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Jay-Z and Kanye Break iTunes Sales Record

'Watch the Throne' beats Coldplay for first-week sales in digital store

August 17, 2011 4:15 PM ET
watch the throne
Watch The Throne

Jay-Z and Kanye West's collaborative album Watch the Throne broke a record set by Coldplay for the best-ever first week sales for a new album in the iTunes store. Watch the Throne, which was available exclusively as a download in the iTunes store for most of its first week of release, sold over 290,000 copies. Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends sold 282,000 copies in its first week back in June of 2008.

The overall tally for Watch the Throne's first week sales, including CD copies that were released on Friday, is expected to land somewhere between 410,000 and 450,000 copies. Though the record has clearly performed well in commercial terms, it may take another week or two to fully assess the scale of its success as it is still being rolled out in different formats to a variety of retailers. The deluxe CD version, for example, is only available at Best Buy through August 23rd.

Related
Photos: Jay-Z and Kanye West's 'Watch the Throne' Artwork
Kanye West and Jay-Z's 'Watch the Throne': A Track-by-Track Breakdown
Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci Unveils Album Art for Jay-Z and Kanye West's 'Watch The Throne'
Jay-Z and Kanye West Avoid 'Watch the Throne' Leak
Video: Jay-Z and Kanye West Perform "H.A.M." Live in Austin

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