BOYNEXTDOOR scores its second top 10, and highest-charting album yet, on Billboard’s Top Album Sales ranking as How? enters at No. 7 on the May 4-dated chart. The set launches with 11,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending April 25, according to Luminate – the act’s best sales week ever. The South Korean pop ensemble previously visited the top 10 with the No. 10-peaking Why in 2023.
Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart: Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department makes a smashing debut at No. 1, Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter bows at No. 2 and Anne Wilson’s Rebel starts at No. 10.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of the 11,000 copies sold of How?, physical sales comprise essentially all of that sum – and all from the CD configuration. The album’s sales were supported by its availability across 17 different collectible CD packages, including exclusive variants for Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart. All editions contained branded paper merchandise, including some randomized items.
At No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department swoops in with a whopping 1.914 million copies sold in its first week. It’s Swift’s 14th No. 1. That volume marks Swift’s best sales week ever, and the third-largest sales week for any album since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991. The set’s sales were bolstered by its availability across 19 different collectible physical editions (nine CDs, six vinyl LPs and four cassettes, some of which were exclusive to Target and Swift’s webstore) and two digital download albums. Some of the physical iterations of the album contained branded merchandise.
Swift has half of the top 10 on new Top Album Sales chart, as Poets is joined by her former No. 1s Lover (rising 8-3 with 14,000; up 79%), 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (10-4 with 13,000; up 100%), Midnights (11-5 with 12,000; up 130%) and Folklore (13-9 with 10,000; up 112%).
Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter debuts at No. 2 with 52,000 copies (with 24,000 on vinyl), marking the 18th top 10-charting effort for the band. Dark Matter’s first-week sales got a boost from its availability across 12 different color vinyl variants.
Beyoncé’s former No. 1 Cowboy Carter falls 1-6 in its fourth week on the list, selling a little over 11,000 copies (down 59%). Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon rises 35-8 with nearly 11,000 sold (up 329%), largely thanks to sales generated by the April 19 release of a collector’s edition of the album on 180-gram crystal clear double vinyl.
Anne Wilson’s new Rebel rounds out the top 10 of Top Album Sales, as the set starts at No. 10 with 10,000 copies sold. It’s the second top 10-charting effort, and best sales week, for the artist. The album’s sales were supported by its availability across four vinyl variants and five CD variants (three of which were signed by the artist).
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