So much for the “50 Shades of Grey” soundtrack winning the weekly sales race.
According to Hits Daily Double, Drake’s surprise mixtape/album “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” is on track for three-day sales total in the vicinity of 500,000. That will easily give “If You’re Reading” the victory on the Billboard Top Album Sales and Billboard 200 charts.
“50 Shades,” which looked like the sure winner prior to the Drake album’s emergence Thursday night, is on track for a first-week sales total in the 170,000 range and a first week consumption unit (sales + track equivalent albums + streaming equivalent albums) tally of 195-210,000.
While “If You’re Reading This” might not accumulate as many opening weekend sales as Beyonce’s 2013 “Beyonce,” which moved 617,213 copies in its first three days of release, it is performing phenomenally well. That it is being billed as a mixtape/album preview — rather than as a true studio album — makes its brisk sales pace all the more impressive.
