Britney Spears Snares Sixth No. 1 on Billboard 200 with 'Femme Fatale'

Britney Spears flies in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with her sixth chart-topping album, "Femme Fatale," selling 276,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. The feat ties her for the third-most No. 1s among women with Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson. Only Barbra Streisand (nine No. 1s) and Madonna (seven) have earned more No. 1s.

Spears has hit the top with six out of her seven studio albums, only missing with 2007's "Blackout," which debuted and peaked at No. 2 (290,000).

Her last effort, 2008's "Circus," started more robustly than "Femme Fatale," as it launched at No. 1 with 506,000 following its Dec. 2 release. "Femme Fatale's" debut of 276,000 is Spears' second-lowest sales start with a studio set -- only her 1999 debut effort, "Baby One More Time," began with a smaller figure (121,000 at No. 1).

Though, one could conclude that "Circus" was a more highly-anticipated album, in that it was seen as a "comeback" after a number of years where Spears' personal and professional life was in chaotic high-gear. "Circus" was ushered in by the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single "Womanizer" -- complete with a return-to-sexy-form music video.

"Femme Fatale," however, isn't a comeback album. There's nothing to come back from, aside from great success. Spears sold 1.7 million of "Circus" in the U.S., snared three top 20 Hot 100 singles from the set, and mounted a blockbuster global tour.

While "Femme Fatale's" first single, "Hold It Against Me," debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, it quickly peaked at No. 3 on the Mainstream Top 40 radio airplay chart -- Spears' home turf format on the airwaves. This week, it falls 19-26 in its 12th week on the list. The album's second single, "Till the World Ends," earns a bullet at No. 14 on the list, but stands still in its fourth week. To compare, "Womanizer" had climbed to No. 5 with a bullet when "Circus" debuted on the Billboard 200 -- and it reached No. 1 two weeks later.

Also worth noting is that "Femme Fatale" is Spears' first album to see a spring release in over a decade. While her first set dropped in January of 1999 and her second offering, 2000's "Oops! ... I Did It Again," came out in May of 2000, the rest of her catalog (even her hits packages and remix sets) were issued during the always-busy shopping period of November-December.

And, not like anyone needs to be reminded -- but album sales just aren't what they used to be. Even if it's been less than two-and-a-half years since "Circus."

Finally, perhaps Spears' tepidly-received "Good Morning America" performance on "Femme Fatale's" street date (March 29) put a damper on the set's first-week festivities. The social buzz ranged from critiques on her tentative dancing to commentary about her unusually husky voice. She also hit the stage the same night on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to moderately better notices.

Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending April 3) totaled 6.62 million units, up 2% compared to the sum last week (6.48 million) and down 3% compared to the comparable sales week of 2010 (6.84 million). Year to date album sales stand at 77.82 million, down 5% compared to the same total at this point last year (81.96 million).

Digital track sales this past week totaled 24.52 million downloads, down 1% compared to last week (24.78 million) and up 8% stacked next to the comparable week of 2010 (22.68 million). Year to date track sales are at 339.12 million, up 9% compared to the same total at this point last year (312.38 million).

source: http://www.billboard.com/#/news/britney-spears-snares-sixth-no-1-on

Ayta einai !!!

Ante kai tin alli vdomada prwtia tis euxomai!

entaksei paidia teleies einai pwlhseis
se sxesh me to circus pou ekane debuto me panw apo 500,000 sthn amerikh ennoeitai pws einai liga alla kai pali.........
oso pernane ta xronia ta cd poulane pio ligo
kai epishs to circus eixe bgei xristougenna kai tote ta cd poulane para poly opote ok teleia

makari omws na exei diarkeia gt synh8ws ta cd ths britney kanoune apisteuta debuta se pwlhseis alla den exoune diarkeia kai peutoune grhgora
anyway, an meinei 1o kai auth thn evdomada tha einai to 2o cd ths pou to katafernei gt ektos apo to baby one more time ola ta alla phgane prwta kai meinane sthn koryfh gia mia vdomada mono

ProExciter wrote:

entaksei paidia teleies einai pwlhseis
se sxesh me to circus pou ekane debuto me panw apo 500,000 sthn amerikh ennoeitai pws einai liga alla kai pali.........
oso pernane ta xronia ta cd poulane pio ligo
kai epishs to circus eixe bgei xristougenna kai tote ta cd poulane para poly opote ok teleia

makari omws na exei diarkeia gt synh8ws ta cd ths britney kanoune apisteuta debuta se pwlhseis alla den exoune diarkeia kai peutoune grhgora
anyway, an meinei 1o kai auth thn evdomada tha einai to 2o cd ths pou to katafernei gt ektos apo to baby one more time ola ta alla phgane prwta kai meinane sthn koryfh gia mia vdomada mono

auto to pa8ainoun ola ta megala onomata, opws Madonna, Mariah Carey, klp, min anisixeis