Billboard 200 - 12/24/2022 - SZA

[Gary]

The Contenders: SZA’s ‘S.O.S.’ Aims for No. 1 on the Billboard 200
Plus, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie and Anuel AA look to rep for the top of the alphabet at the top of the charts.


BY ANDREW UNTERBERGER


Welcome to The Contenders, a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming Billboard 200 albums chart dated Dec. 24): Just before the last Christmas push, a final ‘S.O.S.’ from the pop world aims to sleigh the competition.

SZA, S.O.S. (Top Dawg Entertainment/RCA). It’s been five years and countless false starts since R&B superstar SZA dropped her massively influential full-length debut Ctrl. Early signs from the release of her second album S.O.S. indicate that the fans have stuck around: the set dominated the daily Spotify and Apple Music charts over the weekend, while drawing reviews strong enough to make a lot of early December year-end lists look premature.

With no physical release on the schedule, the vast majority of the album’s first-week numbers will mostly come from streaming. But with 23 tracks, including a trio of proven singles in Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hits “Good Days,” “I Hate U’ and “Shirt,” plus guest appearances from Travis Scott and Phoebe Bridgers, it should still end up scoring one of the late year’s strongest debuts.

A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Me vs. Myself (Highbridge the Label/Atlantic). A Boogie Wit da Hoodie was one of the most prolific artists on the Billboard charts at the turn of the decade, with a couple dozen Hot 100 hits and a Billboard 200 No. 1 album in 2018’s Hoodie SZN. The past two years haven’t been as kind commercially, but the artist born Artist Dubose looks to reverse that trend with the release of fourth studio album Me vs. Myself.

Me vs. Myself will also need to lean on streaming , since it, too, has no physical version and A Boogie has never sold much music – Hoodie SZN was the first album to top the Billboard 200 with sales of under 1,000 copies. But MvM will also get a boost from its 22-song tracklist, with features from fellow streaming stars Kodak Black, Lil Durk, Roddy Ricch.

Anuel AA, LLNM2 (Real Hasta la Muerte/Sony Latin). As with SZA and A Boogie, Latin trap hitmaker Anuel AA’s latest effort arrives without a physical product – but it has a tracklist expansive enough to make both S.O.S. and Me vs. Myself look like EPs by comparison. LLMN2 (short for “Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren 2,” or “Legends Never Die 2”) runs a bountiful 33 tracks, with big-name guests from both reggaetón (Nicky Jam, Jowell & Randy, Zion) and hip-hop (DaBaby, Lil Durk, Kodak Black).

Anuel’s hit the Billboard 200 top 10 twice already, with 2020’s Emmanuel (No. 8) and 2021’s Ozuna teamup Los Dioses (No. 10), but 2021’s first Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren release peaked at No. 30. That album had just 16 tracks, so maybe going with the volume-shooter approach for its sequel will net him the top 10 hat trick.

[Caviar]

Of course no article yet.

[¤ Matthea ¤]

www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/sza-first-number-one-album-billboard-200-chart-sos-1235189465/

#1 SZA, 318K

[Gary]

SZA Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 With ‘SOS’
"SOS" achieves the biggest streaming week ever for an R&B album, and the third-largest of the year among all releases.


By Keith Caulfield

12/19/2022


SZA earns her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Dec. 24) as SOS starts atop the list with one of the biggest debuts of 2022. The set launches with 318,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 15, according to Luminate – largely driven by streaming activity. That start marks the fifth-largest debut of the year and SZA’s biggest week ever.



SOS also garners the biggest streaming week ever for an R&B album, and the third-largest of 2022 among all albums.

Also in the top 10, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie captures his fourth top 10-charting effort, as Me vs. Myself debuts at No. 6.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Dec. 24, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Dec. 20. For all chart news, follow billboard and billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of SOS’ 318,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 309,500 (equaling 404.58 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 7,500 and TEA units comprise 1,000.

With a total start of 318,000 equivalent album units, SOS logs the fifth-biggest debut of 2022, following the opening weeks of Taylor Swift’s Midnights (1.578 million), Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (521,000), Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss (404,000) and Beyoncé’s Renaissance (332,000).

Further, as SOS generated 404.58 million official on-demand streams for its 23 songs, the set registers the biggest streaming week ever for an R&B album, the second-largest streaming week ever for an album by a female artist, and the third-largest streaming week of 2022 for any album. (R&B albums are defined as those that have hit Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart.)

Among all R&B sets, SOS passes the streaming debut of Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind (250.23 million) for the top weekly total ever. The only larger streaming week ever registered by a woman was notched by Swift’s Midnights (549.26 million). And, the only bigger streaming weeks overall in 2022 were tallied by the debuts of Midnights and Her Loss (513.56 million).

SOS is SZA’s second studio album and comes more than five years after the June 2017 release of her smash Ctrl project. It debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, has earned 3.9 million equivalent album units and has yet to leave the weekly Billboard 200 after 288 consecutive weeks (it climbs 35-28 on the new chart). Ctrl contains a trio of Billboard Hot 100-charting hits in “Love Galore,” “The Weekend” and “Broken Clocks.” Before SOS’ release, Ctrl had amassed 5.1 billion official on-demand streams for its songs in the U.S.

Though fans waited a long time between albums from SZA, she kept very busy releasing hit singles and collaborative tracks. Since Ctrl’s release (but before SOS’ bow) SZA charted 15 further songs on the Hot 100, including five top 10s: “What Lovers Do,” billed to Maroon 5 featuring SZA; “All the Stars,” a co-lead collaboration with Kendrick Lamar; “Good Days;” “Kiss Me More,” billed to Doja Cat featuring SZA; and “I Hate U.”

SOS, which contains 23 songs, includes three tracks that were released prior to the album’s arrival: “Good Days” (released in late 2020), “I Hate U” (released in late 2021) and “Shirt” (released in October of 2022). Those three tracks collectively garnered 980 million official on-demand streams in the U.S. before SOS’ release.

SOS was released on Dec. 9 via Top Dawg/RCA Records. It gives RCA its first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since Tool’s Fear Inoculum (released via Tool Dissectional/Volcano/RCA) debuted at No. 1 on the Sept. 14, 2019-dated chart. SOS is the seventh No. 1 for Top Dawg, following four leaders from Kendrick Lamar (Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers in 2022, DAMN. in 2017, untitled unmastered. in 2016 and To Pimp a Butterfly in 2015; all were released via Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope Records, except Mr. Morale (pgLang/Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope), Black Panther: The Album in 2018 (Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope), and ScHoolboy Q’s Oxymoron in 2014 (Top Dawg/Interscope).

Four former No. 1s follow SOS on the latest Billboard 200, as Midnights is a non-mover at No. 2 (139,000 equivalent album units; down 3%), Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains falls 1-3 in its second week after debuting atop the list (102,000; down 45%), Her Loss dips 3-4 (67,000; down 15%) and Michael Bublé’s Christmas is steady at No. 5 (62,000; up 14%).

A Boogie Wit da Hoodie captures his fourth top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 as Me vs. Myself debuts at No. 6 with 53,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 50,000 (equaling 66.92 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 3,000 and TEA units comprise a negligible. The rapper previously visited the top 10 with Artist 2.0 (No. 2 in 2020), Hoodie SZN (No. 1, 2019) and The Bigger Artist (No. 4, 2017).

Bad Bunny’s former No. 1 Un Verano Sin Ti falls 4-7 on the Billboard 200 with 51,000 equivalent album units earned (down 7%), Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song climbs 9-8 with just over 47,000 (up 17%), Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack rises 12-9 nearly 47,000 (up 19%) and Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album falls 7-10 with 45,000 (down 3%).

Dangerous: The Double Album has now accumulated 100 nonconsecutive weeks in the top 10 on the Billboard 200. It continues to have the fifth-most weeks in the top 10 among all albums since the chart began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March of 1956 – and the most for an album by a single artist.. The all-time top 10 record-holder is the original cast recording of My Fair Lady, with 173 weeks in the top 10 between 1956-60. See list, beow.

Albums With Most Weeks in Top 10 on Billboard 200 Chart (March 24, 1956-onwards)
Weeks in Top 10, Artist, Title, Year First Reached Top 10
173, Original Cast, My Fair Lady, 1956
109, Soundtrack, The Sound of Music, 1965
106, Soundtrack, West Side Story, 1962
105, Original Cast, The Sound of Music, 1960
100, Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album, 2021
90, Soundtrack, South Pacific, 1958
87, Original Cast, Camelot, 1961
87, Soundtrack, Oklahoma!, 1956
85, Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter Paul and Mary, 1962
84, Adele, 21, 2011
84, Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A., 1984
(through the Dec. 24, 2022-dated chart)

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

[Gary]

1. SZA 318,000 (sales 7500)
2. Taylor Swift 139,000
3. Metro Boomin 102,000
4. Drake/21 67,000
5. Michael Buble 62,000
6. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie 53,000 (sales 3000)
7. Bad Bunny 51,000
8. Nat King Cole 47,000
9. Vinvce Guaraldi 47,000
10. Morgan Wallen 45,000

[Gary]

Weeks in the top 10


top 10 ARTIST
100 MORGAN WALLEN
47 MICHAEL BUBLE
32 BAD BUNNY
10 NAT KING COLE
8 TAYLOR SWIFT
8 VINCE GUARALDI TRIO
6 DRAKE & 21 SAVAGE
2 METRO BOOMIN

[Gary]

109, Soundtrack, The Sound of Music, 1965

The post 1963 record of 109 weeks is two months from falling to the Morgan Wallen album.     


(August 1963 is the point where Billboard started tracking album popularity with a single chart rather than two)

[areyoureadytojump]

[Darkest Hour]

[Gary]

Billboard 200

TW LW 2W WOC TITLE PEAK
1 - - 1 SOS, SZA 1
2 2 - 8 Midnights, Taylor Swift 1
3 1 - 2 Heroes & Villains, Metro Boomin 1
4 3 - 6 Her Loss, Drake & 21 Savage 1
5 5 - 106 Christmas, Michael Buble 1
6 - - 1 Me Vs. Myself, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie 6
7 4 - 32 Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny 1
8 9 - 71 The Christmas Song, Nat King Cole 6
9 12 - 105 A Charlie Brown Christmas (Soundtrack), Vince Guaraldi Trio 6
10 7 - 101 Dangerous: The Double Album, Morgan Wallen 1
11 10 - 114 Merry Christmas, Mariah Carey 3
12 17 - 30 American Heartbreak, Zach Bryan 5
13 8 - 96 The Highlights, The Weeknd 2
14 13 - 29 A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector, Various Artists 10
15 11 - 9 It's Only Me, Lil Baby 1
16 6 - 30 Harry's House, Harry Styles 1
17 14 - 32 The Best Of Pentatonix Christmas, Pentatonix 7
18 16 - 48 Christmas Classics, Bing Crosby 14
19 19 - 26 The Andy Williams Christmas Album, Andy Williams 14
20 18 - 36 Ultimate Christmas, Frank Sinatra 12
21 21 - 54 Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Burl Ives 16
22 24 - 24 Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree: The Decca Christmas Recordings, Brenda Lee 17
23 20 - 266 Diamonds, Elton John 7
24 27 - 29 Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer And Other Christmas Classics, Gene Autry 21
25 33 - 17 The Best Of Bobby Helms, Bobby Helms 25
26 29 - 61 Wrapped In Red, Kelly Clarkson 3
27 23 - 507 Rumours, Fleetwood Mac 1
28 35 - 288 Ctrl, SZA 3
29 34 - 53 The Classic Christmas Album, Elvis Presley 28
30 - - 1 LLNM2, Anuel AA 30
31 31 - 82 Sour, Olivia Rodrigo 1
32 40 - 52 White Christmas, Bing Crosby 32
33 45 - 105 Evermore, Taylor Swift 1
34 30 - 20 Renaissance, Beyonce 1
35 26 - 125 Folklore, Taylor Swift 1
36 47 - 23 Last Christmas (Soundtrack), George Michael & Wham! 36
37 39 - 552 Thriller, Michael Jackson 1
38 53 - 30 The Dean Martin Christmas Album, Dean Martin 36
39 42 - 173 Lover, Taylor Swift 1
40 41 - 610 Curtain Call: The Hits, Eminem 1
41 49 - 529 good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar 2
42 32 - 33 I Never Liked You, Future 1
43 38 - 9 Leave The Light On, Bailey Zimmerman 9
44 48 - 5 Greatest Christmas Songs, Perry Como 44
45 43 - 57 Red (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift 1
46 36 - 22 Gemini Rights, Steve Lacy 7
47 55 - 521 Greatest Hits, Queen 8
48 44 - 18 Beautiful Mind, Rod Wave 1
49 51 - 59 =, Ed Sheeran 1
50 46 - 67 Certified Lover Boy, Drake 1
51 50 - 239 Goodbye & Good Riddance, Juice WRLD 4
52 22 - 3 A Family Christmas, Matteo, Andrea & Virginia Bocelli 22
53 52 - 146 My Turn, Lil Baby 1
54 66 - 22 Special, Lizzo 2
55 58 - 25 Growin' Up, Luke Combs 2
56 73 - 15 The Jackson 5 Christmas Album, Jackson 5 53
57 28 - 21 Danado, Ivan Cornejo 28
58 69 - 12 When Christmas Comes Around..., Kelly Clarkson 22
59 63 - 171 Hollywood's Bleeding, Post Malone 1
60 72 - 166 IGOR, Tyler, The Creator 1
61 82 - 20 Feliz Navidad, Jose Feliciano 54
62 68 - 31 Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar 1
63 70 - 56 30, Adele 1
64 67 - 289 This One's For You, Luke Combs 4
65 61 - 19 Curtain Call 2, Eminem 6
66 65 - 77 Planet Her, Doja Cat 2
67 74 - 157 Fine Line, Harry Styles 1
68 75 - 72 Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish 1
69 60 - 220 If I Know Me, Morgan Wallen 10
70 56 - 10 Only Built For Infinity Links, Quavo & Takeoff 7
71 77 - 229 AM, Arctic Monkeys 6
72 62 - 40 7220, Lil Durk 1
73 90 - 462 Born To Die, Lana Del Rey 2
74 80 - 162 What You See Is What You Get, Luke Combs 1
75 89 - 379 Traveller, Chris Stapleton 1
76 102 - 72 Christmas Eve And Other Stories, Trans-Siberian Orchestra 48
77 93 - 620 Chronicle The 20 Greatest Hits, Creedence Clearwater Revival 18
78 71 - 418 1989, Taylor Swift 1
79 76 - 127 Legends Never Die, Juice WRLD 1
80 85 - 296 DAMN., Kendrick Lamar 1
81 95 - 194 When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Billie Eilish 1
82 87 - 511 Take Care, Drake 1
83 83 - 128 Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon, Pop Smoke 1
84 116 - 75 Fearless (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift 1
85 101 - 5 Saturno, Rauw Alejandro 25
86 79 - 49 Dawn FM, The Weeknd 2
87 81 - 137 Indigo, Chris Brown 1
88 107 - 605 Nevermind, Nirvana 1
89 78 - 66 The Melodic Blue, Baby Keem 5
90 122 - 6 A Perry Como Christmas, Perry Como 70
91 86 - 23 Wasteland, Brent Faiyaz 2
92 91 - 14 Different Man, Kane Brown 5
93 120 - 107 Noel, Josh Groban 1
94 96 - 419 2014 Forest Hills Drive, J. Cole 1
95 110 - 27 Proof, BTS 1
96 149 - 483 Abbey Road, The Beatles 1
97 121 - 63 Under The Mistletoe, Justin Bieber 1
98 135 - 66 Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, The Creator 1
99 136 - 12 The Beach Boys' Christmas Album, The Beach Boys 99
100 84 - 5 Anyways, Life’s Great..., GloRilla 11
101 117 - 546 Back In Black, AC/DC 4
102 100 - 146 YHLQMDLG, Bad Bunny 2
103 57 - 2 90 Days, Finesse2Tymes 57
104 113 - 233 Scorpion, Drake 1
105 132 - 602 Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Bruno Mars 3
106 112 - 12 This Is What ____ Feels Like (Vol.1-4), JVKE 56
107 104 - 90 SoulFly, Rod Wave 1
108 114 - 453 Greatest Hits, 2Pac 3
109 109 - 80 Savage Mode II, 21 Savage & Metro Boomin 1
110 106 - 197 Death Race For Love, Juice WRLD 1
111 142 - 92 Revolver, The Beatles 1
112 94 - 28 Twelve Carat Toothache, Post Malone 2
113 105 - 254 Graduation, Kanye West 1
114 98 - 54 Who Is Nardo Wick?, Nardo Wick 16
115 137 - 25 My Gift, Carrie Underwood 5
116 111 - 221 reputation, Taylor Swift 1
117 125 - 377 Hamilton: An American Musical, Original Broadway Cast 2
118 108 - 141 Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa 3
119 147 - 21 Everyday Is Christmas, Sia 27
120 118 - 49 DS4EVER, Gunna 1
121 134 - 761 Legend: The Best Of..., Bob Marley And The Wailers 5
122 59 - 13 Queen Radio: Volume 1, Nicki Minaj 10
123 99 - 6 Smithereens, Joji 5
124 131 - 228 ASTROWORLD, Travis Scott 1
125 115 - 2 Live From The Royal Albert Hall (EP), Sam Smith 115
126 197 - 11 The Best Of Stevie Wonder: 20th Century Masters The Christmas Collection, Stevie Wonder 85
127 128 - 8 Takin' It Back, Meghan Trainor 16
128 133 - 109 Starting Over, Chris Stapleton 3
129 127 - 242 beerbongs & bentleys, Post Malone 1
130 154 - 690 Metallica, Metallica 1
131 88 - 4 Jupiter's Diary: 7 Day Theory, Rod Wave 9
132 103 - 26 Honestly, Nevermind, Drake 1
133 119 - 53 Fighting Demons, Juice WRLD 2
134 145 - 252 Gold: Greatest Hits, ABBA 25
135 92 - 6 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Music From And Inspired By, Soundtrack 12
136 144 - 208 Greatest Hits, Foo Fighters 11
137 123 - 277 Luv Is Rage 2, Lil Uzi Vert 1
138 183 - 9 How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Soundtrack), Boris Karloff / Thurl Ravenscroft 79
139 191 - 4 Bell Bottom Country, Lainey Wilson 100
140 124 - 167 Over It, Summer Walker 2
141 129 - 125 F*ck Love, The Kid LAROI 1
142 189 - 48 A Pentatonix Christmas, Pentatonix 1
143 - - 12 Berry Christmas (EP), Chuck Berry 60
144 37 - 2 Sr. Santos, Arcangel 37
145 130 - 308 Blonde, Frank Ocean 1
146 176 - 27 A Legendary Christmas, John Legend 22
147 143 - 604 Greatest Hits, Guns N' Roses 3
148 - - 1 Santa Baby, Alicia Keys 148
149 141 - 247 ?, XXXTENTACION 1
150 182 - 10 A Drummer Boy Christmas, for KING & COUNTRY 50
151 164 - 144 Harry Styles, Harry Styles 1
152 155 - 492 Greatest Hits, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers 2
153 138 - 53 Mercury - Act 1, Imagine Dragons 9
154 97 - 222 Greatest Hits, Fleetwood Mac 14
155 150 - 344 Views, Drake 1
156 140 - 127 Purgatory, Tyler Childers 98
157 139 - 19 The Last Slimeto, YoungBoy Never Broke Again 2
158 146 - 7 Encanto (Highlights), Soundtrack 19
159 148 - 79 Hall Of Fame, Polo G 1
160 - - 4 Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas, Ella Fitzgerald 118
161 181 - 3 The Essential Eartha Kitt, Eartha Kitt 154
162 160 - 244 Hozier, Hozier 2
163 152 - 9 Stick Season, Noah Kahan 14
164 64 - 3 A Very Backstreet Christmas, Backstreet Boys 17
165 169 - 2 Holidays Around The World, Pentatonix 165
166 161 - 86 Currents, Tame Impala 4
167 170 - 267 Starboy, The Weeknd 1
168 157 - 4 Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection, Dolly Parton 27
169 168 - 293 The Fame, Lady Gaga 2
170 25 - 2 Cheshire (EP), iTZY 25
171 166 - 346 ANTI, Rihanna 1
172 167 - 314 Stoney, Post Malone 4
173 171 - 117 Flower Boy, Tyler, The Creator 2
174 174 - 100 The Essential Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley 42
175 162 - 141 Pray 4 Love, Rod Wave 2
176 - - 218 The Very Best Of The Eagles, Eagles 3
177 173 - 135 The GOAT, Polo G 2
178 165 - 97 Whole Lotta Red, Playboi Carti 1
179 163 - 298 T R A P S O U L, Bryson Tiller 8
180 186 - 301 ÷ (Divide), Ed Sheeran 1
181 153 - 742 Journey's Greatest Hits, Journey 10
182 151 - 15 Cigarettes After Sex, Cigarettes After Sex 151
183 158 - 56 An Evening With Silk Sonic, Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak) 2
184 - - 256 Man On The Moon: The End Of Day, Kid Cudi 4
185 159 - 19 A Holly Dolly Christmas, Dolly Parton 16
186 - - 5 A Donny Hathaway Collection, Donny Hathaway 135
187 193 - 117 The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance 2
188 - - 1 Snoop Cube 40 $hort, MOUNT WESTMORE (Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40 & Too $hort) 188
189 179 - 145 Eternal Atake, Lil Uzi Vert 1
190 - - 37 Home For Christmas, 'N Sync 7
191 - - 12 A Winter Romance, Dean Martin 61
192 180 - 260 17, XXXTENTACION 2
193 172 - 91 Justice, Justin Bieber 1
194 - - 10 Gimme Some Truth. (2020), John Lennon 40
195 - - 63 Christmas Portrait, Carpenters 56
196 185 - 20 Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation, $uicideBoy$ 7
197 187 - 128 I Will Always Love You: The Best Of Whitney Houston, Whitney Houston 14
198 194 - 117 The Best Of Nickelback: Volume 1, Nickelback 21
199 - - 57 Born This Way, Lady Gaga 1
200 126 - 2 The 7" Singles Box, Paul McCartney 126

[Gary]

Current


TW LW 2W WOC TITLE PEAK
1 1 - 8 Midnights, Taylor Swift 1
2 2 - 30 Harry's House, Harry Styles 1
3 82 - 6 American Heartbreak, Zach Bryan 3
4 3 - 8 A Family Christmas, Matteo, Andrea & Virginia Bocelli 3
5 10 - 161 Lover, Taylor Swift 1
6 6 - 124 Folklore, Taylor Swift 1
7 11 - 56 30, Adele 1
8 9 - 57 Red (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift 1
9 14 - 81 Sour, Olivia Rodrigo 1
10 4 - 2 Cheshire (EP), iTZY 4
11 - - 1 SOS, SZA 11
12 17 - 28 Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, The Creator 1
13 5 - 9 A Very Backstreet Christmas, Backstreet Boys 4
14 21 - 6 Santa Baby, Alicia Keys 14
15 8 - 5 Only The Strong Survive, Bruce Springsteen 3
16 18 - 157 Fine Line, Harry Styles 1
17 20 - 72 Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish 1
18 22 - 19 Stranger Things: Soundtrack From The Netflix Series, Season 4, Soundtrack 3
19 15 - 4 Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection, Dolly Parton 6
20 28 - 20 Renaissance, Beyonce 1
21 12 - 3 Live At The Fillmore, 1997, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers 2
22 24 - 10 Snow Waltz, Lindsey Stirling 13
23 29 - 382 Traveller, Chris Stapleton 1
24 23 - 13 2 Baddies, NCT 127 2
25 43 - 31 Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar 2
26 27 - 6 Gemini Rights, Steve Lacy 6
27 - - 1 Snoop Cube 40 $hort, MOUNT WESTMORE (Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40 & Too $hort) 27
28 41 - 16 IM NAYEON: The 1st Mini Album (EP), NAYEON 1
29 50 - 37 Impera, Ghost 1
30 33 - 265 Diamonds, Elton John 6
31 40 - 21 Growin' Up, Luke Combs 2
32 26 - 7 NOW That's What I Call A Wonderful Christmas, Various Artists 24
33 42 - 13 Born Pink, BLACKPINK 1
34 49 - 22 Special, Lizzo 1
35 35 - 20 Manifesto : Day 1 (EP), ENHYPEN 1
36 32 - 7 Holidays Around The World, Pentatonix 23
37 44 - 27 Proof, BTS 1
38 38 - 49 Dawn FM, The Weeknd 1
39 45 - 98 Dangerous: The Double Album, Morgan Wallen 1
40 13 - 2 Sadame, ENHYPEN 13
41 31 - 4 Divisive, Disturbed 2
42 60 - 21 Superache, Conan Gray 3
43 34 - 14 Patient Number 9, Ozzy Osbourne 1
44 16 - 29 In These Silent Days, Brandi Carlile 3
45 37 - 50 An Evening With Silk Sonic, Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak) 3
46 - - 1 The Gorge '98, Phish 46
47 48 - 5 Faith In The Future, Louis Tomlinson 2
48 67 - 42 =, Ed Sheeran 1
49 - - 4 Charlie, Charlie Puth 5
50 - - 1 Me Vs. Myself, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie 50
51 62 - 5 Bell Bottom Country, Lainey Wilson 14
52 54 - 8 The Car, Arctic Monkeys 2
53 58 - 7 NOW That's What I Call Classic Rock (2022), Various Artists 45
54 59 - 7 The Essential Foo Fighters, Foo Fighters 7
55 55 - 4 And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, Weyes Blood 9
56 39 - 4 Get Rollin', Nickelback 5
57 25 - 5 Louis Wishes You A Cool Yule, Louis Armstrong 6
58 53 - 9 Return Of The Dream Canteen, Red Hot Chili Peppers 1
59 52 - 16 Between 1&2: 11th Mini Album (EP), TWICE 1
60 69 - 60 The Highlights, The Weeknd 4
61 - - 1 Superclean, Vol. I (EP) / Superclean, Vol. II (EP), The Marias 61
62 56 - 7 A Neil Diamond Christmas, Neil Diamond 38
63 71 - 104 Starting Over, Chris Stapleton 2
64 64 - 8 Takin' It Back, Meghan Trainor 6
65 - - 1 Permanent.Radiant (EP), Crosses 65
66 47 - 9 Being Funny In A Foreign Language, The 1975 3
67 68 - 61 Goodbye & Good Riddance, Juice WRLD 38
68 96 - 10 Entering Heaven Alive, Jack White 2
69 74 - 16 Encanto (Highlights), Soundtrack 2
70 51 - 6 Country Christmas Greatest Hits, Various Artists 51
71 57 - 4 Me / And / Dad, Billy Strings 4
72 - - 29 Planet Her, Doja Cat 4
73 79 - 10 Maxident, Stray Kids 1
74 65 - 9 Different Man, Kane Brown 4
75 63 - 25 Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny 3
76 70 - 15 Elvis (Soundtrack), Elvis Presley & Various Artists 9
77 - - 1 Shinigami Note, Mori Calliope 77
78 - - 2 Fun Machine: The Sequel (EP), Lake Street Dive 49
79 76 - 8 Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven, Tyler Childers 3
80 - - 1 One More Christmas, Girl Named Tom 80
81 90 - 8 Blue Rev, Alvvays 6
82 - - 3 Emails I Can't Send, Sabrina Carpenter 12
83 83 - 26 Wet Leg, Wet Leg 4
84 - - 5 Legend, John Legend 18
85 72 - 252 This One's For You, Luke Combs 2
86 - - 28 Love For Sale, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga 2
87 97 - 10 The End, So Far, Slipknot 1
88 87 - 104 After Hours, The Weeknd 1
89 89 - 8 Melt My Eyez See Your Future, Denzel Curry 2
90 100 - 115 What You See Is What You Get, Luke Combs 1
91 95 - 9 5SOS5, 5 Seconds Of Summer 1
92 80 - 15 AfterLife, Five Finger Death Punch 2
93 - - 16 Mainstream Sellout, Machine Gun Kelly 1
94 73 - 22 Top Gun: Maverick, Soundtrack 7
95 88 - 3 Greatest Hits, Florida Georgia Line 81
96 - - 21 Dance Fever, Florence + The Machine 2
97 - - 8 (Self-Titled), Marcus Mumford 5
98 85 - 22 Denim & Rhinestones, Carrie Underwood 4
99 78 - 7 NOW 84, Various Artists 24
100 - - 135 ASTROWORLD, Travis Scott 1

[Gary]

Album Sales

TW LW 2W WOC TITLE PEAK
1 1 - 8 Midnights, Taylor Swift 1
2 5 - 128 A Charlie Brown Christmas (Soundtrack), Vince Guaraldi Trio 2
3 2 - 30 Harry's House, Harry Styles 1
4 - - 2 American Heartbreak, Zach Bryan 4
5 3 - 8 A Family Christmas, Matteo, Andrea & Virginia Bocelli 3
6 7 - 329 Thriller, Michael Jackson 2
7 8 - 327 Rumours, Fleetwood Mac 6
8 12 - 100 Evermore, Taylor Swift 1
9 11 - 104 Christmas, Michael Buble 1
10 14 - 23 Revolver, The Beatles 2
11 16 - 141 Lover, Taylor Swift 1
12 9 - 125 Folklore, Taylor Swift 1
13 17 - 56 30, Adele 1
14 15 - 57 Red (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift 1
15 22 - 82 Sour, Olivia Rodrigo 1
16 27 - 273 Abbey Road, The Beatles 1
17 4 - 2 Cheshire (EP), iTZY 4
18 21 - 133 IGOR, Tyler, The Creator 1
19 23 - 280 good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar 2
20 - - 1 SOS, SZA 20
21 29 - 465 Greatest Hits, Queen 3
22 31 - 55 Fearless (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift 1
23 32 - 28 Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, The Creator 1
24 6 - 9 A Very Backstreet Christmas, Backstreet Boys 4
25 38 - 3 Santa Baby, Alicia Keys 25
26 26 - 176 AM, Arctic Monkeys 6
27 13 - 5 Only The Strong Survive, Bruce Springsteen 3
28 33 - 157 Fine Line, Harry Styles 1
29 37 - 72 Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish 1
30 19 - 31 A Holly Dolly Christmas, Dolly Parton 3
31 36 - 307 Born To Die, Lana Del Rey 2
32 39 - 13 Stranger Things: Soundtrack From The Netflix Series, Season 4, Soundtrack 4
33 34 - 422 Guardians Of The Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1, Soundtrack 1
34 25 - 104 Merry Christmas, Mariah Carey 3
35 40 - 126 Harry Styles, Harry Styles 1
36 24 - 4 Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection, Dolly Parton 7
37 54 - 670 Metallica, Metallica 1
38 43 - 601 Legend: The Best Of..., Bob Marley And The Wailers 5
39 45 - 483 Chronicle The 20 Greatest Hits, Creedence Clearwater Revival 10
40 51 - 20 Renaissance, Beyonce 1
41 52 - 337 Gold: Greatest Hits, ABBA 6
42 18 - 3 Live At The Fillmore, 1997, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers 3
43 42 - 9 Snow Waltz, Lindsey Stirling 18
44 48 - 233 Back In Black, AC/DC 20
45 55 - 443 Nevermind, Nirvana 1
46 49 - 31 The Best Of Pentatonix Christmas, Pentatonix 3
47 70 - 419 The Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd 10
48 53 - 374 Traveller, Chris Stapleton 1
49 41 - 13 2 Baddies, NCT 127 2
50 56 - 233 Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2, Soundtrack 2
51 87 - 30 Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar 2
52 47 - 6 Gemini Rights, Steve Lacy 7
53 68 - 184 When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Billie Eilish 1
54 - - 1 Snoop Cube 40 $hort, MOUNT WESTMORE (Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40 & Too $hort) 54
55 82 - 14 IM NAYEON: The 1st Mini Album (EP), NAYEON 1
56 61 - 113 The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance 2
57 50 - 204 Greatest Hits, Fleetwood Mac 13
58 - - 16 Impera, Ghost 1
59 59 - 61 Christmas Eve And Other Stories, Trans-Siberian Orchestra 6
60 69 - 212 Diamonds, Elton John 6
61 97 - 63 Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin 7
62 - - 22 ...Like Clockwork, Queens Of The Stone Age 1
63 98 - 235 Purple Rain (Soundtrack), Prince And The Revolution 2
64 65 - 53 Currents, Tame Impala 5
65 - - 67 Ctrl, SZA 5
66 81 - 13 Growin' Up, Luke Combs 2
67 64 - 14 A Drummer Boy Christmas, for KING & COUNTRY 9
68 46 - 7 NOW That's What I Call A Wonderful Christmas, Various Artists 35
69 86 - 13 Born Pink, BLACKPINK 1
70 62 - 171 Master Of Puppets, Metallica 7
71 - - 222 Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Bruno Mars 3
72 71 - 53 Flower Boy, Tyler, The Creator 2
73 99 - 20 Special, Lizzo 1
74 67 - 38 The Christmas Song, Nat King Cole 46
75 78 - 305 Back To Black, Amy Winehouse 2
76 74 - 20 Manifesto : Day 1 (EP), ENHYPEN 1
77 57 - 15 When Christmas Comes Around..., Kelly Clarkson 8
78 58 - 30 My Gift, Carrie Underwood 2
79 66 - 5 Holidays Around The World, Pentatonix 26
80 89 - 25 Proof, BTS 1
81 79 - 38 Dawn FM, The Weeknd 1
82 95 - 46 Circles, Mac Miller 3
83 - - 87 To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar 1
84 90 - 52 Dangerous: The Double Album, Morgan Wallen 1
85 - - 32 Punisher, Phoebe Bridgers 6
86 - - 113 Greatest Hits, Foo Fighters 11
87 - - 116 The Lumineers, The Lumineers 2
88 85 - 156 The Greatest Showman, Soundtrack 1
89 20 - 2 Sadame, ENHYPEN 20
90 - - 316 Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys, The Beach Boys 11
91 63 - 4 Divisive, Disturbed 3
92 - - 13 Superache, Conan Gray 3
93 72 - 14 Patient Number 9, Ozzy Osbourne 1
94 30 - 15 In These Silent Days, Brandi Carlile 3
95 73 - 53 The Classic Christmas Album, Elvis Presley 39
96 88 - 79 Hozier, Hozier 2
97 76 - 42 An Evening With Silk Sonic, Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak) 3
98 - - 1 The Gorge '98, Phish 98
99 93 - 5 Faith In The Future, Louis Tomlinson 2
100 - - 126 Weezer, Weezer 16

[Gary]

Vinyl


TW LW 2W WOC TITLE PEAK
1 1 - 8 Midnights, Taylor Swift 1
2 3 - 79 A Charlie Brown Christmas (Soundtrack), Vince Guaraldi Trio 1
3 2 - 30 Harry's House, Harry Styles 1
4 - - 1 American Heartbreak, Zach Bryan 4
5 5 - 290 Rumours, Fleetwood Mac 1
6 7 - 38 Evermore, Taylor Swift 1
7 4 - 260 Thriller, Michael Jackson 1
8 17 - 478 Abbey Road, The Beatles 1
9 9 - 18 30, Adele 1
10 12 - 98 IGOR, Tyler, The Creator 2
11 13 - 212 good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar 1
12 18 - 31 Lover, Taylor Swift 1
13 6 - 86 Folklore, Taylor Swift 1
14 16 - 65 Sour, Olivia Rodrigo 1
15 14 - 24 Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, The Creator 1
16 19 - 176 Greatest Hits, Queen 1
17 11 - 28 Red (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift 1
18 - - 20 Fearless (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift 1
19 15 - 161 AM, Arctic Monkeys 1
20 20 - 123 Fine Line, Harry Styles 1
21 21 - 216 Born To Die, Lana Del Rey 1
22 10 - 19 Christmas, Michael Buble 10
23 - - 49 Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish 1
24 24 - 53 Harry Styles, Harry Styles 1
25 - - 19 Revolver, The Beatles 2

[Gary]

Catalog

TW LW 2W WOC TITLE PEAK
1 1 - 97 Christmas, Michael Buble 1
2 2 - 146 The Christmas Song, Nat King Cole 2
3 4 - 205 A Charlie Brown Christmas (Soundtrack), Vince Guaraldi Trio 1
4 3 - 197 Merry Christmas, Mariah Carey 1
5 5 - 29 A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector, Various Artists 4
6 6 - 21 The Best Of Pentatonix Christmas, Pentatonix 3
7 7 - 41 Christmas Classics, Bing Crosby 6
8 9 - 22 The Andy Williams Christmas Album, Andy Williams 6
9 8 - 27 Ultimate Christmas, Frank Sinatra 4
10 10 - 111 Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Burl Ives 4
11 12 - 21 Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree: The Decca Christmas Recordings, Brenda Lee 9
12 13 - 26 Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer And Other Christmas Classics, Gene Autry 9
13 15 - 17 The Best Of Bobby Helms, Bobby Helms 11
14 14 - 48 Wrapped In Red, Kelly Clarkson 3
15 11 - 444 Rumours, Fleetwood Mac 1
16 17 - 203 Ctrl, SZA 1
17 16 - 38 The Classic Christmas Album, Elvis Presley 9
18 19 - 152 White Christmas, Bing Crosby 3
19 21 - 17 Evermore, Taylor Swift 9
20 22 - 8 Last Christmas (Soundtrack), George Michael & Wham! 20
21 18 - 582 Thriller, Michael Jackson 1
22 25 - 27 The Dean Martin Christmas Album, Dean Martin 16
23 20 - 481 Curtain Call: The Hits, Eminem 1
24 24 - 375 good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar 1
25 23 - 4 Greatest Christmas Songs, Perry Como 23
26 26 - 852 Greatest Hits, Queen 1
27 30 - 14 The Jackson 5 Christmas Album, Jackson 5 22
28 27 - 3 When Christmas Comes Around..., Kelly Clarkson 27
29 29 - 67 IGOR, Tyler, The Creator 6
30 33 - 15 Feliz Navidad, Jose Feliciano 23
31 31 - 66 AM, Arctic Monkeys 14
32 36 - 132 Born To Die, Lana Del Rey 3
33 42 - 147 Christmas Eve And Other Stories, Trans-Siberian Orchestra 1
34 37 - 1187 Chronicle The 20 Greatest Hits, Creedence Clearwater Revival 1
35 28 - 287 1989, Taylor Swift 1
36 34 - 127 DAMN., Kendrick Lamar 2
37 38 - 15 When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Billie Eilish 17
38 35 - 342 Take Care, Drake 1
39 49 - 8 Fearless (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift 21
40 32 - 31 Indigo, Chris Brown 2
41 45 - 310 Nevermind, Nirvana 1
42 - - 3 A Perry Como Christmas, Perry Como 26
43 - - 106 Noel, Josh Groban 1
44 39 - 288 2014 Forest Hills Drive, J. Cole 2
45 - - 544 Abbey Road, The Beatles 1
46 - - 39 Under The Mistletoe, Justin Bieber 2
47 - - 3 The Beach Boys' Christmas Album, The Beach Boys 39
48 50 - 1151 Back In Black, AC/DC 1
49 41 - 51 YHLQMDLG, Bad Bunny 1
50 - - 401 Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Bruno Mars 1

[Gary]

‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ Soundtrack Hits No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart
It's a new peak for Vince Guaraldi Trio's classic holiday jazz set, first released in 1965.


By Keith Caulfield

12/23/2022


Vince Guaraldi Trio’s evergreen soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas hits a new peak on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, as the set rises 5-2 (on the list dated Dec. 24). That surpasses its previous high, notched just a week ago, when the album rose 7-5, beating its earlier peak of No. 6, achieved last holiday season (Dec. 18, 2021).

The companion album to the 1965 animated TV special sold 17,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 15 (up 24%), according to Luminate. Most of that sum (14,000) is driven by vinyl album sales. A Charlie Brown Christmas is available across more than 15 vinyl variants (most differing in the color of its vinyl LP), including versions exclusive to Barnes & Noble, Newbury Comics, independent record stores, Target, Urban Outfitters, Vinyl Me, Please and Walmart.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a consistent strong performer on vinyl, as it was the top-selling holiday album on vinyl annually in the U.S. from 2012 through 2021.

Since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991, A Charlie Brown Christmas has sold 4.3 million in traditional album sales across all formats (CD, vinyl, cassette, digital download album, etc.), with 469,000 of that sum in vinyl LP sales.

Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, Taylor Swift’s Midnights holds at No. 1 for a eighth week in a row — the most weeks at No. 1 since Adele’s 30 also spent its first eight weeks atop the list a year ago). Meanwhile, Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak reaches a new peak as it re-enters the chart at No. 4 following its release on vinyl.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow billboard and billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

A Charlie Brown Christmas was released in 1965 but did not reach any Billboard ranking until 1987, when it debuted on the Top Holiday Albums chart, where it later peaked at No. 2 (Jan. 27, 2007). On the Billboard 200 chart, the set reached a new peak last season, climbing to No. 6 on the list dated Jan. 1, 2022. A year prior, it reached the top 10 for the first time (No. 10 on the Jan. 2, 2021 chart).

The A Charlie Brown Christmas TV special aired annually on CBS during the holiday season from 1965 through 2000. ABC picked up the rights to the show from 2001-19. In 2020, the Apple TV+ subscription service acquired the rights to the special – along with other classic animated Peanuts programs. A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of many animated TV specials based on the Peanuts comic characters. It was followed by familiar favorites like It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973).


A Charlie Brown Christmas made its Apple TV+ premiere on Dec. 4, 2020. Apple initially teamed with PBS to bring the special back to free over-the-air TV with commercial-free airings on PBS and sister network PBS KIDS in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, Apple TV+ and PBS did not collaborate on a Peanuts presentation. Instead, Apple TV+ offered free limited time screenings of three Peanuts specials for anyone that logs into the service using their Apple ID. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was available free between Oct. 28-31, followed by A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Nov. 23-27 and A Charlie Brown Christmas on Dec. 22-25.


At No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Taylor Swift’s Midnights spends an eighth week in a row on top – the most weeks at No. 1 since Adele’s 30 also led for its first eight weeks on the list (Dec. 24, 2021-Jan. 22, 2022 charts). Midnights has spent more weeks at No. 1 than any other Swift album since 1989 logged 10 nonconsecutive weeks in charge (2014). Since 1989, she scored seven more No. 1s albums, including Midnights.

In the latest tracking week, Midnights sold 74,000 copies – up 10%. Its cumulative U.S. sales stand at 1.666 million.

Harry Styles’ former No. 1 Harry’s House falls 2-3 with 16,000 sold (down 41%).

Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak hits a new peak as it re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 4 following its release on vinyl. The album sold 15,000 copies in the tracking week – up 956% – with 14,000 of that sum on vinyl. American Heartbreak was released on May 20 via digital download and CD (as well as through streaming services). Its vinyl LP – a triple LP set – was not released until Dec. 9. (Unlike the many vinyl variants of the Charlie Brown Christmas album, Bryan’s set was only available in one standard black vinyl edition.)

American Heartbreak previously spent one week on Top Album Sales, debuting at No. 7 on the June 4-dated chart with 6,000 sold in its first week of availability.

Matteo, Andrea and Virginia Bocelli’s A Family Christmas falls 3-5 on Top Album Sales with 14,000 sold (down 40%), Michael Jackson’s Thriller rises 7-6 with 13,000 (up 7%), Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours climbs 8-7 with nearly 13,000 (up 8%) and Swift’s former No. 1 Evermore bumps 12-8 with 12,000 (up 21%). Rounding out the new top 10 are Michael Bublé’s former leader Christmas, ascending 11-9 with nearly 10,000 (down 5%) and The Beatles’ Revolver, jumping 14-10 with 9,000 (up 21%).

In the week ending Dec. 15, there were 2.911 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 11.9% compared to the previous week). That’s the biggest week of 2022 and the largest for album sales since the week ending Dec. 23, 2021, when 4.231 million were sold.

In the week ending Dec. 15, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 2.526 million (up 14.7%) and digital albums comprised 375,000 (down 4.2%).

There were 1.001 million CD albums sold in the week ending Dec. 15 (up 7.7% week-over-week) and 1.521 million vinyl albums sold (up 20.1%). Both represent the largest sales weeks for each album format in 2022. Volume was last larger for both in the week ending Dec. 23, 2021, when there were 1.584 million CD albums sold and 2.113 million vinyl albums sold.

Further, the 1.521 million vinyl albums sold in the week ending Dec. 15 marks the third-largest week for vinyl since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. (The largest week in the Luminate era for vinyl was the week ending Dec. 23, 2021.)

Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 33.822 million (down 11.3% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 39.659 million (up 3.5%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 93.462 million (down 8.5% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 74.013 million (down 3.8%) and digital album sales total 19.450 million (down 22.7%).

[HolidayGuy]

Thanks, Gary. iTZY's Cheshire (EP) plunges 145 spots to No. 170.

Looks like two weeks remain in the Nielsen sales year? Just 6.5 million and change to get to 100 million- may just fall short.

[thegreatdivine]

Gary do you have any idea how many weeks Michael Bublé's Christmas album has spent in the top 10 in total? I only know it has spent 15 weeks in the top 10 so far this decade.

[Gary]

48 as of 12/31 -- 47 as of 12/24