Bow Down! BTS Tops The Billboard 200 With ‘MAP OF THE SOUL: 7’

Mike Nied | March 2, 2020 10:46 am

These Kings cannot be stopped. Today (March 2) BTS netted another record-extending achievement on the Billboard 200. After moving 422,000 equivalent album units, the septet topped the chart for the fourth time in less than two years with MAP OF THE SOUL: 7. They became the first K-Pop act to achieve the feat in June of 2018 when Love Yourself: Tear landed at number one. Every release since has returned to the pinnacle position. In an age of decreasing sales, BTS bucks tradition. Billboard noted their sales are actually growing with each new project.

MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 is their largest first week sales in the US, followed by last year’s MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA. The latter opened with 230,000 units moved. That’s not all. BTS currently holds the record for the biggest sales week for any album in 2020. This is also the biggest week for a group since One Direction’s Made in the A.M. arrived in December of 2015. Per Billboard, this was achieved without tying the album to a ticket bundle, which has become a growing trend for artists. Sales were likely helped by the existence of several deluxe editions and impressive pre-order numbers.

This week BTS leads the charts in several other countries. That includes the UK and Australia. I’m also waiting to see where new single “ON” lands on the Billboard Hot 100. The track amassed more than 22 million Spotify streams in the last week. That’s on top of more than 168 million YouTube views across its two videos. Based on those numbers I’m expecting at least a Top 20 debut. Keep an eye on this post, and we’ll update you with the details later today.

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