The New York Times: Grammys Boost Record Sales, but ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Soundtrack is No. 1
How much help are the Grammy Awards in selling records? Plenty — though not as much as a hit movie.
The No. 1 album on the latest Billboard chart is the soundtrack to the new film “Fifty Shades Darker” (Universal Studios/Republic), featuring songs by Zayn and Taylor Swift, Halsey and Sia. It had the equivalent of 123,000 album sales in the United States last week, including 72,000 copies of the full album, according to Nielsen data. (The rest of its “equivalent” numbers are accounted through a formula that incorporates streams and downloads of individual tracks.)
The new chart includes the weekend of the Grammys, which were held on Feb. 12, and a few artists had big leaps up the chart after their appearances there. Bruno Mars, who dressed as Prince for a tribute — down to the sequined “Purple Rain” suit — rose five spots to No. 2 with “24K Magic” (Atlantic). Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” (Parkwood/Columbia) jumped 24 spots to No. 9.