This is extremely misleading IMO. Yes illegal downloading has taken a huge toll on sales, but First week #s
have more to do with the strength of the fanbase more than anything else, while total record sales is more about the general public interest and casual buyers(this is where illegal downloading has been effective the most). This is evidenced by the fact that you'd
NEVER find huge debut numbers that represent 10%-15% of the total album's sales in the U.S (i.e: Britney's 1,319,100 debut is 13% of its total sales in the U.S), so this is like me using this methodology to say Taylor doesn't have Britney's longevity unless she sells 9 million in the U.S
.
That being said, I do find her numbers to be more impressive.