‘Rapid Popularity’ Rises, 4 Albums Top 500,000 Sales This Year
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Taylor Swift continues to dominate the American music industry in 2023, despite not releasing a new album this year. Her latest album, Midnights, has continued to sell well since its 2022 release, but surprisingly, other albums have sold hundreds of thousands of copies this year. According to music industry magazine HitsDailyDouble, four of Swift’s albums have already sold more than half a million copies in the United States this year. It’s not uncommon for a major artist to see one or two recent albums continue to sell well, but the fact that four albums achieved this feat in the first half of this year is truly remarkable. Swift’s leading album is Midnights, which has sold the equivalent of 1.8 million copies this year, up from 3.2 million last year. The album is backed by ongoing promotional efforts, including the release of new singles and performances on the “Eras Tour”. Coming in at number two is Lover, which is believed to have sold over 667,000 copies. The same work also has a great “Eras tour” effect. Swift was unable to perform her album live in 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic, so fans are now eager to stream the song and sing along, with “Lover” once again topping the charts. The third best-selling album is Folklore, which is approaching the 600,000 mark. Released in mid-2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, the film was a hit and received critical acclaim. It produced several hits and earned Swift a third Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Surprisingly, Swift’s first pop album, 1989, released in 2014, is also doing well in sales and streaming this year. Mainly due to its popularity on streaming, it has sold over 500,000 copies. It’s remarkable that such an old album gets so much airplay. At least one or two more albums are expected to reach 500,000 sales by the end of the year. The re-recorded version of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” is approaching 500,000 copies and will release another re-recorded album “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” in early July. Both albums are expected to be among the best album sales charts of the year.
