'MDNA' gives Madonna biggest album debut of 2012

Madonna scored her eighth number-one on the Billboard Top 200 album chart with her latest release, 'MDNA.'
According to Nielsen SoundScan, the 53-year-old pop icon sold 359,000 units, giving her the biggest album debut of 2012.
This also marks the Material Girl's fifth consecutive studio album to reach the top of the charts.
Billboard's Keith Caulfied says the only female with more number-one albums is Barbra Streisand with nine.
Although Madonna showcased her first single, 'Give Me All Your Luvin'' in a slicky-produced halftime show at the Super Bowl in February, she's kept a low profile in the weeks leading up to the album's release. She made a brief surprise visit to Miami's Ultra Festival on March 24. The only interview she gave in support of 'MDNA' was a live Facebook chat with Jimmy Fallon.
But album sales did receive an additional boost by fans who bought tickets to her upcoming world tour, which kicks off May 29 with two shows in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ticket-buyers were given an option to purchase the album in a bundle with their concert tickets. These album sales were folded into the SoundScan tally.
By contrast, veteran pop star Lionel Richie landed at number-two on this week's Billboard Top 200 with his new album, 'Tuskegee,' which was heavily promoted on television and sold 199,000 units.

From edition.cnn.com - thanks to Jonathan

Comments

[Paul]

The only reason the album was even that high was because she gave a copy away with every ticket purchase for her tour and Billboard counted that. LOL. Smoke and mirrors.

[Tina]

@Fitsy: I agree with you again! 'M.D.N.A.' has plummeted to #7 on the UK charts this week after just one week at #1, although this is better than the mid-week charts which indicated the album falling out of the top ten completely...!

Could this turn out to be the first album (in the UK at least - where her fans have been uber-loyal) without a true hit single from it?

'GMAYL' barely scraped the UK top 40 for one week, 'Masterpiece' is all but out of the UK Top 100, after a peak position of #68... and where is the promotion for 'GGW', despite there already being talk of 'Gang Bang' as the next single???!!!!

Surely this must go down in history as one of the most badly-managed album/single releases/promotions for a major star? Even the tour promotion is lacklustre, imho...

Guy - are you reading?
Liz - are you reading?
Interscope - are you reading?
Live Nation - are you reading
M - are YOU reading?

[Fitsy]

MDNA, its debut was 749,000 globally in 1 week. That isnt that great. Guy Oseary seems NOT to be listening to criticism of the promotion of the album or the singles. Doesnt look like there is going to be any promotion of the singles or the album, its all about the tour. Thats where the money is. I doubt by going to see Madonna's tour, folks will go buy the album, many people just cant affird her ticket prices, shes alienating a huge core portion of her market thus hurting her record sales and in the end, the chart placings. And they really do not care about the singles sales or chart positions. Such a shame, looks like Madonna isnt going to get her 14th UK number 1 single from this decade. And thats a real shame. 13 is obviously unlucky for her.

[vanka]

Amazing. No one's gonna stop her!!

[Trish]

Our Queen and the magic she posses!!