'American Idol' Winner David Cook Debuts at Number Three

Zap2It.com | November 26, 2008

David Cook

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Beyonce and Nickleback outsell David Cook

David Cook may have won "American Idol," but he couldn't top Beyonce on the Billboard charts.

Cook's self-titled debut sold 279,578 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

A swiftly tossed together press release boasts that Cook's album was the bestselling debut from an "Idol" winner since 2006. Yes, savvy readers, that mostly means Cook outsold 2007 "Idol" winner Jordin Sparks, whose self-titled debut moved only 119,000 units in its first week.

At least Cook can celebrate topping the digital album chart, with 58,713 sold, the most ever for a debut artist.

Meanwhile, the Beyonce double-disc "I Am... Sasha Fierce" sold 482,000 copies in its first week in release, better than the first frame for her 2003 debut "Dangerously in Love," but short of the figures for 2006's "B-Day."

Second place for the weekend went to Nickelback, which sold 326,000 copies of "Dark Horse."