Update: Childish Gambino’s “Because the Internet” might be outpacing R. Kelly’s “Black Panties” on iTunes, but the latter could emerge as the week’s stronger overall performer.
The first wave of sales projections is now available.
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Friendly to the album throughout its promotional cycle, iTunes presently recognizes Childish Gambino’s “Because the Internet” as its top-selling album.
A regular on the overall iTunes Album Sales chart during its pre-order phase, the release, one of the week’s two high-profile ones, is currently number one. R. Kelly’s “Black Panties,” the other big newcomer, is number two.
An irrefutably hot album for digital music buyers, “Because the Internet” has also generated commercial enthusiasm for its individual tracks. At press time, four–“Crawl” (40), “3005” (45), “Worldstar” (54) and “Sweatpants” (55)–are in the iTunes top 100 for single sales.
As the holiday season continues, interest in seasonal albums remains high. Kelly Clarkson’s “Wrapped in Red” and Pentatonix’s “PTXMas” claim third and fourth, respectively, on the iTunes sales chart. Michael Buble’s “Christmas,” meanwhile, follows the “Frozen” soundtrack for a sixth-place ranking.
One Direction’s “Midnight Memories,” Eminem’s “MMLP2” and Lorde’s “Pure Heroine” follow.
Rounding out the top ten, meanwhile, is Lea Michele’s “Louder,” which officially became available for pre-orders Tuesday. Lead single “Cannonball,” which was released to iTunes simultaneously, has ascended into the Top 50 on iTunes’ Single Sales chart.