Drake Makes It Nine Atop Billboard 200

Drake simply won’t stop.  Views spends its ninth week at no. 1 on the Billboard 200.  In its ninth overall week on the charts, Views moved 111,000 units. A much smaller percentage – ~23% – were pure sales.  Given the uneventful-ness of the Billboard 200 this week, it should come as little surprise that Beyoncé (Lemonade) plays bridesmaid this week.  Beyoncé only moved 48,000 units, meaning there was a sizable gap between album numbers one and two.

The Avett Brothers had a respectable week.  True Sadness debuted at no. 3 and moved 46,000 units of which 93% were pure sales.  Initially, The Avett Brothers were prognosticated as being the bridesmaid (like so many acts before them), but Beyoncé interfered.  Also, the numbers are smaller compared to the band’s previous two albums. Beyond True Sadness, there are no other new debuts in the top 10.  It was a slow week.

The remainder of the top 10 is a snooze fest. The most notable observation is that Red Hot Chili Peppers’ The Getaway takes a tumble from no. 2 to no. 9.  Adele’s 25 returns to the top 10 (no. 7), thanks to streaming.  Otherwise, the artists and respective albums are familiar: Twenty One Pilots (Blurryface), Rihanna (Anti), Hamilton, and Meghan Trainor (Thank You).

Speaking of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash crossed the 500,000 mark, making it a gold-certified album.  Not all Broadway cast albums are as fortunate as Hamilton has been.  Then again, not all Broadway musicals are as big as Hamilton is.

Who’s Got Next?

Who’s got next on the Billboard 200? Surely blink-182 (California) or Maxwell (blackSUMMERS’night) can end Drake’s reign atop the Billboard 200, right? Blink-182 looks like the safer bet, with Maxwell’s numbers looking suspect early on…

Here’s some chart history.  Maxwell’s BLACKsummers’night debuted big back in 2009 (316,000 copies sold), securing the no. 1. As for blink-182’s previous LP, 2011’s Neighbourhoods, it debuted at no. 2 behind J. Cole’s debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story. Neighbourhoods sold 151,000 copies.