Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories holds at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a second week, as the set shifts another 93,000, copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. It’s down 73% in its second week, a not alarming sophomore frame decline, considering a lot of the album’s first week was bolstered with digital pre-orders.
Comparably, Daft Punk’s second-week slide is only slightly less steep than the average fall for No. 1 debuts this year. Of the 15 No. 1 bows so far in 2013, the average second-week decline has been 68%. Random Access Memories is the seventh No. 1 debut this year to slip by more than 70% in its second week. The largest tumble is owned by Justin Bieber’s Believe (79.4%), while the lightest fall belongs to Josh Groban’s All That Echoes (50.4%).
In two weeks, Random Access Memories has sold 432,000 in the United States.
At No. 2 this week on the Billboard 200 is Alice in Chains, which claims its highest-charting set since 1995, as The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here starts in the runner-up slot with 61,000. The rock band last went higher with its 1995 self-titled album, which debuted at No. 1 on the tally dated Nov. 25, 1995. Its new release is its second with lead singer William DuVall, following 2009’s No. 5-peaking Black Gives Way to Blue. That album may have started at a lower position than Devil, but its sales were stronger out of the gate: 126,000.
In total, Devil is the fifth top 10 set for Alice In Chains, stretching back to 1992’s No. 6-peaking Dirt.
Behind Alice in Chains this week is the also-debuting John Fogerty, who logs his highest bow ever, as Wrote a Song for Everyone starts at No. 3 with 51,000. It’s the veteran rocker’s highest-charting album (and first top 10) since 1985’s Centerfield climbed to No. 1. The new set features an all-star lineup of guest artists dueting with Fogerty on his own classics like “Fortunate Son” (with Foo Fighters) and “Proud Mary” (with Jennifer Hudson).
The third and final debut in the top 10 is at No. 4 by British vocal quartet Little Mix with its debut set, DNA (50,000). It’s the highest debut ever for a British female group’s first album, surpassing the No. 6 arrival of Spice Girls’ Spice in 1997. DNA was led by the single “Wings,” which reached No. 26 on the Pop Songs airplay chart (known as Mainstream Top 40 on Billboard.biz).
Overall, Little Mix has the highest start for any female group’s debut album since 2006, when Danity Kane’s self-titled set started at No. 1.
Little Mix won the 2011 British version of “The X Factor,” the same show that brought us its SYCO/Columbia Records labelmates One Direction. The latter came in third place on the 2010 series.
Blake Shelton’s Based on a True Story . . . rises 16-5 with 42,000 — up 69% — in the wake of his NBC charity special “Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert.” The charity show, benefiting victims of the recent Oklahoma tornados, was organized by the star and aired live on May 29 at 9 p.m.
“Healing in the Heartland” featured performances by Shelton; his wife, Miranda Lambert; Usher; Reba McEntire; Luke Bryan; and more. The one-hour broadcast earned 8.4 million total TV viewers on NBC, according to Nielsen, and was the most-watched show of the night. NBC says that 13.2 million tuned in to at least a portion of the concert across NBC and its sister networks Bravo, CMT, E!, G4 and Style.
Shelton’s album sales can also be partially attributed to his May 27 performance on NBC’s “The Voice,” where he’s also a coach. He sang his latest hit, “Boys ‘Round Here.” On the Digital Songs chart, the tune climbs 11-9 with 147,000 downloads sold (up 36%) for Shelton’s highest sales week yet for a song. It surpasses the 139,000 debut of 2011’s “Honey Bee.”
Back on the Billboard 200, Darius Rucker’s True Believers falls 2-6 in its second week (41,000; 51%) while the soundtrack to “The Great Gatsby” slips 5-7 (36,000; down 33%). Imagine Dragons’ Night Visions rises 13-8 (33,000; up 22%) thanks in part to an iTunes promotion. The band released its new iTunes Sessions EP through the retailer last week, which bows at No. 56 with 7,000.
Closing out the top 10 on the Billboard 200: Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience holds at No. 9 (31,000; down 26%), and Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City falls 7-10 (29,000; down 40%).
Over on the Digital Songs chart, Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” featuring T.I. and Pharrell, jumps 3-1 with 229,000 downloads sold (up 20%). It’s the first No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart for Thicke, while T.I. clocks his fourth leader and Pharrell nets his second.
Leaping 19-2 is 2 Chainz’ “We Own It (Fast & Furious),” featuring Wiz Khalifa, with 208,000 (up 138%). It’s the best sales week yet for 2 Chainz. The song is from the “Fast & Furious 6” soundtrack and film, which clocked a second weekend atop the U.S. and Canada box-office chart this past weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. Through June 3, the film has raked in $174 million, making it the fifth-highest-grossing movie of the year.
Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” slips 2-3 on Digital Songs with 196,000 (down 1%), Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” (featuring Pharrell) rises 5-4 with 190,000 (up 5%), and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Can’t Hold Us” (featuring Ray Dalton) slides 1-5 with 184,000 (down 13%).
Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” climbs 8-6 (159,000; up 7%), Selena Gomez’s “Come & Get It” dips 6-7 (158,000; down 8%), and P!nk’s “Just Give Me a Reason” (featuring Nate Ruess) descends 4-8 (150,000; down 19%).
Blake Shelton’s “Boys ‘Round Here” (featuring Pistol Annies and Friends) rises 11-9 (147,000; up 36%) while Timberlake’s “Mirrors” closes out the top 10, sliding 9-10 with 131,000 (down 7%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending June 2) totaled 4.8 million units, down 7% compared with the sum last week (5.2 million) and down 4% compared with the comparable sales week of 2012 (5 million). Year-to-date album sales stand at 121.40 million, down 5% compared with the same total at this point last year (127.7 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 24.2 million downloads, down 1% compared with last week (24.5 million) and down 5% stacked next to the comparable week of 2012 (25.6 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 579.9 million, down 3% compared to the same total at this point last year (596.9 million). [Billboard.biz]