After just one day on sale, Taylor Swift’s Lover album has already logged 2019’s biggest sales week in the U.S. for an album.
According to initial sales reports to Nielsen Music, the set sold around 450,000 copies on its first day of release (Aug. 23) — buoyed by strong pre-order sales. Previously, the biggest sales week of the year was notched by the debut frame of Jonas Brothers’ Happiness Begins, with 357,000.
Further, Lover already has the biggest sales week for any album since…you guessed it, Swift’s own Reputation bowed at No. 1 with 1.216 million copies sold in its first week (Dec. 2, 2017-dated chart).
Industry forecasters estimate that Lover could finish the week with perhaps over 550,000 copies sold in the U.S. (largely comprised of first-day and pre-order sales, as is the case with many blockbuster albums). Lover’s first-week sales will be aided by the set’s release in four collectible CD editions at Target, as well as dozens of merchandise/album bundles sold through Swift’s official website.
Further, those in the know suggest Lover should easily bow at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Sept. 7) with perhaps over 700,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 29. (Equivalent album units comprise traditional album sales, track equivalent album [TEA] units and streaming equivalent album [SEA] units.)
The top 10 of the Sept. 7-dated Billboard 200 chart is scheduled to be revealed on Billboard’s websites on Sunday, Sept. 1.
If Lover launches with 700,000 units, it would secure the biggest week of 2019 for an album, bypassing the current record, held by Jonas Brothers’ Happiness Begins, which began with 414,000 units earned at No. 1 on the June 22 chart.
Lover, which was released Friday via Republic Records, is the superstar’s seventh full-length studio album. If it bows at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it will snare Swift her sixth leader on the list.
This story originally appeared on Billboard.com.
