Ed Sheeran makes record album sales in Australia, and will now star in Game of Thrones

WE know Australians love Ed Sheeran’s music, and now there’s another reason to love him. He’s going to star in Game of Thrones.

ED Sheeran’s fans can’t get enough of the music megastar, who sold close to 100,000 copies of his new album in Australia in seven days.

And just fans they thought it couldn’t get any better, he has been confirmed to appear in the next season of Game of Thrones.

The British artist sold 97,014 copies of his album ÷ (Divide) in Australia last week; easily debuting at No 1 on the ARIA chart.

Ironically at No 2 was the album whose first-week sales record some felt Sheeran could break — Adele’s 25.

25 sold 126,063 copies in November 2015; after just three days on sale.

Both artists have managed to sell enormous quantities of albums in an era of plummeting sales figures.

Sheeran sold an incredible 672,000 copies of ÷ in the UK last week, just behind Adele’s first-week figures which were 800,307 and almost topping Oasis’ 696,000 sales in 1997 (from the pre-download and streaming age).

The UK singer has spent most of this year on a global promotional campaign to set-up the album’s release.

Ed Sheeran performs on NBC's Today in the US show last week. Picture: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

The album is also No 1 on the US chart with 451,000 sales, of which 322,000 were physical or download sales, the rest made up from streaming.

In Australia, streaming from sites such as Spotify and Apple Music only count as sales on the singles chart, not the album chart.

Divide’s popularity — and the new streaming rules — has created a very modern new record on the ARIA singles chart.

All 16 tracks on the deluxe version of ÷ have charted in the ARIA Top 40, and Sheeran has five tracks in the Australian Top 10 this week.

In the UK, all 16 tracks are in the Top 20.

The album, and its singles, have broken global streaming records and has helped lead hit Shape of You clock up nine weeks at No 1 in Australia.

Sheeran made ÷ available to be streamed automatically, while Adele held 25 from streaming for several months so fans had to buy the physical album or vinyl or pay to download it online.

Adele’s 25 record remains intact. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Karise Eden had four songs in the ARIA Top 10 at once after her Voice win in 2012, while four Michael Jackson songs re-entered the ARIA Top 10 after his death in 2009.

Their sales were achieved on downloads, however most streaming sites offer a free option so fans could stream Sheeran’s songs without paying.

Sheeran’s album is now his third No 1 in Australia and has already been given a double platinum accreditation.

All three of his albums are in the ARIA Top 5 this week, joined by Adele’s 21 and 25, buoyed by her Australian tour. Her first album, 19, is at No 12.

For comparison, last week’s ARIA No 1 album by the Waifs sold around 7000 copies.

This week while Sheeran was a No 1 on 97,014 sales, Adele’s 25 at No 2 was on 5858 sales.

Sheeran’s Australian sales were split evenly between physical albums and downloads; with 49,491 buying Divide online.

The news comes as Sheeran fans are in a frenzy over the news that the music star appear in Season 7 of Game of Thrones.

The show’s creator David Benioff told a South by Southwest panel that they had tried for years to land Sheeran as a surprise for GoT star Maisie Williams who is a fan.

Past Game of Thrones musical cameos have included members of Coldplay, Mastodon, Of Monsters and Men, and Sigur Rós. There’s no confirmation if Sheeran will be singing or performing, or if he will be instantly recogniseable.

ARIA’S BIGGEST FIRST WEEK SALES

164,973: Susan Boyle — I Dreamed a Dream (2009)

163,711: Just As I Am — Guy Sebastian (2003)

131,680: That’s What I’m Talking About — Shannon Noll (2004)

126,063: 25 — Adele (2015)

101,206: Damien Leith — The Winner’s Journey (2006)

97,014: Ed Sheeran — Divide

86,273: Pink — Funhouse (2008)

Originally published as Ed Sheeran makes record album sales in Australia, and will now star in Game of Thrones