--- title: Taylor Swift: 1989 Is the Fastest-Selling Album in Over 10 Years description: The album hit 5 million in U.S. sales canonical: https://time.com/3950482/taylor-swift-1989-fastest-selling-album/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-08T22:48:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:26:04.120Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Taylor Swift's '1989' Is the Fastest-Selling Album in More than a Decade og:description: The album hit 5 million in U.S. sales og:url: https://time.com/3950482/taylor-swift-1989-fastest-selling-album/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3995dd8160c164b/698859e45f570fa13ab1c55c/taylor-swift-1989-mic.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Taylor Swift at the 1989 World tour in Dublin on June 30, 2015. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Taylor Swift's '1989' Is the Fastest-Selling Album in More than a Decade twitter:description: The album hit 5 million in U.S. sales twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3995dd8160c164b/698859e45f570fa13ab1c55c/taylor-swift-1989-mic.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Taylor Swift's _1989_ Is the Fastest-Selling Album in More than a Decade > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: The Power of Taylor Swift [Watch (HLS stream): The Power of Taylor Swift](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mUgZx3qP.m3u8) (2:04)  _Published 2015-06-22. One day after Taylor Swift publicly blasted Apple Music for not paying artists during the service’s free, three-month trial period, Apple reversed its position_ by [Keith Caulfield / Billboard](https://time.com/author/billboard/) ## Keith Caulfield / Billboard Contributor Jul 8, 2015 10:48 PM UTC by [Keith Caulfield / Billboard](https://time.com/author/billboard/) ## Keith Caulfield / Billboard Contributor Jul 8, 2015 10:48 PM UTC [Taylor Swift](http://www.billboard.com/artist/371422/taylor-swift/chart)’s mega-selling _1989_ album continues to be unstoppable. The album has now surpassed five million in U.S. sales, according to Nielsen Music, making it the fastest seller to reach that plateau in more than 10 years. _1989_ crossed the 5 million mark in the week ending July 5, with another 26,000 sold (its total now stands at 5.015 million). The album reaches the milestone in only its 36th week of release — the speediest climb to 5 million since the week ending Aug. 1, 2004, when [Usher](http://www.billboard.com/artist/430708/usher/chart)’s _Confessions_ hit 5 million in only its 19th week on sale. _1989_ is Swift’s third album to sell 5 million copies, following _Fearless_ (released in 2008) and her self-titled debut (released in 2006). They’ve sold 6.95 million and 5.52 million, respectively, to-date. This is also the most recently released album to sell 5 million since [Adele](http://www.billboard.com/artist/278035/adele/chart)’s _21_powered through 5 million in its 42nd week (Dec. 11, 2011); _21_ has sold 11.1 million. On the latest [Billboard 200](http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200) albums chart (dated July 18), _1989_ spends its 36th consecutive week in the top 10 (rising 4-3). The last album to rack up its first 36 chart weeks in the top 10 was Adele’s _21_, which didn’t vacate the region until its 79th chart week (dated Sept. 8, 2012). _This_ [_article_](http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/6620404/taylor-swifts-1989-hits-5-million-in-us-sales-making-it-the-fastest-selling) _originally appeared on_ [_Billboard_](http://www.billboard.com/)_._ _More from Billboard:_ * [Taylor Swift’s ‘Blank Space’ the Fastest Video to Reach 1 Billion Views on Vevo](http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6620177/taylor-swift-blank-space-fastest-billion-views-vevo) * [Teen Choice Awards 2015 Nominations: Taylor Swift & One Direction Lead Second Wave of Noms](http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6620382/teen-choice-awards-2015-nominations-taylor-swift-one-direction) * [Wiz Khalifa’s ‘See You Again’ Still the No. 1 Song of the Summer… So Far](http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/6620259/wiz-khalifas-see-you-again-still-the-no-1-song-of-the-summer-so-far) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Taylor Swift has twice been on Time's list of the 100 public figures that have made the most global impact. That's more times than many of her contemporaries in pop music. But then again, Taylor Swift is more than just Still singing. Most abnormal thing about my life is having sort of crowds form everywhere you go. When Taylor announced that she was moving from country music to pop with the release of her fifth album 1989, she risked alienating her fans. But far from that, Taylor continued her record of chart dominance. 1989 was her third consecutive album to sell more than a million copies in it's first week. A feat no other artist has ever achieved. [ MUSIC ] Nightmare dressed like a daydream. Aah! And proves her fans are fiercely loyal. She has them to thank for refusing to download leaked versions of 1989. It helps that she has a massive social media following. Over 50 million twitter followers. Taylor's sway among her young female fans has also helped her advocate awareness of feminism. In an era when many celebrities have disavowed the term, Swift openly embraces it. In order for us to have gender equality, we have to stop making it a girl fight and we have to stop being so interested in seeing girls try to tear each other down. It has to be more about cheering each other on. She has also championed fair pay for musicians Pulling her music off of Spotify because the streaming service has an option of free listening; And her open letter to Apple music asking to reconsider paying artists zero royalties for the first three months prompts even near immediate policy change. This isn't just about boosting her own coffers. Taylor has said she is able to support herself through touring, but she's concerned about newer bands or artists. As an advocate and a superstar who's deeply engaged with her fans, Taylor is way more than a singer. 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