A lot of moving and shaking in this week's Digital Downloads Top 10, thanks to a couple of debut albums and a couple debut singles, Let's see what's going on.
CONTINUING SUCCESS
Lorde and "Royals" were on a four-week tear at the no. 1 spot before being knocked off by Eminem and "Rap God" last week (more on Em later), but the biggest single from this half the year returned to the top spot this week, selling 222,000 downloads. The no. 2 spot went to Avicii and "Wake Me Up!," which jumped up two spots after moving 158,000 downloads. Miley Cyrus and "Wrecking Ball" are remaining relevant, as the single sold 136,000 copies and stayed put at the no. 5 spot.
BIG DEBUTS
Lady Gaga brought a new single to the downloads charts, and "Do What U Want" moved 156,000 copies. Of course, it also helped knock her first single, "Applause," from the Top 10. R. Kelly, Gaga's guest on the track, has never been so high on the Digital Downloads chart. Another big female force in the single industry, Taylor Swift, also debuted a new one with "Sweeter Than Fiction," which will be featured on the British film One Chance. The track debuted at no. 6 with 114,000 downloads. Finally, Justin Bieber released "Hold Tight" as part of his "Music Mondays" series. The track debuted at no. 7 with 111,000 sold, but it's the second straight week that his release from the previous Monday has failed to chart again.
BIG GAINS
Last week we reported that OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" was the first single from its most recent album to crack the Top 10, appearing at no. 9. This week, it saw a 48 percent increase in sales and settled at no. 4 with 152,000 downloads. Looks like the group's found its new hit.
BIG DROPS
Two of last week's top 3 got knocked way back this week. Eminem, whose aforementioned "Rap God" debuted at no. 1 last week, got a cold dose of gravity as it dropped 61 percent and finished at no. 9 in its second week, selling "just" 106,000 downloads.
Katy Perry's "Roar" finally dropped off after being near the top of the chart for almost two months. The drop in sales almost certainly correlates with her album Prism being released last week. Listeners are probably just ponying up for the whole album versus buying a mere single.
AND...
Ylvis and "The Fox" are still a relevant piece of pop culture, at least for this week. The song stuck at no. 10 with 100,000 downloads.
