Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance’ Returns To The Top Of The Charts Following Wide Vinyl Release

Following its wide vinyl release on October 7, Beyoncé’s Renaissance has returned to the top of Billboard’s album charts (dated October 22). The set jumps 69-2 in Top Album Sales, returns to No. 1 in Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top R&B Albums, and Vinyl Albums, and debuts at No. 1 in Tastemaker Albums. The former No. 1 climbs 6-3 on the Billboard 200.

Renaissance was first available on July 29 through streaming services and all retailers as a digital download and CD. Its vinyl LP was only available in limited quantities through Beyoncé’s official webstore at the time. It didn’t hit general retail until October 7.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the week’s best-selling albums based solely on traditional album sales. The chart’s history begins on May 25, 1991, when Billboard began tabulating charts using electronically monitored piece count data from SoundScan, now Luminate. The Billboard 200 albums chart used only album sales until the list dated December 6, 2014, when it switched to a methodology that combined album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. Follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on Twitter and Instagram for all chart news.

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top R&B Albums rank the week’s most popular R&B/hip-hop albums and R&B albums by equivalent album units, respectively. Vinyl Albums tracks the week’s best-selling vinyl albums. Tastemaker Albums ranks the best-selling albums in independent and small chain record stores for the week.

Stray Kids secure their second chart-topper with MAXIDENT, which debuts at No. 1 with 110,000 copies sold — the fourth-largest sales week of any album in 2022. 97% of its sales were CDs, while 3% were digital albums. The set could not be purchased in any other configuration.

With nearly 8,500 sold, the all-star charity compilation album Good Music to Ensure Safe Abortion Access to All debuts at No. 9 on Top Album Sales, the highest sales week for a non-soundtrack compilation album in two years. The 49-track digital download album, which included songs by Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, and Pearl Jam, was only available through Bandcamp’s webstore for one day, on October 7. The album’s net proceeds, according to a press release, will benefit non-profit organisations working to make abortion care available to all: Brigid Alliance and NOISE FOR NOW (who are working with Abortion Care Network).

The last time a non-soundtrack compilation album sold more in a single week was two years ago, when Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, Volume 2 debuted at No. 10 on Top Album Sales with 13,500 units sold (Oct. 17, 2020 chart).

Good Music to Ensure Safe Abortion Access for All also debuts at number one on Billboard’s Compilation Albums chart, number eight on Top Current Album Sales, and in the top 40 on Independent Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, and Top Alternative Albums.

The two Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy albums raised more than $600,000 for voting-rights organisations in 2020. (according to the Good Music organization).

Pink Floyd’s Animals rounds out the new Top Album Sales chart, jumping 23-10 with just over 8,000 sold (up 122% since the Oct. 7 release of a deluxe box set edition). Pink Floyd’s official webstore sold the four-disc set (containing vinyl LP/CD/DVD and Blu-ray discs) for $99.98, and it came in a hardcover book with a 32-page booklet.

In the week ending October 13, 1.896 million albums were sold in the United States (a 14.3% increase over the previous week). Physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) accounted for 1.53 million (an increase of 18.1%), while digital albums accounted for 366,000 (an increase of 0.5%).

In the week ending Oct. 13, there were 715,000 CD albums sold (up 17.5% week over week) and 804,000 vinyl albums sold (up 18.9%). Year-to-date CD album sales are at 26.758 million (down 7.9% from the same period last year), while year-to-date vinyl album sales are at 30.031 million (up 1.8%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 73.152 million (a 7.6% decrease from the same period last year). Physical album sales are down 2.9 percent year to date to 57.202 million, while digital album sales are down 21.4% to 15.95 million.

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