Prince sets three new records in US charts

Prince has set a new record with five albums concurrently in the Top 10 of the US Billboard Top 200. He has sold 4.1 million units since his death on April 21, in a mix of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

In the first full week of sales since his death, The Very Best of Prince is at #2 after selling 391,000 (up by 118%) followed by the Purple Rain soundtrack at #3 (up 117% to 150,000 units), The Hits/The B-Sides at #4, Ultimate at #6 and 1999 at #7 (a new high after it peaked at #9 in 1983). It is also Ultimate’s first appearance ever in the Top 10, giving Prince his 19^th Top 10 album in his homeland.

Prince has also set two other records this week. He has 19 albums in the Top 200. He becomes the first ever artist to occupy all positions in the Catalogue Top 10 charts. 

Billboard also points out that catalogue albums (released 18 months before) were only included in the Top 200 after December 5, 2009. If these had been allowed before, both Michael Jackson and The Beatles would have claimed five simultaneous top 10 titles that year. 

In the UK, Prince also stormed the charts after his death. The Very Best Of Prince was at #2, Ultimate at #3 and Purple Rain jumped 51 places to #4, the Official Charts Company said. In all, 14 of his albums were in the Top 100, with The Hits/The B-Sides at #13, Sign O’ The Times at #15 and 1999 at #28.

In other Prince news, the legendary black and white jacket won by Prince in the Purple Rain movie is expected to have higher bids than the asking price of US$6,000 to $8000 when it goes to auction in Los Angeles on June 29. He is sporting the jacket when he arrives on a motorbike to pick up co-star Apollonia Kotero to take her for a swim in a lake.

While the iconic performer and songwriter’s fans are obviously still in mourning, not so his family.

Earlier this week, eleven lawyers started to work through his personal fortune, as the star had not left a will. The exact value of his estate is not known but his music catalogue alone is estimated at over $500 million.

Initially six of his relatives began a grab for a piece of the pie. They were his sister, ex-crack addict and prostitute Tyka Nelson who organised his funeral and is demanding the major share, five half-siblings and a great-niece.

The siblings have interesting backgrounds. Half brother Alfred, 62, has lived in a veteran’s hospital since returning from serving in the Vietnam War, and has not had contact with Prince for 15 years.

Omar Baker, in his mid-40s, is a half brother from Prince’s mother’s second marriage and lives in a $1 million home owned by the singer.

There is also John Nelson, 68, and his elder sisters Norrine, 69, and musician Sharon, 76. They were related to Prince through his father’s first marriage.

13-year-old Victoria Nelson is the grand daughter of Duane Nelson, also from his father’s first marriage. Duane died in 2011at 52. He headed Prince’s security team until the star slapped a restraining order on him. (Another half sibling, Lorna Nelson, who died in 2006, fell out with the singer after she claimed that he stole the song U Got The Look from her).

A seventh person has now emerged, with Darcell Johnston filing documents in the superstar’s probate case. She claims to be a long-lost half sister, who shared a mother with Prince. TMZ says some members of Prince’s family were not aware of her existence until this week.

A number of Prince’s “love children” have also emerged.