Metallica on Colbert | Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
The weekly US album race again produces a split-chart scenario.
Metallica’s “Hardwired… To Self-Destruct” claims #1 for pure sales, while XXXTentacion’s “?” leads for overall consumption.
According to Hits Daily Double and BuzzAngle, Metallica’s fall 2016 album sold approximately 64,571 pure US copies during the March 16-22 tracking period.
The count, which was aided greatly by a new round of concert ticket-album bundle redemptions (the redemptions count as sales), convincingly ranks as the week’s best pure sales total.
While “?” only sold about 20,647 pure US copies, it received a significant amount of opening week TEA (track sales/10) and SEA (track streams/1500). The album’s sales, TEA and SEA figures combine for ~133,520 in total US units; that figure easily ranks as the week’s best consumption tally.
A relative non-factor on the TEA and SEA fronts, the Metallica album generated about 66,253 in tracking week consumption.
Due Sunday, Billboard’s more authoritative data will differ slightly from that reported by Hits. The discrepancies should not, however, be enough to change the landscape atop either chart.
The pure sales total will earn “Hardwired” #1 on Billboard Top Album Sales, while the consumption tally will position “?” atop the Billboard 200.
This week’s pure sales leaders (via Hits/BuzzAngle):
Metallica – Hardwired… To Self-Destruct (64,571 pure US sales)
Scotty McCreery – Seasons Change (37,479 pure US sales)
The Greatest Showman – Soundtrack (24,583 pure US sales)
The Decemberists – I’ll Be Your Girl (24,066 pure US sales)
XXXTentacion – ? (20,647 pure US sales)
This week’s consumption leaders (via Hits/BuzzAngle):
XXXTentacion – ? (133,520 total US units)
Metallica – Hardwired… To Self-Destruct (66,253 total US units)
Black Panther: The Album – Soundtrack (53,850 total US units)
Logic – Bobby Tarantino II (49,352 total US units)
Migos – Culture II (44,608 total US units)