Club. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold 3,229,000 copies domestically as of March 2009. Internationally, the album charted within the top five of numerous countries, including Australia, France, Norway, Sweden, and at number six in the UK. In Germany the album debuted at number five and charted for 46 weeks. In Japan, it debuted within the top ten, selling 34,910 copies in its first week. In Australia, the album was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It was certified triple platinum in Canada and platinum in Japan, Europe, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom; also receiving a gold certification in Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Taiwan. The Velvet Rope has sold an estimated eight million copies worldwide. Legacy Billboard commended it as "her most personal and intimate work to date", confronting "domestic abuse, AIDS, and homophobia with her most sexually explicit songs ever." Jackson stated, "That was a crossroads for me: sharing what I'd been going through personally and how I felt about what was happening in the world." Kyra Phillips of CNN declared it "difficult and very intimate", exploring "Jackson's darker side, her emotional break down and the secret that shocked the world." Regarding its content, Jackson said, "I’m sure it did alienate a lot of people, but that’s what I was feeling, and I wanted to write about it, so" I did." Jackson later stated: Ryam Dombal of Pitchfork considered it a pioneer of "the 'dark' and/or 'mature" pop album, saying, "the rebel record is now a de rigueur coming-of-age manoeuvre." City Pages called it a "gem" which foresaw "damn near every rhythmic trend of the decade: Timbaland's drum 'n' stutter, quick-stepping house, and walloping slabs of techno." Its innovation was cited as fusing "compelling jazz, folk and techno nuances" with trip hop and contemporary pop. MTV News also noted its "number of stylistic twists you might never associate with such a mainstream diva." In particular, "Empty" was commended for its theme of relationships via social networking, considered a prediction of subsequent technology. Eve Barlow of NME included it among seven albums considered "Perfect from Start to Finish", stating: "Jackson had already begun pushing the boundaries of sexually explicit pop but it’s The Velvet Rope that cemented her as a free, liberal voice for experimentation." Its blend of "new electro" and trip-hop was thought to "meld seamlessly"; its