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 MRC Data. Pure album sales were the measurement solely 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 Metallica Blacklist’s sales of 8,000 in the latest tracking week, physical album sales comprise effectively all of that sum. The CD edition sold about 6,300 copies while the vinyl LP edition sold nearly 1,400 copies. In Metallica’s official webstore, the four-CD set retails for $29.98 while the seven-LP vinyl collection sells for $159.98.
Also on the new Top Album Sales chart, Taylor Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) swoops back in, re-entering at No. 1 with 146,000 sold (up 15,807%). It’s the second nonconsecutive week at No. 1 for the album, which debuted atop the list dated April 24. The album surges back onto the list following its signed CD and vinyl LP release on Oct. 1.
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s Love for Sale starts at No. 2 with 38,000 copies sold – the largest sales week for a jazz album in nearly three years. The last jazz set to sell more in a single week was Michael Bublé’s Love, in its second week of release, on the Dec. 8, 2018 chart, when it sold 56,000 copies.
Love for Sale also launches at No. 1 on both the overall Jazz Albums chart, as well as the Traditional Jazz Albums list. On the latter, its Bennett’s 15th No. 1 – breaking him out of a tie with Harry Connick, Jr. for the most No. 1s in the history of the chart.
Brandi Carlile captures her fourth top 10 on Top Album Sales, as her latest release, In These Silent Days, bows at No. 3 with 32,000 sold. It also begins at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums, Americana/Folk Albums and Tastemaker Albums. The latter ranks the top-selling albums of the week at independent and small chain record stores.
Meek Mill’s Expensive Pain debuts at No. 4 on Top Album Sales (10,000 sold) while a pair of former No. 1s are next up on the list, as NCT 127’s Sticker: The 3rd Album falls 2-5 (9,000; down 37%) and Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour is a non-mover at No. 6 (8,000; down 6%).
Billie Eilish’s former No. 1 Happier Than Ever is also stationary at No. 8 (7,500 sold; up 6%), Neil Young’s new archival release Carnegie Hall 1970 debuts at No. 9 (just over 7,000) and Metallica’s self-titled album falls 5-10 (7,000; down 20%).
