Unlike most internet-related phenomenons powered by hashtags, retweets and trending topics, the Frank Ocean hype is the real deal. The R&B wunderkind’s Blonde is on pace to land atop the Billboard 200 next week despite only being an Apple Music exclusive.
Billboard cites industry sources with suggestions that Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange follow-up will sell “225,000 to 250,000 equivalent album units for the week ending August 25.”
The top 10 of the new Sept. 10-dated Billboard 200 chart — where Blonde could debut at No. 1 — is scheduled to be revealed on Billboard’s websites on Sunday, Aug. 28. (Nielsen Music’s tracking week for sales and streams runs Friday through Thursday.)
If Blonde does indeed nab the top spot, it will be Frank’s first no. 1 album. 2012’s Channel Orange debuted at no. 2 with 131,000 copies sold in its first week. To prevent early leaks, the album was released as an iTunes exclusive before getting a wider release weeks later.
Fans looking for the physical copy of Blonde in the form of something called a “CD” can hit up eBay. Physical copies, which vary slightly from the digital copy, were given away at four pop-up shops following the album’s release. Along with with CDs, free copies of Boys Don’t Cry magazine were also given away. According to Frank’s mom, the magazine may end up in stores again.
(Via Billboard)
