Ed Sheeran set to claim the Official Albums and Singles Chart double with huge sales
As Ed Sheeran’s new music takes over the charts across the world this week, the singer-songwriter is on track to claim the ‘double’ on home soil as he charges to Number 1 on the Official UK Albums and Singles Chart with bumper sales.
On today’s Official Chart Update, which looks at how the charts are shaping up at the midway point of the week, Ed’s third studio record ÷ has shifted 432,000 in its first three days on sale across physical (63% of its sales make-up so far), digital (31%) and streaming equivalent sales (6%).
Based on its current sales pattern, ÷ is expected to exceed sales of 500,000 this week, which would give him the biggest opening week for an album since Adele’s 25, which logged 800,307 sales in its first seven days. The biggest one week total of any album in 2016 was David Bowie’s Blackstar, which sold 143,455 last January.
MORE: Ed Sheeran's Official Top 10 biggest songs revealed
The early success of ÷ is also driving fans to Ed’s previous two albums – 2014’s x is currently at Number 4 and + is at 5.
Ed is also dominating the Official Singles Chart this week, with all 16 tracks from ÷ on course to enter the Top 40, nine of which are inside the Top 10, led by Shape Of You (1), Castle On The Hill (2), Galway Girl (3) and Perfect (4).
MORE: See this week's Top 100 Official Singles Chart Update in full, See this week's Top 100 Official Albums Chart Update in full
New entries and high climbers
Aside from Ed Sheeran’s new entries, two more songs are on course to enter this week’s singles Top 40: Lorde’s new single Green Light is currently at Number 24, and a new version of Little Mix’s No More Sad Songs featuring Machine Gun Kelly is at 34.
Over on the Official Albums Chart, seven more new albums are on track to land inside this week’s Top 40: Windy City by US bluegrass-country singer Alison Krauss (6), Collabro’s third album Home (7), Sleaford Mods’ 10th record English Tapas (8) and Daniel O’Donnell’s Back Home Again (10).
Further down, Last Place by US indie band Grandaddy opens at 12, Volcano by British band Temples starts at 19, and The Gold Collection by Irish musical duo Foster & Allen is at 28.
See this week's Top 100 Official Singles Chart Update in full
See this week's Top 100 Official Albums Chart Update in full
Image: Rex/Shutterstock
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KS
Kevin Summers
It's time to stop streams counting towards the charts - or at least just include songs that have been released as singles.
James England
Yes, chart fans... it's really happening. Ed Sheeran is on course to have sixteen songs in the top twenty.
Today's sales
Singles
1 Ed Sheeran - Shape of You (77k)
2 Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl (42k) *
3 Ed Sheeran - Castle on the Hill (39.8k)
4 Ed Sheeran - Perfect (33.2k) *
5 The Chainsmokers & Coldplay - Something Just Like This (28.9k)
6-10
6 Ed Sheeran - New Man *
7 Ed Sheeran - Dive *
8 Ed Sheeran - Happier *
9 Ed Sheeran - Supermarket Flowers *
10 Ed Sheeran - How Would You Feel (Paean)
11-20
11 Ed Sheeran - What Do I Know? *
13 Ed Sheeran - Eraser *
15 Ed Sheeran - Barcelona *
16 Ed Sheeran - Nancy Mulligan *
17 Ed Sheeran - Hearts Don't Break Around Here *
18 Ed Sheeran - Bibia Be Ye Ye *
19 Ed Sheeran - Save Myself *
The Spotify streaming numbers mirror these stats. Sheeran dominates the Spotify Top 50.
Not much more to say, I guess. History in the making but not the sort of history chart fans wanted to see.
Daniel Ayquero
(Reposting from my other contribution)
And yet the solution to this craziness is so easy. Just allow any track to chart before the album is released, whether it's an official single, promotional single or an instant grat song (and any subsequent official singles obviously). This way you can a have a fair system and if anyone releases 10 promotional songs, so be it. They are on their own and can fight with the rest. An album track is not on its own, it is only carried by the album.
It's interesting that by trying to stay hip and relevant, the OCC have created an abomination which will completely strip them of any remaining professional credibility. Well, I guess serves them right.
R
Rich
Just wanted to add my voice to this farce as well. No problem with Ed Sheeran doing well but it's time to admit all the changes to the singles chart over the last few years have finally reached the point where they are now officially broken. Why not just allow people to text or tweet their favourite songs instead (maximum of 1,000 votes per account to prevent any bias). It'll be about as relevant as the current system is.
James England
It's time to scrap the singles chart? Introduce the top 100/40 Official UK Streaming Chart. Scrap the download/physical charts etc. No longer relevant. The term 'single' should be scrapped too. It's obsolete (sadly). New singles should be classified as 'streaming tracks'.
Introduce a rule like one streaming 'track' per artist/group. Ed Sheeran's other album tracks aren't classified as chart tracks. Chart tracks are different to album tracks. After a period of time - perhaps two months - a second album track is given 'chart' status and its streams can be added to the chart. Something like that might work.
Heather Jamieson
Looking for something fresh and exciting? Check out COLLABRO's much-anticipated third album "HOME". Best loved musical theatre classics with a crisp new styling and infectious delivery!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/59216a2b926154ed3d5586c2f5221db36a335e02a76fcefe894604df13bb0eb4.jpg
Agenor Mark
Singles chart has become such a joke. :-/
James England
The sad thing is I don't think the OCC care about this. The idea 9 Ed Sheeran songs can make up the top 10 is so absurd, so unfair, so silly, but OCC report it as if it's just a normal kind of thing. If Ed does have 9 songs in the top 10, I will never again support the chart. That's it for me, game over! As mentioned by another poster below, the chart is about to die on Friday. RIP.
What with Donald Trump as President and Ed Sheeran about to ruin the top 40, we're living in truly crazy times.
Thomas Sales
Look at it this way. When was the last time there was 15 new entries in the top 40?
James England
Funny point! :)
RT
Richard Thomas
Cmon OCC it's time to sort this mess out. 9 out of 10 tracks in the top 10 is utterly ridiculous. It's time to restrict the top 100 to legitimate singles or else we are the mercy of having the charts constantly clogged up with the same few songs that teenagers listen to on repeat because they have no imagination to listen to anything else. I'm hoping this is peak Sheeran now and that his career starts to fade after this because it's getting annoying now. He seems like a nice guy but god his music is samey and predictable.
I Am A Stegosaurus
(Posting on here because the link to the full chart is broke)
Okay, I actually LOVE Ed Sheeran but NINE tracks in the top 10, that is legitimately ridiculous, I mean what even IS this and despite all this Number 1 is still the Shape of You. THIS is why album tracks should NOT be eligible to chart in the top 40. Bet next week a NON-single from / will be #1! -_____________-
I Am A Stegosaurus
Oh the upper links work
A
Adam
For the life of me, I'll never understand Ed Sheeran's popularity. To me, he is the three Bs: beige, bland and boring.
R
riley
This is just mad...
Irek Eric
its not singles chart... its silly charts to be honest... where are the singles in singles charts, when just 3 songs are singles in top 10 and rest is just songs from the album... silly and silly again! this is the day that official singles charts died. rest in peace and amen
James England
Yeah, Irek. Game over. The End. Goodbye. RIP. So long!