music-mix.ew.com
Turns out Katy Perry was right: She is a champion, as she sings on the chorus of “Roar,” and she’s on track to move 525,000 downloads of her latest mega-single, compared with 200,000 to 225,000 sales expected for Lady Gaga’s “Applause,” Billboard reports.
Gaga and Perry weren’t planning to go head-to-head like this, but when both their new singles leaked online last weekend, everyone wondered: Which diva would come out on top? While Billboard‘s initial projections had the singers neck-and-neck — even suggesting both could surpass a half-million sales in what would have been a chart record — Gaga’s sales stalled around 200K, while Perry’s prospects soared.
If Perry hits 525,000 as expected, it will be her biggest digital-sales week yet; “Firework” holds that record now, moving 509,000 downloads in the week after Christmas 2010. Gaga’s previous high is identical: “Born This Way” sold 509,000 downloads in its second week of release in 2011.
The real test for Perry and Gaga will be when their new albums hit shelves. Perry’s Prism is due Oct. 22, while Gaga’s ARTPOP arrives Nov. 11.