Update 2: The new Billboard 200 methodology is now in play. In addition to “Total Album Sales” data (which is used to form a separate chart), the new Billboard 200 also draws from “Track Equivalent Albums” (10 single track purchases = 1 album buy) and “Streaming Equivalent Albums” (1500 track streams = 1 album buy). The top ten under the new methodology is as follows:
1) Taylor Swift – 1989 – 281K sales, 339K total units (sales + TEA + SEA)
2) Pentatonix – That’s Christmas to Me – 217K sales, 227K total units
3) SHADY XV – 138K sales, 148K total units
4) One Direction – Four – 105K sales, 125K total units
5) Sam Smith – In the Lonely Hour – 97K sales, 123K total units
6) Rick Ross – Hood Billionaire – 74K sales, 79K total units
7) Ariana Grande – My Everything – 47K sales, 72K total units
***If the chart were only calculated based on complete album sales, “My Everything” would have ranked at #16
8) Beyonce – More Only EP – 43K sales (#17), 71K total units
9) Frozen Soundtrack – 71K total units
10) Maroon 5 – V – 68K total units
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Update: Attempting to account for the streaming and TEA data that will be incorporated into the Billboard 200, the Hits Daily Double “sales plus streaming” chart signposts a major boost for Taylor Swift’s #1 album “1989.”
With the new data included, the album’s approximately weekly total of about 279,331 raw sales could be boosted to 335,419 using the new methodology.
Pentatonix’ “That’s Christmas to Me” will remain #2 with about 216,261 total sales-plus-streaming “points,” while “SHADYXV” is likely to register a total in the 145,167 territory. One Direction’s #4 “FOUR” will see a spike to roughly 125,144, while Sam Smith’s #5 “In the Lonely Hour” looks like a safe bet for around 118,021 “points.”
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After taking a one week hiatus from the top spot to make room for One Direction’s “FOUR,” Taylor Swift’s “1989” is once again America’s best-selling album.
Per data from Hits Daily Double, Swift’s “1989” won last week’s sales race on the strength of about 279,331 weekly sales.
Insofar as the Billboard 200 chart scoring system has been revised to include track equivalent album data (ten singles sales = 1 album sale) and streaming counts (1500 song streams = 1 album sale), the final chart will differ from the sales-driven Hits Daily Double report by a greater than usual magnitude. That differential will not, however, be enough to change the reality that Taylor Swift will return to the #1 spot.
After rocketing to a weekly sales count of 99,000 last week, Pentatonix’ “That’s Christmas to Me” enjoys another monster increase this frame. According to Hits Daily Double, it moved approximately 206,659 copies last week, which will be enough for a convincing #2 slot on the chart.
The new “SHADYXV” compilation follows at #3 with approximately 136,859 sales, while One Direction’s “FOUR” slips to #4 with roughly 102,272 second week sales. Sam Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour” flies into the #5 slot with estimated sales of 92,949.
