Over on the Digital Songs chart, Eminem's "The Monster," featuring Rihanna, debuts at No. 1 with 373,000 downloads. It’s the biggest sales week for a song since September, when Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" bowed at No. 1 with 477,000. "The Monster" logs the largest sales week for any Eminem song since 2010, when "Not Afraid" debuted at No. 1 with 379,000.
"The Monster" is also Eminem's ninth No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart, tying him with Perry for the second-most leaders on the tally. They are both behind Rihanna, who now has 13 (counting her "Monster" collaboration).
Eminem has two more songs in the top 10 of the Digital Songs chart this week: "Survival" jumps 34-6 with 140,000 (up 240%) and "Rap God" dips 8-9 with 131,000 (up 23%). He's only the second act to have scored three concurrent songs in the top 10 this year, following Perry on the Oct. 19 chart.
Behind Eminem this week at No. 2 is One Direction's "Story of My Life," which starts with 305,000.
"Story of My Life" is the third song from One Direction to debut with sales of more than 300,000. It follows "Best Song Ever" (322,000) and "Live While We're Young" (341,000).
With Eminem and One Direction both debuting at Nos. 1 and 2, it's the first time since the Oct. 20, 2012, chart that the top two titles are both new entries. That week, One Direction's "Live While We're Young" started at No. 1, while Taylor Swift's "Red" opened at No. 2 with 312,000.
Lorde's "Royals" falls from No. 1 to No. 3 this week, selling 196,000 (down 12%). The cut spent five nonconsecutive weeks atop the tally.
Perry's "Roar" rises 8-4 with 141,000 (up 28%), Avicii's "Wake Me Up!" slides 2-5 with 140,000 (down 11%), and Passenger's "Let Her Go" zooms 13-7 with 139,000 (up 65%). It's the best sales week yet for the song and its first week in the top 10. "The Voice" contestant Cole Vosbury covered the song last week (Oct. 28).
Nos. 6 and 7 songs are missing (unless the Passenger song is supposed to be No. 6; then Nos. 7 and 8 are missing.
OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" descends 4-9 with 131,000 (down 14%), and Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" drops 5-10 with 123,000 (down 10%).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 20.4 million downloads, up 3% compared with last week (19.9 million) and down 5% stacked next to the comparable week of 2012 (21.4 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 1.07 billion, down 4% compared with the same total at this point last year (1.11 billion).
http://www.billboard.com/articles/ne...-billboard-200