Taylor Swift“Midnights” by became the first album to chart one million units in one week in five years. The last album to do so? Taylor Swift’s “reputation” dates back to 2017.
Additionally, “Midnights” accomplished the feat in just three days on the market. Bright recount Variety that the new record charted with 1.2 million album-equivalent units over the weekend of October 21-23.
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There’s also a “only in 2022, kids” element: Almost half of the total units racked up in those first three days came from…vinyl sales. Luminate reports that nearly 500,000 copies were sold in LP format over the weekend. That’s more than half of the total actual sales of the album during this period, which amounted to 955,000 complete copies sold in all formats, digital and CD included.
“Midnights” is a rare physical monster (not to be confused with a monster on the hill, too big to hang around, slowly heading towards your favorite town, pierced through the heart, but never killed). But it’s no slouch in the streaming department either. Per Luminate, the first three days of release saw the album rake in over 284 million official on-demand streams, counting audio and video streams together.
Billboard, whose weekly charts are powered by Luminate, highlighted several high points the album has already established, with more than half of its first week of release still to come. Among them, the fact that 1.2 million units gives “Midnights” the highest number for a new album in a week since “Reputation” arrived with 1,238 units five years ago – a mark that the new album will likely be outdated by the end of business on Monday.
Billboard previously reported on Saturday that after just one day, “Midnights” had the biggest week for a vinyl album since Luminate’s predecessors began tracking sales in 1991.
All of those LPs are a big factor in why “Midnights” is so much bigger right out of the box than Swift’s other recent albums. As is well established, there’s a big lag in getting vinyl pressed these days, and so when “Folklore” and “Evermore” were both rushed out in 2020, fans had to wait months for the release. Vinyl release follows digital unveiling. In this case, Swift didn’t rush anything, and there were copious amounts of LPs this weekend, in stores as well as for ordering on the web, for anyone who wanted some.
And many fans bought multiple editions. There were five different LP editions – four of them with different cover artwork and different LP color variations, plus a separate Target edition duplicating one of those covers but with a different color. The CD edition was also available with all four different covers and interior artwork, and there was anecdotal evidence of many Swifties collecting full sets…even springing for the cassette edition (which was limited to one cover).
But the streaming numbers show that the album’s strength isn’t all about collecting and hoarding. Billboard says the 284 million streams amassed in those first three days were enough to already give “Midnights” the third-biggest streaming week of 2022. The single-week record this year is held by Bad Bunny, of which “Un Verano Sin Ti” picked up 356.55 million in its first week. With four days left in the chart period, “Midnights” has a decent chance of topping Bad Bunny’s top chart, if momentum builds. maintains.
After the chart period ends Thursday night, official ‘Midnight’ week one results will have to wait until the traditional news blast next Sunday, though given the interest, estimates should fly. freely as the week progresses.
Streaming was not affected at all by Swift’s release of a 20-track deluxe edition, subtitled “3am”, just three hours after the release of the standard 13-song edition.
Lily Varietyreview of this standard edition here and bonus tracks here.
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