'Songs of Experience' Heading for No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

Published today: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8061700/u2-songs-of-experience-heading-no-1-billboard-200?utm_source=twitter&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

From the article:

U2 is on track for its eighth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with the rock band’s latest release, Songs of Experience. Industry forecasters suggest the effort -- which was released on Dec. 1 through Interscope Records -- could earn over 170,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Dec. 7.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The top 10 of the new Dec. 23-dated Billboard 200 chart (where U2 could bow at No. 1) is scheduled to be revealed on Billboard’s websites on Sunday, Dec. 10.

Songs of Experience is a companion album to the band’s last studio effort, 2014’s Songs of Innocence. The latter title was initially released as a free download exclusively through Apple’s iTunes program on Sept. 9, 2014, but was not eligible to chart until it was commercially released on Oct. 14. In its first tracking week of sales, it sold 28,000 copies, and debuted and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200.

U2 last topped the Billboard 200 with 2009’s No Line on the Horizon, which bowed with 484,000 copies sold in its first week, according to Nielsen Music. (The Billboard 200 transitioned to a consumption units-ranked tally in late 2014.)

In total, U2 has led the Billboard 200 with: No Line on the Horizon, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), Pop (1997), Zooropa (1993), Achtung Baby (1991), the Rattle and Hum soundtrack (1988) and The Joshua Tree (1987).

I didn't actually think they would reach number one. Congrats guys!

Published today: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8061700/u2-songs-of-experience-heading-no-1-billboard-200?utm_source=twitter&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

From the article:

Quote

U2 is on track for its eighth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with the rock band’s latest release, Songs of Experience. Industry forecasters suggest the effort -- which was released on Dec. 1 through Interscope Records -- could earn over 170,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Dec. 7.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The top 10 of the new Dec. 23-dated Billboard 200 chart (where U2 could bow at No. 1) is scheduled to be revealed on Billboard’s websites on Sunday, Dec. 10.

Songs of Experience is a companion album to the band’s last studio effort, 2014’s Songs of Innocence. The latter title was initially released as a free download exclusively through Apple’s iTunes program on Sept. 9, 2014, but was not eligible to chart until it was commercially released on Oct. 14. In its first tracking week of sales, it sold 28,000 copies, and debuted and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200.

U2 last topped the Billboard 200 with 2009’s No Line on the Horizon, which bowed with 484,000 copies sold in its first week, according to Nielsen Music. (The Billboard 200 transitioned to a consumption units-ranked tally in late 2014.)

In total, U2 has led the Billboard 200 with: No Line on the Horizon, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), Pop (1997), Zooropa (1993), Achtung Baby (1991), the Rattle and Hum soundtrack (1988) and The Joshua Tree (1987).

I didn't actually think they would reach number one. Congrats guys!

In this day and age 170k album sales in week 1 is pretty decent but I don’t think it’ll mean anyone listens to the album who wouldn’t have otherwise

Should be much more than 170,000.

Remember that each ticket sold for the E&I Tour in november adds 1 album sale.

Should be much more than 170,000.

Remember that each ticket sold for the E&I Tour in november adds 1 album sale.

How many albums would that be? 

Awesome!

This will put u2 in the #7 slot tied with Madonna for most Number  1 albums in USA. In U.K., it would tie then for fifth with 11 number 1 albums, ties with Bowie and Rolling Stones.


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Quote from: MPare1966 on December 06, 2017, 11:10:50 AM

Should be much more than 170,000.

Remember that each ticket sold for the E&I Tour in november adds 1 album sale.

How many albums would that be? 

At least 200K tickets sold, probably more.

Quote from: MPare1966 on December 06, 2017, 11:10:50 AM

Should be much more than 170,000.

Remember that each ticket sold for the E&I Tour in november adds 1 album sale.

How many albums would that be? 

Average arena seating capacity (according to the interwebs) is 20,000 seats.  If all 24 shows sold out completely and you throw in 1000 on the floor (not sure how many truly) then your looking at around 504,000 albums sold/gifted.

Yes but they won’t count towards this weeks tallies surely since they were not sold this week?


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Yes but they won’t count towards this weeks tallies surely since they were not sold this week?


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Oops!  Lol!  You are correct sir!  (I completely missed "the week of" qualifier.) 

Yes but they won’t count towards this weeks tallies surely since they were not sold this week?


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For the concerts that pre-sold in November, I would think they would count as this week's (or possibly last week's) because they might count it from when the album giveaways were redeemed - and they weren't redeemable until Dec 1. So I guess Week 1 (last week) would be all purchases plus all redemptions from Friday  on sold tickets?

The mechanics of it are explained in this article.  Because U2 gives ticket purchasers the 'option' of redeeming the album, it gets counted as sales at the time the purchasers get the e-mail to download the album...and opt to click that download link. If you don't click the link to download and/or redeem a physical copy, it doesn't count as an album sale until you do.

So I imagine a bunch of ticket purchasers got the Dec 1 email to redeem SOE and clicked the link - and, voila - you had a bunch of Dec 1 sales.

https://www.spin.com/2017/04/chainsmokers-number-one-album/

I guess the ploy of releasing multiple singles way in advance has worked out.  At least much better that a surprise release on i tunes without warning.

The mechanics of it are explained in this article.  Because U2 gives ticket purchasers the 'option' of redeeming the album, it gets counted as sales at the time the purchasers get the e-mail to download the album...and opt to click that download link. If you don't click the link to download and/or redeem a physical copy, it doesn't count as an album sale until you do.

So I imagine a bunch of ticket purchasers got the Dec 1 email to redeem SOE and clicked the link - and, voila - you had a bunch of Dec 1 sales.

https://www.spin.com/2017/04/chainsmokers-number-one-album/

Exact. Week of release is Dec 1st to Dec. 7th. All albums redeemed in the ticket sale bonus before the Dec 7th shoudl count. And believe me, that was the marketing strategy all along: sell tickets in November, release album Dec 1st, get on top of the charts.

Having a #1 album with good sales numbers is good publicity.

So if you figure that 170k projection includes all redeemed albums from ticket sales...say 50%...then that means that some 85k albums are projected true album sales for the week.  And I anticipate sales to drop precipitously after week 1 ... I mean, whose buying this album that hadn’t already preordered it?  Not a lot of new fans to get.  So sales in a month are going to look small probably.
 Now I see why they gave away SOI.

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