Back in April we reported on the most depressing sales week in Australian chart history after US metal veterans Disturbed broke the record for the lowest selling album to go Number 1.
The record had previously been held by UK metalcore outfit Bring Me The Horizon after moving just 3,600 units back in 2010, but they were eventually bested by Disturbed with 2,140.
The charts managed to bounce back the next week thanks to a new album from Beyonce and the unfortunate passing of music legend Prince, whose catalogue experienced a massive spike in sales.
Besides, there’s been quite a few bright spots in this year’s charts. Despite some disheartening news, there were some big sellers by Aussie artists, including Violent Soho, who sold 9,799 first-week copies of WACO.
And now there’s even more good news to celebrate. This week sees the first time that two female Australian acts have claimed the top positions on the ARIA Albums and Singles charts since 2004.
More than a decade has passed since both major ARIA charts were topped by homegrown female performers, with Missy Higgins and former Idol contestant Paulini respectively hitting Number 1.
Delta Goodrem managed to knock the Red Hot Chili Peppers from the top of the ARIA Albums chart with her new album, Wings of the Wild, whilst The Veronicas dispatched Drake with ‘In My Blood’.
So not only do we have two homegrown female acts at the top of the ARIA Singles and Albums chart, but they both got there by knocking off two major international chart juggernauts.
What’s more, they got it by hustling old-school style. As News Corp reports, in addition to appearances on The Voice, Goodrem and The Veronicas each hit their own campaign trail.
They both made numerous radio and television appearances promoting their respective projects and spent time at in-store signing sessions and meet-and-greets around the country.
“It is an exciting day for Australian music, and I’m incredibly proud that three fantastically talented Australian women sit at the top of both the ARIA singles and albums charts this week…” said Sony Music CEO Denis Handlin.
“We’re beyond thrilled that ‘In My Blood’ has taken No. 1 this week. We’re lucky and extremely thankful to be embraced so warmly by Australia,” said The Veronicas in a statement.
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ARIA CEO Dan Rosen credited the recent success of the two acts to their promotional acumen, particularly their appearances on television, which can turn a song into a hit.
“We see that at the ARIA awards every year. Tina Arena’s performance last year had more than one million views and she went to No. 1,” he said.
“Traditional and digital media reinforce each other in these cases. You see people downloading songs and albums straight after an artist delivers an unbelievable performance to a mainstream audience.”
