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Arctic Monkeys smash UK album sales record
The Arctic Monkeys, who first built a loyal following on the Internet, smashed the British record for the fastest-selling debut album on January 29.
The Sheffield rockers, who have already had two number one singles, released their album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" on January 23. It has since sold over 363,700 copies.
The Arctic Monkeys played their first gigs in 2003, handing out their demos to fans who posted them on a Web site, before signing with the independent label Domino.
A spokesman for the company said they were very proud.
"A band like this comes along maybe once every 10 years and I think their words and energy has struck a cord with the British public," the spokesman told Reuters.
The British record for the fastest-selling debut album was previously held by talent-show group Hearsay's debut "Popstars" which sold 306,631 in its first week in March 2001.
The record tops a successful week for the Arctic Monkeys, who were nominated on Tuesday for four top prizes at next month's NME awards.
Despite their success however, the group did not manage to maintain their grip on the top of the UK singles charts and were replaced by "Nasty Girl," a posthumous release by the late New York rapper Notorious BIG.
The Arctic Monkeys' entry "When the Sun Goes Down" dropped down to second, according to the Official UK Charts Company.
The group achieved a surprise No. 1 at the end of October with "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor."
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