Wave bye, bye, bye to NSYNC’s sales record.
In 2000, back when people regularly bought albums, No Strings Attached moved 2.4 million copies in its first week of release. It was the only album in Nielsen SoundScan history to reach the 2 million barrier (second highest: NSYNC’s Celebrity, with just above 1.8 million), until this week. As predicted, Adele’s 25 smashed NSYNC’s record; it’s already sold 2.43 million copies in only three days. The entire music industry should bow down before Adele.
After processing the first sales reports from Monday, Nov. 23, the album has already sold at least 2,433,000 in pure album sales in slightly more than three days. That sum beats the single-week record for an album since Nielsen began tracking sales in 1991, set by NSYNC’s No Strings Attached, when it debuted with 2,416,000 in the week ending March 26, 2000. (Via Billboard)
First-week sales for 25 will be tracked until Thursday, Nov. 26, and it’s the “album could finish the week with 2.9 million sold.” That’s more than Taylor Swift’s 1989 and Red — sixth and seventh on the all-time list — sold in their first weeks, combined. It’s an incredible achievement in this day and age of streaming (which Adele elected not to do) and torrenting for anyone to go platinum in their first week, let alone nearly three times platinum. I feel safe in saying no one’s going to break Adele’s record. Until she releases 27.
(Via Billboard)
