This week was huge for new records, with the top four spots all going to original albums. Who took the top spot and what albums from last week (and last year!) managed to hold onto a spot in the Top 10? Find out below!
WHAT'S NEW
As we said, a lot of new records to cover, but here's a hint: Last week featured the first debut album from a female artist to top the Billboard 200. But was it Ariana Grande or Tamar Braxton? These ladies pulled out all the stops to boost downloads of their respective albums, "Yours Truly" and "Love & War." Grande promised fans a free ticket to an exclusive event later in the year, which may have helped her take the top spot with 138,000 copies sold (78 percent digital). Braxton offered her album for $3.99 at her website, but that only resulted in 45 percent downloads, for a respectable 114,000 sales total.
Nine Inch Nails released its first major label album in six years, selling 107,000 copies of "Hesitation Marks," a huge jump from the independently released "Ghosts I-IV." John Legend debuted at no. 4 with "Love In The Future" (68,000 copies) and rapper Jaheim came in at no. 6 with "Appreciation Day" (58,000 copies).
MOVING UP
Technically, both Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake lost ground in terms of sales position, but that can be expected in a week with so many big releases. Thicke's "Blurred Lines" went from no. 5 to no. 7, and Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" from no. 7 to no. 9, but both records actually saw a 3 percent increase in total sales. The biggest jumper of the week was Imagine Dragons however, which came up from no. 16 to reenter the Top 10 at no. 10, more than a year after "Night Visions" was released.
HEADING DOWN
Avenged Sevenfold topped the Billboard 200 last week with the debut of its sixth studio album "Hail To The King," but sales took a steep drop in week two, falling 74 percent to 42,000 and placing the band at no. 8. Luke Bryan's "Crash My Party" was the top-placing returnee on the list, selling 68,000 copies and staying strong four weeks after its debut. Next week features another crop of big albums (including fellow country-man Keith Urban), but country albums have longer staying power on the charts, and Bryan should be able to stick around.
