YOUR TOP 15: LUKE LIGHTS UP THE BOARD
Luke Bryan will win the battle for #1 this week, but we’re already looking ahead to next week, when Dr. Dre may well benefit from the opening of Straight Outta Compton this Friday. While it’s still too soon to know what the impact of the film will be, it may give Dre the edge in his rematch with Bryan next week. Here’s how it looks right now:
*Luke Bryan (Capitol Nashville) 315-330k sales, 325-340k SPS
*Dr. Dre (Aftermath/Interscope) 270-280k, 300-310k
*Now 55 (NOW/Legacy) 70-75k
*tobyMac (Forefront) 30-35k, 35-40k
Descendants (Walt Disney) 20-23k, 28-32k
Taylor Swift (Big Machine/BMLG) 19-22k, 30-35k
Jill Scott (Blues Babe) 15-18k, 16-19k
Future (A1/Freedbandz/Epic) 14-17k, 28-32k
Sam Hunt (MCA Nashville) 14-17k, 25-28k
Twenty One Pilots (Fueled By Ramen) 12-14k, 18-21k
Ed Sheeran (Asylum UK) 12-14k, 27-30k
*Michael Ray (Warner Bros. Nashville) 11-13k, 12-14k
Tyrese (Voltron) 12-14k, 13-15k
Zac Brown Band (Southern Ground/Varvatos/BMLG/Republic) 10-12k *Never Say Never (Loveway/Warner Bros.) 10-12k
*Debuts
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LUKE VS. DRE: CHART BATTLE OF THE TITANS?
Dre's Bombshell Announcement Turns 8/14 Chart Into a Tight Fight for #1
Based on preorders and other data, Bryan is currently projected to move 350-400k to Dre’s 300-350k. But the situation is fluid, and the massive PR boost following Dre’s Beats 1 announcement—in connection with marketing for the Straight Outta Compton film, hitting screens on 8/14—gives the Good Doctor an edge in terms of momentum.
Compton (an Apple exclusive, at least initially) is currently #1 in preorder on the iTunes album chart, while Kill the Lights is #5.
That said, Bryan has a hot single (“Kick the Dust Up,” now #1 at Country radio and #14 at iTunes) and new track "Strip It Down" is impacting radio now. The star will hit GMA's Summer Concert Series and an iHeart release party in NYC on release date and Fallon on 8/10. Add to that his usual massive visibility and d2c initiatives.
Rap albums will have the 3 highest debuts of the year if this # comes true.
