Plus: Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” continues to surge in sales.
While total solar eclipse fever enveloped the U.S. on Monday, music fans were also busy buying eclipse-themed music in big numbers.
According to initial sales reports to Nielsen Music, sales of Pink Floyd’s 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon increased by more than 160 percent on Monday (versus sales a day earlier). Further, Bonnie Tyler’s former Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit from 1983, “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” climbed more than 390 percent in sales on Monday (versus Sunday).
On Monday, The Dark Side of the Moon -- which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1973 -- sold a little more than 1,000 copies across all retailers in the U.S., according to early sales reports. While that number may not sound substantial, the album typically sells only a couple hundred copies per day. As for “Total,” its sales ballooned on Monday to more than 18,000 downloads sold -- up from about 4,000 on Sunday, and 2,000 on Saturday. Typically, “Total” sells a couple hundred downloads per day when we’re not in the throes of solar eclipse-mania.