It really puts things into perspective when the highest selling ‘records’ of the week are singles from rap superstars like Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Drake. I can’t say that I wasn’t expecting this, but these sales figures seem a little skewed when you examine how major albums have charted the past few weeks. Take for instance Beyonce’s gold-certified 4. This album has been on the charts for over a month and just hit 500,000 copies (about 593,000 total unit scanned). It’s not unlikely that Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Otis” will blow past Beyonce’s scans within the month considering that sales for the single jumped 158% this week alone. DJ Khaled’s two-week total for We The Best Forever only adds up to 74,000, despite the fact that Khaled’s “I’m On One” is a radio sensation and gold-certified from digital sales alone. So what’s my point? Digital singles are where it’s at. One hot song can make a greater impact than a few lukewarm albums. Then again, one hot song equals 99 cents per unit and one average album costs the consumer $9.99, so this also plays a factor into what moves the proverbial dial. Now onto this week’s numbers….
Wu-Tang “Legendary Weapons” – 9,983 (38% digital)
Jay Rock “Follow Me Home” – 5,275 (34% digital)
Black Rob “Game Tested, Street Approved” – 1,682 (36% digital)
Jay-Z & Kanye West “Otis” (Single) – 156,281 (100% digital) – two week total – [listen]
Drake “Marvin’s Room” (Single) – 115,344 (100% digital) – two week total – [watch music video]
*For industry news, please check back Friday afternoon.*