Apple iTunesA&M/Octone recording act Maroon 5′s sophomore album, “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long,” has broken the Apple iTunes Store sales record in its debut week.

The Grammy-winning band sold over 101,000 albums via iTunes in one week including more than 50,000 digital pre-orders that provided fans with two exclusive tracks and a Ticketmaster pre-sale offer.

“Maroon 5 fans broke an iTunes record, making ‘It Won’t Be Soon Before Long‘ the #1 most popular album upon week of release,” says James Diener, President of A&M/Octone Records, in the press release. “The band’s extensive fanbase has spoken: they clearly love the new album and special content exclusives available on iTunes.”

“This is an exciting milestone for iTunes with over 100,000 copies of ‘It Won’t Be Soon Before Long‘ sold during its first week,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, in the press release. “iTunes is thrilled to be the largest retailer in the US for this hugely anticipated album from Maroon 5.”

The iTunes Store features the world’s largest catalog with over five million songs, 350 television shows and over 500 movies. The iTunes Store has sold over 2.5 billion songs, 50 million TV shows and over two million movies, making it the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store.

“It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” is the follow-up to the multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning “Songs About Jane” and according to Levine, the new album is “sexier and stronger.” Recorded in Los Angeles with producers Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, Eminem), Mark “Spike” Stent (Bjork, Keane, Gwen Stefani, Marilyn Manson), Mark Endert (Madonna, Fiona Apple), and Eric Valentine (Queens of the Stone Age, Nickel Creek) the album promises to be a louder take on the pop sounds of the band’s first effort. “It’s definitely aggressive, upbeat and pounding,” says Levine.

Maroon 5 is Adam Levine (vocals, guitar), James Valentine (guitar), Jesse Carmichael (keyboard), Mickey Madden (bass) and Matt Flynn (drums). Their debut album “Songs about Jane” earned the 2005 Grammy Award for Best New Artist, has been certified quadruple platinum in the U.S. and has reached gold or platinum status in over 35 countries. The album has sold over ten million units worldwide. In 2006 the group earned another Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for a live recording of their international hit single “This Love.” Known for their commitment to the environment, Maroon 5 was honored at the 2006 Environmental Media Awards.

Source: A&M/Octone: http://www.octonerecords.com/