‘CHROMAKOPIA’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 by Tyler, the Creator
Tyler, the Creator celebrates a significant milestone with his third No. 1 album on the prestigious Billboard 200 chart. His latest studio project, CHROMAKOPIA, debuts at the top position for the week dated Nov. 9, boasting an impressive 299,500 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. during the week ending Oct. 31. This accomplishment marks the best week of unit sales in Tyler’s career, and notably, it represents the sixth-largest album debut of 2024. This strong performance is particularly remarkable given that the album was released on an off-cycle Monday (Oct. 28), resulting in only four days of activity in its initial tracking week, unlike the typical Friday release that allows for a full seven days of activity.
The announcement for CHROMAKOPIA was made on Oct. 17, just over ten days prior to its highly anticipated release on Oct. 28. This strategic marketing approach generated significant buzz and excitement among fans, contributing to a strong pre-release momentum that likely aided in its impressive debut on the charts.
With the launch of CHROMAKOPIA, Tyler, the Creator achieved a remarkable feat by securing his largest streaming week ever for an album along with the highest sales week in his career, all accomplished within just four days of its release. The album’s streams and sales were so significant that it could have claimed the No. 1 spot based solely on streaming figures or sales figures alone, illustrating the overwhelming demand and popularity of his music.
Tyler, the Creator previously reached the top of the Billboard 200 with his last two studio albums, Call Me If You Get Lost in 2021 and Igor in 2019. The release of CHROMAKOPIA signifies his seventh top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200, showcasing his consistent ability to create critically acclaimed and commercially successful music throughout his career.
The latest Billboard 200 chart features Halsey making waves as well, with her fifth top two-charting album, The Great Impersonator, debuting at No. 2. Kelsea Ballerini celebrates her highest-charting album ever with Patterns, which opens at No. 4. Additionally, Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) experiences a remarkable resurgence, vaulting from No. 44 to No. 6 following its vinyl release, demonstrating the enduring appeal of his music.
The Billboard 200 chart serves as a vital indicator of album popularity in the U.S., ranking the most consumed albums based on multi-metric consumption as quantified in equivalent album units. This comprehensive measurement is compiled by Luminate, which factors in album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit represents either one album sale, 10 tracks sold from an album, or a specific number of streams that correspond to various listening formats. The complete chart for the week dated Nov. 9, 2024, will be available on Billboard’s official website on Tuesday, Nov. 5. For the latest updates and insights on chart movements, be sure to follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Analyzing the breakdown of CHROMAKOPIA’s impressive 299,500 equivalent album units, we see that streaming accounted for 157,000 units, translating to an astounding 212.55 million on-demand official streams of the 14 tracks available on the streaming edition of the album, marking Tyler’s best streaming week to date. Furthermore, album sales contributed 142,000 units, which is also a record for him, as the album debuts at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart. Additionally, TEA units accounted for 500 units. Notably, vinyl sales played a significant role, with 66,000 copies sold in the first week, representing Tyler’s strongest week for vinyl sales and the third-largest debut week for a rap album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991.
The album CHROMAKOPIA was released in multiple formats to cater to a broad audience. It includes an 11-song standard digital download, a 14-song version on CD and vinyl, and a 14-song deluxe edition available for streaming. The additional tracks in the two 14-song editions include “Mother,” “Sticky” (featuring Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne), and “Thought I Was Dead” (featuring Santigold) for CD and vinyl. The digital and streaming deluxe edition includes “Balloon” (featuring Doechii), “Sticky” (featuring GloRilla, Lil Wayne, and Sexyy Red), and “Thought I Was Dead” (featuring ScHoolboy Q and Santigold), enticing fans to explore various listening options.
The album’s sales figures were further bolstered by the availability of six deluxe collectible CD boxed sets, each containing a CD, a poster, and additional branded merchandise. A unique green-colored vinyl pressing was also offered. These exclusive boxed sets and vinyl editions were available solely through the artist’s official webstore, driving both interest and sales. Pre-orders for a stand-alone CD were also made available in the same store, although these have yet to be shipped to customers. All physical formats of the album were exclusive to the artist’s webstore, creating a sense of exclusivity and urgency among fans.
The standard 11-song digital download album, along with the 14-song deluxe digital edition, was made widely accessible through popular platforms like the iTunes Store and similar services, although these versions were not sold through the artist’s webstore. This broad accessibility ensured that fans could easily obtain the album in their preferred format, thereby maximizing its reach and potential sales.
Halsey’s The Great Impersonator debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, earning 93,000 equivalent album units. This impressive figure is comprised of 81,000 in album sales, 12,000 in SEA units (equal to 16.05 million on-demand streams of the album’s songs), and a negligible amount in TEA units. The release is notable as it marks Halsey’s fifth top 10-charting album, with all of her albums debuting in the top two positions, demonstrating her continued success and popularity in the music industry.
The album’s successful first-week sales were enhanced by its availability in numerous formats, including a dozen deluxe collectible CD boxed sets (each containing a CD and exclusive merchandise), a standard CD, a signed CD, four alternative cover CDs (each signed), and eight vinyl variants (including a signed edition). Most of these products were exclusively sold through Halsey’s official webstore. The album was also released in standard digital formats, along with seven alternative digital download editions, each featuring exclusive bonus tracks, which were sold at a discounted price of $4.99, further enticing fans.
Halsey’s vinyl sales reached just over 26,000 copies, marking her best week for vinyl sales to date. This success highlights the growing trend of vinyl resurgence among music consumers, as fans increasingly seek out physical formats of their favorite albums.
Sabrina Carpenter’s former chart-topping album Short n’ Sweet slips from No. 2 to No. 3 on the new Billboard 200, earning 74,000 equivalent album units, which reflects a 5% decrease in sales.
Kelsea Ballerini’s Patterns makes a notable entrance at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, marking her highest-charting album to date as well as her second top 10-charting release. The album debuts with 54,000 equivalent album units earned, showcasing her best week in terms of units sold. This impressive figure includes 35,000 in album sales, representing her second-largest sales week, along with 19,000 SEA units and a negligible amount in TEA units.
Ballerini previously peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 with her album Unapologetically in 2017. The release of Patterns signifies a notable advancement in her career trajectory, further solidifying her status in the competitive music landscape.
The new album was preceded by the release of the single “Cowboys Cry Too,” featuring Noah Kahan, which successfully reached the top 20 on the Hot Country Songs chart back in July, generating anticipation for the full album’s release.
The first-week sales for Patterns were bolstered by a variety of available formats, including eight vinyl variants (one being a signed edition), three digital download options (a standard edition, one with bonus commentary tracks, and another featuring two bonus tracks), and two CD editions (including one signed variant). The vinyl sales alone totaled 12,000 for the week, marking Ballerini’s best week ever for vinyl sales, which is a testament to the increasing popularity of vinyl records among music lovers.
Rod Wave’s album Last Lap experiences a slight drop from No. 4 to No. 5 on the Billboard 200, with 51,000 equivalent album units earned, representing a 24% decrease in sales. Meanwhile, Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) rises dramatically from No. 44 to No. 6, earning 49,000 units, an impressive increase of 193% following its release on vinyl and cassette formats. The album was issued in five vinyl editions, predominantly featuring color variants, which together sold 31,000 copies during the tracking week, marking Eminem’s best week ever for vinyl sales.
Completing the top 10 on the latest Billboard 200 are Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us, which climbs from No. 8 to No. 7 with 49,000 equivalent album units earned, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time slipping from No. 6 to No. 8 with 46,000 units, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft maintaining its position at No. 9 with nearly 46,000 units, and GloRilla’s Glorious falling from No. 7 to No. 10 with 45,000 units.
Luminate, an independent data provider for the Billboard charts, conducts a meticulous review of all data submissions utilized in compiling the weekly chart rankings. This process involves reviewing and verifying data to ensure accuracy. In collaboration with Billboard, any data that is deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed using established criteria before final calculations for the chart are made and published.