Update: Billboard just made the news official — Cher’s “Dancing Queen” debuts at #1 on the Billboard Top Album sales chart, while Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter V” earns #1 on the Billboard 200.
“Dancing Queen” leads Top Album Sales with what Billboard reports as 150K in pure US sales. With units from track streams and sales included, it generated 153K in total units. That is enough for #3 on the Billboard 200 consumption chart.
“Tha Carter V” debuts at #2 for pure sales (141K) but #1 on the overall Billboard 200 with 480K units.
Logic’s “YSIV” starts at #3 for pure sales (122K) and #2 on the Billboard 200 (167K).
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As was the case last week, it appears this week’s US album race will produce a split-chart scenario.
Hits Daily Double and BuzzAngle report that Cher’s “Dancing Queen” posted the week’s best pure US sales total. Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter V,” however, ruled for total consumption.
According to Hits, “Dancing Queen” sold about 156K pure US copies during the September 28-October 4 tracking period. “Tha Carter V” sold about 140K in traditional albums.
Lil Wayne’s album nonetheless received a markedly greater lift from track equivalent units (track sales/10) and streaming equivalent units (paid track streams/1250 + free track streams/3750). With TEA and SEA included, “Tha Carter V” generated roughly 473K in overall first-week units.
“Dancing Queen” posted an opening week consumption tally in the neighborhood of 158K. Along with trailing the Lil Wayne album, the figure is also short of the 173K generated by Logic’s “YSIV” (the Logic album takes third for pure sales with 128K).
Due Sunday, Billboard’s more authoritative data may differ slightly from that reported by Hits. The potential discrepancy will obviously not be enough to change the clearest reality: Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter V” convincingly ranks as the week’s leader in overall units. It will surely take #1 on the Billboard 200.
While the pure sales race is a bit closer, “Dancing Queen” should nonetheless hold up as the #1 album in that regard. It should take #1 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart.
