Elite 100: Drake Back On Top, Ariana Grande Enters At No. 2

John Davisson – Ariana Grande
Amway Center, Orlando, Fla.

Drake has reclaimed his throne atop the Elite 100 Artists chart for the week ending Aug. 23, and the release of Ariana Grande’s Sweetener also shot her to the top.

Drizzy is back on top with 108,800 album units, largely thanks to 149 million streams and 55,500 song sales. These are from Drake’s extensive catalogue that most recently saw the release of Scorpion June 29. The next hit to watch on that album may be “Nonstop,” following the triumph of “In My Feelings.”

He had to postpone a date in his hometown of Toronto on his tour with Migos but he is now on the road and he next performs Madison Square Garden Arena in New York tonight.

Ariana dropped her latest album Sweetener Aug. 17, and racked up 58,900 reported album sales (the highest for the week) and 44.2 million streams. Her total for the week was 94,000 album units.

Travis Scott hit the No. 3 spot on the chart with 130.2 million streams. Last week there was controversy as to whether the albums Scott sold bundled with merchandise and tickets to his tour should be included. In that instance they were not counted, but that does not mean they will not be in the future.

Aretha Franklin’s music continued to surge in popularity after her death earlier in the month. She came at No. 4 with 79,000 album units, thanks to a staggering 209,200 song sales, the chart leader in that category. She also sold a reported 37,500 albums. Flanking her at No. 5 was another recently deceased artist, XXXTentacion.

Cole Swindell broke through into the Top 20 of this week’s chart with 28,000 album units. At press time his strongest metric was 29,800 song sales, though he released the entire All of It album Aug. 17.

Death Cab For Cutie’s Thank You for Today earned it 16,600 album units, with album sales by far being the strongest metric, with 13,200. Only Grande, Franklin and Swindell did better in that category.

Projects to look out for on next week’s chart include Milky Way by Bas; Love Me/Love Me Not by Honne; Rainier Fog by Alice In Chains; Negro Swan by Blood Orange; Woman Worldwide by Justice; Go to School The Lemon Twigs; Marauder by Interpol; and KIN [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] by Mogwai.

Also, be ready for new releases from Troye Sivan, Alkaline Trio, Iron & Wine, Meghan Trainor, and Why Don’t We, whose agent Matt Galle recently discussed the band’s return to the road with Pollstar.