While the leak of RiRi's album ahead of street date caused the Industry Bible to put her on its chart early (at #27), it's worth noting that Team Janice certainly has discretion in such cases, and might have looked the other way for a major artist who's one of the biggest brands in the biz. It's further confirmation that the Bible bunch have virtually no grasp on the nuances of the music industry.
So basically, bend the chart rules because Rihanna is a big-name artist. Why be so unethical? She's getting a #1 album anyways, I don't see the problem.
What a pointless remark. Billboard has specific deadlines. If your album is released even 5 minutes before that deadline ends, they WILL count the copies you sold in those 5 minutes and that's the way it should be.
