Billboard 200: 5/21/16: Drake #1 (1.04m/852k), Beyonce #2

[areyoureadytojump]

We'll get the SPS number on Sunday.

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7357991/drake-views-debuts-851000-sold-first-week

Drake's 'Views' Debuts With 851,000 Copies Sold in First Week in U.S.
5/6/2016 by Keith Caulfield

The official first-week sales figure for Drake's Views album has arrived. Views sold 851,000 copies in the week ending May 5 in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. That’s the best sales week ever for Drake, the biggest for any album in 2016, and the biggest for an album by a male artist in over three years.

Views was initially released exclusively for sale through the iTunes Store and to stream via Apple Music on April 29 by Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records. (On May 6, the album became available for purchase through other digital retailers and its physical CD was also released.)

The last album by a man to post a bigger sales week was Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience when it debuted with 968,000 copies sold in the week ending March 24, 2013.

Between Timberlake and Drake, the only albums to sell at least 850,000 copies in a week were Taylor Swift's 1989 (it debuted with 1.29 million copies sold) in 2014 and Adele's 25 (which logged three sales weeks of more than 850,000) in 2015.

Views is expected to secure Drake his sixth consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart dated May 21, when its top 10 is scheduled to be revealed on Sunday, May 8. 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 May 21 chart reflects album activity in the week ending May 5.)

Industry forecasters suggest that Views could start with more than 1 million in total equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 5. Its debut week unit total will be announced on May 8.

[THINKIN BOUT YOU]

Still not 1 million..

[onebuffalo]

May 7, 2016 0:26:58 GMT -5 THINKIN BOUT YOU said:

Still not 1 million..

85% of the way there. Not bad for today's sales climate.

[DJ General]

He will get a million with stream tho

[HolidayGuy]

^Which is terrific, but not an album-sales figure. :) The album-sales number is beyond terrific, too.

[jenglisbe]

May 7, 2016 0:26:58 GMT -5 THINKIN BOUT YOU said:

Still not 1 million..

Considering it's been 3 years since a solo male artist sold this much, it's still impressive. If he has another hit single or two to push the album, he could end up with the top overall seller of 2016.

[onebuffalo]

I just came from Billboard and they adjusted the figures to 852,000.

[onebuffalo]

May 8, 2016 8:02:42 GMT -5 DJ General said:

He will get a million with stream tho

You're correct. Just got this in my e-mail:

As expected, Drake’s Views album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with an explosive first week. The set earned 1.04 million equivalent album units in the week ending May 5 in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. Traditional album sales comprised 852,000 copies of that sum (a slight upgrade from the 851,000 that was previously reported).

[thabb]

May 8, 2016 14:22:48 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

May 8, 2016 8:02:42 GMT -5 DJ General said:

He will get a million with stream tho

You're correct. Just got this in my e-mail:

As expected, Drake’s Views album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with an explosive first week. The set earned 1.04 million equivalent album units in the week ending May 5 in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. Traditional album sales comprised 852,000 copies of that sum (a slight upgrade from the 851,000 that was previously reported).

is this their newsletter or what?

on topic: congrats drake! nice numbers

[onebuffalo]

May 8, 2016 14:28:44 GMT -5 thabb said:

May 8, 2016 14:22:48 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

You're correct. Just got this in my e-mail:

As expected, Drake’s Views album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with an explosive first week. The set earned 1.04 million equivalent album units in the week ending May 5 in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. Traditional album sales comprised 852,000 copies of that sum (a slight upgrade from the 851,000 that was previously reported).

is this their newsletter or what?

on topic: congrats drake! nice numbers

I get e-mail alerts in my inbox because I'm a subscriber to the Billboard Country Update. areyoureadytojump will start a thread for the top ten albums of the week.

[areyoureadytojump]

^I will? LOL. I just got done mowing the lawn...

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7358025/drake-views-debuts-at-no-1-on-billboard-200-charts-sets

Drake's 'Views' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart, Sets Streaming Record
5/8/2016 by Keith Caulfield

As expected, Drake’s Views album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with an explosive first week. The set earned 1.04 million equivalent album units in the week ending May 5 in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. Traditional album sales comprised 852,000 copies of that sum (a slight upgrade from the 851,000 that was previously reported).

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new May 21-dated chart (where Views is No. 1) will be posted in full to Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, May 10.

Views was initially released exclusively for sale through the iTunes Store and to stream via Apple Music on April 29 by Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records. On May 6, the album became available for purchase through other digital retailers and its physical CD was also released.

Views is Drake’s sixth straight No. 1 album, and follows the chart topping bows of What a Time To Be Alive (with Future, in 2015), If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (2015), Nothing Was the Same (2013), Take Care (2012) and Thank Me Later (2010). His only charting album to miss the top was his debut EP, So Far Gone, which peaked at No. 6 in 2009.

It was earlier reported that Views’ sales start is a personal best sales week for Drake, the largest for any album in 2016, and the biggest for a male artist in over three years. The last album by a man to post a bigger sales week was Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience when it debuted with 968,000 copies sold in the week ending March 24, 2013.

Views’ songs were streamed a record 245.1 million times in the U.S. during the tracking week. That sum includes plays of the album’s songs on Apple Music, as well as the handful of songs from the set that were available at other streaming services like Spotify. Previously, the biggest week for streams from an album was Justin Bieber’s Purpose, which racked up just over 100 million plays for its songs during it debut week (ending Nov. 19, 2015).

Views’ 245.1 million streams for its songs equates to 163,392 SEA units. (Each SEA unit represents 1,500 streams.)

Overall, Views’ overall units (album sales, TEA and SEA combined) is the largest for any album in 2016, and the biggest since Adele’s 25 collected 1.19 million units in its fifth week of release (week ending Dec. 24, 2015).

Elsewhere in the top 10, Beyonce’s Lemonade album slips from No. 1 to No. 2 in its second week, shifting 321,000 units (down 51 percent). It sold another 196,000 copies (down 60 percent).

Prince’s Purple Rain soundtrack is steady at No. 3 with 75,000 units (down 50 percent) with another 60,000 copies sold (down 55 percent). Prince’s The Very Best of Prince falls two slots to No. 4 with 70,000 units (down 82 percent) and 55,000 copies sold (down 74 percent).

Rihanna’s Anti is steady at No. 5 with 51,000 units (up 1 percent).

Rob Zombie’s Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser clocks the second debut in the top 10, as it arrives at No. 6 with 41,000 units. Of that sum, 40,000 were in pure album sales.

It’s the sixth solo top 10 album for Zombie. His former band White Zombie also notched a top 10 effort, with 1995’s Astro Creep: 2000 Songs of Love, Destruction (it debuted and peaked at No. 6).

The Now 58 compilation arrives at No. 7 with 37,000 units -- all from pure album sales. All 58 of the numbered Now collections have reached the top 10, and the last 57 have all debuted in the top 10.

Three former No. 1 albums round out the top 10: Chris Stapleton’s Traveller rises 9-8 (31,000 units; down 3 percent), Bieber’s Purpose climbs 10-9 (29,000 units; down 7 percent) and Adele’s 25 jumps 14-10 (28,000 units; up 10 percent).

[areyoureadytojump]

Aren't they missing #5??

EDIT: Yes. Rihanna should be #5. I emailed Keith.

[renfield75]

If Purple Rain can remain in the top ten next week it will surpass the top ten weeks totaled by the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (they are both currently tied at 24 weeks at #1 and 35 weeks in the top ten. SNF currently has 9 more top 40 weeks than Purple Rain). That will cause them to swap positions in the all-time top albums list in Joel Whitburn's next Top Pop Albums book.

[areyoureadytojump]

Rihanna added:

Rihanna’s Anti is steady at No. 5 with 51,000 units (up 1 percent).

[Mayman]

May 8, 2016 20:40:08 GMT -5 areyoureadytojump said:

Rihanna added:

Rihanna’s Anti is steady at No. 5 with 51,000 units (up 1 percent).

Sold 15,000 in pure sales this week as well.

[areyoureadytojump]

Top 200 Album Sales

Retailer Report: Top 200 Albums Page 1 of 4
Region: Total U.S. Week Ending: 05/05/16

Total = Chains, Independent, Mass Merchant, Non Traditional

DRAKE|VIEWS ( 1) 851k
BEYONCE|LEMONADE ( 2) 196k
PRINCE|PURPLE RAIN ( 3) 60k
PRINCE|VERY BEST OF PRINCE ( 4) 55k
ZOMBIE*ROB|ELECTRIC WARLOCK AC( 5) 40k
VARIOUS ARTISTS|NOW 58 ( 6) 37k
STAPLETON*CHRIS|TRAVELLER ( 7) 24k
PRINCE|1999 ( 8) 23k
ADELE|25 ( 9) 22k
SIXX:A.M.|PRAYERS FOR THE DAMN( 10) 20k

MCBRIDE*MARTINA|RECKLESS ( 11) 15k
AESOP ROCK|IMPOSSIBLE KID ( 12) 15k
HAMILTON / O.B.|HAMILTON / O.B( 13) 15k
PANIC! AT THE D|DEATH OF A BAC( 14) 15k
RIHANNA|ANTI ( 15) 15k
TREMONTI|DUST ( 16) 14k
GRATEFUL DEAD|DAVE'S PICKS VOL( 17) 14k
JOEY+RORY|HYMNS ( 18) 14k
PRINCE|HITNRUN PHASE TWO ( 19) 13k
LUMINEERS*THE|CLEOPATRA ( 20) 13k

[areyoureadytojump]

hiphopdx.com/news/id.38729/title.drakes-views-debuts-with-more-than-one-million-album-sales

Drake's "VIEWS" Debuts With More Than 1 Million Album Sales
May 9, 2016 | 7:05 AM
by Victoria Hernandez

Beyonce held the title of most albums sold in a week in 2016 for a period of seven days before Drake overtook the Queen's spot with the debut of VIEWS. The project tops Billboard's Top 200 albums with more than one million units sold. Prince's albums continue to sell in the wake of the singer's death and the cast of Empire releases another soundtrack.

Drake's "VIEWS" From The Top Of The Charts

Drake did it. He sold one million albums in a week. The official sales numbers say he sold 1,039,058 units of his fourth studio album, VIEWS, as it lands at the #1 spot. This surpasses Beyonce, who sold 652,665 units of LEMONADE to rake in the highest debut week of 2016. VIEWS was streamed 245,087,706 times as it was released as an Apple Music exclusive. In comparison, TIDAL reports that Kanye West's The Life of deleted was streamed 250 million times in its first 10 days. Drake's other projects also saw leaps in sales. His collaborative project with Future, What a Time to Be Alive, saw a 33 percent jump and lands at #20. Take Care sits at #47 with a 34% increase.

Beyonce's "LEMONADE" Keeps Fans Coming Back

Beyonce's LEMONADE lands at #2 this week, but still pushed six figures, selling 321,312 units. This makes the total sales for the album 973,977 units. LEMONADE is still a TIDAL exclusive for streaming, where it was listened to or watched nearly 1 million times its second week from release. It is only available for purchase at iTunes so far, where fans gobbled it up 196,252 times.

Cast Of "Empire" Continues Reign

The cast of Empire released the Season 2 Volume 2 soundtrack last week. The project charts at #26 with 17,865 album equivalent units. It was streamed nearly 2 million times in one week. The Season 2 Volume 1 debuted at #16 last year with about 30,000 units of sales.

Top 10 Billboard Top 200 Rap & R&B Albums For The Week Ending 05/05/2016

Note: The first number below is this week’s “total album equivalent units” count, an intersection of album sales, single sales, and streams implemented by Billboard's new rating system. A pure album sales figure is available in bold in parenthesis and information about each album's streaming count is available in brackets.

#1 Drake - VIEWS - 1,039,058 (851,675) [245,087,706]

#2 Beyonce- LEMONADE - 321,312 (196,252) [97,454,388]

#3 Prince - Purple Rain - 75,443 (60,332) [846,149]

#4 Prince - Very Best of Prince - 69,886 (55,441) [1,039,386]

#5 Rihanna - ANTI - 50,688 (15,093) [36,665,774]

#11 Kanye West - The Life of deleted - 26,896 (187) [40,063,626]

#14 Prince - 1999 - 24,923 (23,680) [85,838]

#15 Kevin Gates - ISLAH - 23,135 (7,559) [16,537,701]

#16 Bryson Tiller - Trapsoul - 22,286 (5,758) [21,241,872]

#20 Drake and Future - What a Time To Be Alive - 20,850 (4,836) [17,808,737]

[areyoureadytojump]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7370351/billboard-200-chart-moves-prince-madonna

Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Prince Earns 28th Top 40 Album, Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' Returns After 28 Years
5/13/2016 by Keith Caulfield

On the most recent Billboard 200 albums chart (dated May 21), Drake earned his sixth consecutive No. 1 album with Views, scoring a record streaming week in the process.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the week’s most popular albums based on their overall consumption. That overall unit figure combines pure album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the action on the latest Billboard 200 chart:

— Various Artists, Now 58 - No. 7 — The Now That’s What I Call Music series continues its incredibly sturdy run on the chart, as the 58th numbered volume debuts at No. 7 with 37,000 units (all from pure album sales). All 58 of the numbered titles in the main Now line have reached the top 10, and all but the very first release have debuted in the top 10. In less outstanding news, Now 58’s launch of 37,000 copies sold is the smallest debut sales week for any of the numbered Now albums.

— Panic! at the Disco, Death of a Bachelor - No. 17 — The album zooms from No. 34 to No. 17 following its temporary 99-cent sale price offer in the Google Play store. On the Digital Albums chart, the set re-enters at No. 6 with 12,000 downloads sold (up 183 percent), with most of its 8,000 gain likely owed to Google Play. In terms of overall units on the Billboard 200 chart, it jumps from 14,000 to 22,000 (up 54 percent).

— Madonna, Like a Virgin - No. 124 — Madonna’s classic album, Like a Virgin, returns to the chart “for the very first time” since 1987. Like Panic! at the Disco’s Death of a Bachelor, Like a Virgin was also sale priced for just 99 cents during the tracking week in the Google Play store. Consumers snapped up the set, yielding 5,000 in digital sales (up 1,028 percent – a gain from less than 1,000 sold the previous week) of its total 6,000 sales for the week (up 888 percent). Its 6,000 units total (nearly all from pure album sales) were up 835 percent. Thanks to Google, Like a Virgin scores its best sales week since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991, and its first week on the Billboard 200 chart since Sept. 19, 1987. The effort was Madonna’s second studio album, and first No. 1, spending three weeks atop the chart in 1985.

— Soundtrack, Empire: Original Soundtrack Season 2, Volume 2 - No. 26 — The sixth soundtrack from the Fox TV series debuts at No. 26 with 18,000 units (13,000 from traditional album sales). The Original Soundtrack Season 2, Volume 1 album entered at No. 16 in December, 2015 with 30,000 units (22,000 copies sold). Previously, the Original Soundtrack From Season 1 debuted at No. 1 on the March 28, 2015-dated chart with 130,000 units (110,000 copies sold), and before that, three EPs from the series reached the list.

— Grateful Dead, Dave’s Picks Volume 18: Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco, CA 7/17/76 - No. 38 — The band scores its 13th top 40-charting album since 2012 with the debut of Dave’s Picks Volume 18: Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco, CA 7/17/76 at No. 38. The archival set bows with 15,000 units (all from pure album sales). The Dave’s Picks from-the-vaults live concert album series has been consistently popular since its first installment in 2012, as all but five of the 18 titles have charted on the Billboard 200. (Dave’s Picks is named for its curator, David Lemieux, who is the audiovisual archivist for the Grateful Dead.)

— Prince, HITNRUN: Phase Two - No. 40 — The album vaults from No. 116 to No. 40, giving the late Prince his 28th top 40-charting set. In the wake of Prince’s death on April 21, five of his albums have since reached new peaks on the chart: The Very Best of Prince (No. 1 on the May 7-dated chart), Ultimate (No. 6, May 14), The Hits/The B-Sides (No. 4, May 14), 1999 (No. 7, May 14) and HITNRUN: Phase Two (No. 40, May 21).

— Various Artists, Now That’s What I Call Broadway - No. 121 — As the Now series notches another top 10 hit with Now 58 (No. 7), another genre-specific collection from the series debuts at No. 121: Now That’s What I Call Broadway. It’s the first showtunes specific compilation in the Now franchise, and earned 6,000 units for the week (all from pure album sales). Over on the Compilation Albums chart, it starts at No. 3. The set features selections from the cast recordings of shows like Rent, Chicago, Wicked, The Lion King and The Phantom of the Opera. (Notably absent from the album is the buzziest show on Broadway: Hamilton.)