A History of Albums That Went Platinum in One Week

Given the decline in album sales over the past decade or so, it's not often that you see an album reach platinum status in its opening week or in a week's time at all. These days, it typically takes even the biggest project at least two to three weeks, if not much longer, as the playing field has grown and digital sales are still trying to pick up where physical sales left off.

There was, however, a time when album sales prospered. By that, we mean a three-year-long streak when nine (!) albums sold one million or more copies in their first week or in a week's time shortly after their release. You can thank the boy band movement for that, along with a certain rapper from Detroit. After that, this phenomenon more or less disintegrated, though certain pop artists and rappers continued to impress with their numbers.

It's been more than a year since the last album reached this milestone in a mere seven days, and it's difficult to speculate whose release could be next. Will Taylor Swift end the drought with her new album, Red? We'll see. For now, you can click below to start the list of albums that went platinum in one week.

RELATED: A History of Songs That Debuted at No. 1
RELATED: The 20 Richest Rappers of the Past Year

Follow @ComplexMusic