Sk8er Boi-wed and pouty Canadian popster Avril Lavigne has landed in the No. 1 slot atop the Billboard 200 chart with her third album, The Best Damn Thing. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album sold 286,000 copies in the United States since its release last week, yet failed to trump 2004’s Under My Skin, which moved 381,000 units its debut week. In addition, Lavigne’s call and response single “Girlfriend” moved from the No. 3 to the No. 1 place on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Residing in the No. 2 place is Year Zero, Nine Inch Nails’ latest record, which sold 187,000 copies, Billboard.com reports. The album, NIN frontman Trent Reznor’s “state-of-the-union message,” which employed various marketing campaigns including T-shirt advertisements and free online album downloads, fell short of his 2005 effort With Teeth, which debuted with 272,000 copies sold.
On the Web:
nin.com
avrillavigne.com
Talk: Are the low numbers and high chart placements a sign that conventional music consumption is on the way out, or is this just a slow week?
