Madonna’s Decades-Old Album Jumps More Than 3,800% In Sales

by · Forbes
LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 25: Singer Madonna arrives at the Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan of ... [+] Las Vegas to host an after party for her Rebel Heart Tour concert stop on October 25, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sales of Madonna's Like a Prayer album soared more than 3,800% in one week after the singer re-released the set on a silver vinyl. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for ABA)getty

Madonna spent the summer enjoying the success that comes with having a song featured in the biggest movie of the season. The pop icon’s hit “Like a Prayer” was showcased prominently in Deadpool & Wolverine, including both the original, as well as a slightly reworked, choral version of the iconic tune.

“Like a Prayer” became a hit once again around the world, as moviegoers flocked to theaters to watch the latest Deadpool installment. Though the song is starting to drop off charts globally, Madonna isn’t done capitalizing on this moment of renewed interest.

The Grammy winner recently re-released her Like a Prayer album as a collectible edition, pressed on silver vinyl. Longtime fans rushed to purchase the special version, sending the album's sales soaring by several thousand percentage points, when compared to just days earlier.

Sales of Like a Prayer skyrocketed by more than 3,800% in the past week. According to Luminate, Madonna’s classic record sold just over 2,000 copies in the U.S. during the tracking period. In contrast, during the previous week, the album sold a modest 50 copies, before the special edition vinyl was made available.

Such impressive sales help Like a Prayer debut on two charts in the U.S. Despite being a massive success when it first came out in the ’80s, the album had never appeared on these particular rankings before.

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Of the two charts, Like a Prayer fares best on the Vinyl Albums chart, where it enters at No. 21. The album also makes its first appearance on the Top Album Sales list, debuting at No. 50.

Back in the spring of 1989, Like a Prayer shot straight to No. 1 in many countries, including both the U.S. and U.K. The album has since been certified four-times platinum in the U.S., having shifted at least four million copies over the years (though its actual figure is likely much higher) thanks largely to the single with which it shares its name.