The highest-selling albums and EPs in the United States are ranked in the Billboard 200, which is published by Billboard magazine. The data are compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly physical and digital sales. In 2014, a total of 33 albums claimed the top position of the chart. One of which, American R&B singer Beyoncé's self-titled visual album started its peak in late 2013.
The soundtrack to the 2013 Disney film, Frozen was the longest-running number-one album of the year, staying atop the chart for thirteen non-consecutive weeks. Other albums with extended chart runs include Beyoncé's self-titled visual album, Ghost Stories by Coldplay, the Marvel soundtrack Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and 1989 by Taylor Swift; only three albums spent two weeks on the top position.
The Frozen soundtrack sold 165,000 additional copies in its sixth week upon its release, bringing its sales up to nearly 2.7 million units, becoming the highest-selling album during the debut week. Taylor Swift's 1989 sold 1.28 million copies in its first week, making it the second album with the highest sales during the opening week, since 2002 when Eminem's third album, The Eminem Show opened up with 1.3 million.
Between the weeks of December 6 and 13, the Billboard 200 switched from tracking pure album sales to album-equivalent units.
Chart history
+KeyIndicates best performing album of 2014 Issue date Album Artist(s) Sales/Album-equivalent units BeyoncéBeyoncé374,000 310,000 Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Soundtrack165,000 86,000 High Hopes99,000 Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Soundtrack93,000 94,000 Now 49Various Artists98,000 The Outsiders288,000 Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Soundtrack89,000 OxymoronSchoolboy Q139,000 Mastermind179,000 Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Soundtrack99,000 202,000 161,000 149,000 133,000 259,000 115,000 106,000 Now 50Various Artists153,000 Turn BlueThe Black Keys164,000 Ghost StoriesColdplay383,000 83,000 Platinum180,000 Lazaretto138,000 Ultraviolence182,000 x210,000 Trigga105,000 1000 Forms of FearSia52,000 Mandatory Fun104,000 5 Seconds of Summer5 Seconds of Summer259,000 Hypnotic Eye131,000 Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Soundtrack109,000 93,000 Blacc Hollywood90,000 My Everything169,000 VMaroon 5164,000 AnomalyLecrae88,000 Partners196,000 Cheek to Cheek and Lady Gaga131,000 Bringing Back the Sunshine101,000 Old Boots, New Dirt278,000 Anything GoesFlorida Georgia Line197,000 .5: The Gray ChapterSlipknot132,000 1989 1,287,000 402,000 312,000 FourOne Direction387,000 1989 Taylor Swift339,000 274,000 2014 Forest Hills Drive375,000
See also 2014 in music List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 2014 List of Billboard number-one country albums of 2014
References
External links Current Billboard 200 chart Billboard Chart Archives – Billboard 200 (2014)