Update: Thanks to an opening week sales total of 320,000, Luke Bryan’s “Kill the Lights” edges Dr. Dre’s “Compton” soundtrack to claim #1 on this week’s Billboard Top Album Sales chart.
The total comes in shy of the industry’s initial 350-400,000 projection. It comes in dramatically shy of the 528,000 opening week figure posted by Bryan’s 2013 album “Crash My Party.” But it still gives “Kill the Lights” the lead over “Compton,” which sold 276,000 copies during the August 7-13 tracking week.
With Track Equivalent Albums (10 single sales = 1 album equivalent unit) and Streaming Equivalent Albums (1500 single streams = 1 album equivalent unit) added to the sales total, “Lights” generated a first week consumption total of 345,000 units. “Compton” moved 295,000 first week units.
“Kill the Lights” thus takes first place on the consumption-oriented Billboard 200.
The top albums on this week’s Billboard 200 are as follows (worth noting: the chart is not considered final until Tuesday; minor revisions are possible):
1) Luke Bryan – Kill the Lights – 345K units (320K from pure sales)
2) Dr. Dre – Compton – 295K units (276K from pure sales)
3) NOW 55 – 76K units (76K from pure sales)
4) tobyMac – This is not a test – 38K units (35K from pure sales)
5) Taylor Swift – 1989 – 33K units
6) Ed Sheeran – x – 33K units
7) Future – DS2 – 31K units
8) Descendants – 30K units
9) Sam Hunt – Montevallo – 27K units
10) Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late – 21K units
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While the sales figure for Luke Bryan’s “Kill The Lights” came in below initial industry forecasts — and dramatically below the total achieved by predecessor “Crash My Party” — it still ranked as the week’s best.
According to Hits Daily Double, “Kill The Lights” drove approximately 326,439 pure sales during the August 7-13 tracking week. Billboard’s more authoritative data (set to arrive Sunday and then go final Tuesday) will differ slightly, but it will not affect the overall conclusion: “Kill The Lights” was the week’s best-selling album.
As a result, it will debut atop the Billboard Top Album Sales chart.
Ahead of its release, analysts were eyeing a 350-400,000 opening week sales total. Even if its total fell within that range, it still would have trailed the 528,000 achieved by 2013’s “Crash My Party.”
The most important reality, however, is the fact that “Kill The Lights” held off Dr. Dre’s “Compton” soundtrack. Hits says “Compton” moved approximately 278,558 pure copies during its first week.
Its total, too, missed the initial industry forecast. Going into the week, experts projected a bow of 300-350,000 — and allowed for the possibility of an upgrade based on buzz.
In addition to comfortably winning the pure sales race, “Kill The Lights” also won the weekly consumption race.
With Track Equivalent Albums (10 single sales = 1 album equivalent unit) and Streaming Equivalent Albums (1500 single streams = 1 unit) added to the sales total, Hits says “Kill The Lights” posted a first-week consumption total of ~352,651 units.
“Compton” shifted ~300,904 consumption units. “Kill The Lights” will therefore claim #1 on the revamped, consumption-oriented Billboard 200.
Notable is that “Kill The Lights,” at least per Hits’ data, actually generated more combined activity from streaming and track sales than “Compton.” While “Compton” was bottlenecked by virtue of its Apple Music exclusivity, many still expected it to dramatically outperform “Kill The Lights” in terms of TEA + SEA.
As noted, Billboard’s data will first emerge later this weekend and then go final Tuesday. One should not, however, expect any change at the top: “Kill The Lights” was the #1 album during the August 7-13 tracking week. “Compton” was the #2 album.
Other top pure sales performers: NOW 55 (~76,396), tobyMac’s “This is not a test” (~39,278), Disney’s “Descendants” soundtrack (~22,864), and Taylor Swift’s “1989” (~19,371)
Other top total consumption performers: NOW 55 (~76,396), “This is not a test” (~41,961), “1989” (~33,001), “Descendants” (~31,363), and Ed Sheeran’s “x” (~30,389).
