Life & Style

Katy Perry tops Billboard in worst week for album sales

The singer’s latest album climbed to the top of the weekly Billboard 200 album chart.

Reuters October 31, 2013

Perry’s Prism shot to the top in the very first week of its release. PHOTO: FILE

LOS ANGELES: Pop sensation Katy Perry’s latest album Prism topped the Billboard 200 album chart. Though the overall album sales for the week were the lowest since the publication began charting in 1991, Perry managed to do exceptionally well. Prism, which is the singer’s fourth studio album, sold a massive 286,000 copies in its first week, making it the biggest sales week by a female artist this year. It came in ahead of Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz, which sold 270,000 copies in its first week earlier this month.

The success of Perry's album has been aided by the popularity of its lead single Roar, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. But the opening week sales of Prism did not come close to the year's biggest debuts, led by Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience, which opened with 968,000 copies in March. New albums from Jay Z, Kanye West and Daft Punk also opened with bigger sales, earlier this year.

Overall album sales for the week ended October 27 fell to a record low of 4.5 million units. Album sales have generally been lower this year compared to last year, partly because of listeners finding new digital platforms to consume music, often for free.

Other new albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart, which measures physical and digital sales, include girl band Fifth Harmony at number six with its Better Together EP followed by hip-hop DJ Khaled at seventh position with Suffering from Success and rockers AFI with Burials at ninth.

On the Billboard Digital Songs chart, which measures digital single sales, New Zealand newcomer Lorde reigned at number one spot with Royals. Swedish DJ Avicii's Wake Me Up climbed two spots to number two and Lady Gaga's new single Do What U Want with R&B singer R Kelly, rounded out the top three.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2013.

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