The return to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 was nearly ordained for Taylor Swift.
After a 12 months that noticed a massively profitable stadium tour, a field workplace topping film, and a tradition dominance that noticed her win the coveted Time “Individual of the 12 months” award, it’s no shock that her album 1989 (Taylor’s Model) has returned this week to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
However whereas these successes are spectacular, the breathless and cheerleading claims to have tied Elvis Presley for many weeks as a solo artist at No. 1 is an apples to bricks comparability.
Whereas Elvis’s gross sales have been measured by experiences from retailers (an admittedly free willpower at instances), right this moment’s charts on the Billboard 200 contemplate gross sales from streaming, one thing that didn’t exist in Elvis’s heyday.
The Billboard 200 albums chart will depend 1,250 streams via a paid subscription service to 1 album unit, and three,750 streams via ad-supported streaming companies to 1 album unit. That’s along with conventional gross sales, that are boosted by vinyl’s revival, however nonetheless lag far behind streams.
Evaluating streams to the dedication wanted to drive to a retailer to buy an album is a matter up for debate. Does that cheapen the No. 1 standing? Not in comparison with contemporaries, however perhaps traditionally.
After all, the Beatles had albums at No. 1 for 132 weeks on the album charts. However that’s not a “solo” artist. It’s, although, a document unlikely to ever be damaged.
