Reuters — British singer Ed Sheeran reigned atop the weekly United States Billboard album and digital song charts on Monday (March 21), as his latest album garnered strong sales for a second consecutive week.
Sheeran’s “Divide” generated another 180,000 units from album and song sales and streaming consumption last week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan. The album has topped charts around the world, including Sheeran’s native Britain.
The Billboard 200 album chart tallies units from album sales, song sales (10 songs equal one album) and streaming activity (1,500 streams equal one album).
“Shape of You,” the first single from “Divide,” sold another 104,000 units to hold onto the top spot of the weekly Digital Songs chart, which measures online single sales.
The only new album to crack the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart this week was the soundtrack to Disney’s blockbuster live-action film “Beauty and the Beast” at No. 3.
The album features cast renditions of both classic and new songs featured in the musical film, as well as versions sung by Celine Dion, Ariana Grande and Josh Groban. The film opened to a record-breaking $170 million at the North American box office this weekend.
