Music
Metallica's 'Black Album' is still selling thousands of copies a week
by Tyler Munro
May 30, 2014
Metallica: Maybe you’ve heard of them? While they’ve become sort of a total absolute ridiculous laughing stock over the last ten years, they’re still one of the biggest bands on the planet. Tell yourself it’s because they co-founded thrash metal or because Professor Pigtails is the perfect surrogate for Jason Newsted, but the real reason is far more eponymous—Metallica.
Or, as you might know it, The Black Album. Because here’s the thing: nearly 23 years after its release, people are still buying it in droves. That it’s just crossed 16 million sales in the U.S. alone isn’t even the impressive part, and as the AV Club breaks down the math the realities are far more staggering. It’s shaky, since they’re building off the U.S. population sitting at 313 million and its actually nearing 319 million, but the numbers are no less mind-boggling.
“For reference, there are 313 million people in the United States, which means that approximately one in every 20 has purchased a copy of Metallicaat some point,” writes Josh Modell.
Crazier still, the album has spent 307 weeks (non-consecutive) on the Billboard charts; 20 this year alone. It’s the best selling album since Nielsen SoundScan was founded in 1991, the year of its release. In a sense, it’s like the sales tracker was crafted just to keep track of the band’s meteoric rise.
According to Billboard, it sold 3,000 copies during the week ending May 25th. It begs the question: Who are these Metallica fans that don’t yet own their most popular albums? In all likelihood, they’re kids. Second generation fans trying to be more like their super rock-dads.
Still, Canadians can be proud that Alanis Morisette’s Jagged Little Pill and Shania Twain’s Come on Over are quickly creeping up on on the arena metal classic.
