For all news on the charts, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on Twitter and Instagram. The new chart dated 2 January 2021 (where McCartney III bows in paragraph 1) will be posted in full at Advertising panelon the website on December 29.
McCartney III sold 104,000 copies in the United States in the week ending December 24, according to Nielsen Music / MRC Data. The last solo rock album to record a week of higher sales was McCartney’s Egypt Station, which debuted first on the list dated September 22, 2018, with 147,000 copies sold. (Egypt StationSales of – like many other albums – were driven by a redemption offer for concert tickets / album sales, as well as merchandise / album packages, which no longer count for sales on the charts as of October 9).
McCartney III and Egypt Station are McCartney’s No. 1 on the best-selling album sales chart, released on May 25, 1991.
McCartney IIIThe company’s robust sales were aided by its availability in many vinyl CD and LP formats, including editions with an alternate cover or colored vinyl. The album sold 53,000 copies on CD; almost 32,000 on vinyl LP, 18,000 on digital download and 1,000 on cassette tape.
The album was available in more than 10 vinyl variants, which combined sold nearly 32,000 copies in its first week – the third biggest week in sales of a vinyl album since Nielsen Music / MRC Data started to electronically monitor music sales in 1991. Just the weeks debut of Jack White Lazareto (40,000) and Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy (34,000) were larger.
McCartney III naturally it also debuts first on the weekly vinyl album chart, which ranks the best-selling vinyl LPs of the week.
The new album was also a hit at independent record stores, with 16,000 copies sold in all formats available at independent stores. It reaches number one on the Tastemaker album chart, which ranks the best-selling albums of the week at indie music stores. (Both graphs will be published in full in Advertising panelDecember 29)
As for the rest of the top 10 on the last album sales chart, Taylor Swift’s Ever drops 1-2 in its third week with 102,000 copies sold (down 34%), while Eminem’s Music to be murdered re-enters the third position with 33,000 units sold (after the January 2020 launch was relaunched on December 18 with 16 additional tracks).
Swift’s former No. 1 Folklore 2-4 dives with 32,500 sold (down 69%), NCT’s Resonance, Pt. 1 goes from 93 to 5 after the album was re-released on December 18 with bonus tracks, Carrie Underwood’s My gift falls 3-6 with 27,000 sold (up 5%) and Chris Stapleton Starting again rises 8-7 with 22,000 (29% increase).
The top 10 is completed by three ex-No. 1s: AC / DC’s Power up (7-8 with just under 22,000 sold; an increase of 18%), BTS ‘ Be (did not move in 9th position with 21,000; 28% increase) and Harry Styles’ Thin line (4-10 with 20,500; down 18%).