A tight race is developing for #1 on this week’s US album sales chart.
According to Hits Daily Double, Avenged Sevenfold’s “The Stage” and Kenny Chesney’s “Cosmic Hallelujah” are on track for similar first-week totals. The former is projected to sell 72-77,000 pure US copies this week, while the latter should move 71-76,000.
As it will benefit from stronger track sales (thanks to hit single “Setting The World On Fire”), the Chesney album is tracking slightly ahead in terms of total consumption. Consumption, based on album sales + track sales/10 + track streams/1500, defines placement on the Billboard 200.
They will not be the only albums vying for #1 on the Billboard 200, however. While projections are not yet available, Jeezy’s “Trap or Die 3” could very well be in the mix for #1 in the consumption race.
Updated projections should be available soon.