Taylor Swift’s album “The Tortured Poets Department” continues to reign supreme at the top of the Billboard album chart for the fourth consecutive week, fending off a new release from rapper Gunna. However, next week she may face stiff competition from Billie Eilish, with the outcome potentially dependent on fans’ willingness to purchase different versions of their albums. According to Luminate, a data tracking service, Swift’s latest album garnered the equivalent of 260,000 sales in the US, which includes 282 million streams and 41,000 complete package sales. Since its impressive debut last month, “Tortured Poets” has accumulated around 3.6 million equivalent album sales.
Gunna’s latest album, “One of Wun,” made its debut in digital format, with physical copies such as CDs and vinyl LPs also available for purchase on his website. The album secured the No. 2 spot on the charts with 91,000 equivalent sales, boosted largely by its 119 million streams. Billie Eilish dropped her third LP, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” this past Friday, marking her return to the music scene since her slew of award wins, including two Oscars and two additional Grammys on top of her existing collection of seven. The industry is keeping a close eye on Eilish’s album to see if it can break Taylor Swift’s current chart-topping streak. While most of the 31 tracks on Taylor Swift’s “Tortured Poets” have slowly descended on the streaming service charts, Eilish’s ten new songs have made a strong entrance. The upcoming chart rankings may be influenced by both artists releasing various versions of their albums, including colorful vinyl editions and digital versions with exclusive content to entice fans.
Swift released “Tortured Poets” in different versions across physical formats, each including an extra track. Special editions were also sold on her website, featuring autographs and collectibles like magnets and engraved bookmarks. On the other hand, Eilish, who has criticized excessive marketing of physical media by artists, launched “Hit Me” in eight colored vinyl variants and other formats like a CD splattered with paint by Billie herself. Eilish defended her release plans by highlighting their “eco-friendly” manufacturing approach, utilizing recycled materials. Although this marketing strategy can boost album sales and chart positions, it has sparked online complaints with fans accusing both artists of gaming the system. The tension between their fan bases escalated when Swift dropped three digital-only versions of her album with “first-draft phone memo” tracks on the same day Eilish released a digital edition of her album with isolated vocal tracks for each song.
In the upcoming chart, we will find out which artist’s supporters have made the most purchases. Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen’s track “One Thing at a Time” remains at number 3 this week, and his 2021 blockbuster “Dangerous: The Double Album” has risen to number 5. Wallen is currently rocking a stadium tour and receiving a boost from his collaboration with Post Malone on the track “I Had Some Help.”
Future and Metro Boomin’s collaborative album “We Don’t Trust You” remains in the No. 4 spot on the charts, featuring the controversial track “Like That” that played a significant role in the Kendrick Lamar-Drake feud.
