Coldplay's fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, is likely to become the biggest selling album of the year, according to online retailer Play.com.
The entertainment website says it expect the four-piece's new release to achieve its biggest pre-sale order ever.
Customers have been snapping up copies of the Brian Eno-produced album at the rate of one every minute during peak times and it looks set to exceed the sales figures of the hugely successful Spirit, by X Factor winner Leona Lewis.
And while Violet Hill, the first single from Chris Martin and co, was released as a free download, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is currently receiving more pre-orders than the rest of Play.com's entire top 40 pre-order albums combined.
It has also seen 20 per cent more pre-orders than Lewis's Spirit had at the same point.
"People talk about the death of the music industry, but this proves that the right title can still break records," said Helen Marquis, Play.com's head of music.
"The new album should be the biggest of the year, but with upcoming new albums from the likes of Dido, Amy Winehouse, Take That and Oasis, this is going to be a phenomenal year for British music."
She added: "We have not seen an album pre-order to quite these levels before. The previous record holder was Leona Lewis."
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is released on June 12th.
10/06/2008 00:01:01
