For the first time in eight years, two albums topped 300,000 equivalent albums in a week in the US, according to Luminate. On the latest Billboard 200 album chart (dated June 1), Taylor Swift Department of Tormented Poets remains atop the chart for a fifth consecutive and overall week with 378,000 units gained in the week ending May 23 (up 45%) and Billie Eilish's new Hit hard and soft debuts at No. 2 with a career-best 339,000 units.
The last time two albums each crossed 300,000 units in a week on the chart was on May 21, 2016, when Drake's Views debuted at No. 1 with 1.039 million units, while Beyoncé's Lemonade fell 1-2 in its second week with 321,000 units.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the US based on multimetric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units include album sales, track album equivalents (TEA) and streaming album equivalents (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale or 10 individual tracks sold from an album or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 official paid/subscription audio and video streams generated from songs from an album. The new chart dated June 1, 2024 will be posted in full on Advertising signThe user site on May 29, one day later than usual, due to the US Memorial Day holiday on May 27. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Since the Billboard 200 began ranking albums by equivalent album units, beginning with the list dated December 13, 2014, there have been only five instances in which at least two albums each topped 300,000 units in a week. (Prior to that date, the chart was ranked by weekly traditional album sales.)
Here are the other three times at least two albums topped 300,000 units in a week, with Swift also participating in the first such pair:
On the chart dated May 14, 2016, Beyoncé's Lemonade bowed at No. 1 with 653,000 units, while Prince's The Very Best of Prince fell 1-2 with 391,000 (after re-entering the chart last week, following his death).
The December 5, 2015 chart saw a superstar punch or two when Justin Bieber Purpose debuted at No.1 with 649,000 and One Direction's final studio album, Made in AMcame in at No. 2 with 459,000.
On December 27, 2014, chart, J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive shot to No. 1 with 375,000 units, while Swift's 1989 slipped 1-2 with 324,000.
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