Arcade Fire’s ‘Everything Now’ Reaches No. 1 Thanks to Everything but Streaming

Photo

When Arcade Fire first hit No. 1 on the Billboard album, with “The Suburbs” in 2010, it was a big deal, marking the band’s ascension from indie-rock darlings to mainstream fame; winning the Grammy for album of the year only confirmed that status.

Now, even with its most polarizing album so far, Arcade Fire is a familiar sight at No. 1. The band’s latest, “Everything Now” (Columbia), is its third straight release to open at the top, and had the equivalent of just under 100,000 copies sold in the United States during its first week out, according to Nielsen. That included 94,000 copies sold of the complete album as well as a conspicuously low number of streams: 7.9 million.

By comparison, Kendrick Lamar’s “DAMN.,” which is at No. 2 after four months on the chart, had 46 million in the last week. Arcade Fire’s streaming number is the lowest for any No. 1 album since Bon Jovi’s “This House Is Not for Sale” in November, which reached the top with a nearly-negligible 315,000 plays.

Also this week, Meek Mill’s “Wins & Losses” holds at No. 3 for a second week, and DJ Khaled’s “Grateful” is No. 4. Jay-Z’s “4:44” is in fifth place, and last week’s top album, Lana Del Rey’s “Lust for Life,” fell to No. 10 in its second week out.

Continue reading the main story