The Weeknd’s Dawn FM re-enters Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated May 14) at No. 1 following the album’s release on vinyl, cassette and in boxed set configurations on April 29. It’s the set’s second nonconsecutive week atop the tally; it first reached No. 1 on the Feb. 12-dated chart, after its CD configuration was issued.
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Dawn FM sold 44,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending May 5 (up 2,284%) according to Luminate. Of that sum, nearly 34,000 were vinyl LPs – marking the largest sales week for an R&B album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991. (R&B albums are defined as those that have hit Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart.) Previously, Prince’s Welcome 2 America had the largest sales week on vinyl for an R&B album in the Luminate era, with 22,000 sold in its first week (chart dated Aug. 14, 2021).
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.
Dawn FM was initially released on Jan. 7 via streaming services and as a digital download. Its CD edition bowed on Jan. 28 with multiple signed collector’s editions available via The Weeknd’s official webstore, a signed CD sold at independent record stores and a Target-exclusive version with alternate cover art. Then, its vinyl, cassette and deluxe boxed set editions arrived on April 29.
Miranda Lambert’s new studio album Palomino debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales with 24,000 copies sold – the largest sales week for a country album in 2022. It’s also her eighth top 10 on Top Album Sales.
Grateful Dead’s Dave’s Picks, Volume 42: Winterland, San Francisco, CA – 2/23/74 debuts at No. 3 on Top Album Sales (22,000 sold). Dave’s Picks is the act’s continuing live archival release series, named for the group’s archivist, David Lemieux, that has been going strong since its first release in 2012.
On the Billboard 200 chart, Dave’s Picks, Vol. 42 debuts at No. 12 – Grateful Dead’s highest debut ever. It also ties 1975’s Blues for Allah as the band’s second-highest charting album. The only album from Grateful Dead to go higher on the list was 1987’s In the Dark, which peaked at No. 6 (Aug. 22, 1987-dated chart).
Dave’s Picks, Vol. 42 also marks Grateful Dead’s 52nd top 40-charting album on the Billboard 200. The band continues to have the most top 40 albums among groups since the chart began regularly publishing on a weekly basis in March of 1956. The acts with the most top 40 albums on the Billboard 200 are: Frank Sinatra (58), Elvis Presley (57), Barbra Streisand (54), Grateful Dead (52) and Bob Dylan (51). (Thirty-four of Grateful Dead’s 51 top 40-charting albums are from the Dave’s Picks series.)
Rammstein’s Zeit starts at No. 4 on Top Album Sales with 17,000 sold – the rock band’s second top 10. Willie Nelson’s latest, A Beautiful Time, bows at No. 5 with 9,000 sold.
Olivia Rodrigo’s former No. 1 Sour rises 12-6 with 7,000 sold (though down 20%). It jumps up the list despite its decline in sales as the chart adjusts back to normal after Record Store Day. A week ago, the chart was full of Record Store Day specialty releases, and then on the new chart, nearly all fall off the list.
Kehlani’s new Blue Water Road debuts at No. 7 on Top Album Sales with 6,500 and Future’s I Never Liked You bows at No. 8 with nearly 6,500.
Norah Jones’ chart-topping Come Away With Me re-enters at No. 9 with 6,000 sold (up 4,687%) following its 20th anniversary reissue on April 29. The album, which was released in 2002 and topped the Billboard 200 for four nonconsecutive weeks, was reissued in a variety of formats – some boasting a bevy of bonus tracks. All versions of the album, old and new, are combined for tracking and charting purposes.
Rounding out the new top 10 is Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, which vaults 37-10 with 5,500 sold (up 3%).
In the week ending May 5, there were 1.826 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 21.4% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.42 million (down 26.9%) and digital albums comprised 406,000 (up 5.8%).
There were 669,000 CD albums sold in the week ending May 5 (up 8.6% week-over-week) and 739,000 vinyl albums sold (down 43.8%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 11.37 million (down 12.3% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 13.406 million (up 4.4%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 32.220 million (down 7.8% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 24.946 million (down 3.8%) and digital album sales total 7.275 million (down 19.2%).
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