Industry magazine Billboard said 64,000 units of the album were digital downloads following a one-day sale of $1.99 on Amazon.com’s MP3 site.
Atoms for Peace, the rock group fronted by Radiohead singer Thom Yorke, claimed the second spot with their debut album “Amok” entering the chart at No 2, selling 50,000 units.
Mumford & Sons’ Grammy-winning album “Babel” fell from the top spot last week into third, while the same Amazon MP3 online sale that helped Mars also vaulted hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ album “The Heist” from No 16 to No 4.
Hillsong United, the band from Australian megachurch Hillsong, rounded out the top five with the album “Zion,” selling 34,000 units in its first week.
Three of the top four albums are distributed by independent companies rather than large conglomerates, the first time it has happened since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, Billboard said.
Alternative Distribution Alliance distributed albums for Atoms for Peace and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. RED Distribution released “Babel” for Mumford & Sons.
On the digital songs chart, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ cheeky rap “Thrift Shop” held at No 1 for the eighth consecutive week with 326,000 downloads, a 10 percent decline from last week.
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