Taylor Swift’s Latest Album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Tops Billboard Charts at No. 1 – A Must-Listen Masterpiece!

The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift has had a phenomenal first week of album sales, selling a staggering 1.914 million copies in traditional album sales. This achievement marks the third-largest sales week for an album in the modern era since music sales began being tracked electronically in 1991.

What sets The Tortured Poets Department apart is the wide array of formats it was made available in. The album was released in 19 different physical configurations, including nine CDs, six vinyl LPs, and four cassettes. Target stores also exclusively sold four of the physical configurations. In addition to the physical copies, the album was also offered in two digital download versions – the standard 16-song album and a surprise deluxe 31-song edition that was released two hours after the original album.

Of the 1.914 million copies sold in the first week, a significant portion came from physical sales, totaling 1.64 million copies. This included 859,000 vinyl LPs, setting a new modern-era single-week record for an album on vinyl, 759,500 CDs, and a little over 21,500 cassettes. Digital downloads accounted for the remaining 274,000 copies.

The success of The Tortured Poets Department is not a standalone achievement for Taylor Swift. This album marks her seventh album to sell over 1 million copies in a single week, following the successes of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Midnights, reputation, the original 1989, Red, and Speak Now. Taylor Swift stands as the only artist to have achieved this milestone with seven different albums in the modern era.

Looking back at the history of million-selling weeks for albums in the modern era, Taylor Swift has made a significant impact. In total, there have been 26 instances where an album has sold over 1 million copies in a week in the modern era, with 24 different albums achieving this feat. Adele’s “25” holds the record for the most weeks with over 1 million copies sold, with three separate weeks.

The popularity of albums in the early 2000s reached its peak with six of the top 10 million-selling weeks occurring during that time. However, the music landscape has evolved, with the rise of digital and streaming services changing how audiences consume music. Despite this shift, Taylor Swift has remained a dominant force in album sales, accounting for 6% of all U.S. album sales in 2023.

Here is a recap of the top 10 biggest-selling weeks by albums in the modern era (1991-present) ranked by sales volume:

1. Adele – “25” – 3.378 million – Dec. 12, 2015
2. *NSYNC – “No Strings Attached” – 2.416 million – April 8, 2000
3. Taylor Swift – “The Tortured Poets Department” – 1.914 million – May 4, 2024
4. *NSYNC – “Celebrity” – 1.88 million – Aug. 11, 2001
5. Eminem – “The Marshall Mathers LP” – 1.76 million – June 10, 2000
6. Backstreet Boys – “Black & Blue” – 1.591 million – Dec. 9, 2000
7. Taylor Swift – “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” – 1.359 million – Nov. 11, 2023
8. Eminem – “The Eminem Show” – 1.322 million – June 15, 2002*
9. Britney Spears – “Oops! …I Did It Again” – 1.319 million – June 3, 2000
10. Taylor Swift – “1989” – 1.287 million – Nov. 15, 2014

This impressive list showcases the continued success and influence of artists like Taylor Swift in the music industry. As she continues to break records and set new milestones, Taylor Swift solidifies her position as one of the most significant artists of our time.