Beyonce debuts at Number One on this week’s Billboard 200 chart with her fourth album, 4. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the collection sold 310,000 copies its first week of release. Beyonce follows Britney Spears as the second female artist to enter the Billboard 200 at Number One with her first four albums. The first single from 4 peaked at Number 29 on the Hot 100 chart, making it the only track from Beyonce’s four albums to not reach the Top 10.
The numbers are in for record sales during the first half of 2011. For the first time since 2004, Nielsen SoundScan and Billboard’s midyear report show an increase in purchases of recorded music. Overall sales of albums, singles and music videos are up 8.5 percent over 2010’s midyear report. Jim Donio, president of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers offered several reasons for the upswing. They include the October 2010 court-ordered shutdown of the peer-to-peer file-sharing website Limewire, releases from popular television shows like Glee and American Idol, social media’s role in bringing new release schedules to consumers, and additional paid digital download sites.