As predicted, Beyoncé’s 4 has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 310,000. It’s the lowest first-week sales of her career, but not by much (2003’s Dangerously in Love did 317,000). More tellingly, it’s the third-best first-week sales of the year, after Lady Gaga (1.1 million) and Adele (351,000). Congratulations, Beyoncé! You are the first person to launch a hit album by eschewing a big radio single in favor of just running around surprising people all the time. [Billboard]
