Week Ending May 31, 2009: “Boom Boom Pow” Sets Digital Record

Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” becomes the first song in digital history to spend its first nine weeks of release as the most-downloaded song in America.

This tops a record set in 2005 by “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent featuring Olivia, which spent its first eight weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs chart.

“Boom Boom Pow” sold 220,000 downloads this week, bringing its total to 2,381,000. This week, it surpasses “My Humps” as the Peas’ song with the most paid downloads. (“My Humps” has sold 2,203,000 digital copies since its release in 2005.)

“Candy Shop” was the lead single from 50 Cent’s The Massacre album, which sold a staggering 1,912,000 copies in its first two weeks. No one expects a tally remotely like that for Black Eyed Peas’ album, The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies), which is due in stores next week. But it is on target to become the group’s first #1 album. The group’s last album, Monkey Business, debuted and peaked at #2 in June 2005.