Music

Taylor Swift will have 2014's first platinum album after just one week

by Tyler Munro

Last week we told you that 2014 was on pace to end without a single platinum selling album. This week, Taylor Swift has something to say about that.

Not only is 1989 on pace to be the first million selling album of the year; Billboard expects it to do it in its first week. For Swift, this continues the trend of total dominance on the charts. It’s her third straight album to sell more than a million within its first seven days on the shelf following 2012’s Red and 2010’s Speak Now.

Still, the fact remains: One album going platinum in the U.S. still marks a landmark low for the recording industry. By this time last year, five albums had gone platinum in the U.S., three of which join Swift to round out the top spots on this year’s charts: Beyoncé’s surprise self-titled, the Frozen soundtrack and Lorde’s Pure Heroine.

Taylor Swift might not be the hero the music industry needs, but she’s the one its got.

Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that 1989 is fantastic.