“The Tortured Poets Department” hits the top of the charts and establishes impressive numbers in its debut week
“The Tortured Poets Department,” Taylor Swift’s new album, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart (dated May 4). It is the singer’s 14th album to top the list, tying her with Jay-Z as the solo artist with the most No. 1 albums. 1 in the United States.
In its first week of release, the album sold 2.61 million physical and digital copies in the North American market alone, of which 859,000 units corresponded to vinyl sales. This is the week with the highest sales of a vinyl album in the modern era.
The record also includes 1.9 million total traditional album sales, making it the best-selling album of 2024, far ahead of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” in second place, with 228,000.
Historical numbers
Upon its release, “The Tortured Poets Department” also became Spotify’s most streamed album in a single week, surpassing 1 billion streams. By its debut date, April 19, it had already become the first album in Spotify history to reach more than 300 million streams in a single day.
The numbers mark the largest streaming week for songs from an album, the second largest sales week for an album overall (considering digital and physical media), behind only Adele’s “25” (3.38 million in 2015), and the third largest sales week (considering traditional sales) in the modern era (since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991)
Taylor Swift’s reaction
The singer took to social media this Sunday (4/28) to react to the huge numbers. “My mind is exploding,” Swift wrote on Instagram, alongside a carousel of Polaroids of the recording process. “I am completely shocked by the love you guys have for this album.”
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
