Taylor Swift’s album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” has secured its fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated June 1). The album achieved 378,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. during the week ending May 23, showing a 45% increase, according to Luminate. This rise in units is attributed to the release of six new digital album variants, a new CD variant, and a restock of previously available deluxe editions, all exclusively sold through Swift’s webstore.
Historical Context and Comparisons
“The Tortured Poets Department” is the first album to maintain its No. 1 position for the first five weeks since Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time,” which led for 12 weeks starting from March 2023. Swift’s album also boasts the largest fifth-week unit count since Adele’s “25,” which reached 1.193 million units in January 2016.
Swift’s achievement extends her record for the most weeks at No. 1 among solo artists, now totaling 74 weeks. Elvis Presley follows with 67 weeks. Swift has matched Jay-Z’s record for the most No. 1 albums among soloists, each having 14 chart-toppers.
Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft” Debuts at No. 2
Billie Eilish’s latest studio album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, marking her largest week ever with 339,000 equivalent album units. This includes 191,000 traditional album sales, which is also a personal best for Eilish. Notably, this is the first time in eight years that two albums have each exceeded 300,000 units in a single week.
Billboard 200 Chart Overview
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). One unit is equivalent to one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand streams. The full chart, dated June 1, 2024, will be available on Billboard’s website on May 29, delayed by a day due to Memorial Day.
Sales Breakdown for “The Tortured Poets Department”
In its fifth week, “The Tortured Poets Department” sold 210,000 albums, marking a 413% increase and securing the top spot on the Top Album Sales chart. It also garnered 166,500 SEA units, equating to 216.9 million on-demand streams of the album’s 31 deluxe songs, maintaining its No. 1 position on the Top Streaming Albums chart. TEA units comprised 1,500, a 17% decrease.
Boost from Webstore Exclusives
The album’s surge was driven by 20+ different versions, with significant contributions from new digital and CD variants sold exclusively through Swift’s webstore. These included six digital download variants with unique bonus tracks, which collectively sold 77,000 digital albums in the tracking week, an increase of 1,184%. The album also benefited from a new CD variant and a replenishment of previously available editions, selling 121,000 copies across all CD iterations, up 564%.
Eilish’s Sales Strategy and Success
Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft” was released with nine vinyl editions, four CD editions, one cassette tape, and several deluxe digital sets, supporting her record-breaking sales week. Eilish’s strategic announcements, listening events, and a world tour announcement further fueled the album’s success.
Other Notable Entries on the Billboard 200
Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” remains steady at No. 3 with 75,000 units. Gunna’s “One of Wun” drops to No. 4 with 56,000 units, while Future and Metro Boomin’s “We Don’t Trust You” falls to No. 5 with 48,000 units. Wallen’s “Dangerous: The Double Album” slips to No. 6 with 45,000 units. Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” moves to No. 7 with 38,000 units, Zach Bryan’s self-titled album holds at No. 8 with 38,000 units, SZA’s “SOS” drops to No. 9 with 37,000 units, and Benson Boone’s “Fireworks & Rollerblades” rounds out the top 10 with 33,000 units.
