Taylor Swift by Beth Garrabrant | Courtesy of Republic Records
Update: Friday, Hits Daily Double reported that Taylor Swift’s “evermore” ranked as America’s #1 album for both sales and total consumption during the May 28-June 3 tracking period.
Sunday, Billboard confirmed the same.
Billboard actually reported even stronger numbers for Swift’s album, noting that it sold 192K US copies and posted a total consumption figure (album sales + track sales units + track streams units) of 202K units. The consumption figure lifts “evermore” seventy-three places to #1 on the Billboard 200.
The 192K album sales figure, moreover, ranks as the biggest total of the year — and actually exceeds the December 2020 opening week sales performance for “evermore.” It is the best mark since Swift’s own “folklore” launched with over 600K last summer.
Hits had reported the figures at 179K and 188K, respectively.
“evermore” came in well ahead of projections, which initially called for 100-120K sales and 110-130K units. Record-breaking vinyl sales played a big role in driving the sales figure, but “evermore” also posted massive CD sales and download numbers. The CD sales included signed/limited edition copies, while the download figure accounts for four “digitally signed” editions that were issued on the final day of the tracking period.
“evermore” is celebrating its fourth non-consecutive week at #1 on the Billboard 200. Swift has spent 53 total weeks atop, a reign that outright ranks as the third-longest in history. Only The Beatles and Elvis Presley have spent more time at #1.
Olivia Rodrigo’s “SOUR,” which was initially projected to retain the #1 position, takes #2 with 186K units. Although it was not enough for #1, the figure marks an impressive hold from last week’s chart-topping 295K debut figure.
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Taylor Swift’s “evermore” convincingly ranked as America’s best-selling album for the May 28-June 3 tracking period. It may, moreover, end up reclaiming #1 on the overall consumption chart.
According to Hits Daily Double, “evermore” sold 178.7K US copies during the tracking period. The figure crushes initial forecasts, which called for the album to sell 100-120K copies this week.
Already stellar for a half-year-old album, the initial projection accounted for a record-breaking vinyl sales performance. Additional direct-to-consumer activity, as well as success on digital platforms, helped the album ultimately exceed the lofty forecast.
The actual sales total, moreover, bests that of any other album by more than 7.5x.
With units from track sales and track streams included, “evermore” generated 187.8K in total US consumption. Hits lists that as the week’s #1 overall performance.
Olivia Rodrigo’s “SOUR” takes #2 on the Hits chart with 183.5K units (23.4K from album sales). The Rodrigo album, which topped last week’s chart, was initially projected to keep the crown on the strength of 150-170K units. It ended up topping that projection, but not to the extent that “evermore” did. As a result, the week’s presumed runner-up now looks like it’s potential winner.
The Hits Daily Double data rarely differs much from that later reported by Billboard. In this case, however, even a slight discrepancy in the numbers could lead to “SOUR” outranking “evermore” on the Billboard 200.
Readers are thus advised to wait until the Billboard report — typically available on Sunday afternoon — before crowning this week’s undisputed champion.