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David Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’ Dethrones Adele And Posthumously Scores His First No. 1 Album

By Janice Malcolm
Published on: 11:01 PST, Jan 17, 2016

It has been one week since the death of rock legend David Bowie and he has reached new heights musically and finally lands a N0. 1 album on the on the U.S. sales chart. The British music, art and fashion icon’s new LP Blackstar was released just two days before his death at the age of 69 and brought an end to the reign of Adele’s 25.

The day Bowie released his latest album was Jaunary 8, which was also his birthday, and it seems Blackstar was his final gift to the world. Blackstar posthumously gave David Bowie his best ever selling week when 181,000 copies were sold in its debut week. The data is provided by Nielsen Music and the company has been keeping track of music since 1991. Billboard also showed that on January 11, the day after Bowie’s death, a mind boggling 51 million Vevo views were received on that day and also ended the record Adele had set late last year when she released her album, 25. Adele’s record had been 36 million views in one day.

The tremendous success of Blackstar has outperformed Bowie’s last album by leaps and bounds. His 2013 comeback album called The Next Day, may have debuted at No. 2, but it only sold 85,000 copies in its opening week, a figure that has more than doubled in the last week. The reported 181,000 copies of Blackstar sold were calculated calculated using physical as well asdigital albums and even includes individual tracks and streams. WallstreetJournal‘s coverage of the success of the album showed that 174,000 of the reported copies sold were solely comprised of actual album sales.

David Bowie’s death took the world by surprise and as music fans mourned his passing they helped to generate significant capital as all things Bowie were honored. Bowie’s entire musical catalog saw a tremendous spike in sales. The greatest hits compilation Best of Bowie, ended the week having sold 94,000 copies and went to Number Four on the Billboard chart, a feat that means there was a 6,700 percent increase on the previous week’s sales. The Best of Bowie was released in 2002 and only made it to Number 70 on the Billboard 200. Bowie’s 1973 LP The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars also shared in the album sales boost that followed his death and climbed all the way to Number 21 this week.

The fact that Blackstar is currently at No. 1 and Best of Bowie is at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 has, according to Rolling Stone, placed Bowie among a very select few artists’ who have simultaneously had two albums in the Top Four; a club which Adele also joined in February 2012 thanks to 19 and 21.

David Bowie’s Blackstar sales ended a wicked seven week streak that Adele’s 25 had spent on top of the Billboard 200 and dropped her to finish at Number Two with 143,000 copies sold. Bowie’s Blackstar also topped the U.K.’s Album Charts and was the only new album released that managed to break into this week’s Top 10 Billboard. Album sales projection have Adele’s 5 as a favourite to reclaim the Number one spot from Bowie, though chances are high that both Blackstar and Best of Bowie will still be in the Top 10 this time next week.

The possibility exists that Panic! at the Disco’s Death of a Bachelor may hold off both Blackstar and 25 from the top spot very soon. With Bowie and Adele at No. 1 and Two respectively, Justin Bieber’s Purpose dropped one spot down to No. 3, with Best of Bowie following at No. 4 and Twenty One Pilots’ Blurryface at No. 5.

[Photo Courtesy of Jo Hale/Getty Images]

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