Eric Church earns his second No. 1 album with “The Outsiders,” selling 288,000 in its opening week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It’s the largest sales week of the year and the biggest since Beyonce’s self-titled album moved 310,000 in December 2013.
Church’s fourth studio album is also his biggest hit to date, following 2011’s “Chief,” which bowed at No. 1 with 145,000. “The Outsiders” is the largest debut for a country album since Luke Bryan’s “Crash My Party” entered at No. 1 with 528,000 in 2013.
The rest of the top 10 returns from previous weeks. At No. 2, the soundtrack to Disney”s “Frozen” holds with 100,000 (+13%). The cumulative sales for “Frozen” now exceed 1 million. “Pitch Perfect” was the last soundtrack to sell more than a million copies.
Last week”s No. 1, the “Now 49” compilation, drops to No. 3 with 77,000 (-21%). Beyonce’s self-titled album moves from No. 7 to No. 4 with a little more than 48,000 (+26%), a boost credited to Valentine’s Day shopping. Bruno Mars’ “Unorthodox Jukebox” slips from No. 3 to No. 5 with 48,000 (-41%), while Imagine Dragons’ “Night Visions” gains due to holiday shopping and an iTunes Store sale, moving from No. 12 to No. 6 with 41,000 (+77%).
Lorde’s “Pure Heroine” rises from No. 8 to No. 7 with 39,000 (+9%); Toni Braxton & Babyface’s “Love, Marriage & Divorce” declines from No. 4 to No. 8 in its second week with 33,000 (-51%); Katy Perry’s “PRISM” moves from No. 10 to No. 9 with 31,000 (+19%); and, rounding out the top 10, Miley Cyrus’ “Bangerz” jumps from No. 18 to No. 10 with 29,000 (+96%), thanks to a sale in the iTunes Store.
Sales are up 20% this week compared to the previous week and down 21% compared to the same week last year. Year-to-date album sales are down 16% compared with the previous year.