Rock group starts in top spot while Brad Paisley, Eric Church, Tyga are among Top 10 debuts.
Rock band Paramore nabs its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart this week, beating out Brad Paisley, who debuts at No. 2. The former's self-titled set starts with 106,000 according to Nielsen SoundScan, while Paisley's "Wheelhouse" launches with 100,000.
For Paramore, it's the trio's first album since 2009's "Brand New Eyes," which debuted and peaked at No. 2 with a 175,000 start. The new album's lead single, "Now," slipped off the Alternative Songs chart this week, after peaking at No. 13 in March.
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"Paramore" is the second chart-topper for its label, Fueled by Ramen. The company earlier hit the top with Fall Out Boy's "Infinity On High" on Feb. 24, 2007.
Meanwhile, country super star Paisley -- who has yet to tally a No. 1 -- grabs his fourth No. 2 album with "Wheelhouse." (All four of Paisley's No. 2 sets have debuted in the runner-up slot.) He's now tied with Sheryl Crow for the most No. 2 albums without a No. 1. Crow strung together four consecutive No. 2 sets between 2002 and 2008.
With a 100,000 start, this marks Paisley's lowest opening week for a non-instrumental studio album since 2003, when "Mud on the Tires" bowed at No. 8 with 86,000. Since then, he's released five proper studio sets, including the new "Wheelhouse."
On the bright side, "Wheelhouse" rolls in at No. 1 on the Country Albums chart -- Paisley's lucky seventh No. 1 on the tally.
The album's lead single, "Southern Comfort Zone," topped out at No. 2 on the Country Airplay chart in February, while its follow-up, "Beat This Summer," rises 15-14 this week.
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Last week's Billboard 200 No. 1, Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience," falls to No. 3 with 98,000 (down 30%) while Blake Shelton's "Based on a True Story" is steady at No. 4 with 61,000 (down 25%).
Eric Church's new "Caught in the Act: Live" debuts at No. 5 with 61,000 -- the country singer's second top 10 set. It follows 2011's "Chief," which debuted at No. 1. Fellow country act the Band Perry slips 2-6 in their second week with "Pioneer," moving 56,000 (down 56%).
Hip-hop star Tyga bows at No. 7 with "Hotel California," moving 54,000 in its first week. His last album, 2012's "Careless World: Rise of the Last King," started at No. 4 with 61,000. He's one step above his Young Money label founder, Lil Wayne, who falls 5-8 with "I Am Not a Human Being II" with 42,000 (down 38%).
Rock band Volbeat nets its best week ever as its new album "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" starts at No. 9 with 39,000. The group's last album, its breakthrough set "Beyond Hell/Above Heaven," spent 110 weeks on the Heatseekers Albums. It has sold 225,000 and spawned three No. 1 singles on the Active Rock airplay chart.
Closing out the top 10 on the Billboard 200 is another rock band, Stone Sour, who arrives with its fourth top 10 album: "House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 2" (No. 10; 35,000). It follows "Part 1," which entered at No. 7 on the chart dated Nov. 10, 2012 with 31,000.
Over on the Digital Songs chart, last week's No. 1, Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man," drops to No. 6 with 166,000 with a 51% decline. Its sales surge to No. 1 last week (when it zoomed 4-1 with 340,000 - up 45%) was caused in part by a temporary $0.69 sale price in the iTunes Store. This week, without the discount in place, the song drops back to its normal level of sales.
Thus, P!nk's "Just Give Me a Reason" (featuring Nate Reuss) returns to No. 1 this week, stepping 2-1 with 283,000 (up 1%). Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Can't Hold Us" rises 6-2 with 208,000 (up 12%) after its performance on the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday (April 14).
Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" holds at No. 3 with 179,000 (down 28%) while Rihanna's "Stay" (featuring Mikky Ekko) rises 5-4 with 176,000 (down 15%). Macklemore and Lewis are in the top five a second time, as "Thrift Shop" slips 4-5 with 167,000 (down 21%).
Macklemore & Lewis is the first act to have two concurrent top five singles on the Digital Songs chart since Nov. 3, 2012, when Taylor Swift had a pair in the region.
Elsewhere in the top 10 on the Digital Songs chart this week, Luke Bryan's "Crash My Party" debuts at No. 7 with 164,000 (up 526%) after a full week's worth of sales. It's his best sales week ever and first top 10 on the Digital Songs chart. The song was released in the evening on Sunday, April 7 -- the same night her premiered the song via a performance on the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" climbs 12-8 with 127,000 (up 10%), Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" slides 7-9 with 124,000 (down 24%) and Icona Pop's "I Love It" (featuring Charli XCX) descends 9-10 with 116,000 (down 12%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending April 14) totaled 5.42 million units, down 4% compared with the sum last week (5.65 million) and down 3% compared with the comparable sales week of 2012 (5.61 million). Year to date album sales stand at 85.09 million, down 5% compared to the same total at this point last year (89.84 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 25.50 million downloads, down 10% compared with last week (28.31 million) and down 9% stacked next to the comparable week of 2012 (28.11 million). Year to date track sales are at 410.28 million, down 1% compared to the same total at this point last year (418.56 million).
Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2012 when: Lionel Richie's "Tuskegee" held at No. 1 for a second week, selling 114,000 (down 11%) while Jason Mraz's "Love Is a Four Letter Word" debuted at No. 2 with 102,000.