While the race can certainly still go either way, the projected total for Blake Shelton’s “If I’m Honest” is now slightly ahead of that expected for Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman.”
Hits Daily Double presently expects Shelton’s album to sell 130-140,000 US copies during the May 20-26 tracking week. Grande’s “Dangerous Woman” is pacing for 125-135,000.
Prior to Tuesday, both albums were expected to post first week sales totals in the 120-130,000 range.
The fact the new rangers overlap underscores how closely contested this week’s album sales race is. Both albums still have a shot at #1.
The race for #1 on the Billboard 200 consumption chart is also extremely tight. As of press time, Hits is projecting Grande’s “Dangerous Woman” and Drake’s “Views” to each generate 155-165,000 in weekly consumption units (album sales + track sales/10 + track streams/1500). Shelton’s album is not too far behind; Hits is now eyeing a weekly tally in the 140-150,000 range.
