Kendrick Lamar [NBC]
Update 2: Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” officially lands at #1 on the Billboard Top Album Sales and 200 charts.
Its Top Album Sales victory comes on the strength of 324,000 first week sales.
With Track Equivalent Album (10 single sales = 1 album sale) and Streaming Equivalent Album (1500 single streams = 1 album sale) data included, the album’s first week consumption total clocks in at 363,000. That gives the album a convincing victory on the revamped Billboard 200.
This week’s Billboard 200 Top 10:
1) Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly – 363K total units (324K from sales)
2) Empire Soundtrack – 110K total units (89K from sales)
3) Modest Mouse – Strangers To Ourselves – 77K total units (73K from sales)
4) 50 Shades of Grey Soundtrack – 60K total units
5) Taylor Swift – 1989 – 56K total units
6) Drake – If You’re Reading This it’s Too Late – 52K total units
7) Ed Sheeran – x – 49K total units
8) Marina and The Diamonds – 46K total units (43K from pure sales)
9) Sam Smith – In the Lonely Hour – 46K total units
10) Maroon 5 – V – 44K total units
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Update: Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” will top this week’s Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Album Sales charts.
According to data shared by Hits Daily Double, which will differ only slightly from Billboard’s final numbers, the album debuted with ~318,988 first week sales. With Track Equivalent Albums (10 single sales = 1 album sale) and Streaming Equivalent Albums (1500 single streams = 1 album sale) added to the mix, the album claims a first week consumption total of ~355,372.
The former number establishes the album’s presence on the Top Album Sales listing. The latter figure informs the album’s position on the revamped, consumption-oriented Billboard 200.
Other top weekly performers based on pure sales: “Empire” soundtrack (~86,513), Modest Mouse’s “Strangers to Ourselves” (~69,257), Marina and The Diamonds’ “Froot” (~37,956), Sleeping with Sirens’ “Madness” (~35,911), Mark Knopfler’s “Tracker” (~34,806) and Taylor Swift’s “1989” (~34,341).
Other top weekly performers based on total consumption units: “Empire” soundtrack (~105,745), “50 Shades of Grey” soundtrack (~73,639), Modest Mouse’s “Strangers to Ourselves” (~72,809), Taylor Swift’s “1989” (~54,956) and Drake’s “If You’re Reading This it’s Too Late” (~51,751).
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Neither as hot as the most recent Drake nor J. Cole release, Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” nonetheless cruised to victory in the most recent album sales race.
According to Hits Daily Double, “Butterfly” won last week’s race on the strength of ~318,988 weekly sales. Billboard’s more authoritative sales data will differ slightly, but it will not change the positional outcome: “To Pimp a Butterfly” debuts at #1 on the sales chart.
“If You’re Reading This it’s Too Late” and “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” the aforementioned Drake and Cole albums, debuted with sales totals of 495,000 and 354,000, respectively.
While it trails those releases, “To Pimp a a Butterfly” does debut with a stronger total than Lamar’s predecessor “good kid, m.A.A.d city.” That album launched with 242,000 first-week sales.
Other top weekly sellers: “Empire” soundtrack (~86,513), Modest Mouse’s “Strangers to Ourselves” (~69,257), Marina and The Diamonds’ “Froot” (~37,956), Sleeping with Sirens’ “Madness” (~35,911), Mark Knopfler’s “Tracker” (~34,806) and Taylor Swift’s “1989” (~34,341).