Decades after its release, Prince’s 1984 album and film soundtrack, “Purple Rain,” is seeing renewed momentum. According to Forbes, U.S. sales for the album more than doubled over a one-week period as it returned to multiple Billboard charts.
Luminate, a leading entertainment data and analytics company providing trends, behaviors, and insights across music, film, and television, reported that “Purple Rain” sold just over 3,100 copies in the latest U.S. tracking week, up from about 1,400 the week before — a 119% increase, according to Forbes. The outlet reports that the surge helped the album return to Billboard’s Vinyl Albums chart at No. 13 and the Top Album Sales chart at No. 38.
The increase suggests that many of the recent purchases came from vinyl sales. “Purple Rain” has remained a consistent favorite among fans of physical records and is often mentioned alongside albums such as “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd and “Legend” by Bob Marley & the Wailers as essential vinyl titles that stay on Billboard’s Vinyl chart, per Forbes.
Originally released alongside Prince’s film of the same name, “Purple Rain” became one of the artist’s most successful projects and his best-selling album in the U.S. The album has been certified 13-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), according to the association, representing at least 13 million copies sold in the U.S. at the time of its 1996 certification. The number of copies is likely much higher now.
One chart that the album has almost never left is the Soundtracks chart. It had most recently been at No. 14 but has now leaped to No. 6 and has spent 730 weeks on the chart.
While “Purple Rain’s” latest jump in sales does not appear to be tied to a specific promotional event or reissue, the rise aligns with steady demand for classic albums on vinyl and ongoing interest in Prince’s catalog, which Forbes points out.
Blending elements of rock, R&B, and funk, “Purple Rain” continues to be one of Prince’s defining works, having won Grammys as well as an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score with hits like “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “I Would Die 4 U,” and the title track. Four decades after its debut, the album remains a significant part of American music history and continues to attract both longtime fans and new listeners.
