Confirming what Headline Planet exclusively reported Thursday, Billboard now says Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” will earn more than the 425-450,000 first week downloads it was previously forecasting.
According to a new update from the publication, “Shake it Off” is currently on track for an opening week sales count of at least 475,000.
The latest trending data, meanwhile, suggests the song still has a chance of crossing the 500,000 threshold.
While the song’s sales pace has started to notably slow, its movement still exceeds that of Meghan Trainor’s #2 “All About That Bass” by a ratio of 20:13. It appears to be in no danger of losing its #1 iTunes spot this weekend and thus in no danger of bowing with a total that is anything less than dominant compared to the rest of the field.
If the 475,000+ estimate holds–and indications are that it now represents more of a floor than a ceiling–it would represent the largest opening week sales total this year. Not since Katy Perry’s August 2013 release “Roar” moved 557,000 first week copies has a song started so strong.
Ariana Grande’s “Problem (featuring Iggy Azalea),” which currently holds the high mark for 2014, opened with 438,000 paid downloads this spring.
The figure will not, however, flirt with the amount moved by Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Launched in the summer of 2012, that track moved 623,000 copies in its first week.
