Chris Stapleton’s “Traveller” Wins Sales Race With 153K; Carrie Underwood, Eric Church Follow

Update: Chris Stapleton’s career-making CMA Awards showcase came on the sixth night of the October 30-November 5 tracking week.

The impact was enough, however, to earn Stapleton’s album “Traveller” a dominant weekly sales victory.

According to Nielsen Music, Stapleton’s “Traveller” sold 153,428 copies during the official tracking week (+6,412%), the overwhelming majority of which came following the November 4 CMA Awards. The count, which greatly exceeds the 96,000 cumulative total “Traveller” had amassed prior to this past week, earns the album #1 on Top Album Sales.

Carrie Underwood’s “Storyteller” follows as the week’s #2 seller.

Underwood’s album sold ~73,000 copies during the October 30-November 5 tracking period, which marked its second week of release. Like “Traveller,” “Storyteller” benefited from CMA Awards exposure and discounted pricing.

Eric Church’s “Mr. Misunderstood,” which arrived as a late-week surprise in conjunction with the November 4 CMA Awards, follows at #3 on the Top Album Sales chart. It sold ~71,000 weekly copies.

The three country albums also take the top three spots on the Billboard 200, which now accounts for total consumption.

With Track Equivalent Albums (10 single sales = 1 unit) and Streaming Equivalent Albums (1500 single streams = 1 unit) included, “Traveller” generated 177,199 in weekly consumption units (+6,109%). “Storyteller” follows with ~81,000, while “Mr. Misunderstood” takes #3 on the strength of ~76,000.

The Top 10 of this week’s Billboard 200 follows:
1) Chris Stapleton – Traveller – 177K units (153K from sales)
2) Carrie Underwood – Storyteller – 81K units (73K from sales)
3) Eric Church – Mr. Misunderstood – 76K units (71K from sales)
4) NOW 56 – 58K units (58K from sales)
5) The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness – 49K units
6) Fetty Wap – Fetty Wap – 39K units
7) 5 Seconds of Summer – Sounds Good Feels Good – 32K units
8) We Love Disney – 31K units (26K from sales)
9) Drake & Future – What A Time To Be Alive – 30K units
10) Def Leppard – Def Leppard – 30K units (30K from sales)

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Two of the week’s top albums were not even on the radar until the sixth day of the October 30-November 5 tracking week.

Powered by what Hits Daily Double reports as approximately 150,470 tracking week sales in the US, Chris Stapleton’s “Traveller” takes #1 on the weekly sales chart.

“Traveller,” which had sold about 96,000 cumulative copies in the nearly six months prior to the tracking week (and only 2,400 last week), erupted following Wednesday night’s CMA Awards. The ceremony proved to be a career-making one for Stapleton, who stole the show with a Justin Timberlake duet and won awards for New Artist, Album, and Male Vocalist.

Billboard’s final, more authoritative data will differ slightly, but the disparity will not change the outcome: “Traveller” will lead the Top Album Sales chart.

Eric Church’s “Mr. Misunderstood” also made an explosive last-minute impact.

The surprise release, which was first issued to Church’s fan club and then posted to iTunes in conjunction with Wednesday night’s CMA Awards, sold approximately 79,064 pure US copies inside the October 30-November 5 tracking week.

Church performed the title track during Wednesday’s ceremony.

Boosted by a discount and CMA Awards exposure, Carrie Underwood’s “Storyteller” will claim a Top 3 position thanks to pure sales of approximately 76,813. While down from the previous week’s 164,000 figure, the second-week tally obliterates initial expectations. At mid-week, sources were doubtful the album would reach 50,000 in second-week sales.

NOW 56, originally pegged as the week’s likely winner, settles for #4 on the strength of ~60,686 weekly sales. Def Leppard’s new self-titled release grabs #5 with ~26,090.

Other notable pure sales performers: “We Love Disney” (~23,264 sales), The Neighbourhood’s “Wiped Out!” (~22,931), Elvis Presley’s “If I Can Dream” (~20,553), 5 Seconds of Summer’s “Sounds Good Feels Good” (~20,314), and Chris Janson’s “Buy Me A Boat” (~18,338).

— Strong track sales — particularly for “Tennessee Whiskey” (his CMA Awards number) and the title track — provide “Traveller” with a considerable boost in overall consumption.

With Track Equivalent Albums (10 single sales = 1 unit) and Streaming Equivalent Albums (1500 single streams = 1 unit) added to the pure sales total, Hits estimates that “Traveller” posted a first-week consumption total of ~176,427. That will easily earn “Traveller” the #1 spot on Billboard’s revamped 200.

It had previously peaked at #14 in conjunction with its May 2015 debut.

Other notable consumption performers: Carrie Underwood’s “Storyteller” (~85,221 units), Eric Church’s “Mr. Misunderstood” (~83,196), NOW 56 (~60,686), The Weeknd’s “Beauty Behind The Madness” (~49,025), Fetty Wap’s “Fetty Wap” (~41,284), Drake & Future’s “What A Time To Be Alive” (~34,372), Taylor Swift’s “1989” (~33,780), Def Leppard’s “Def Leppard” (~26,261), and 5SOS’ “Sounds Good Feels Good” (~26,205).