The month of April has not been kind to music industry streaks.
Last week, “Furious 7” single “See You Again” dethroned Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” on the Billboard Digital Songs chart and thus ended its lengthy run as America’s best-selling single.
This week, “See You Again” ended the Ronson song’s 14-week streak atop the all-encompassing Billboard Hot 100. In doing so, it ended the song’s promising quest to set the all-time record for Hot 100 leadership.
Next week’s Billboard 200 chart is expected to close the book on an even lengthier streak.
Based on current projections, five albums are set to achieve greater levels of weekly consumption than Taylor Swift’s “1989.” If they indeed do so, they will knock Swift’s blockbuster out of the Billboard 200’s Top 5 for the first time.
Dating back to its late-2014 release, “1989” has appeared inside the Top 5 of 24 straight Billboard 200 charts. Since 1963, only eight other albums have achieved a streak of at least that long.
Per Hits Daily Double, Swift’s “1989” is tracking to move 21-24,000 traditional copies this week. With Track Equivalent Albums (10 single sales = 1 album sale) added, its consumption total will land between 35,000 and 40,000.
Still very impressive for an album that has already sold nearly 4.7 million US copies–and has been available for nearly half a year–the total would register as the week’s sixth-best.
Shawn Mendes’ new “Handwritten” (~110-120,000 total consumption units), the “Furious 7” soundtrack (~80-85,000 consumption units), Reba’s “Love Somebody” (~55-60,000 total consumption units), Tyler, the Creator’s “Cherry Bomb” (~55-60,000 total consumption units) and Halestorm’s “Into the Wild Life” (~45-50,000 consumption units) are all expected to post higher weekly totals.
Nothing is final until the emergence of next week’s Billboard 200 chart. But as of right now, it appears Swift will need to say goodbye to one of her commercial achievements.
A seemingly infinite number of achievements will remain intact.
