Jack White’s ‘Lazaretto’ Debuts at No. 1, Sets Vinyl Sales Record

Rocker Jack White claims his second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, as “Lazaretto” bows in the top slot with 138,000 sold in the week ending June 15, according to NielsenSoundScan.
 
The effort follows his solo debut, “Blunderbuss,” which also opened atop the list and sold 138,000 in its first frame. (It sold a handful of copies less, actually, but when rounded to the nearest thousand, both figures become 138,000.)

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“Lazaretto” — released on White’s Third Man Records label through Columbia Records — also sets the record for the largest sales week for a vinyl album since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.
 
The vinyl LP sold 40,000 copies — easily enough to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Vinyl Albums chart. (The vinyl edition of the album has many unusual bonus features that clearly intriguedconsumers.)
 
It beats the debut of Pearl Jam’s “Vitalogy,” which sold 34,000 vinyl LPs in its first week, back in 1994. (Notably, “Vitalogy” was issued on vinyl first, two weeks before its release on CD and cassette.)
 
“This is my proudest moment with Third Man Records, this object,” White said of the LP to Conan O’Brien during an appearance on “Conan” on June 11. During some of his recent TV appearances White has described some of the unique qualities the vinyl piece contains, like how the LP plays at three different speeds, the tracks it has hidden under the center label (that are playable) and how side A plays from the inside to the outside of the disc.

To put the sales of the vinyl”Lazaretto” in further perspective, the configuration on its own would have ranked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 this week. In total, vinyl LP sales of “Lazaretto” accounted for 28.9 percent of the album’s first-week sales — nearly beating the number of CDs that were sold (41,000; 30 percent of the album’s debut). Downloads were 41.1 percent.
 
Aside from White, the top of the Billboard 200 is pretty sleepy, with the next-highest new entry landing at No. 12: Passenger’s “Whispers.” It’s the act’s highest-charting album and, with 19,000 sold, its best sales week yet.
 
Back in the top 10, Miranda Lambert’s “Platinum” slips to No. 2 with 62,000 (down 65 percent) while the soundtrack to “Frozen” is also down one rung, to No. 3 with 50,000 (down 4 percent). Brantley Gilbert’s “Just As I Am” dips 3-4 with 40,000 (down 18 percent), and the soundtrack to “The Fault in Our Stars” climbs to a new peak (8-5) with 38,000 (up 5 percent). It’s the best sales week so far for the “Fault” soundtrack.
 
“Now 50” holds at No. 6 with 34,000 (down 17 percent), Coldplay’s “Ghost Stories” descends 5-7 with just under 34,000 (down 26 percent), and The Black Keys’ “Turn Blue” rises 13-8 with 26,000 (up 9 percent). Michael Jackson’s “Xscape” returns to the top 10, climbing 12-9 with 25,000 (down 2 percent), and “Now That’s What I Call Country: Volume 7” hits the top 10 in its second week, rising 11-10 with 22,000 (down 26 percent).
 
Over on the Digital Songs chart, Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” featuring Charli XCX, holds at No. 1 with 226,000 (down 14 percent). MAGIC’s “Rude” jumps 4-2 with 207,000 (up 28 percent), while Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” featuring Azalea, slips 2-3 with 186,000 (down 13 percent).
 
Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” falls 3-4 with 165,000 (down 1 percent), Nico & Vinz’s “Am I Wrong” rises 6-5 with 144,000 (up 1 percent), and Jason Derulo’s “Wiggle” slides 5-6 with 142,000 (down 3 percent). John Legend’s “All of Me” ascends 9-7 with 122,000 (up 5 percent), DJ Snake & Lil Jon’s “Turn Down for What” is steady at No. 8 with 116,000 (down 10 percent), and Charli XCX’s “Boom Clap” zips 16-9 with 116,000 (up 55 percent). Florida Georgia Line’s “This Is How We Roll,” featuring Luke Bryan, slides 7-10 with 106,000 (down 18 percent).

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Overall album sales during this past chart week (ending June 15) totaled 4.6 million units, up 2 percent compared with the sum last week (4.5 million) and down 12 percent compared with the comparable sales week of 2013 (5.3 million). Year-to-date album sales stand at 112 million, down 15 percent compared with the same total at this point last year (131.5 million).
     
Digital track sales this pastweek totaled 21.5 million downloads, up 1 percent compared with last week (21.3 million) and down 16 percent stacked next to the comparable week of 2013 (25.6 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 551.1 million, down 13 percent compared with the same total at this point last year (630.5 million).
 
Next week’s Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2013 when: Kanye West’s “Yeezus” debuted at No. 1 with 327,000 and J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” entered at No. 2 with 297,000.