Top Album Sales

Music chart published by Billboard magazine

This article is about the music chart in the United States. For Top Albums Sales in Japan, see Billboard Japan § Albums.

The Top Album Sales is a music chart released weekly by Billboard magazine listing each week's top-selling albums in the United States. The chart has been published since December 13, 2014, although the magazine also retrospectively recognizes the Billboard 200 charts from May 25, 1991, through December 6, 2014, as part of the history of the Top Album Sales listing.[1] Sales figures for the chart are tabulated by Billboard with electronically monitored piece count information from Nielsen SoundScan, now Luminate.

The first number-one album actually published under the Top Album Sales banner was 1989 by Taylor Swift. However, since Billboard also recognizes the history of the Billboard 200 chart since 1991 as part of this chart the magazine recognizes the first chart-topper as Time, Love & Tenderness by Michael Bolton.[2]

As of the Billboard issue dated July 26, 2025, the current best-selling album in the United States is JackBoys 2, the second collaborative album by JackBoys, an American rap group composed of members of the record label Cactus Jack Records and its founder, American rapper Travis Scott. This is the group's second record to appear at the top of this chart, the first being their 2019 debut JackBoys. It also marks Scott's fourth record to do so, the last being the 2024 re-release of his mixtape Days Before Rodeo, which originally debuted in 2014.[3]

## History

[edit]

On May 25, 1991, Billboard began tabulating top-selling albums in the United States with electronically monitored piece count information from Nielsen Soundscan, now known as Luminate.[1] Up until December 2014, the weekly top-selling albums had been documented by the Billboard 200 chart, but that chart was altered to factor in music streaming by accounting for album-equivalent units in its tallies to document the effect of the rise of music streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify. During the week of December 6, 2014, the chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units.[1] The Top Album Sales chart was created to preserve the older methodology of counting pure album sales.[4][5][6][7]

The Top Album Sales and the Billboard 200 listed different number-one albums for the first time on February 8, 2015, when Now That's What I Call Music! 53 reached number one on the Top Album Sales (98,000 copies sold), while Taylor Swift's 1989 took the top spot on the Billboard 200 (77,000 copies sold).[8] As streaming became a major metric in music, the disparity between the Top Album Sales and the Billboard 200 grew larger. On October 8, 2016, Drake's Views became the first number-one album on the Billboard 200 to miss the Top 10 of the Top Album Sales, charting at number 22.[9] Meanwhile, We Are Superhuman by NCT 127 became the first album to reach number one on the Top Album Sales but fail to crack the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number 11 on June 8, 2019.[10] As streaming continued to dominate, Hoodie SZN by A Boogie wit da Hoodie became the first Billboard 200 number one to miss the Top Album Sales entirely, not selling enough copies to rank within the Top 100 on January 19, 2019.[11] On October 28, 2023, the Top Streaming Albums chart was launched by Billboard and the Top Album Sales chart was reduced from 100 positions to 50.[12][13]

Adele's 25 holds the record for biggest single-week performance on the Top Album Sales chart, selling 3.38 million on the week of December 12, 2015.[14] In December 2023, Swift became the first act to simultaneously occupy the top 4 positions of the chart.[15] In January 2024, Swift also became the first act to simultaneously occupy seven of the top-ten positions.[16][17]

## Achievements and milestones

[edit]

Chart achievements listed below cover the Top Album Sales since its launch in December 2014, as well as the Billboard 200 data between May 1991 and December 2014, which Billboard retrospectively recognizes as part of the Top Album Sales statistics.

### Most number-one albums

[edit]

Taylor Swift has 15 number ones on the Top Album Sales, including 12 number ones since December 2014.[18] Number of
albums  | Artist  | Ref.

|
|

15  | Taylor Swift | [19]
14  | Jay-Z | [20]
12  | Kenny Chesney | [21]
10  | Eminem | [22]
9  | Garth Brooks | [23]
8  | Drake | [24]
Kanye West | [25]
Bruce Springsteen | [26]
Madonna | [27]
Beyoncé | [28]
7  | The Beatles | [29]
Ariana Grande | [30]
Lady Gaga | [31]
Justin Bieber | [32]

### Most top-ten albums

[edit]

Number of
albums  | Artist  | Ref.

|
|

22  | George Strait | [33]
21  | Prince | [34]
Garth Brooks | [23]
19  | Mariah Carey | [35]
Tim McGraw | [36]
18  | Taylor Swift | [19]
Pearl Jam | [37]
17  | Kenny Chesney | [21]
Bruce Springsteen | [26]

## See also

[edit]

* List of Top Album Sales number ones of the 2010s
* List of Top Album Sales number ones of the 2020s

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Caulfield, Keith (November 27, 2023). "Dolly Parton's 'Rockstar' Debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales Chart With Her Biggest Sales Week in Modern Era". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
2. ^ "Top Album Sales". Billboard. May 25, 1991. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
3. ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/jackboys-2-number-one-billboard-200-albums-chart-1236025453/
4. ^ "Billboard 200 Makeover: Album Chart to Incorporate Streams & Track Sales". The Hollywood Reporter. 19 November 2014.
5. ^ Molanphy, Chris (25 November 2014). "Commerce Vs. Consumption: A Revolutionary Rethink of Billboard's Album Chart". NPR.
6. ^ "Billboard's charts used to be our barometer for music success. Are they meaningless in the streaming age? - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
7. ^ "Billboard 200 Makeover: Album Chart to Incorporate Streams & Track Sales". Billboard. 20 November 2014.
8. ^ Book, Ryan (February 12, 2015). "Now 53 Outsells Taylor Swift, Becomes First Record to Top Albums Chart but Not Billboard 200; Kid Ink Cracks Top 10". The Music Times. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
9. ^ "Drake's 'Views' Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart for 13th Week". Billboard. September 25, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
10. ^ Caulfield, Keith (June 2, 2019). "Billie Eilish Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2019.(subscription required)
11. ^ Caulfield, Keith (January 14, 2018). "A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Scores First No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart With 'Hoodie SZN'". Billboard. Retrieved January 15, 2018.(subscription required)
12. ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 24, 2023). "Billboard's Top Streaming Albums Chart Launches: Bad Bunny's 'Nadie' Leads Inaugural List". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
13. ^ "Top Album Sales". Billboard. May 25, 1991. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
14. ^ Caulfield, Keith (November 30, 2015). "Adele's Historic '25' Debut: By the Numbers". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
15. ^ Caulfield, Keith (December 29, 2023). "Taylor Swift Has the Top Four on the Album Sales Chart for the First Time". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
16. ^ "Top Streaming Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
17. ^ Caulfield, Keith (2024-01-03). "Taylor Swift Has 7 of the Top 10 on Billboard's Album Sales Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
18. ^ Caulfield, Keith (January 21, 2025). "Taylor Swift Scores Record-Breaking 15th No. 1 on Top Album Sales Chart With 'Lover: Live From Paris'". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
19. ^ a b "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 22, 2025.
20. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
21. ^ a b "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
22. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
23. ^ a b "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
24. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
25. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
26. ^ a b "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
27. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
28. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved May 13, 2025.
29. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
30. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved May 13, 2025.
31. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved May 13, 2025.
32. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved May 13, 2025.
33. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
34. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
35. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
36. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 3, 2025.
37. ^ "Chart History: Top Album Sales". Retrieved January 22, 2025.

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List of Billboard 200 number-one albums

1945–1959|

* 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945
* 1946
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1960–1979|

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1980–1999|

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2000–2019|

* 2000
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* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
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2020–present|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Top Album Sales|

* 2010s
* 2020s

* v
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Billboard charts

United States|

| All-genre charts|

| Songs|

* Billboard Hot 100
* Radio Songs
* Digital Song Sales
* Streaming Songs
* Bubbling Under Hot 100

|

Albums|

* Billboard 200
* Top Album Sales
* Top Streaming Albums
* Catalog Albums
* Independent Albums

Artists|

* Artist 100
* Emerging Artists

Pop|

* Pop Airplay
* Adult Contemporary
* Adult Pop Airplay

Country|

* Top Country Albums
* Hot Country Songs
* Country Airplay

Rock & Alternative|

* Hot Rock & Alternative Songs
* Mainstream Rock
* Alternative Airplay
* Adult Alternative Airplay

R&B/Hip-Hop|

* Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
* Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
* R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
* Hot Rap Songs
* Hot R&B Songs
* Adult R&B Songs
* Rhythmic

Latin|

* Top Latin Albums
* Hot Latin Songs
* Latin Airplay
* Latin Pop Albums
* Latin Pop Airplay
* Latin Rhythm Albums
* Latin Rhythm Airplay
* Regional Mexican Albums
* Regional Mexican Airplay
* Tropical Albums
* Tropical Airplay

Dance|

* Top Dance Albums
* Hot Dance/Electronic Songs
* Hot Dance/Pop Songs
* Dance/Mix Show Airplay

Christian/Gospel|

* Top Christian Albums
* Hot Christian Songs
* Christian Airplay
* Top Gospel Albums
* Hot Gospel Songs

Other charts|

* Afrobeats Songs
* Americana/Folk Albums
* Christmas/Holiday charts
* Comedy Albums
* Kid Albums
* Smooth Jazz Airplay
* Twitter Real-Time
* World Digital Song Sales

Multinational|

* Billboard Global 200
* Global Excl. US

Other countries
(Hits of the World)|

* Argentina Hot 100
* Brasil Hot 100
* Brasil Artistas 25
* Canadian Albums
* Canadian Hot 100
* Radio China Top 10
* Croatia Songs
* Hong Kong Songs
* India Songs
* Japan Hot 100
* Japanese Hot Albums
* Malaysia Songs
* Mexico Songs
* Philippines Hot 100
* Romania Songs
* South Korea Songs
* Vietnam Hot 100

Defunct charts|

| United States|

* Comprehensive Albums
* Dance Club Songs
* Dance Singles Sales
* Heatseekers charts
* Hot Crossover 30
* Hot Singles Sales
* Pop 100
* TikTok Billboard Top 50
* Top 40 Tracks
* Twitter Real-Time

|

Multinational|

* European Top 100 Albums
* European Hot 100
* European Dance Radio Chart
* Social 50

Other countries|

* Brazil Songs
* China Top 100
* China Airplay/FL
* Greek Aiprlay
* Indonesia Top 100
* K-pop Hot 100
* Mexico Airplay
* Español
* Inglés
* Philippines Songs
* Türkiye Top 20

Related articles|

* Year-End
* Top Artist
* number-one singles and albums
* Decade-End
* Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones
* K-pop on the Billboard charts
* Albums
* Songs
* Japan Hot 100
* World Digital Song Sales
* Year-end

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