Taylor Swift Swipes Female Download Record; Haiti Tracks Chart

Taylor Swift breaks the record for best first-week download sales by a female artist as "Today Was a Fairytale" shifts 325,000 according to Nielsen SoundScan as it set to debut at No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, both to be released tomorrow morning. Ke$ha's "TiK ToK" will remain atop the Hot 100 for a sixth straight week.

"Fairytale," form the upcoming film "Valentine's Day," in which Swift co-stars, gives her the best Hot 100 start of her career and equals her highest peak, established with "You Belong with Me" this past August. Unlike "Fairytale's" quick ascent, "Belong" took 16 weeks to reach the runner-up slot.

Swift claims her first No. 1 on Digital Songs, having previously peaked at No. 2 with a pair of tracks; "You're Not Sorry" (November 2008) and "Jump Then Fall" (November 2009). The only higher sales frame posted by one of her titles occurred during Christmas week 2008 (Jan 10, 2009, chart date) when "Love Story" moved 360,000 downloads.

The prior mark for largest first-week download sales by a female artist belonged to Britney Spears, who moved 286,000 units of "Womanizer" on the chart dated October, 25, 2008. The biggest opening week for a track among all artists was established by Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" (465,000) in April 2009.

Tracks from the superstar Hope for Haiti Now broadcast sell a cumulative 334,000 in less than two days of availability, a sum sure to increase next week after a full seven days of sales.

Of the 19 available songs, "Stranded" by Jay-Z, Bono, The Edge & Rihanna (131,000) moves the most downloads, good enough for a No. 8 debut on Digital Songs and a No. 16 start on the Hot 100.

The only other track from the Haiti benefit to debut on the charts is "Hallelujah" by Justin Timberlake & Matt Morris featuring Charlie Sexton which sells 64,000 downloads and enters Hot Digital Songs at No. 24 and the Hot 100 at No. 48.