LOS ANGELES – FEBRUARY 8: Grammy and Oscar-winning recording artist Prince performs the song … [+]
Getty ImagesPrince counts plenty of huge albums in his discography, but none have performed as well as Purple Rain. The soundtrack has sold millions of copies in the U.S. alone, and Americans are still loving the full-length, which contains some of the rocker’s most familiar songs.
Purple Rain continues to sell well in the U.S. to this day, despite the fact that it’s already moved a huge number of units, and it’s been around for several decades at this point. The title’s sales sum skyrockets from one week to the next in America, as interest in the project grows once again.
In the past tracking frame, Purple Rain sold another 3,600 copies in the U.S. That number is up considerably from the period before, when, according to Luminate, it managed to sell 1,500 copies.
Purple Rain’s sales count more than doubled from one week to the next, which is no easy feat for a decades-old studio effort. Prince’s bestseller experienced a 138% jump in purchases.
Earlier this summer, Purple Rain turned 40 years old. To celebrate the anniversary, a new Dolby Atmos version of the soundtrack was released back in June, and fans have been listening to it—likely on repeat—ever since. The album has also surged in terms of sales, as is reflected by its performance this week.
Purple Rain has been certified 13-times platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), meaning it’s moved at least 13 million units in the U.S., between sales and streaming activity—though it’s likely that most, if not all, of those are pure purchases. The title hasn’t received any new honors from the organization since 1996, so it’s likely that the actual number is notably higher.
Prince debuted Purple Rain on the Billboard 200 at No. 11, but that proved to be just the beginning for the set. After a month on the list of the most-consumed full-lengths in the U.S., it hit No. 1. It would go on to live in first place for 24 nonconsecutive periods, making it one of the most successful albums of all time.