Wow! A Huge Congratulations To Susan Boyle For Doing The Unexpected

POPEATER -- Susan Boyle, The 'Britain's Got Talent' star sold an astounding 701,000 copies of her debut album, 'I Dreamed a Dream,' in the U.S., giving her the best first week sales of 2009 and the best-selling debut album by any woman since Sound Scan began tracking in 1991.It's also the biggest debut album by any artist since 50 cent's 'Get rich or Die trying' in 2003

Her record label, Columbia, said Wednesday that 'Dream' has moved a whopping 3 million copies around the world in its opening week.

Also amazing is the way people purchased the album. Although digital sales have grown for years -- with iTunes being the main beneficiary -- consumers headed back to the record store for Boyle's debut.

Columbia chairman Steve Barnett told the New York Times that only about 39,000 of Ms. Boyle's total in the United States were sold through iTunes. Consumers could also purchase the album on shopping network QVC.

"The reason that this record really did what it did," Mr. Barnett told the Times, "was that people wanted to get it and own it, to feel like they're a part of it."

Before Boyle, the biggest seller of the year was Eminem's 'Relapse'

Source: http://www.popeater.com/2009/12/02/susa