Chart authority Billboard has reiterated what Hits Daily Double reported regarding the late Prince’s “The Very Best Of Prince” collaboration. Based on the immense sales volume it achieved in the immediate hours following the artist’s death on April 21, the album will top the US sales and consumption charts for the April 15-21 tracking period.
Billboard notes that the album will likely post a weekly US sales figure in the 90-100,000 range when all data is tabulated. The overwhelming majority of those sales were generated between about 1PM and 11:59PM Thursday.
According to Billboard, a reported 85,000 copies were sold through the US iTunes store alone on Thursday.
A sales figure of 90-100,000 would easily slot “The Very Best Of Prince” at #1 on Top Album Sales. Sturgill Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide To Earth,” which was on track to win prior to Prince’s passing, was expected to sell 40-45,000 US copies this past week.
The interest in Prince’s music is not, however, solely manifesting in the form of album purchases. Prince’s singles also sold extremely well Thursday.
The weekly consumption total for “The Very Best Of Prince” will thus include a huge Track Equivalent Albums number. Billboard expects the figure, which is based on track sales/10, to land in the 60,000 range.
The combination of 60K in TEA units and 90-100K in album sales would result in a weekly consumption total of at least 150,000. That will surely be enough for #1 on a Billboard 200 chart that, prior to Prince’s passing, was expected to feature either “A Sailor’s Guide To Earth” or Rihanna’s “ANTI” in its top spot. The albums were each expected to generate 43-48,000 weekly units.
