Every artist and music label knows not to go up against Drake on release day. Why? Well, it’s more than likely he will boss the charts, as he has done in the last decade.
However, this time around, things are not all that clear, and credit to Drake, the threat is not brought on by shortcomings from his recently released Dark Lane Demo Tapes.
Who is this artist that threatens Drake on the Billboard 200 race?
According to Hip-Hop N More, the only thing standing in Drake’s way of scoring yet another top spot on a coveted Billboard chart is Country music veteran Kenny Chesney.
Chesney dropped off his 18th studio album Here and Now on the same day Drake put out his compilation of leaks. The two artists are worlds apart in the markets they target but it all comes to a head on the Billboard 200 chart where musical works from every genre contests for the number one spot.
What are Drake’s sales projections compared to Chesney’s?
Numbers do all the talking in this regard. Based on reports from Hits Daily Double the race for the top spot is between Drake and Chesney.
Sales projections for the two artists’ projects are in. So, let’s have a look at what is expected from both:
Please note that the sales projections only take into account what was sold in the United States.
- Drake’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes is expected to sell approximately 230 000 – 255 000 copies in the first week. About 18 000 – 23 000 of those should come from pure sales.
- Chesney’s Here and Now, on the other hand, is expected to push approximately 220 000 – 235 000 copies in its first week. Amazingly, about 210 000 – 220 000 copies should come from pure sales. That is unheard of in today’s streaming-centric music business model.
Drake heads into the new week with an edge over Chesney in projections but it remains to be seen if the Country veteran can pull strings and dethrone the biggest musician in the world.
