Thanks to a lack of synergy between its release and the Billboard chart system, Justin Timberlake’s hotly-anticipated comeback single “Suit & Tie” will only debut at number 84 on the Hot 100.
A hot seller on iTunes, “Suit & Tie” is expected to move between 330,000 and 350,000 in its first week of release. But as Billboard notes, its flagship Hot 100 chart tallies sales data on a Monday-Sunday basis, and since Timberlake’s single did not go live for sale until 12AM Monday, none of those downloads counted towards its debut chart appearance.
It instead claims number 84 on the strength of its airplay. Airplay from Monday and Tuesday, which counts since the Hot 100 measures that on a Wednesday-Tuesday basis, came in at 36 million impressions.
Billboard projects that a top ten or even top five debut is likely for the single on next week’s chart, which would incorporate a full week’s worth of single sales and airplay.
— This week’s chart belongs to Bruno Mars who claims another week on top with “Locked Out of Heaven.” Ryan Lewis & Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop featuring Wanz” follows at number two, leading The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey,” Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” and Rihanna’s “Diamonds.”
