Last week was one of epic failure for album sales, marking the first time ever in the Nielsen Soundscan era where less than 4 million records were sold. This week marked a reverse in fortune as sales climbed back up to 4.2 million according to Billboard. We'll have to see if it can last without huge debuts.
The aforementioned debut was Ariana Grande, who became the second woman in history to have two no. 1 albums within one calendar year (the other is Susan Boyle). The pop star's My Everything sold 169,000 copies while riding high on the success of singles "Problem" and "Break Free." It's also a jump in sales from her previous no. 1, Your Truly, which debuted with 138,000 in sales.
Two more new albums followed Grande on the Billboard Top 10 this week. The first was Brad Paisley, whose Moonshine in The Trunk placed at no. 2 with 53,000 copies sold. Although Paisley can't complain about those numbers, it marks the tenth time he hasn't landed a no. 1 album. He's always getting close a la Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open...just not close enough. No. 3 comes from Kem, who sold 52,000 copies of his Promise to Love: Album IV.
From there on out it's a bunch of returnees to this week's Top 10. Awesome Mix Vol. 1 from Guardians of The Galaxy fell to no. 4 with 48,000 copies. Sam Smith saw an interesting boost in sales, rising to no. 5 by moving 30,000 copies of In The Lonely Hour, a 24 percent increase. It's tough to attribute his boost to the VMA's as his single "Stay With Me" has actually dropped in sales last week.
Wiz Khalifa stuck around for at least one more week with the previous no. 1, Blacc Hollywood, which sold another 30,000 copies. The Frozen soundtrack dropped to no. 7 but stayed strong by moving 27,000 units. Another compilation, NOW 51, fell farther to no. 8 with 25,000 copies sold, and 5 Seconds of Summer moved 22,000 copies of its self-titled album during its sixth week on the charts.
The final spot is interesting in that it's both a new release and not. Avenged Sevenfold rereleased 2003's Waking The Fallen record to 22,000 in sales, a 6,500 percent increase. The new version marks the belated tenth anniversary of the record and includes new demos and a DVD.
