More details are surfacing on a direct-to-fan, do-it-yourself album release by country legend Dolly Parton.  The recent release, Backwoods Barbie, has now surpassed sales of 50,000, according to information shared with Digital Music News on Monday. 

Specifically, sales reached 50,894 on March 19th, based on data offered by Parton digital partner INgrooves.  The album was originally released on Parton-controlled Dolly Records on February 26th.

That would be considered a slow total at a bigger label, though Parton is probably keeping a much larger percentage of gross receipts.  Meanwhile, broader industry album sales remain depressed, a situation that is boosting Parton's chart rankings. 

And digital sales are convincing.  Of the total, 16 percent came from digital formats, at least during the first week.  That is considered high for a country release, according to INgrooves chief executive Robb McDaniels, though direct-to-fan delivery frequently favors digital formats. 

Parton is now slated to appear on American Idol in early April.  Artist2Market, the independent distribution division of Handleman, is managing physical distribution of the album.