Arcade Fire’s ‘Everything Now’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

Arcade Fire claims its third straight No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as Everything Now arrives atop the tally. The album, which was released July 28 through Columbia Records, earned 100,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Aug. 3, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 94,000 were in traditional album sales.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Aug. 19-dated chart (where Arcade Fire debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, Aug. 8.

Arcade Fire previously led the chart with Reflektor in 2013 and The Suburbs in 2010 — both albums debuted at No. 1.

Everything Now is just the second rock album to lead the Billboard 200 in 2017, following Linkin Park’s One More Light (on the June 10-dated list).

Further, Arcade Fire is now the second rock band this decade with three No. 1s. Linkin Park also has three leaders in the 2010s (of its six total toppers). Three other groups and bands have also logged a three No. 1s in 2010s: pop vocal quintet-turned-quartet One Direction, with four; country trio Lady Antebellum, with three; country group Zac Brown Band, with three.

Everything Now’s sales start of 94,000 (the sixth largest sales week for a rock album in 2017) was aided by a concert ticket/album bundle sale redemption promotion with the act’s upcoming tour. Other albums that have benefited from such an offer this year include Linkin Park’s One More Light, The Chainsmokers’ Memories… Do Not Open and Katy Perry’s Witness.

Arcade Fire leads a very quiet chart, as Everything Now is the only debut within the top 25 of the chart. Comparatively, a week ago, there were eight debuts in the top 25, including five in the top 10.

At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200 is Kendrick Lamar’s former No. 1 DAMN., which climbs 5-2 with 47,000 units (though with a decline of 3 percent). Meek Mill’s Wins and Losses holds steady at No. 3 in its second frame, with 37,000 units (down 64 percent). DJ Khaled’s Grateful, which earlier spent two weeks atop the list, ascends 9-4 with 34,000 units (down 7 percent).

JAY-Z’s 4:44, which also led the tally for a pair of weeks, climbs 7-5 in its fourth week on the chart (33,000 units; down 27 percent). 21 Savage’s Issa Album rebounds back into the top 10, as the former No. 2-peaking set rises 12-6 with 31,000 units (down 7 percent). Issa Album, like many titles on the chart, ascends despite a decline in units (as the list is less competitive this week).

Imagine Dragons’ Evolve also climbs back into the top 10, as it vaults 15-7 with a little more than 30,000 units (up 5 percent). Ed Sheeran’s former No. 1 ÷ (Divide) additionally returns to the region, moving 14-8 with 30,000 units (down 2 percent). (Both Imagine Dragons and Sheeran — along with 21 Savage — jump back into the top 10 as a quartet of albums vacate the region. Tyler, The Creator’s Flower Boytumbles from No. 2 to No. 12 in its second week, Linkin Park’s One More Light and Hybrid Theory fall 4-22 and 8-29, respectively; and Romeo Santos‘ Golden collapses 10-56 in its second frame.)

Rounding out the top 10 is the soundtrack to Descendants 2, which slips 6-9 in its second week (27,000 units; down 41 percent) and Lana Del Rey’s Lust for Life, which falls from No. 1 to No. 10 in its second week (27,000 units; down 75 percent).

Source: billboard.com