’s (then-NARM) 2007 convention. She returned three years later to receive our Artist of the Year Award, shortly before scoring her first million-selling week for Speak Now. She has blossomed into a true superstar, and we wish her many more years of success.
“The rest of the Top 10 was filled with debuts. The Now 52 compilation continued the series’ streak of Top 10s by landing at #2 while Country artist Sam Hunt took #3 with Motevallo, Barry Manilow took #4 with My Dream Duets, Led Zeppelin’s deluxe edition of Led Zeppelin IV brought the classic album back to #7, Chris Tomlin entered at #8 with Love Ran Red, and Black Veil Brides took #10 with their self-titled record.
“With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, the coming weeks should be interesting. We could see steady sales for 1989 as shoppers pick up copies for their friends and loved ones, not to mention increased attention for potential blockbusters like One Direction’s Four, Nicki Minaj’s The Pinkprint, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V, Garth Brooks’ Man Against Machine, Foo Fighters’ Sonic Highways, and AC/DC’s Rock or Bust. Stay tuned!”
