Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. and Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) lead Nielsen Music’s 2017 mid-year album charts, while Sheeran’s “Shape of You” dominates the mid-year song lists. (See charts, below.)
For the tracking period of Dec. 30, 2016 through June 29, 2017, Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. dominates as the most popular album in the country, having earned 1.77 million equivalent album units. (Equivalent album units are comprised of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums [TEA] and streaming equivalent albums [SEA]. Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from one album, or 1,500 on-demand audio streams generated by songs on an album.)
DAMN. marked Lamar’s third No. 1 album on the weekly Billboard 200, following its release on April 14. It bowed with the largest week of the year for an album on the chart: 603,000 units earned.
In terms of traditional album sales, Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) is tops, with 742,000 copies sold so far in 2017. It’s ahead of the No. 2 seller, DAMN., with 678,000. Those are the only two albums to have sold at least a half-million copies in 2017. Comparably, in the first half of 2016, the industry saw five albums sell more than 500,000 – including a trio that moved in excess of a million (Adele’s 25, Drake’s Views and Beyoncé’s Lemonade).
Nielsen Music’s Mid-Year 2017 Charts:
2017’s Mid-Year Top 10 Albums (Based on Overall Equivalent Album Units)
1. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN. (1,772,000)
2. Ed Sheeran, ÷ (Divide) (1,749,000)
3. Drake, More Life (1,693,000)
4. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic (1,110,000)
5. Migos, Culture (1,002,000)
6. The Weeknd, Starboy (981,000)
7. Soundtrack, Moana (819,000)
8. Future, Future (760,000)
9. The Chainsmokers, Memories… Do Not Open (760,000)
10. Post Malone, Stoney (711,000)
2017’s Mid-Year Top 10 Selling Albums
1. Ed Sheeran, ÷ (Divide) (743,000)
2. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN. (678,000)
3. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic (494,000)
4. Soundtrack, Moana (494,000)
5. Metallica, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct (487,000)
6. Chris Stapleton, From A Room: Volume 1 (419,000)
7. Soundtrack, Trolls (373,000)
8. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 (351,000)
9. Drake, More Life (343,000)
10. Soundtrack, Beauty and the Beast (337,000)
2017’s Mid-Year Top 10 Selling Vinyl Albums
1. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (39,000)
2. Soundtrack, La La Land (33,000)
3. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (30,000)
4. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Legend (30,000)
5. Amy Winehouse, Back to Black (27,000)
6. Ed Sheeran ÷ (Divide) (27,000)
7. The Beatles, Abbey Road (26,000)
8. Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain (24,000)
9. Tennis, Yours Conditionally (24,000)
10. Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (23,000)
2017’s Mid-Year Top 10 Selling Digital Songs
1. Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You” (2,170,000)
2. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, “Despacito” (1,437,000)
3. Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like” (1,377,000)
4. Sam Hunt, “Body Like a Back Road” (1,246,000)
5. Zayn / Taylor Swift, “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)” (1,048,000)
6. The Chainsmokers & Coldplay, “Something Just Like This” (988,000)
7. James Arthur, “Say You Won’t Let Go” (914,000)
8. Imagine Dragons, “Believer” (905,000)
9. Julia Michaels, “Issues” (889,000)
10. Bruno Mars, “24K Magic” (769,000)
2017’s Mid-Year Top 10 On-Demand Song Streams (Audio and Video Combined)
1. Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You” (689,756,000)
2. Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert, “Bad and Boujee” (648,129,000)
3. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, “Despacito” (624,375,000)
4. Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like” (522,071,000)
5. Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.” (519,887,000)
6. Future, “Mask Off” (505,473,000)
7. Kyle featuring Lil Yachty, “Ispy” (494,113,000)
8. Post Malone featuring Quavo, “Congratulations” (483,252,000)
9. Lil Uzi Vert, “XO TOUR Llif3” (474,220,000)
10. Kodak Black, “Tunnel Vision” (388,186,000)
2017’s Mid-Year Top 10 On-Demand Audio Streams
1. Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You” (354,245,000)
2. Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.” (345,980,000)
3. Future, “Mask Off” (327,281,000)
4. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, “Despacito” (316,581,000)
5. Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert, “Bad and Boujee” (313,596,000)
6. Lil Uzi Vert, “XO TOUR Llif3” (277,610,000)
7. Post Malone featuring Quavo, “Congratulations” (273,964,000)
8. Kyle featuring Lil Yachty, “iSpy” (271,738,000)
9. Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like” (261,115,000)
10. Big Sean, “Bounce Back” (230,278,000)
2017’s Mid-Year Top 10 On-Demand Video Streams
1. Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You” (335,511,000)
2. Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert, “Bad and Boujee” (334,533,000)
3. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, “Despacito” (397,795,000)
4. Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like” (260,956,000)
5. Kyle featuring Lil Yachty, “iSpy” (222,376,000)
6. Post Malone featuring Quavo, “Congratulations” (209,288,000)
7. Ayo & Teo, “Rolex” (199,244,000)
8. Lil Uzi Vert, “XO TOUR Llif3” (196,611,000)
9. Zay Hilfigerrr & Zayion McCall, “Juju On That Beat (TZ Anthem)” (196,524,000)
10. Rae Sremmurd, “Swang” (188,790,000)
