TAYLOR’S FIFTH #1 IN SIX WEEKS

No, this is not the chart story you read last week. Taylor Swift’s staying power just happens to be a force to be reckoned with.

Big Machine’s Pop Princess and multiple Grammy nominee now goes #1 for the fifth time in its six weeks on the HITS Building Album Sales Chart with 228k (-18%).

In case you’re placing bets in what’s possibly the most angelic bidding pool for the largest record of the year come the end of this month, fellow multiple nominee Disney’s Frozen ST (#12, 34k, -43%) is currently at 3.3m YTD, while 1989 is at 2.7m.

RCA’s Pentatonix, who recently scored their first Grammy nom, continue to bring a cappella music to the forefront, as That’s Christmas to Me enjoys a second week at #2, duplicating last week's showing of 206k and soaring past Gold status.

By the way, the group’s previous holiday set, PTXmas, rockets #31-14 with 31k, up 29%.

Meanwhile, rock icons AC/DC bow at #3 with 165k for their new Columbia set, Rock or Bust.

And no, you didn’t hit the bong too hard. Pink Floyd’s famed 1973 release, Dark Side of the Moon, is indeed up over 850% with 36k, powered by its listing as a 99 cent album of the week at Google Play. The album happens to make the perfect present for under the tree. It also pairs well with tree.

Speaking of things found under the tree, holiday albums continue to sell, sell, sell this week. Warner Bros.’ Idina Menzel leaps #10-4, snagging 62k (+11%), while Reprise’s Michael Buble moves #11-6, raking in another 56k (+10%) and Sparrow’s Michael W. Smith and Friends re-enters the chart at #15 with 29k (+88%).

Capitol's Mary J. Blige enjoys a Top 10 chart debut with her 12th studio album. The London Sessions appears at #9 with 49k.

When we compare the SPS (Sales Plus Streaming) Chart, we find Taylor widening her lead over Pentatonix considerably, gaining nearly 44k thanks entirely to single sales, as she's not streaming anywhere. Meanwhile, singles and streams power Capitol's Grammy magnet Sam Smith into the Top 5 in SPS (he's #8 on the album chart), while SYCO/Columbia's One Direction moves #5-4. But the biggest beneficiary of an SPS tally is Columbia's Best Song nominee Hozier, who rides huge single sales and streams to a 23k gain and the #11 spot on the new chart (he's #35 on the album countdown).

Also making big gains thanks to singles and streams are Grammy nominees Meghan Trainor (+19k), Ed Sheeran (+18k), Beyoncé (+15k) and Ariana Grande (+14k), among others.

To pore over the sales chart, click here. The SPS Chart is here.