The estimates have started rolling in for last week’s releases, and Drake is expected to drastically outperform all of his competition.
The 22-song More Life playlist is predicted to do 500,000 to 550,000 with sales plus streaming (SPS), with 225,00 to 250,000 coming from straight sales, according to Hits Daily Double. Those numbers will comfortably launch him into the #1 spot on Billboard chart, where his VIEWS album spent much of 2016.
The project came out on all digital service providers to much fanfare on Saturday (March 18) after several delays, but a physical release has yet to be announced. Early reports show that it’s at least on track with his last album, VIEWS, which averaged 35 million plays per day in its first week, and might do substantially more since that release started as an Apple Music exclusive.
More Life has already given Drake two Spotify records, according to a press release sent to HipHopDX. Its 61,302,082 first-day streams on March 19 were the most ever and, as an artist, Drizzy had a total of 76,355,041 streams that day, passing Ed Sheeran for most spins in a 24-hour period.
AD LOADING...
Rick Ross released his Rather You Than Me album on Friday (March 17), which is expected to pull in numbers ranging from 85,000 to 95,00 SPS, with 40,000 to 50,000 in pure album sales in its first week, again according to Hits Daily Double.
Of course, the rollout wasn’t without controversy. One of the tracks from the project, “Idols Become Rivals,” took aim at Cash Money Records CEO Birdman, which likely helped draw some ears.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNchag-6ogc
Compared to Rick Ross’ 2006 debut, Port Of Miami, which sold more than 187,000 units in its first week, the Carol City, Florida rap powerhouse’s ninth studio album pales in comparison, but that’s simply a sign of the digital era. Ross still managed to outsell projects from rock veterans Depeche Mode and indie band Spoon.
AD LOADING...
Rather You Than Me won’t hit #1 this week, but Ross will likely crack the Top 5 — exactly how high he’ll make it will be determined by how well he does compared to the current chart-leaders, British pop sensation Ed Sheeran and hard rockers Metallica.
