This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Justin Timberlake achieves the uncommon feat of earning two different No. 1 albums in less than a year.
His new release, “The 20/20 Experience, 2 of 2,” starts at No. 1 with 350,000 sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It arrives atop the chart 28 weeks after the first “The 20/20 Experience” debuted at No. 1 with the year’s largest sales week: 968,000.
In turn, Timberlake is the only act in 2013 to sell 300,000 copies in a week of two different albums. He continues to be the only act this year that has sold more than 300,000 units of any album in multiple weeks. (The first “20/20” sold in excess of 300,000 in each of its first two weeks. In its second frame, it moved 318,000.)
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“The 20/20 Experience, 2 of 2” is the second half of Timberlake’s two-part “20/20 Experience” album. The new set was available in both a standard edition as well as a “complete” edition, which combined both the first half and the second half of “20/20.” Sales of both “2 of 2” and the complete edition are combined together.
Timberlake is the second act to score two No. 1s in 2013, following Luke Bryan. The country star debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 23 with the compilation “Spring Break… Here to Party,” and followed it up 23 weeks later with the No. 1 bow of his studio album “Crash My Party” on the Aug. 31-dated chart.
Timberlake also extends his lead as the year’s top selling artist by album sales. So far this year, he has moved 2.85 million albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan. 2.3 million of that sum is owed to his first “The 20/20 Experience,” while another 350,000 were racked up by the new “The 20/20 Experience, 2 of 2” set. The rest of the 2.85 million came from sales of his first two studio efforts, “Justified” (85,000) and “FutureSex/LoveSounds” (107,000).
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The last act to score two No. 1 studio albums at a quicker pace than Timberlake was System of a Down in 2005. The rock band also took the same two-part approach with its albums “Mezmerize” and “Hypnotize.” The former debuted at No. 1 on the June 4, 2005 chart (453,000 debut), and 27 weeks later, “Hypnotize” started atop the list (320,000; Dec. 10, 2005).
Since Nielsen SoundScan started powering the Billboard 200 chart in May of 1991, Timberlake is just the 20th act to score two No. 1s in a 12-month span of time (not necessarily a calendar year).
Furthermore, with a fourth total week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this year, Timberlake now has racked up the most weeks atop the list in 2013. (The first “The 20/20 Experience” spent three weeks at No. 1.) Luke Bryan has the second-most frames at No. 1 this year, with three.
Moving on to the rest of this week’s top 10, last week’s No. 1, Drake’s “Nothing Was the Same,” falls to No. 2 with 148,000 (down 78%).
Singer/songwriter Lorde takes a bow at No. 3 with her first full-length album, “Pure Heroine.” It sold 129,000 copies in its first week. The album was led by the smash single “Royals,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart last week.
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Lorde is the fourth woman to see her first major-label full-length album debut in the top 10 this year. She follows Ariana Grande’s “Yours Truly” (No. 1), K. Michelle’s “Rebellious Soul” (No. 2) and Kacey Musgraves’ “Same Trailer Different Park” (No. 2).
Luke Bryan’s “Crash My Party” rises 6-4 with 32,000 (though down by 11%). The album’s cumulative sales rise to 1.02 million this week. That gives Bryan his second million-selling effort and makes it the seventh album to sell one million this year.
Bryan’s fellow country singer Tyler Farr debuts at No. 5 with his first album, “Redneck Crazy.” It sold 29,000 in its debut week and is the highest-charting (and bowing) debut from a male country artist since October of 2011. Scotty McCreery was the last country gent to go higher with his first album, when “Clear As Day” opened at No. 1 on the chart dated Oct. 22, 2011.
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“Redneck Crazy’s” title track climbs 4-3 on the Country Airplay chart this week as well — Farr’s biggest hit so far.
Right below Farr is another act who is bowing with their first full-length set, buzzed-about alternative/pop act HAIM with “Days Are Gone” at No. 6. It sold 26,000 copies — and 85% of those were downloads. The set also bows at No. 2 on the Alternative Albums chart, behind Lorde’s arriving “Pure Heroine.”
As for the rest of the top 10: Kings of Leon’s “Mechanical Bull” tumbles 2-7 with just under 26,000 (down 76%), Cher’s “Closer to the Truth” descends 3-8 with 25,000 (down 59%), Jack Johnson’s “From Here to Now to You” falls 5-9 with 20,000 (down 46%) and Elton John’s “The Diving Board” dips 4-10 with 19,000 (down 59%).
Over on the Digital Songs chart, Lorde retains the No. 1 slot with “Royals,” selling another 309,000 (up 5%). Katy Perry’s “Roar” is steady at No. 2 with 218,000 (down 9%) and Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” is also a non-mover at No. 3 with 214,000 (down 3%).
Avicii’s “Wake Me Up!” is stationary at No. 4 with 167,000 (down 8%) while Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” (featuring Majid Jordan) jumps 13-5 with 131,000 (up 64%).
Jay Z’s “Holy Grail,” featuring Justin Timberlake,” rises one rung to No. 6 with 118,000 (down 4%) and Eminem’s “Berzerk” dips two slots to No. 7 with 115,000 (down 14%).
Perry debuts at No. 8 with “Walking On Air” (113,000) — the third pre-release track from her “Prism” album. It follows the set’s first official single “Roar,” and “Dark Horse” (featuring Juicy J). The latter song slips 8-10 this week with 99,000 (down 5%).
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With those three placings, Perry is the first artist with three songs in the top 10 of the Digital Songs chart in almost a year. The last act to do so was Taylor Swift on the Nov. 3, 2012-dated chart, when she ranked in the top 10 with “State of Grace” (debuting at No. 2), “I Knew You Were Trouble” (falling 1-4 in its second week) and then-current official single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (down 7-8 in its 10th week).
Like Perry, Swift achieved the feat because of pre-release tracks from her album “Red.” In addition to “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “State of Grace,” Swift issued two more pre-release cuts from the album — its title track and “Begin Again.”
Back in this week’s top 10, Lady Gaga’s “Applause” descends 6-9 with 109,000 (down 18%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Oct. 6) totaled 4.80 million units, down 7% compared with the sum last week (5.14 million) and down 10% compared with the comparable sales week of 2012 (5.35 million). Year to date album sales stand at 209.98 million, down 6% compared to the same total at this point last year (223.78 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 19.81 million downloads, down 2% compared with last week (20.29 million) and down 15% stacked next to the comparable week of 2012 (23.31 million). Year to date track sales are at 994.41 million, down 4% compared to the same total at this point last year (1.03 billion).
Next week’s Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2012 when: Mumford & Sons’ “Babel” held at No. 1 for a third week, selling 96,000 (down 43%). Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “The Heist” was the top debut, arriving at No. 2 with 78,000.