HDD 7/28: Lana del Rey 108k/81k, Tyler 104k, Meek Mill 86k*

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

A THREE-WAY BATTLE ON NEXT WEEK'S CHART? OR A FOUR-WAY?

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Could we see a three-way battle for #1 on next week’s chart? It’s hella early, and the landscape could shift decisively in one of several directions, but right now Interscope’s Lana Del Rey, Columbia’s Tyler, the Creator and Atlantic’s Meek Mill all look to be competitive.

Lana quickly became one of the coolest acts in the pop world upon her arrival, earning major mystique and blockbuster sales in 2012 for major-label bow Born to Die; she earned a Grammy nod for a remix of "Summertime Sadness." Her 2014 set, Ultraviolence, hit #1, and 2015's Honeymoon was on track for a similar bow but was kept from a #1 debut by the Drake-Future mixtape. She continues to enjoy a huge, active social following (10m Instagram followers, 6.6m Twitter) and big streams.

Tyler, a co-founder of the Odd Future crew, emerged with a raw, confrontational hip-hop style around 2011 and scored Top 3 bows with 2013's Wolf and 2015's Cherry Bomb. With his substantial streaming presence, network of affiliated artists, knack for cultivating controversy and formidable online following (4.1m on Twitter, 3.5m Instagram), he continues to be dangerous.

Hip-hop veteran Meek Mill remains a vital presence, with substantial streaming stats (including 7.5m monthly listeners on Spotify), though rumors continue to swirl about his inner circle of career advisers.

Meanwhile, another possible competitor could conceivably make this a four-way race.

While forecasts vary, an additional wild card is Sony Latin’s Romeo Santos, whose “Imitadora” just knocked “Despacito” off its #1 perch at Latin radio. Santos, whose 2014 set bowed with 65k and has earned 430k TEA (with 1.1m tracks sold), has earned 750m Spotify streams and could benefit from the increased visibility of Latin hits in the wake of "Despacito" and J. Balvin's "Mi Gente."

Could that all add up to a four-way battle for #1? Stay tuned.

[Nick]

Hope Lana gets it.

[Choco]

Rooting for Lana by default.

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

NEW RELEASES: THE NEW BATTLE LINES

Saturday, July 22, 2017

It seems we will likely have a battle for #1 on our next SPS chart, but the race will narrow to two combatants: Interscope’s Lana Del Rey and Atlantic’s Meek Mill. Based on very early reads, the two titles look set to bow somewhere in the neighborhood of six figures. Of course, the landscape may very well shift before the chart goes final, so don’t touch that dial.

[Enigma.]

So much rooting for Lana now everyone in the US please stream it like crazy!

[HEADOFTHEPACK]

Lana pls.

[areyoureadytojump]

Kendrick added:

hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=307650

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

TOP 20: LABOR OF LUST

Lana Del Rey and Meek Mill remain in the lead, for now, with nearly identical full-week projections. But Tyler, the Creator closes in as a possible spoiler for #1 this week. After appearing out of the race over the weekend, sales and streams have picked up.

1. (*) Lana Del Rey (Interscope) 85-90k SPS, 60-65k album
2. (*) Meek Mill (Atlantic) 85-90k, 40-45k
3. (*) Tyler, the Creator (Odd Future/Columbia) 80-85k, 48-53k
4. Kendrick Lamar (TDE/Interscope) 50-55k, 17-20k
5. Jay-Z (Roc Nation) 48-53k, 28-32k
6. (*) The Descendants 2 (Walt Disney) 45-50k, 30-35k
7. Linkin Park Hybrid Theory (Warner Bros.) 40-45k, 28-32k
8. Linkin Park One More Light (Warner Bros.) 37-42k, 27-30k
9. DJ Khaled (We The Best/Epic) 35-40k, 3-5k
10. (*) Romeo Santos (Sony Music Latin) 33-38k, 25-28k

11. 21 Savage (Slaughter Gang/Epic) 30-35k, 5-7k
12. Linkin Park Meteora (Warner Bros.) 30-35k, 19-21k
13. Ed Sheeran (Atlantic) 28-32k, 9-11k
14. French Montana (Bad Boy/Epic) 27-30k, 6-8k
15. (*) Nav & Metro Boomin’ (Boominati/Republic) 25-28k, 6-8k
16. Imagine Dragons (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope) 25-28k, 7-9k
17. Khalid (Right Hand Music/RCA) 24-27k, 2-4k
18. Bruno Mars (Atlantic) 24-27k, 9-11k
19. Post Malone (Republic) 22-25k, 1-2k
20. Moana (Walt Disney) 22-25k, 9-11k

(*) Debuts

[Raccoon]

Tyler's album was good, better than Meek so I would want him to atleast catch Meek if he can't get to Lana

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

Interesting, More Life is not predicted to be within the top 20.

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

Billboard is including Tyler, the Creator in the mix for #1:

Tyler, the Creator, Meek Mill & Lana Del Rey All Vying for No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart\

7/25/2017 by Keith Caulfield

Plus: "Descendants 2," Romeo Santos & Linkin Park heading for top 10.

Meek Mill, Tyler, the Creator and Lana Del Rey are all aiming for No. 1 on next week’s Billboard 200 albums chart, according to industry forecasters. Those in the know suggest that Mill’s Wins & Losses could earn perhaps 90,000 to 95,000 equivalent units in the week ending July 27, while Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy might tally 85,000 to 95,000 and Del Rey’s Lust for Life could earn around 85,000 to 90,000.

For Tyler, Flower Boy would mark his first No. 1 on the list (he previously went as high as No. 3 in 2013 with Wolf). For Mill and Del Rey, it would be their second leader (following Dreams Worth More Than Money and Ultraviolence, respectively).

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The top 10 of the new Aug. 12-dated Billboard 200 chart (where Meek Mill, Tyler, the Creator and Del Rey will debut) is scheduled to be revealed on Billboard’s websites on Sunday, July 30.

Elsewhere in the top 10 next week, watch for possible debuts from the Descendants 2 soundtrack (with perhaps 45,000 units) and Romeo Santos’ Golden (35,000). In addition, Linkin Park is on course to return to the top 10 with its former No. 1 One More Light (40,000) and Hybrid Theory (35,000). On the Aug. 5-dated chart, One More Light and Hybrid Theory re-entered the chart at Nos. 17 and 27, respectively, following the death of the band’s singer, Chester Bennington, on July 20.

The first Descendants soundtrack debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2015, earning 42,000 units in its first week. As for Santos, if Golden starts as anticipated, it will grant the artist his third top 10 effort.

Next week's busy chart comes a week after the 10 was rather sleepy, where only one new album (French Montana's Jungle Rules) debuted in the region.

[Enigma.]

Soo exciting... I'm fine with Tyler getting it, the album is good. Meek Mill please no.

[singingrulebritannia]

Definitely rooting for the Tyler #1. On another note, I only just learned new Foster The People released this week too. Kind of fascinated to see how low that lands, 'cause boy, have they fallen.

[jma]

Jul 26, 2017 4:05:22 GMT -5 singingrulebritannia said:

Definitely rooting for the Tyler #1. On another note, I only just learned new Foster The People released this week too. Kind of fascinated to see how low that lands, 'cause boy, have they fallen.

Very weird they aren't even 20K SPS...they're new album is pretty good, I prefer it over Supermodel

[Deleted]

I think those numbers for Lana are way too small if you compare it to her previous albums
Born to Die is still near top 100 after 290 weeks!

[Ivy Leegue™]

LOL @ Meek Mill. Had no idea that he was even releasing. Bought one album of his a while back and was into him for a hot second but...nah. And Tyler?! FUCK no.

[areyoureadytojump]

Uh, oh Lana!

hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=307661

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

THE BIBLE'S LATEST BUNGLE

Sources inside Billboard confirm that the publication is planning to count in-front-of-the-paywall Tidal streams of Meek Mill's Winners & Losers in the album’s chart total—and the potential chart ramifications are already seismic. Bible staffers are apoplectic over the lack of leadership at the top of the publication and the refusal to address the most naked example of chart manipulation in recent memory.

These free streams generate no revenue and thus equate to free goods, thus making them ineligible for chart inclusion. Also, the presence of the album in front of the paywall opens the way for unlimited use of bots to drive up streaming totals, unencumbered by accounts or logins.

WWJD? What would Janice do?

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

^Yeah, Tidal's streaming numbers have been notoriously non-credible. Hopefully, they'll be embarrassed enough by the revelation to not report those streams to Nielsen so that they won't be counted towards the Billboard 200. We'll find out soon ...

[areyoureadytojump]

Damage control

www.billboard.com/biz/articles/7881874/clearing-up-free-streams-on-the-charts

Clearing Up 'Free Streams' on the Charts
By Billboard Staff | July 27, 2017 4:30 PM EDT

We’re getting questions around whether Billboard is suddenly counting free streams for this coming week’s Billboard 200, seemingly due to some misinformation posted online. We’d like to take a moment to clear up any confusion that misinformation may have caused.

Free streams -- with “free” defined as streams a listener has accessed without having a paid subscription or as part of a trial period subscription -- have counted towards the Billboard 200 since it changed to a consumption model in 2014 where the ranking is determined by blending album sales, track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units.

Nothing in our process has changed for this week.

Billboard has always been transparent about the methodology behind the Billboard 200 chart, and you can read about our transforming to a consumption model here.

Billboard does not currently have in place any rule or rules dictating how an approved streaming chart contributor can present or promote content on their services. Nor have we placed certain considerations or restrictions on how we would count those resulting streams on our charts. By the methodology now in place, which was arrived at in partnership with our industry constituents (record labels, distribution companies, etc.), on-demand audio streams from approved contributors, whether in front or behind a pay-wall, or via a free, discounted or paid trial, all count equally, provided the streams are consumer-initiated “on demand.”

All of the above streaming variations are then put through an intense vetting process by Nielsen Music, which works closely with each streaming service to assure there are safeguards in place to guard against automated streams and/or excessive streaming from singular IP addresses.

When Billboard adjusted the Billboard 200 to a consumption-based ranking, we knew as an industry that we were moving into uncharted territory and would be facing new and unique scenarios as streaming continued to grow in influence. We have continuously adapted to that evolving marketplace and retail landscape to create new parameters and rules.

The debate in treating free streams differently than paid/subscription streams is a valid one, as is examining how each streaming provider allows access to its service. Again, no changes were enacted this week, but when and if any adjustments are made on either front in the future, they will be communicated in advance to the industry to allow for proper preparation time.

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

^The streaming sage continues:

BIBLE BLUNDER UPDATE: EXTREME VETTING

Friday, July 28, 2017

We’ve been flooded with calls and emails about the Bible’s response to our piece about the inclusion of free streams on its chart, a reply that only underscores the cluelessness at the top of the publication. (See our initial story here.)

More fundamentally, it represents the falling away of its last remaining shreds of credibility. We never liked to admit it, but the fact has always been that you weren’t #1 unless you were #1 on Billboard’s chart. What this latest episode—and the Bible’s lame justifications—reveal is that the chart has become as irrelevant as the publication itself.

Antiquated rules continue to govern what kinds of physical and downloaded music can be counted on the charts, but no such vigilance applies to streams. Even a few Billboard staffers, who understandably wish to remain anonymous, have admitted they can’t explain it.

In their laughable defense, the Bible’s editors claim they worked “with label partners” on determining the rules, although we’ve yet to find anyone in the label world who was consulted on these seemingly arbitrary guidelines. If minimum pricing applies to physical and downloads, why not to these types of streams that have no revenue-generating component?

“An intense vetting process” is alleged with regard to potential gaming of the system with bots or other manipulations, but no detail has been forthcoming. The ostensible “safeguards in place” offer little assurance that the least tech-savvy intern in our office couldn’t circumvent them.

Everyone wants to do whatever’s possible to maximize the chart impact of their releases. But without imposing these standards evenly to all platforms, we have a situation with streaming that's no different than handing out free CDs in the street.

Will the labels do anything about this, or are they still too worried about where Amato might put them on the Power List?

It’s a sad day when we have to be the voice of credibility.

[areyoureadytojump]

I'll be at a bbq tonight. Could someone please post the Final charts? Thanks!

EDIT:

hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=307710

Friday, July 28, 2017

CHART PREVIEW: ANOTHER PHOTO FINISH?

It's a tight battle to the finish line on this week's SPS chart, as Odd Future/Columbia's Tyler, The Creator and Interscope's Lana Del Rey battle it out for #1. Every unit is being scrutinized as we get to the wire.

Who will prevail? Don't touch that dial.

Note that Meek Mill would be in the mix for the top spot as well, but Tidal's rumored decision not to report numbers prevents a late surge by the rapper.

[areyoureadytojump]

New article:

hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=307710

CHART PREVIEW:LUST PREVAILS

After a tight ba ttle to the finish line on this week's SPS chart, it appears Interscope's Lana Del Rey will take the #1 spot with her Lust for Life, edging out Flower Boy from Odd Future/Columbia's Tyler, The Creator. Both titles finish with six-digit totals.

However, challenges may come from either side over the weekend.

Note that Meek Mill would be in the mix for the top spot as well, but Tidal's rumored decision not to report numbers prevents a late surge by the rapper.

[dbhmr]

Come through, Lana. Favorite album of the year for me, just over Lorde's.

[Nick]

BUILDING ALBUM SALES CHART

Chart Date: 07/28/2017

Status: Final

LW TW Artist / Album Label Sales Index % Change

-- 1
LANA DEL REY
LUST FOR LIFE
INTERSCOPE 81,637 --

-- 2
TYLER, THE CREATOR
FLOWER BOY
ODD FUTURE/COLUMBIA 72,438 --
-- 3
MEEK MILL
WINS & LOSSES
ATLANTIC 37,083 --
-- 4
DESCENDANTS 2
SOUNDTRACK
WALT DISNEY 36,468 --
13 5
LINKIN PARK
ONE MORE LIGHT
WARNER BROS. 29,952 255%
-- 6 ROMEO SANTOS
GOLDEN
SONY MUSIC LATIN 27,603 --
1 7 JAY-Z
4:44
ROC NATION 26,010 -59%
-- 8 IN THIS MOMENT
RITUAL
ROADRUNNER 20,498 --
25 9 LINKIN PARK
HYBRID THEORY
WARNER BROS. 19,984 222%
2 10 KENDRICK LAMAR
DAMN.
TDE/INTERSCOPE 14,682 -5%
31 11 LINKIN PARK
METEORA
WARNER BROS. 13,796 200%
-- 12 NINE INCH NAILS
ADD VIOLENCE - EP
THE NULL CORPORATION 13,512 --
7 13 MOANA
SOUNDTRACK
WALT DISNEY 11,754 -6%
8 14 CHRIS STAPLETON
FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 1
MERCURY NASHVILLE 9,611 -18%
9 15 IMAGINE DRAGONS
EVOLVE
KIDINAKORNER/INTERSCOPE 9,507 -19%
-- 16 SARA EVANS
WORDS
BORN TO FLY 9,195 --
-- 17 FOSTER THE PEOPLE
SACRED HEARTS CLUB
COLUMBIA 8,159 --
14 18 VOL. 2 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: AWESOME MIX, VOL. 2
SOUNDTRACK
HOLLYWOOD 7,974 0%
12 19 TROLLS
SOUNDTRACK
RCA 7,910 -7%
3 20 KIDZ BOP 35
KIDZ BOP KIDS
RAZOR & TIE 7,606 -50%
5 21 ED SHEERAN
DIVIDE
ATLANTIC 7,535 -49%
-- 22 LINKIN PARK
MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
WARNER BROS. 6,671 --
16 23 CHRIS STAPLETON
TRAVELLER
MERCURY NASHVILLE 6,624 -9%
28 24 HARRY STYLES
HARRY STYLES
COLUMBIA 6,445 30%
20 25 NOW 62
VARIOUS ARTISTS
NOW 6,419 -3%
38 26 ZAC BROWN BAND
WELCOME HOME
SOUTHERN GROUND/ATLANTIC 6,410 66%
-- 27 NAV & METRO BOOMIN
PERFECT TIMING
XO/BOOMINATI/REPUBLIC 6,378 --
-- 28 DAMIAN JR. GONG MARLEY
STONY HILL
TUFF GONG 6,378 --
19 29 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: AWESOME MIX, VOL. 1
SOUNDTRACK
HOLLYWOOD 6,314 -8%
-- 30 LINKIN PARK
LIVING THINGS
WARNER BROS. 6,297 --
18 31 HAMILTON
ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST
UPTOWN/ATLANTIC 6,168 -11%
22 32 NOW COUNTRY 10
VARIOUS ARTISTS
NOW 6,128 -2%
10 33 BRUNO MARS
24K MAGIC
ATLANTIC 5,829 -41%
24 34 THE BEATLES
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND [50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION]
CAPITOL 5,684 -9%
15 35 LADY ANTEBELLUM
HEART BREAK
CAPITOL NASHVILLE 5,352 -30%
26 36 21 SAVAGE
ISSA ALBUM
SLAUGHTER GANG/EPIC 5,055 -13%
30 37 LUKE COMBS
THIS ONE'S FOR YOU
SONY NASHVILLE 4,716 2%
21 38 BABY DRIVER
SOUNDTRACK
COLUMBIA 4,402 -31%
27 39 DJ KHALED
GRATEFUL
WE THE BEST/EPIC 4,104 -27%
37 40 KEITH URBAN
RIPCORD
CAPITOL NASHVILLE 4,049 0%
6 41 FRENCH MONTANA
JUNGLE RULES
BAD BOY/EPIC 3,984 -73%
45 42 SZA
CTRL
TDE/RCA 3,883 14%
11 43 KATY PERRY
WITNESS
CAPITOL 3,709 -59%
34 44 LORDE
MELODRAMA
LAVA/REPUBLIC 3,385 -22%
33 45 2 CHAINZ
PRETTY GIRLS LIKE TRAP MUSIC
DEF JAM 3,342 -25%
47 46 BRETT YOUNG
BRETT YOUNG
BIG MACHINE/BMLG 3,316 3%
50 47 BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS
LEGEND
ISLAND 3,260 7%
36 48 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
SOUNDTRACK
WALT DISNEY 3,220 -21%
44 49 BEYONCE
LEMONADE
COLUMBIA 2,832 -18%
-- 50 THE WEEKND
STARBOY
XO/REPUBLIC 2,788 11%

[Nick]

SALES PLUS STREAMING CHART

Chart Date: 07/28/2017

Status: Final

LW TW Artist / Album Label SPS Index % Change

-- 1
LANA DEL REY
LUST FOR LIFE
INTERSCOPE 108,621 --

-- 2
TYLER, THE CREATOR
FLOWER BOY
ODD FUTURE/COLUMBIA 104,311 --
-- 3
MEEK MILL
WINS & LOSSES
ATLANTIC 86,623 --
2 4
KENDRICK LAMAR
DAMN.
TDE/INTERSCOPE 52,584 -5%
-- 5
DESCENDANTS 2
SOUNDTRACK
WALT DISNEY 49,859 --
30 6 LINKIN PARK
ONE MORE LIGHT
WARNER BROS. 45,692 215%
-- 7 LINKIN PARK
METEORA
WARNER BROS. 45,078 486%
1 8 JAY-Z
4:44
ROC NATION 43,790 -52%
19 9 LINKIN PARK
HYBRID THEORY
WARNER BROS. 41,306 114%
-- 10 ROMEO SANTOS
GOLDEN
SONY MUSIC LATIN 39,486 --
4 11 DJ KHALED
GRATEFUL
WE THE BEST/EPIC 37,981 -20%
5 12 21 SAVAGE
ISSA ALBUM
SLAUGHTER GANG/EPIC 34,032 -17%
6 13 ED SHEERAN
DIVIDE
ATLANTIC 33,432 -18%
-- 14 LINKIN PARK
MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
WARNER BROS. 30,057 --
-- 15 NAV & METRO BOOMIN
PERFECT TIMING
XO/BOOMINATI/REPUBLIC 30,053 --
8 16 MOANA
SOUNDTRACK
WALT DISNEY 29,503 -2%
7 17 IMAGINE DRAGONS
EVOLVE
KIDINAKORNER/INTERSCOPE 29,421 -18%
9 18 KHALID
AMERICAN TEEN
RIGHT HAND MUSIC/RCA 27,211 -4%
3 19 FRENCH MONTANA
JUNGLE RULES
BAD BOY/EPIC 27,122 -48%
13 20 POST MALONE
STONEY
REPUBLIC 26,106 2%
12 21 CALVIN HARRIS
FUNK WAV BOUNCES VOL. 1
COLUMBIA 25,654 -6%
10 22 BRUNO MARS
24K MAGIC
ATLANTIC 24,844 -12%
11 23 DRAKE
MORE LIFE
YMCMB/REPUBLIC 24,692 -11%
17 24 SHAWN MENDES
ILLUMINATE
ISLAND 23,349 5%
-- 25 IN THIS MOMENT
RITUAL
ROADRUNNER 22,919 --
15 26 SZA
CTRL
TDE/RCA 22,039 -4%
14 27 2 CHAINZ
PRETTY GIRLS LIKE TRAP MUSIC
DEF JAM 20,631 -18%
18 28 MIGOS
CULTURE
QUALITY CONTROL 18,954 -6%
20 29 TROLLS
SOUNDTRACK
RCA 18,619 1%
21 30 THE WEEKND
STARBOY
XO/REPUBLIC 17,611 -4%
24 31 THE CHAINSMOKERS
MEMORIES...DO NOT OPEN
DISRUPTOR/COLUMBIA 16,509 1%
23 32 HALSEY
HOPELESS FOUNTAIN KINGDOM
ASTRALWERKS 16,165 -3%
22 33 HAMILTON
ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST
UPTOWN/ATLANTIC 15,955 -6%
-- 34 NINE INCH NAILS
ADD VIOLENCE - EP
THE NULL CORPORATION 15,383 --
28 35 CHRIS STAPLETON
TRAVELLER
MERCURY NASHVILLE 14,594 -1%
41 36 HARRY STYLES
HARRY STYLES
COLUMBIA 14,271 24%
27 37 FUTURE
FUTURE
FREEBANDZ/EPIC 14,029 -10%
29 38 TRAVIS SCOTT
BIRDS IN THE TRAP SING MCKNIGHT
EPIC 13,613 -8%
35 39 LUKE COMBS
THIS ONE'S FOR YOU
SONY NASHVILLE 13,471 5%
26 40 CHRIS STAPLETON
FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 1
MERCURY NASHVILLE 13,460 -15%
34 41 CHILDISH GAMBINO
AWAKEN MY LOVE
GLASSNOTE 13,349 2%
33 42 DRAKE
VIEWS
YMCMB/REPUBLIC 12,945 -6%
43 LINKIN PARK
LIVING THINGS
WARNER BROS. 12,697 --
31 44 PLAYBOI CARTI
PLAYBOI CARTI
AWGE/INTERSCOPE 12,626 -12%
39 45 KEITH URBAN
RIPCORD
CAPITOL NASHVILLE 12,508 6%
38 46 LOGIC
EVERYBODY
DEF JAM 12,505 4%
-- 47 FOSTER THE PEOPLE
SACRED HEARTS CLUB
COLUMBIA 12,023 --
44 48 SAM HUNT
MONTEVALLO
MCA NASHVILLE 11,730 8%
36 49 RUSS
THERE'S REALLY A WOLF
COLUMBIA 11,332 -8%
16 50 COLDPLAY
KALEIDOSCOPE - EP
PARLOPHONE UK 11,084 -51%

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

We'll see what happens on Sunday. For now:

CHART STORY: LUST CONQUERS ALL

Friday, July 28, 2017

Following a heated three-way race to #1, Interscope siren Lana Del Rey comes out on top of the Sales Plus Streaming (SPS) Chart with more than 108k for Lust for Life, which was propelled by strong online consumer purchasing.

[Editor’s Note: Why, yes, we did in fact giggle while writing the phrase, “heated three-way.”]

Odd Future/Columbia’s Tyler, The Creator—another beneficiary of powerful online consumer purchasing—debuts at #2 with an impressive 104k for Flower Boy, which puts him right on Lana’s heels.

However, at press time, challenges regarding the final numbers are coming from both sides.

Atlantic’s Meek Mill, on the other hand, ruffled some feathers when Wins & Losses, which bows at #3 with nearly 87k, was put up in front of Tidal’s paywall. Counting these streams, as Billboard apparently plans to do, would represent a reckless and absurd acceptance of blatant chart manipulation. Remember: These free streams generate no revenue and thus equate to free goods, making them ineligible for chart inclusion. Also, the presence of the album in front of the paywall opens the way for unlimited use of bots to drive up streaming totals, unencumbered by accounts or logins. Knowing that—and since these streams were not provided to our chart partner, BuzzAngle Music—we are not counting them.

Then there’s Disney’s new Descendants 2 soundtrack, which rounds out the Top 5 with 50k. All is certainly right in the land of Ken Bunt (aka King of Soundtracks, and Best Friend of Mickey Mouse). The Moana set (#16 this week) is already around 1.3m RTD. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 has about 400k SPS domestically, while Beauty and the Beast nears the 500k mark.

As for the remaining noteworthy debuts, Romeo Santos’ Golden (Sony Music Latin) enters the chart at #10 with north of 39k, while Nav & Metro Boomin’s Perfect Timing (XO/ Boominati/Republic) comes in at #15 with around 30k.

Five Linkin Park albums appear in this week’s Top 50, as fans continue to mourn the loss of frontman Chester Bennington. The Warner Bros. band’s One More Light—released this May—leaps #30-6, while 2003’s Meteora (#7), 2000’s Hybrid Theory (#9), 2007’s Minutes to Midnight (#14) and 2012’s Living Things (#43) all re-enter.

When it comes to SPS marketshare, UMG leads with 40%, SME is #2 with 30% and WMG is #3 with 29%, while the indies trail with 1%.

Streeting this week are albums from Columbia’s Arcade Fire and Cultco/Hollywood’s Joywave, along with the first live album from RCA’s Cage the Elephant.

Speaking of RCA, Kesha’s Rainbow—her first studio album in five years—is not far off. The much-talked-about set, which houses powerful lead single “Praying,” is due 8/11 (via Kemosabe) and could hit six figures, based on very early indicators.

[forg]

Messy Meek Mill situation

Anyway, surprised to see Meteora did better than Hybrid Theory on the streaming side

[Enigma.]

YAYAYYAYYAAYAYYAYAYAYAAASSS LANA hope that's the outcome on Billboard as well

[Deleted]

Jul 29, 2017 1:52:53 GMT -5 forg said:

Messy Meek Mill situation

Anyway, surprised to see Meteora did better than Hybrid Theory on the streaming side

I'm guessing this is because Meteora has Numb, which has always been big on youtube even before Chester's death.

[kanimal]

Jul 28, 2017 20:00:07 GMT -5 Baby Yoda Hot100Fan said:

Atlantic’s Meek Mill, on the other hand, ruffled some feathers when Wins & Losses, which bows at #3 with nearly 87k, was put up in front of Tidal’s paywall. Counting these streams, as Billboard apparently plans to do, would represent a reckless and absurd acceptance of blatant chart manipulation. Remember: These free streams generate no revenue and thus equate to free goods, making them ineligible for chart inclusion. Also, the presence of the album in front of the paywall opens the way for unlimited use of bots to drive up streaming totals, unencumbered by accounts or logins. Knowing that—and since these streams were not provided to our chart partner, BuzzAngle Music—we are not counting them.

Wait...so is TIDAL not reporting the numbers (which is what the Friday afternoon post suggested) or are they simply not reporting them to BuzzAngle?

Two very different things.

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

^It seems the latter is the case. Tidal will probably report them to Nielsen, that, in turn, will report to Billboard and they will count them, unless they don't do it as they did three weeks ago when 4:44 was a Tidal exclusive. Billboard already wrote an article regarding their view on free streams as a consequence of the controversy (I personally feel that Billboard will end up changing their policy if Meek Mill's album ends up at #1 in the Billboard 200):

Clearing Up 'Free Streams' on the Charts

Interestingly when the Billboard 200 formula was changed to include streams and track digital sales, the only mentioned "All of the major on-demand audio subscription services are considered, including Spotify, Beats Music, Google Play and Xbox Music." They never actually mentioned whether they would only count the streams made within the on-demand paid model or would count any stream made within those services, paid or not.

Billboard 200 Makeover: Album Chart to Incorporate Streams & Track Sales