People Still Buy Music: Mac Miller scores one for independents, guys in white undershirts
On Nov. 18, 1995, Tha Dogg Pound became the first group ever to hit No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart with an independently distributed debut record, Dogg Food. Now throwback indie rapper Mac Miller is the second act to do it with his first album Blue Slide Park, which performed slightly below projections but still sold 144,000 copies to rule this week's chart. To be clear, it's not that the 19-year-old Miller is operating without any help from the majors: His label, Rostrum, is distributed by INgrooves via Fontana Distribution, which is part of Universal Music Group. But this convoluted web of corporate sorta involvement still qualifies as independent in the view of Billboard, so congrats to Miller.
It's unlikely that Miller's reign at the top will last long, though, as Drake's Take Care is waiting in the wings to sensitively drop-kick it from the No. 1 slot. But even without Drake, Miller would still have to worry about crooner Michael Buble, whose holiday record Christmas lands at No. 2 after sales rose 38 percent from last week to 123,000; take note, because Buble's voice might very well greet you this year when you go home to visit the parents.
Other debuts this week include the Now 40 pop hits collection (No. 3, 119,000), the soundtrack to Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (No. 4, 105,000), Latin pop singer Romeo Santos' solo debut Formula Vol. 1 (No. 9, 62,000), and Il Divo's Wicked Game (No. 10, 61,000).
Rounding out the Top 10 are Adele's 21 (No. 5, 104,000), Justin Bieber's Under The Mistletoe (No. 6, 97,000), Susan Boyle's Someone To Watch Over Me (No. 7, 72,000), and Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto (No. 8, 70,000). [via Billboard]