Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP 2" returns to the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200, shifting 120,000 copies in its third week (down 43%), according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the second week at the top for the set, which stepped aside last week to let Lady Gaga's "ARTPOP" open atop the list.

This week, "ARTPOP" moves to No. 8 with 46,000 (down 82%). It's the third No. 1 debut this year to decline by 80% in its second frame, following Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" (2 of 2) (down 80.1%) and Kanye West's "Yeezus" (down 80.3%). It's become more common to see No. 1 debuts dip by more than 75% in their second week, as increased focus is placed on first-week sales and pre-orders. That emphasis can drive debut sales to great heights, but also create situations where an album cannot sustain those front-loaded sales into its second week.


Aside from Gaga, Timberlake and West, we've seen seven further No. 1 debuts slip by 75%-79% this year.

Five Finger Death Punch scores the chart's highest debut this week, as its new "The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2" debuts at No. 2 with 77,000. It's the second straight No. 2 set for the act, which also debuted and peaked at No. 2 earlier this year with "The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell: Volume 1" (a career-high sales week of 112,000 in its debut).

The "Now 48" album holds at No. 3 with 63,000 (down 45%), as does the Robertsons' "Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas" at No. 4 with 60,000 (down 9%).

The new "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" soundtrack enters at No. 5 with 55,000. That's less than the 175,000 that greeted the first week of the first "Hunger Games" album in early 2012. It debuted at No. 1. The first "Hunger Games" soundtrack sported two contributions from Taylor Swift, which may have accounted for some of it its robust debut week. (Swift is not on the "Catching Fire" album.)

Daughtry's new "Baptized" album arrives at No. 6 with just over 55,000, securing the band its fourth consecutive top 10 studio effort (it's entire output). Their last album, 2011's "Break the Spell," debuted and peaked at No. 8 off a start of 129,000.

Rapper Yo Gotti notches his best week ever, as "I Am" debuts at No. 7 with 48,000. It's the highest chart position and sales week yet for the artist, who previously topped out at No. 12 with "Live From the Kitchen," which was released in December of 2011.

Kelly Clarkson's "Wrapped In Red" album descends 6-9 with 44,000 (though it's up by 6%).

Closing out the top 10 is Minneapolis radio station KTCZ with its new "Cities 97 Sampler, Live From Studio C: Vol. 25." The live compilation blasts in at No. 10 -- a record high for the long-running series.

It sold 40,000 copies in its debut frame -- the entire production run of the annual album. The set features live performances recorded at the station over the past year and 100% of the proceeds benefit local charities. (Due to publishing and label gratis licensing restrictions for charity albums, the production run of the album was limited to 40,000.)

The album features Passenger, fun. and Phillip Phillips, and was available exclusively at local Target stores in Minneapolis for $32.97. According to KTCZ, the compilation has raised $11.5 million for local charities since its launch in 1989.


Read more at http://www.billboard.com/articles/ne...zLquTfTFAXM.99
http://www.billboard.com/articles/ne...l-mathers-lp-2

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But this is the most tragic thing of the year tbh, hopefully she rebounds next era

Pleased that 1D's sales were not split due to being released an hour before the end of the recording period.

Poor Gaga though

HDD had ARTPOP at 51k tho

And death @ Billboard coming up with excuses for Gaga as always to make her drop look less tragic.

Gaga's number even worse than HDD.

46k? Lol im out yall

So exactly half of what PRISM sold second week then? Ouch. She'll always have her monsters though.

Mess at billboard making up excuses though. Afraid Gags was gonna start calling them out again.

Not even 50k for Artpop :-\. That's really tragic. And considering that next week is Black Friday discounts influenced, she already can be out of Top20.

Even less than HDD.

#1. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP 2 - 120,000 (1,123,000)

#7. Yo Gotti - I Am - 48,000 (48,000)

#14. Drake - Nothing Was The Same - 30,400 (1,129,000)

#30. Jhene Aiko - Sail Out EP - 12,000 (46,000)

#49. 2 Chainz - B.O.A.T.S. II #MeTime - 7,600 (172,000)

#52. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist - 7,200 (1,146,000)

#89. Jay Z - Magna Carta...Holy Grail - 5,200 (1,065,000)

#117. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city - 4,300 (1,091,000)

#132. Hopsin - Knock Madness - 4,000 (4,000)

#135. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP - 4,000 (10,777,000)

#144. Bun B - Trill O.G. The Epilogue - 3,700 (14,400)

#153. Eminem - The Eminem Show - 3,500 (10,279,000)

Gaga's tragic sales.

I'm so embarrassed for her. There's just no excuse for these numbers.

Wait

46k

Will ARTPOP even go gold

hihi

ouch, even less than HDD ARTPOP is way better than Born This Way though