David Bowie’s legacy was honored by fans this week who made him number 1 on the charts. His “Blackstar” album sold 171,000 copies– plus another 6,000 in streaming.
But get this — his Best of Bowie sold another 101K–53,000 of which were accomplished through streaming. In the Top 10, Bowie moved 282,000 units in the six days since his tragic death.
Another 20,000 in sales were divvied up among miscellaneous Bowie albums Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory, and Let’s Dance.
It took Bowie to stop Adele, whose run at number 1 has gone on for two months. She still sold 136K of the “25” album to people who somehow didn’t have a copy. She’s up over 8 million albums so far. These latest sales may have come in Pluto.
For Bowie, it’s a tremendous salute to a great genius. I think people are freaking out because they realize we’ve lost a real artist, quite unlike almost anyone who is contemporary. Just look at his amazing catalog– the enormity of it, the depth of it, the stretch of time over 45 years. That is our memorial to him.
