Album sales in the United States remained problematic during the recent week, and new lows emerged.
Total sales dipped 14% from the comparable period last year, though the most concerning development surrounded the chart-topping release. The Dreamgirls soundtrack, which topped the rankings last week as well, earned a paltry 60,000 units this time around. That is the lowest total for a number one release since Soundscan began its tracking in 1991. And during the first week of the year, the album pulled 66,000, the second-lowest tally for a chart-topper. Other similarly-challenged top ten releases came from Akon, Justin Timberlake, and Daughty. The development raises more questions about the coming year, a period that could be characterized by heavy drops in CD sales. Last year, album sales dipped 4.9%, according to published Nielsen Soundscan figures.
Story by news analyst Alexandra Osorio