For the first time ever, Amazon released the rankings of its most downloaded and purchased music in history, going back to when the company began its Amazon MP3 service in 2007.
British singer-songwriter Adele’s soulful vocals propelled her album “21” to the most purchased CD, compared to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” taking the crown for most downloaded album over the past six years.
Meanwhile, Carly Rae Jepsen’s peppy “Call Me Maybe” has been the most-downloaded single from Amazon MP3, probably because people hope that by listening to it, they might finally be able to get it out of their head.
Daft Punk’s much-anticipated “Random Access Memories” topped Amazon’s CD charts for 2013, while Teagan and Sara’s “Heartthrob” took home the crown for most-downloaded album of the year. Robin Thicke’s controversial “Blurred Lines” was the most downloaded song of the year.
Conspicuously absent from Amazon’s charts this year are Seattle’s own Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, whose songs “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us” placed first and fifth on Billboard’s Hot 100 year-end charts.
Still, it’s not clear how well the charts work as a barometer of objective popularity. The “Big Mozart Box,” a 13-hour collection of the classical composer’s work, was the third most-downloaded MP3 album in 2013, behind Vampire Weekend’s “Modern Vampires of the City,” and beating out Justin Timberlake’s “The 20-20 Experience.” It’s one of the many collections that Amazon releases for bargain-basement prices, which may have driven its place up the charts.
For a full look at Amazon’s most popular music, click here.
