For the first time in 2021, nine albums debut in the top 10 of Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated May 15). That’s the most concurrent top 10 debuts since the Oct. 17, 2020-dated tally, when there were also nine arrivals.
French rock band Gojira leads list for the first time, as its latest studio effort, Fortitude, bows at No. 1 on the chart with a career-high 24,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending May 6.
Also starting in the top 10 are new releases from Grateful Dead, Manchester Orchestra, DJ Khaled, Thomas Rhett, Royal Blood, Dropkick Murphys, Pink Floyd and MercyMe.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now MRC Data. Pure album sales were the measurement solely utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Fortitude’s debut sales of 24,000, physical album sales comprise nearly 16,000 of that figure (7,000 CDs and 8,000 vinyl LPs) while digital album sales comprise 8,000. The set also bows at No. 2 on the Vinyl Albums chart, as well as No. 1 on the Tastemaker Albums chart. The former ranks the week’s top-selling vinyl albums, while the latter tallies the top-selling albums at independent record stores.
Gojira’s previous high-water mark on Top Album Sales came with 2016’s Magma, which debuted and peaked at No. 13 (July 9, 2016 chart) with its then-best sales frame (17,000).
Fortitude also makes a splash at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums and No. 12 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.
Grateful Dead’s latest archival live album Dave’s Picks Vol. 38: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY-9/8/73 debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales with 20,000 sold. It’s the band’s 23rd top 10 effort on the nearly 30-year-old chart.
Rock band Manchester Orchestra lands its highest-charting set yet on Top Album Sales, and second top 10, as The Million Masks of God launches at No. 3 with 16,000 sold. The group’s previous high-water mark came in 2017 with the No. 7-peaking A Black Mile to the Surface. The Million Masks of God also starts at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart, with 12,000 sold via vinyl.
Carrie Underwood’s My Savior is the lone holdover title in the top 10 on Top Album Sales, as it falls 2-4 in its sixth week on the chart (a little over 16,000 sold; down 18%).
DJ Khaled’s star-studded Khaled Khaled album bows at No. 5 with 15,000 sold, while Thomas Rhett’s Country Again (Side A) starts at No. 6 with 14,000. They are the 10th and fifth top 10-charting albums for Khaled and Rhett, respectively.
English rock duo Royal Blood lands its second top 10 on Top Album Sales, as Typhoons debuts at No. 7, selling 11,000. The set also launched at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. Dropkick Murphys’ Turn Up That Dial debuts at No. 8 on Top Album Sales with 11,000 sold. It’s the fourth top 10, all consecutive, from the group.
Pink Floyd’s Live at Knebworth starts at No. 9 with 10,000 sold. It’s the sixth top 10 for the act since the Top Album Sales chart started in 1991. The set captures a June 30, 1990, concert that was previously only available as part of the 2019 boxed set The Later Years.
Closing out the new top 10 on Top Album Sales is MercyMe’s Inhale (Exhale), starting at No. 10 with 8,000 sold. It’s the sixth top 10 for the group.
