One million debuts are now impossible. What's the new standard?

[Snow 27,753]

Selling over 1 million copies used to be thee chart achievement many were gunning for.
But we are now in the streaming era, and music sales climate has shifted. Such numbers don't seem like it's possible for anyone anymore. 

Taylor can't do it.
Drake can't do it.
Adele can't do it.

The last album album to hit the mark was Reputation in 2017.
Since then, a few have come close and failed. It's safe to say that 1 million debuts for albums are dead.

So, what do you think is the new equivalent for "1 million" debuts in today's sales climate?
500k? 600k? 750k? or has it stayed at 1 million?

[Snow 27,753]

BIGGEST DEBUTS THIS DECADE

folklore (2020) – 846k

30 (2021) – 839k

Certified Lover Boy (2021) – 613k

RED (Taylor's Version) (2021) – 605K

Harry's House (2022) – 521k

[Slayty Perry 725]

Maybe if Taylor does a pop album with a good amount of features

[Darth Sidious 11,686]

Pure album sales? Of course not. 
 

Probably 800k is the tops. 

[Lynk 10,991]

I love how the last album to do 1 million was Taylor's "flop" album.

Also, the fact that the biggest debuts this decade was by artists who've been in the industry for 10-15+ years

[Shawn's Slave 19,523]

I still think it's possible (maybe not anymore for Taylor and Adele since they're getting older and fans decrease over time)  Just need a new very talented artist with a lot of hype and one huge first single. 

1 Million first week sale is not the norm, and Britney was the first to do so  I don't really think it's about sales climate, but more about how hyped the artist is. Taylor also lost a portion of fans due to becoming more political which is not a bad thing but she would have sold more if she didn't tweet anything political against republicans 

[Lynk 10,991]

25 minutes ago, Shawn's Slave said:

1 Million first week sale is not the norm, and Britney was the first to do so 

Quote

Released Nov. 1992, Whitney Houston‘s “The Bodyguard,” the soundtrack from the movie of the same name, was the first album to sell over one million copies — 1,061,000, to be exact — in one week (since Nielsen Soundscan introduced a computerized sales monitoring system in 1991).

Everything else you said is pretty true though.

[Shawn's Slave 19,523]

3 minutes ago, Lynk said:

Everything else you said is pretty true though.

The Bodyguard is not entirely Whitney's album though, there are other artists on the soundtrack  I guess if we're talking any album, soundtrack, compilation, then The Bodyguard would fit. But I was referring to a solo album 

[Lynk 10,991]

1 minute ago, Shawn's Slave said:

The Bodyguard is not entirely Whitney's album though, there are other artists on the soundtrack  I guess if we're talking any album, soundtrack, compilation, then The Bodyguard would fit. But I was referring to a solo album 

Listen I got that quote off Billboard so argue with them, not me.  Everyone else cites it as a Whitney album as its sales are added to her overall album sales so I don't know what to tell you. Britney still wouldn't have been the first though. Garth Brooks Backstreet Boys and NSYNC did it before her too

[Shawn's Slave 19,523]

1 minute ago, Lynk said:

Listen I got that quote off Billboard so argue with them, not me.  Everyone else cites it as a Whitney album as its sales are added to her overall album sales so I don't know what to tell you. Britney still wouldn't have been the first though. Garth Brooks Backstreet Boys and NSYNC did it before her too

Ok, Britney is the first SOLO FEMALE, are you happy now? 

[TRENCH 888]

2 hours ago, Snow said:

BIGGEST DEBUTS THIS DECADE

folklore (2020) – 846k

30 (2021) – 839k

Certified Lover Boy (2021) – 613k

RED (Taylor's Version) (2021) – 605K

Harry's House (2022) – 521k

why did I cringe when I saw this list omg?? 

1 hour ago, Slayty Perry said:

Maybe if Taylor does a pop album with a good amount of features

yo this would be such a better version of what Lover tried to be 

[Slayty Perry 725]

1 hour ago, Darth Sidious said:

Pure album sales? Of course not. 
 

Probably 800k is the tops. 

They were talking about sps

[Chris 58,351]

56 minutes ago, TRENCH said:

why did I cringe when I saw this list omg?? 

yo this would be such a better version of what Lover tried to be 

the problem with lover was that its too long and full of filler  

[Max 16,200]

Whew, Harry‘s House  

[Atlantis Princess 8,377]

I mean 1 million debuts have never been the standard. That's why there's so few artists in history to ever do it. It's very hard to pull off 1 mil in the first week unless you're a very hyped/popular artist at the right time. 

Some of the biggest legends never had 1 mil debuts, the standard for first week has always  been about 300-600k and then hoping for longetivity. 

[Kristina 16,080]

I don’t see anyone doing above 800k tbh. I don’t even see anyone doing that much if I’m being honest, maybe Taylor or Adele but no one else. 500-600k will be really impressive.

[Harry. 80]

Touring > Album sales 

It's hard to measure an album's success by sales these days 

[Philip 19,006]

7 hours ago, Shawn's Slave said:

The Bodyguard is not entirely Whitney's album though, there are other artists on the soundtrack  

Such as?  

quickly, don't google it  

[Shawn's Slave 19,523]

22 minutes ago, Philip said:

Such as?  

quickly, don't google it  

Except I already google'd it when I replied to @Lynk 

All I remember is Joe Turner or Joe something could have been Cocker 

[Max 16,200]

2 hours ago, Philip said:

Such as?  

quickly, don't google it  

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