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Ed Sheeran breaks records like the rest of us kick back on a weekend — with monotonous regularity.His 2017 hit “Shape Of You” is the most-streamed song ever on Spotify, he’s the only artist to sell one million tickets on a single tour of Australia, he’s behind the longest climb to No. 1 in the U.K. (19 weeks with 2014’s “Thinking Out Loud”).
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Sheeran establishes another new mark, this time in his homeland where he becomes the first artist to have four albums chart inside the Official Albums Chart Top 10 for a year.
Those albums, Sheeran’s studio collections + (Plus), x (Multiply), ÷ (Divide) and = (Equals), have now all charted for 52 weeks or more inside the top 10 of the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
He’s the first artist to ever achieve this feat, the Official Charts Company reports.
Since the weekly tally was published for the first time on July 22, 1956, only one other act has had more than one album go the distance — Simon and Garfunkel, with two LPs.
Sheeran has an impressive five-from-five leaders on the national albums survey – 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project also hit the target. He also has a grand total of 13 No. 1 singles, level with Madonna and behind only Cliff Richard and Westlife (14), the Beatles (17) and the all-time chart king, Elvis Presley (21).
The Englishman last week teased the 2023 release of a new album, which Sheerios are speculating could be called Subtract, in keeping with the mathematical theme of those previous hit album titles.
Sheeran is facing a busy year. Aside from the prospect of new music, he’ll hit the road for a major international stadium jaunt, dubbed the “+ – = ÷ x Tour,” due to kick off Feb. 2 at Sky Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, followed by dates across Australia and North America.
It’s another week, another U.K. No. 1 for Taylor Swift as “Anti-Hero” (EMI) logs a second stint at the summit, while Rihanna enjoys a comeback to savor.
“Anti-Hero” pulls in 7 million U.K. streams for its second cycle atop the Official Chart, ahead of Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” (EMI), holding at No. 2.
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Swift earns a second consecutive chart double, with Midnights extending its reign on the albums survey for a second week, and two more tracks from it impact the singles chart top 10 – “Lavender Haze,” down 3-6, and “Snow on the Beach” featuring Lana Del Rey, down 8-4.
Rihanna’s return to music is an instant hit with British music fans, as “Lift Me Up” (Def Jam), lifted from the Marvel film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, opens at No. 3. That’s the week’s highest debut, and RiRi’s highest charting solo single in 10 years, since “Diamonds” led the survey in 2012.
Meanwhile Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz’s EDM tune “Miss You” (Atlantic) lifts 8-3 for a new peak position, while Beyoncé’s Renaissance number “Cuff It” (Columbia/Parkwood Entertainment) bounces 11-9, and venbee & goddard’s “messy in heaven” (Columbia) lifts 14-11 for a peak position in its sixth week.
Further down the list, Meghan Trainor’s “Made You Look” (Epic) cracks the top 20 for the first time, lifting 28-14, while close behind, SZA bags her fifth U.K. top 20 with “Shirt” (RCA/Top Dawg), new at No. 17.
Australian singer and songwriter Dean Lewis is on the move with his tear-jerker, “How Do I Say Goodbye” (Island Records Australia), up 31-23, while Dermot Kennedy’s “Kiss Me” is also on a high, up 34-28.
Halloween has come and gone, though some ghoulish favorites are making their presence felt on the top 40. Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” (Arista) theme blasts to No. 32, and Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” (Themonstermash.com) returns at No. 38.
The highest climber on the Official Albums Chart, published Nov. 4, belongs to British producer Fred Again, with “Delilah (Pull Me Out of This)” (via Atlantic), soaring 71-35. “Delilah” appears on Fred Against trilogy-completing LP Actual Life 3, which appears at No. 4 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart this week, for a career high.
It’s still Midnights time in the U.K., where Taylor Swift locks down another chart double.
The pop superstar’s tenth and latest album Midnights reigns supreme for a second consecutive week on the Official Albums Chart, having smashed records in its opening stanza. Over on the national singles chart, published Nov. 4, album opener “Anti-Hero” comes out on top for a second week.
With Midnights holding firm, TayTay beats none other than the Beatles, whose classic album from 1966, Revolver, reenters at No. 2. Revolver led the U.K. chart for seven consecutive weeks following its original release, and vaults into the top 5 for the first time since December 1966, the OCC reports.
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That’s all thanks to a “super deluxe” re-release, which include outtakes, hand selected to reveal the “humanness” behind the recording of Revolver. This includes a melancholy, acoustic version of “Yellow Submarine,” sung by John Lennon.
The Beatles rewrote chart history during their all-to-brief recording career. With 17 U.K. No. 1 albums, no other act has as many leaders. The remixed and expanded Revolver box set is the best-seller on vinyl this week.
Coming in at No. 3 on the U.K. tally, is Michael Ball and Alfie Boe’s Together In Vegas, the highest debut on the latest frame. It’s the pair’s fifth top 5 album as a duo with following 2016’s Together (No. 1), 2017’s Together Again (No. 1), 2019’s Back Together (No. 2) and 2020’s Together At Christmas (No. 1).
Meanwhile, London producer Fred Again lands in the top 5 for the first time with Actual Life 3, the final cut in his Actual Life trilogy. It’s new at No. 4.
The U.K. top ten this week welcomes new releases from Massive Wagons (TRIGGERED! at No. 6); Tom Odell (Best Day Of My Life at No. 7); Foo Fighters (The Essential at No. 10), while further down the list, Paul Weller scores his 27th Top 40 appearance with Will Of The People, a 3xLP collection of rare B-sides, remixes and live recordings from the years 2002-2021. It’s new at No. 15.
Finally, after opening for Ed Sheeran earlier this year, rising singer-songwriter Dylan (real name Natasha Woods) bags her first top 20 with The Greatest Thing I’ll Never Learn. It’s new at No. 19.
Taylor Swift remains queen of Australia’s charts, as Midnights (Universal) is crowned for a second consecutive week and “Anti-Hero” holds at No. 1 on the national singles survey.
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Swift’s all-conquering 10th studio album has smashed records everywhere, including Australia where the collection set new marks for streams and vinyl sales in its first week, and nine of its 10 tracks flooded the top 10 of the ARIA Singles Chart.
The Midnights reign continues on the singles tally, landing no less than seven tracks in the top 10.
Meanwhile, Rihanna’s comeback to music is rewarded with a top 5 debut on the ARIA Chart. “Life Me Up” (Universal), which is lifted from the new Marvel film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, starts at No. 5 for the highest debut on the latest singles survey, published Nov. 4.
Also enjoying a top 20 arrival is Meghan Trainor’s “Made You Look” (Epic/Sony), while SZA’s first music release in two years, “Shirt” (Epic/Sony), begins its chart journey at No. 20.
With Midnights retaining top spot on the ARIA Albums Chart, TayTay beats a resurgent Beatles. The Fab Four reenter the survey at No. 2 with the classic 1966 album Revolver, thanks to a special reissue including five discs of outtakes, rehearsals and more.
The Beatles’ remarkable recording career has yielded 16 No. 1 albums in Australia and 27 No. 1 singles, ARIA reports.
There’s a psychedelic look about the latest albums chart, as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard score three spots in the top 20, led by the No. 4 debut of Changes (KGLW/UMA), their Australian band’s 23rd LP. The prolific act also reenter at No. 6 with Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava (Universal) and Laminated Demin (VMA/UMA) debuts at No. 11.
Meanwhile, Foo Fighters’ hits retrospective The Essential (Sony), their first major release since the death earlier this year of drummer Taylor Hawkins, starts at No. 5; British record producer Fred Again bags a top 10 debut with Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) (via Atlantic/Warner); and Sly Withers’ bows inside the top 10 with Overgrown (Dew Process/Universal), the Perth, Australia rock band’s third studio album. It’s new at No. 10.
The late Takeoff, who died on Tuesday (Nov. 1), at age 28, shaped an entire chapter and sound of hip-hop as one-third of the rap group Migos. The rapper, born Kirshnik Ball, formed the trio near Atlanta with Offset, his cousin, and Quavo, his uncle, and began recording in the early 2010s. Migos made its first Billboard chart appearance in July 2013, as “Versace” debuted on a handful of sales and airplay charts. From there, the trio established itself as one of hip-hop’s most popular acts, with multiple top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 — Culture in 2017 and its follow-up, Culture II — the next year.
Though Migos was on an “indefinite hiatus,” per Rolling Stone in an October interview, Takeoff and Quavo teamed up for a 2022 album, Only Built for Infinity Links, released Oct. 7. The set became yet another top 10 success on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 7, and debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums list.
As fans and his fellow musicians mourn the rapper, let’s recap Takeoff’s impact through a countdown of his biggest hits on the Billboard Hot 100, both as a solo act and member of Migos.
Song Rank, Title, Artist (if other than only Migos), Peak Position, Peak Date
20. “Notice Me,” featuring Post Malone, No. 52, Feb. 10, 2011
19. “Bon Appetit,” Katy Perry featuring Migos, No. 59, June 3, 2017
18. “Handsome and Wealthy,” No. 79, Nov. 8, 2014
17. “Key to the Streets,” YFN Lucci featuring Migos & Trouble, No. 70, Nov. 5, 2016
16. “Having Our Way,” featuring Drake, No. 15, June 26, 2021
15. “Need It,” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again, No. 62, June 6, 2020
14. “Hotel Lobby (Unc & Phew),” Quavo & Takeoff, No. 59, June 4, 2022
13. “Fight Night,” No. 69, Sept. 6, 2014
12. “Narcos,” No. 36, Feb. 10, 2018
11. “Drip,” Cardi B featuring Migos, No. 21, April 21, 2018
10. “Straightenin,” No. 23, June 26, 2021
9. “Slippery,” featuring Gucci Mane, No. 29, July 22, 2017
8. “Slide,” Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean & Migos, No. 25, June 3, 2017
7. “Pure Water,” with Mustard, No. 23, May 4, 2019
6. “T-Shirt,” No. 19, Feb. 18, 2017
5. “Walk It Talk It,” featuring Drake, No. 10, Aug. 14, 2018
4. “I Get the Bag,” Gucci Mane featuring Migos, No. 11, Nov. 4, 2017
3. “Stir Fry,” No. 8, Feb. 17, 2018
2. “Motorsport,” with Nicki Minaj & Cardi B, No. 6, Dec. 30, 201
“Bad and Boujee,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, No. 1 (three weeks), Jan. 21, 2017
Migos’ Top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hits chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 through Nov. 5, 2022. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, certain eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.
Taylor Swift has another titanic battle on her hands, as the U.K. albums chart race enters the final straight.
Last week, Swift’s Midnights (via EMI) saw off the challenge of Arctic Monkeys and their seventh studio album The Car (Domino Recordings). This time, it’s the Beatles with Revolver (EMI).
A special deluxe rerelease of the Fab Four’s 1966 album blasts to No. 2 on the midweek chart, behind Midnights.
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Swift last week landed her ninth U.K. chart crown – and snapped several records — as Midnights surged to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with more than 200,000 chart sales, easily a career-best week for the U.S. pop superstar.
With that effort, Swift sailed past Kylie Minogue for outright second place in the list of female artists with the most U.K. No. 1 albums, with nine, all consecutive. Madonna leads that particular ranking, with 12. And the leader among all acts? The Beatles, with 15 U.K. No. 1s, a tally that includes Revolver, which led the survey following its original release.
Behind Swift and the Beatles on the midweek chart is Michael Ball and Alfie Boe’s Together In Vegas (Decca), which is set to become their fourth consecutive top 3 as a duo. It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, while the top 5 is completed by DJ Fred Again’s Actual Life 3 (Atlantic), and Massive Wagons’ Triggered (Earache), respectively.
Also eyeing top 10 starts are Foo Fighters’ new hits retrospective The Essential (No. 6 via Sony Music CG), Tom Odell’s Best Day Of My Life (No. 7 via Urok Mtheory), Paul Weller’s triple-album Will Of The People (No. 8 via Universal Music Recordings) and Blue’s Heart & Soul (No. 10 via TAG8).
Over on the singles chart blast, Swift maintains her lead with “Anti-Hero.” If it holds its position, and its parent album does the same, Swift will make it a second chart double in as many weeks.
At the halfway point in the chart cycle, “Anti-Hero” leads Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” (EMI) and Rihanna’s new release, “Lift Me Up” (Def Jam), respectively. Rihanna’s comeback track, which will appear in Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, had trailed just “Anti-Hero” earlier in the week.
All will be revealed when the U.K. singles and albums charts are published Friday (Nov. 4).
Rihanna ended her years-long music drought last week with the release of “Lift Me Up.” When the next U.K. chart is published, the pop superstar could be rewarded with a crown.
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The Barbadian singer is flying with “Lift Me Up,” which will appear in the upcoming Marvel film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Based on sales and streaming data from the first 48 hours in the chart cycle, “Life Me Up” is the No. 2-ranked song. The leader in the early stages is Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” which bowed at No. 1 last Friday (Oct. 28) for TayTay’s second U.K. chart leader.
According to the Official Charts Company, the race to No. 1 is “incredibly close,” with former leader “Unholy,” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras, at No. 3 on the First Look survey.
Heading into the second half of the week, less than 300 chart sales separate the top three.
If “Lift Me Up” does indeed lift to the top it would be Rihanna’s 10th U.K. No. 1, and first since 2017’s “Wild Thoughts,” with DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller. It will, almost certainly, give RiRi her 31st U.K. top 10 appearance.
Elsewhere on the chart blast, several tracks eye new peaks inside the U.K. top 10 — Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz’s “Miss You,” and Stormzy’s “Hide & Seek” (No. 6), while Venbee & Goddard are chasing a first appearance in the top flight with “Messy In Heaven” (No. 10).
SZA’s own comeback track, “Shirt,” could wear a top 20 debut. It’s on target for a No. 15 start.
Finally, Meghan Trainor “Made You Look” is the biggest gainer on the chart blast, the OCC reports, up 28-18.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published this Friday.
It’s a Taylor Swift takeover on the U.K. charts, as Midnights (via EMI) clocks up exceptional first-week numbers for her 10th No. 1.
Midnights and Arctic Monkeys The Car (Domino Recordings) fought an epic battle which, at the midnight point, saw both LPs surge past 100,000 chart sales.
There could be only one winner. Midnights made it a win for the ages and a personal best for TayTay.
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According to data published by the Official Charts Company, Midnights notches 204,000 U.K. chart sales, a volume that’s more than double her previous personal best of 90,300, for 2014’s 1989.
The first week tally for Midnights easily beats the previous best for 2022, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, which accumulated 113,000 chart sales, and it’s the best first-week result for any title since Adele’s 30 raked-up 261,000 chart sales in November 2021.
Midnights was a streaming juggernaut too, racking up 72.5 million streams in its first seven days. That too is a year-best, overhauling the 53.9 million U.K. week-one streams for Harry’s House.
Swift now moves up the all-time leaderboard. With nine consecutive U.K. No. 1 albums, she overtakes Madonna to set a new chart record, by doing so in faster succession than any female artist, the OCC reports.
It took Swift just 10 years to achieve the feat, the time between her first leader with Red, in October 2012, and now Midnights, whereas Madonna took 21 years to reach double digits. The boss in that particular frame is the Beatles, with, nine chart leaders in just 5 years and 7 months, the time between the release of their debut album Please Please Me in May 1963 and The White Album in December 1968.
Also, Swift overtakes Kylie Minogue for outright second place in the list of female artists with the most U.K. No. 1 albums. Madonna leads that ranking, with 12. And Taylor extends her lead as the female solo artist with the highest tally of No. 1 albums this century.
With Midnights and “Anti-Hero” debuting at No. 1 on the respective charts, Swift becomes the first female artist to complete the chart double in nine years (Miley Cyrus was the last to do it, in August 2013).
Arctic Monkeys’ streak of six U.K. No. 1s comes to a screeching halt, thanks to Midnights. The Sheffield, England rockers’ latest album The Car revs up for 100,000-plus first week combined sales, an effort that would easily land the chart crown on most weeks.
Coming in at No. 3 on the fresh chart, published Oct. 28, is South London rapper Loyle Carner with Hugo (EMI), new at No. 3 for an equal career high.
Scottish ‘80s new wave legends Simple Minds start at No. 4 with Direction of the Heart (BMG), their 12th top 10 appearance; Kylie’s Impossible Princess (BMG) enjoys a return to the chart and a new peak position following its 25th anniversary reissue. Impossible Princess pushes to No. 5, surpassing its peak position of No. 10 in 1998.
Finally, alternative-rock outfit Dry Cleaning start at No. 11 with their sophomore album Stumpwork (4AD), while Norwegian ‘80s pop trio a-ha earn a No. 12 debut with True North (Music For Nations).
It’s Taylor Swift time on the U.K. charts, as the pop superstar bags a rare chart double.
Following the release of her album Midnights (via EMI), Swift cleans up on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, bagging the No. 1 with “Anti-Hero,” and respectively taking out positions 3 and 4 with “Lavender Haze” and “Snow On The Beach,” featuring Lana Del Rey.
“Anti-Hero,” which Swift has said described as “one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” is also a favorite among Brits, as it becomes just her second U.K. chart-leader following 2017’s “Look What You Made Me Do.”
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With Midnights also rocketing to No. 1, Swift becomes the first female artist in nine years to simultaneously debut atop the Official Albums and Singles Charts, according to the Official Charts Company. Miley Cyrus was the last to do it, when Bangerz and “Wrecking Ball” both arrived at No. 1 on the Official Charts back in August 2013.
The single that stops a Swift trifecta on the latest chart, published Oct. 28, is Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” (EMI), down 1-2, while David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s former chart-topper “I’m Good (Blue)” dips 2-5.
Meanwhile, the only non-Midnights track to enjoy a top 10 gain is Oliver Tree and Robin Schultz’s viral EDM release “Miss You” (Atlantic), up 9- 8, while Southstar’s version of the song slips 23-27 via B1/Ministry of Sound.
Following the release of their seventh studio album, The Car (via Domino Recordings), Arctic Monkeys park two tracks in the top tier, with “Body Paint” accelerating 60-22, while “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am” enters one place below at No. 23, for the Sheffield, England alternative rock band’s 18th U.K. top 40 appearance.
Finally, U.S. singer Meghan Trainor lands her first U.K. top 40 single in four years with “Made You Look” (Epic), new at No. 28; Australian singer and songwriter Dean Lewis climbs with the teary “How Do I Say Goodbye” (Universal Music Australia), up 35-31; and Joel Corry and Tom Grennan debut with “Lionheart (Fearless)” (via Atlantic), new at No. 37.
Taylor Swift achieves her 11th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Nov. 5) as Midnights arrives with the biggest week for any album in nearly seven years. The set launches with 1.578 million equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 27, according to Luminate. The last album to tally a larger week was the debut frame of Adele’s 25, when it bowed with 3.482 million units (Dec. 12, 2015-dated chart).
Midnights was released on Oct. 21 after being announced two months earlier by Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards (Aug. 28). No music from the album was released until the set dropped on Oct. 21, when she also issued the music video for Midnights’ first single, “Anti-Hero.” Midnights is Swift’s 10th full-length studio album and initially bowed as a 13-track standard release. Three hours after Midnights’ arrival, Swift released a deluxe version of the album (its “3am Edition”) with seven bonus tracks.
Swift now ties Barbra Streisand for the most No. 1 albums among women. Swift is also the sixth act with more than 10 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 since the chart began regularly publishing on a weekly basis in 1956. She joins The Beatles (who lead with a record 19 No. 1s), Jay-Z (14), Drake, Bruce Springsteen and Streisand (each with 11).
Midnights is already the year’s top-selling album by overall sales through the year, and tallies the largest sales week for an album since her own reputation debuted in 2017, the third-largest streaming week ever for an album, and the biggest sales week for a vinyl album in the modern era (since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991).
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200: albums from Arctic Monkeys, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Jeezy and DJ Drama debut.
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 Nov. 5, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Nov. 1). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Midnights’ 1.578 equivalent album units earned, album sales comprise 1.140 million, SEA units comprise 419,000 (equaling 549.26 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 20 total tracks) and TEA units comprise 19,000.
Third-Biggest Streaming Week Ever: Midnights logs the third-largest streaming week ever for an album, by total on-demand official streams. It also captures the biggest streaming week for a non-R&B/hip-hop album and any album by a woman. The Nos. 1 and 2 biggest streaming weeks were logged by the debut frames of Drake’s Scorpion (745.92 million) and Certified Lover Boy (743.67 million), respectively.
Previously, Swift’s biggest streaming week for an album was tallied by the first week of Red (Taylor’s Version), with 303.23 million in 2021.
2022’s Top-Selling Album: With 1.140 million sold, Midnights is easily 2022’s top-selling album already. Previously, 2022’s top-seller — adding up all sales generated through the year — was Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, with 633,000 copies sold through Oct. 27. (In terms of total equivalent album units, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti is 2022’s biggest album, with 2.911 million units earned.)
Breaking down Midnights’ first-week sales of 1.140 million, physical sales comprise 980,000 (575,000 on vinyl, 395,000 on CD and 10,000 on cassette) and digital album downloads comprise 161,000.
Biggest Sales Week Since Swift’s Own reputation: The 1.140 million sales number for Midnights marks the largest sales week for any album since Swift’s own reputation debuted with 1.216 million copies sold (chart dated Dec. 2, 2017).
Swift Has Five Albums With Million-Plus Sales Weeks: Midnights is the 22nd album to sell at least 1 million copies in a single week since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991. In total, there have been 24 instances — by 22 different albums — in which an album sold at least 1 million copies in a week. One of those albums, Adele’s 25, sold more than 1 million in three separate weeks. Swift is the only artist with five different albums to each sell at least 1 million copies in a single week in the Luminate era — Midnights, reputation, 1989, Red, and Speak Now.
Further, now with five, Swift remains the only act with at least three different albums that hit the million-sales weekly threshold. Three acts have a pair of albums that each managed a million-plus sales week: Backstreet Boys, Eminem and *NSYNC.
New Modern-Era Vinyl Sales Record: Midnights handily breaks the modern-era record for single-week vinyl album sales in the U.S. with 575,000 vinyl LPs sold. That’s the largest week for an album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991. It surges past the previous high, set earlier this year, when Harry’s House debuted with 182,000 vinyl copies (week ending May 26, 2021).
Midnights is also already 2022’s top-seller on vinyl year-to-date. Previously, the year’s top-seller on vinyl was Harry’s House, with 377,000 sold through the year.
Midnights’ 395,000 in CD sales is the largest sales week for an album on CD since reputation launched with 507,000 copies sold.
Midnights arrived after months of pre-release promotion and pre-orders — and its sales figure is bolstered by an array of available versions and variants of the album. It is available to purchase in a standard digital album (both clean and explicit); a deluxe digital album (clean and explicit, each with seven additional songs); an iTunes-exclusive version with a bonus spoken word track (clean and explicit); four standard CD editions (each with a different cover, both clean and explicit); four vinyl LP editions (each with a different cover and colored vinyl); and a cassette tape. Target is also selling an exclusive “Lavender” edition of the album on CD and colored-vinyl LP, with the CD boasting three bonus tracks.
Plus, in the weeks leading up to release, Swift’s webstore sold pre-orders of signed copies of the four standard CD albums and the four standard vinyl LPs. Midnights is also available in deluxe boxed set with a CD edition of the album and a Swift-branded T-shirt, exclusively for Capital One cardholders.
Some superfans may have also been enticed to purchase all four variants of the album on either CD or vinyl, as the back covers of the four albums fit together like a puzzle to display a clock face (a literal reference to Midnights!). Swift shared the news through her social media in mid-September, saying: “If you put all the back covers together, she’s a clock. It’s a clock… It makes a clock.” (Swift’s official webstore sells hardware to hold the four CDs or the four vinyl LPs together as a wall clock.) The idea of assembling multiple versions of an album’s back cover (or cover) together to reveal a larger complete image isn’t unique to Swift, as other acts (frequently in the K-pop world) have employed a similar marketing idea.
It’s not unusual for many artists to offer variants of an album, from multiple color vinyl editions to collectible CD packages and beyond. Swift herself has rolled out albums in a similar fashion in the past — she had four different Target-exclusive variants for Lover in 2015. In 2022, acts ranging from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ozzy Osbourne to BLACKPINK and Madonna have all leaned in to the practice of offering multiple iterations of a physical album where usually the only difference is in packaging or the color of a vinyl LP.
Lil Baby’s It’s Only Me falls to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (110,000 equivalent album units; down 49%) after debuting atop the list a week earlier. Bad Bunny’s chart-topping Un Verano Sin Ti drops out of the top two for the first time since its release, as the set moves 2-3 with 67,000 units (down 7%). When the album hit its 18th week in the top two, it became the first set to spend its first 18 weeks in the top two since the chart since August of 1963, when Billboard combined its separate stereo and mono album charts into one single album chart. (See more history on the Billboard 200, which began publishing as a regular, weekly fixture in March of 1956.)
Morgan Wallen’s former No. 1 Dangerous: The Double Album is a non-mover at No. 4 with 43,000 equivalent album units (down 4%) and The Weeknd’s The Highlights is stationary at No. 5 with 39,000 (down less than 1%).
Arctic Monkeys score their fourth top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 as The Car drives in at No. 6 in its first week. It earned 37,500 equivalent album units; of that sum, album sales comprise 28,500, SEA units comprise 9,000 (equaling 11.76 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s Ma’ I Got a Family starts at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 with 37,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that, SEA units comprise 36,500 (equaling 52.54 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs). The new set is the 12 th top 10-charting effort for the prolific rapper, and his fifth top 10 in 2022 — the most of any act this year. He made his Billboard 200 debut in 2017 and got his first top 10 in 2018 with Until Death Call My Name. In total, his latest debut is the artist’s 25th charting effort.
Styles’ Harry’s House is a non-mover at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 32,000 equivalent album units earned (up 1%).
Jeezy and DJ Drama’s Snofall starts at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, marking the 11th top 10 for the former and the first for the latter. It bows with 31,000 equivalent album units earned. SEA units comprise 28,000 (equaling 38.45 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 2,500 and TEA units comprise 500.
Rounding out the new top 10 is Beyonce’s former No. 1 Renaissance, which falls 6-10 with 30,000 equivalent album units earned (down 10%).
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.
