Dua Lipa lands her first No.1 Advertising signThe top-selling album chart, as her third full-length studio effort, Radical Optimism, debuts at the top of the chart dated May 18. In the week ending May 9, the album sold 51,500 copies in the US according to Luminate – marking the singer-songwriter's biggest sales week to date. Her previous best week, both in terms of sales and rankings, came when her final studio set, Future Nostalgiadebuted at No. 4 with 18,000 sales on the chart dated April 11, 2020.
Also making waves in the top 10 of the new top album sales chart: latest releases from SEVENTEEN, NCT Dream and Sia arrive, while vinyl releases spark big comebacks for Ye and Ty Dolla $ign Vultures 1 and Dave Matthews Some Devil.
Advertising signThe Top Albums Sales chart ranks the best-selling albums of the week based on traditional album sales only. The history of the chart dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Advertising sign began charting electronically tracked track count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Net album sales was the sole metric used by the Billboard 200 album chart through the list dated December 6, 2014, after which that chart changed to a methodology that combines album sales with track-equivalent album units and album-equivalent units flow. The new chart dated May 18, 2024 will be posted in full on Advertising signon the user's website on May 14. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Radical Optimism51,500 copies sold, physical sales totaling 39,000 (20,000 on vinyl – her best week ever, 18,000 on CD and less than 1,000 on cassette) and digital download sales totaling 12,500.
The album's sales were boosted by its availability in 20 physical variations, all featuring the same 11 songs. There were 11 vinyl versions in various colors (one of which was signed and most variations were exclusive to specific retailers) and two cassettes. As for the CDs, there was a widely available standard lenticular CD, and then multiple CD iterations sold exclusively on Lipa's online store (a signed standard CD, a CD zine pack, and four deluxe CD box sets – each containing a branded T-shirt and CD, and two of the boxes also included a signed art card).
In addition, the album was released as a widely available 11-song standard digital download and a deluxe digital album with two live bonus tracks sold exclusively on Lipa's online store.
By Taylor Swift Department of Tormented Poets falls 1-2 (51,000, down 53%) after spending its first two weeks atop the chart.
SEVENTEEN's retrospective collection SEVENTEEN Best Album “17 Is Right Here” bows at No. 3 with 49,000 copies sold. It is the group's seventh top 10 charting effort. Sales of the set were supported by its availability in twelve CD variants, all featuring branded paper goods such as posters and photo cards (some randomized). Exclusive reprints were sold by Barnes & Noble and Target, and signed editions were also available.
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign's Vultures 1 re-enters the top album sales at No.4 after the set arrives on vinyl. The effort sold 31,000 copies in all available configurations (up 37,841%). Virtually all of its sales were on vinyl – nearly 31,000, marking the biggest vinyl sales week for both Ye and Ty Dolla $ign. The vinyl version of the album was sold exclusively through Ye's official online store, and was initially sold as a pre-order when the album was first released on February 10 (as a paid download and via streaming services). At the time, when customers pre-ordered the vinyl, the online store stated that the vinyl would ship in “2024.”
Swift's top chart 1989 (Taylor Edition) climbs 7-5 with 7,000 sales (although down 20%).
NCT Dream's DREAM()SCAPE debuts at No. 6 with nearly 7,000 sales, marking the act's third set of top 10 chart hits. Virtually all sales of the album were on CD, and the set was available in three iterations (all featuring branded paper merchandise, with a few random items).
Swift's former leader Lover steps 8-7 at just 6,500 (down 19%).
Dave Matthews Some Devil, originally released in 2003, returns to the chart for the first time since 2004, after the set was first released on vinyl. The set sold 6,000 copies, with all primarily from vinyl sales. It was released on three vinyl variants – a widely available black version, a blue version sold through Matthews' website and an Amazon-exclusive 'fog colored vinyl'.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER tops the chart Minisode 3: TOMORROW rises one place to No. 9 with 5,500 sales (down 25%).
Sia rounds out the top 10 with the No. 10 debut of her new album, Reasonable Woman. It sold just over 5,000 copies and was available on eight vinyl variants, as well as a standard CD, cassette and digital download album. It is Sia's third top 10 effort and first since 2016 This Is Acting debuted at No. 4.
