We knew the numbers would be big when it was reported that Taylor Swift’s sixth full-length, Reputation, sold 800K copies in the first hour on iTunes. We were further convinced when it was announced that after just four days in the world, Reputation had become the best selling album of the year. And now, with the official numbers tallied — including the album that Taylor bought herself — we can undoubtedly say that Reputation is a sales juggernaut.
Billboard is reporting that the sales totals for Reputation‘s first week are 1.216 million copies, making it the 10th largest first week sales totals since Nielsen began tracking them in 1991. This is also Swift’s fourth album to sell more than a million copies in a week, making her the only artist to achieve that distinction. Reputation is the best selling album in a couple years, since Adele dropped 25 in 2015 to staggering numbers — 3.378 million copies in its first week and two other weeks of more than a million.
Of couse, Swift’s Reputation is notable compared to other albums released this year in that it wasn’t available to stream beyond its singles. While this should have impacted sales, it’s hard to say how many of her loyal Swifties account for these numbers, and would have bought the record regardless of its streaming status. Meanwhile, Swift is sure to sell many more albums as the holidays approach and when she heads on her massive tour next year.
