According to initial reports by Luminate, Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ has achieved remarkable success by selling over 1 million copies in the U.S. during its first five days of release from October 27 to October 31, 2023. This impressive achievement establishes the album as the best-selling record of the year, surpassing Swift’s own 2022 release, ‘Midnights,’ which sold 778,000 copies throughout 2023 until October 26. This recent feat means that Taylor Swift now holds the top three selling albums of the year, with ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ ranking as the third best-seller, having sold 742,000 copies since its release in July.
The success of ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ extends beyond its year-to-date sales record. It also boasts the biggest sales week in 2023, surpassing the opening week of Swift’s ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),’ which debuted with 507,000 copies sold in the week ending July 13. ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ secured the highest sales week for any album since the release week of Swift’s ‘Midnights’ in October 2022, which sold a staggering 1.14 million copies by the week ending October 27, 2022
This accomplishment marks the sixth time one of Taylor Swift’s albums has sold at least a million copies in a single week, joining the ranks of her debut weeks for ‘Midnights,’ ‘reputation,’ the original ‘1989,’ ‘Red,’ and ‘Speak Now.’ Swift’s ability to achieve this feat on six separate occasions sets her apart as the only artist to accomplish this remarkable record, since Luminate began electronically tracking album sales in 1991.
Throughout the Luminate era, which began in 1991, there have been 25 instances where an album sold over a million copies in a single week. Notably, Adele’s ’25’ achieved this remarkable feat in three separate weeks.
The impressive sales of ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ can be attributed to its availability in various collectible physical formats, including five color vinyl variants, eight CD editions, and two cassette editions. Notably, Target offers a color variant of the vinyl edition, featuring an exclusive bonus track, “Sweeter Than Fiction.” The album is also available in two digital download editions: a standard 21-song version and a deluxe 22-song version, which includes a re-recorded version of the album’s “Bad Blood,” featuring Kendrick Lamar.
On the streaming front, ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ experienced tremendous success. The 21 songs available for streaming collectively generated over 307 million on-demand official streams in the first five days after its release. This marks the most significant streaming week by total streams for any of Taylor Swift’s four re-recorded albums. Her previous highest streaming sum for a re-recorded project was achieved by ‘Red (Taylor’s Version),’ which garnered 303.23 million streams in its opening week. Swift’s overall best streaming week for any album is her record-setting debut week for ‘Midnights,’ with a staggering 549.26 million streams.
Luminate’s tracking week concluded on Thursday, November 2. The final sales numbers for the album’s first week are expected to be announced on Sunday, November 5. Should ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, it will mark Taylor Swift’s 13th No. 1 album, solidifying her record for the most No. 1 albums among female artists.
Additional information about the album’s initial sales, streaming performance, and track-equivalent activity, as provided by Luminate, will be reported in the upcoming days.
The Billboard 200 chart is a ranking of the most popular albums in the United States for the week. This ranking is based on a multi-metric consumption system that considers equivalent album units. Equivalent album units encompass album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit represents a single album sale, the sale of ten individual tracks from an album, or the equivalent of 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.
The astounding success of ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ reaffirms Taylor Swift’s position as a musical powerhouse, consistently dominating the charts and setting new records in the industry. Her dedication to her craft, ability to connect with her audience, and profound artistry have undoubtedly propelled her to this remarkable milestone. With the music world eagerly awaiting her future endeavors, Taylor Swift’s star continues to shine brightly, reflecting her immense talent and impact on the world of music.
