Following a window of exclusivity on TIDAL, JAY-Z‘s much discussed ‘4:44’ album hit all services (sans Spotify) within the last week.
It meant that Jigga’s numbers would be easier to track in the traditional sense. Especially after the confusion that ensued when he was awarded a Platinum plaque for “selling” 1 million copies of the LP in the US – despite the project only being available on TIDAL (who didn’t report their numbers). Later, it became apparent that this was possible due to Sprint “buying” a million copies to give away for “free” to customers.
So, how do the numbers stack for the album’s first wide week of availability?
According to Hits Daily Double, the simple answer is: good enough to secure a #1.
Jay will officially sit atop of the Billboard 200 this week and shifted the following to do so:
277,601
[Sales Plus Streaming]
———
175,441
[Pure Sales]
******************
For what it’s worth, another week at #1 looks likely. For, the 47-year-old is still in pole position on the iTunes US store and boasts more star power and hype than a number of the releases unleashed in this new tracking week.