Weekly Register: Swift Zooms Past Million Sales Mark

Swift celebrated by lip synching to Kendrick Lamar.

Swift celebrated by lip syncing to Kendrick Lamar. Click to watch.

The Taylor Swift checklist for world domination:
Musical genius? Check. Mind boggling superstardom? Check. Expert marketing plan? Check. Endearing fan engagement? Check. Red lipstick? Check. Furry felines Meredith and Olivia? Check, check.
Another record breaking album? Check.
Swift continues her wild success story with latest album, 1989, which sold 1.3 million copies during release week, according to today’s Nielsen Soundscan report. It’s the bonafide pop star’s third album to debut with sales totaling more than 1 million units, following Red (2012, 1.208 million) and Speak Now (2010, 1.047 million). She’s the only artist to have three million-selling weeks with an album.
1989 scores the largest sales week for an album since 2002, when Eminem moved 1.322 million units.

Swift’s marketing partners include Diet Coke.

Overall album sales have continued to slide since the release of Red, so it’s worth noting that she firmly withstood the storm and sold on par with that 2012 release. (Overall album sales are down -12.9 percent year to date.) Red was the last album to move over 1 million copies in the first week.
1989 has already become the second highest selling album of 2014 in its first week of release, behind the mega blockbuster Frozen soundtrack which has sold a total of 3.2 million this year (3.5 million RTD). These two projects are the only albums which have crossed the million-copies mark in 2014.
Sales of 1989 were 50 percent digital. With TEA (track equivalent albums) the sales of 1989 equal 1.6 million.
It may be Swiftapalooza, but Sam Hunt’s celebrating too…
The UMG newbie—who is still a Country star—scored an impressive debut, selling 70K of Montevallo, and landing at No. 3 overall and No. 1 Country. His album sales were 70 percent digital. If you add in TEA, his album sales tally is 79K.