Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” continues to reign supreme at the top spot on the charts, breaking records and potentially becoming the longest-reigning debut album at No. 1. With a strategic album release, impressive streaming numbers, and a variety of collectible versions available, Swift has managed to keep any challengers at bay and secure her position at the top for 11 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 chart.
For the eleventh consecutive week, “The Tortured Poets Department” has secured the top spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This achievement was made possible by a 27% increase in sales, boosted by the release of two limited edition CDs featuring exclusive bonus tracks. According to Billboard, this marks Taylor Swift’s longest-running No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, tying with “Fearless” and “1989”. It is highly likely that the record will be broken next week.
In order to secure its twelfth week at the top of the charts, Swift unveiled a limited-edition collection of signed CDs on her online store, all of which quickly sold out.
Additionally, Swift’s team, Taylor Nation, announced on X that they had restocked a special collector’s edition of the album “The Tortured Poets Department” and shared posts from fans who had managed to complete their collections.
“The Tortured Poets Department” saw immediate success, with over 2.6 million album-equivalent units sold in its first week in April, making it Swift’s most successful debut yet and the biggest album debut on the Billboard charts since Adele’s “25” in 2015.
The record-breaking album made waves in the streaming world by setting a new standard for success. It was the first album to achieve over 300 million streams in a single day on Spotify, thanks in part to the popular track “Fortnight” with Post Malone, which became the platform’s most-played song in a day. Almost all of the album’s tracks have surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify, solidifying its place as a fan favorite. Even three months after its release, the album remains a strong contender, currently holding the second spot on Spotify’s weekly albums chart.
Since the release of the album, Swift has been keeping the momentum going by offering fans different collectible and digital editions, resulting in increased sales. In June, during the album’s ninth week at the top spot on the charts, Swift’s sales saw a 42% increase thanks to two CD versions containing exclusive bonus tracks. Throughout May and June, fans were treated to new CDs or digital versions of the album almost weekly, each including bonus tracks such as acoustic versions of songs, demo versions, or live performances from her Eras Tour shows. Swift dropped the album with an acoustic version of “But Daddy I Love Him” on May 8, followed by various versions with different bonus tracks leading up to June 13. This strategy caused a stir among fans of other artists like Billie Eilish and Charli XCX, as Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” continued to dominate the charts and keep other albums from reaching the top spot. Despite facing tough competition, Swift managed to hold off the album debuts of Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Bon Jovi, Gunna and more.
Swift’s album “The Tortured Poets Department” has held the top spot on the Billboard 200 for several months, solidifying its place as one of the longest-running albums at No. 1 since its release. In just two weeks, it could break the record for the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 for an album since its debut. This week, the album joined an exclusive club of just three albums that have spent their first 11 weeks at No. 1, including Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” and Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life.”
Swift now shares the record with Whitney Houston’s “Whitney” for the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 for an album by a female artist. Additionally, she holds the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 among solo artists, with a total of 80 weeks. Despite this impressive feat, she still trails behind the Beatles, who have spent 132 weeks at No. 1.
“The Tortured Poets Department” is currently the third-highest album in terms of weeks at No. 1 this decade, behind Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti” and Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time.” Surpassing SZA’s “SOS,” Swift’s album holds the record for the most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist in the 2020s.
Swift’s bonus-track albums have been boosting her chart success with “The Tortured Poets Department,” but streaming is the real star of the show when it comes to her performance on the Billboard charts. With the exception of the debut and fifth weeks, where her album overtook Eilish’s debut on the chart, streaming has been the driving force behind her success.
Billboard recognized the strong sales of the various versions of Swift’s album, along with six new digital editions, for the surge in album sales by a whopping 400% compared to the previous week. Despite Eilish’s new release, Swift still dominated the streaming albums chart.
As of Monday afternoon, Forbes estimates Swift’s net worth to be $1.3 billion, making her the first musician to achieve billionaire status primarily through music sales and performances. This impressive milestone was reached in October 2023, thanks in large part to the success of her Eras Tour.