December 30, 2009

By By Silvio Pietroluongo, N.Y.

In what is traditionally a high-volume download week thanks to shiny new MP3 players under the tree and download cards stuffed in stockings, a sales mark falls by the wayside as Ke$ha?s ?TiK ToK? shifts 610,000 digital tracks for the week ending Dec. 27, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That?s the highest weekly sum by a female artist since tracking began in 2003, and the second-best overall after Flo Rida?s ?Right Round? sold 636,000 on the chart dated Feb. 28, 2009. Coincidentally, Ke$ha can be heard on ?Right Round? as she provided non-credited vocals on the track.

?TiK ToK? eclipses the female mark set by Lady Gaga with ?Just Dance? a year ago this week (419,000).

Ke$ha?s hefty download sum will ensure ?TiK ToK?s? place atop the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week when that chart is released tomorrow (Dec. 31). The song previews her debut album ?Animal,? which is set to hit retail on Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Here?s a look at the top five single?week download sellers along with the corresponding chart dates:

Flo Rida ?Right Round? (636,000) Feb. 28, 2009
Ke$ha ?TiK ToK? (610,000) Jan 9, 2010
Flo Rida ?Low? (467,000) Jan 12, 2008
The Black Eyed Peas ?Boom Boom Pow? (465,000) Apr. 18, 2009
Flo Rida ?Right Round? (460,000) Mar. 7, 2009

Subscribe to Billboard magazine today!