Billboard 200 Chart Moves: ‘The Greatest Showman’ Is 2018’s First Million-Selling Album in U.S.
On the latest Billboard 200 albums chart: "The Greatest Showman" soundtrack becomes the first album to sell a million copies in 2018 in the U.S., Lauv debuts, Roger Daltrey's back on the chart after…
On the latest Billboard 200 albums chart (dated June 16), Kanye West racked up his eighth No. 1 with the debut of ye. The set earned 208,000 equivalent album units in the week ending June 7, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 85,000 were in traditional album sales.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the week’s most popular albums based on their overall consumption. That overall unit figure combines pure album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).
Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the action on the rest of the Billboard 200:
— Soundtrack, The Greatest Showman – No. 9 — The soundtrack to The Greatest Showman becomes the first album to sell a million copies in 2018 in the U.S., as the set sold another 26,000 copies in the week ending June 7. Its sales in 2018 now stand at 1.001 million. The title’s overall sales — as it was released in December of 2017 — total 1.081 million.
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2018’s second-biggest-selling album is Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods, with 399,000 copies sold, followed by Jason Aldean’s Rearview Town, with 282,000.
Through the same point a year ago (week ending June 8, 2017), no album had sold 1 million in 2017. The industry had to wait until the week ending Nov. 16, when Taylor Swift’s reputation. swooped in, selling 1.2 million copies in its first week.
2017 would end with only two million-selling albums: reputation. (with 1.9 million sold that year) and Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) with 1.1 million.
The Greatest Showman is the first soundtrack to sell a million copies in a calendar year since 2014, when the Frozen soundtrack sold a mighty 3.5 million copies (of its overall 4.2 million total).
The Greatest Showman also recently made news as the first soundtrack released in four years to sell a million copies.
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— Maroon 5, Red Pill Blues – No. 11 — The set vaults 38-11 with 31,000 units (up 128 percent) thanks to interest in its single “Girls Like You.” On Top Album Sales, the record rises 56-30 with 4,000 sold (up 77 percent) — its best sales week in 2018.
— Father John Misty, God’s Favorite Customer – No. 18 — Father John Misty’s new God’s Favorite Customer starts at No. 18 with 22,000 equivalent album units. The majority of that sum (19,000) was in traditional album sales (enabling the set’s bow at No. 6 on Top Album Sales).
Notably, the title also debuts atop the Vinyl Albums chart with 11,000 vinyl LPs sold — the fifth largest sales week for a vinyl album in 2018. The only others to yield larger vinyl weeks in 2018
have been the debut frames of Jack White’s Boarding House Reach (27,000), Arctic Monkeys’ Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino (16,000), Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods (15,000) and Fall Out Boy’s MANIA (13,000).
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— Lauv, i met you when i was 18. (the playlist) – No. 50 — Singer-songwriter Lauv hits the Billboard 200 with his first full-length release as the set starts with 11,000 equivalent album units. Streams largely power the debut, thanks to its breakout hit, “I Like Me Better.” The song collected 4.4 million on-demand audio streams during the tracking week, while another two cuts from the album landed over 1 million streams apiece: “Enemies” and “Chasing Fire.”
— Roger Daltrey, As Long As I Have You – No. 194 — The Who front man Roger Daltrey inks his first chart ink since 1992, as his new effort, As Long As I Have You, debuts at No. 194 (5,000 units, nearly all from album sales).
The mostly covers collection is Daltrey’s first chart ink since 1992, when he spent four weeks on the list courtesy of a featured billing on The Chieftains’ An Irish Evening: Live at the Grand Opera House, Belfast. Daltrey’s last proper solo album to chart was 1985’s Under a Raging Moon, which peaked at No. 42 (Nov. 23, 1985).
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