iTunes UK

YE JOLLY OLDE iTUNES U.K. CHARTS: The week’s primary plotline, as manifested by the iTunes albums charts on both sides of the Atlantic, appears to be churning toward a different denouement in each country. While the battle between The Black Keys and Michael Jackson in the U.S. for the top spot on next week’s chart has been overshadowed by iTunes pre-order sales for upstarts 5 Seconds of Summer, British consumers are emphatically exhibiting their ongoing allegiance to to the King of Pop, while Nonesuch U.K. will be delighted if Turn Blue stays at #2. The fourth principal in this drama is Coldplay, whose Ghost Stories pre-order continues to percolate in advance of Monday’s transatlantic release. On the singles side, we had no idea that Rita Ora was this big in the U.K., while Ed Sheeran continues to move serious digi-units in advance of his next longplayer. We’ll take a comparative snapshot of the iTunes U.S. Top 10s later this morning. (5/16a)