Selena Gomez's Last-Ditch Effort To Send Her New Album To No. 1
Selena Gomez has enjoyed great success on the Billboard 200 throughout her solo career. She's managed to turn every full-length she's released into a chart-topping release…though not everything perfect lasts.
The pop star's latest album I Said I Love You is locked in a tight race for No. 1, and as the tracking week comes to a close, Gomez is pulling out all the stops to ensure she doesn't miss the top spot.
I Said I Love You is a collaboration with Gomez's fiancé Benny Blanco, and while that's a compelling story on its own, it doesn't look like it will be enough to guarantee another chart-topper. At the last moment, the couple released multiple editions of the same set — seven in total — and as of the time of writing, every single one is performing incredibly well.
Selena Gomez's Many Versions of Her Album
All seven versions of I Said I Love You are currently sitting inside the top 10 on iTunes in the United States. That's an impressive selling feat, even for a star of Gomez's caliber.
The original version of the album is still the strongest performer, as it remains at No. 1 on the platform. It has mostly held steady in that spot since it dropped on Friday, March 21, and the title was always going to enjoy a lofty debut thanks to purchases of the first edition.
Just behind the standard version, two alternate takes, titled Stained and Talk, land at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. Three more versions fill out the middle of the top 10, as Seven Heavens, Slowed and Reverbed, and Call Me When You Break Up Special Edition appear at Nos. 5, 6, and 7, respectively. Finally, Explained: Narrated by Selena Gomez rounds out the cluster of bestsellers at No. 9.
Selena Gomez's Sales Plan
Releasing different takes of the same album isn't exactly a new trick. In fact, it's something plenty of well-known musicians have done before, both with songs and full-lengths. It's a strategic move to maximize sales during a tight tracking week, and it works because Billboard often counts these alternate versions together under one entity, as long as certain requirements are met.
Fans are only allowed to purchase a limited number of copies per version, so by offering several options — sometimes just barely altered — Gomez and Blanco make it possible for their most devoted listeners to support the project many times over. With other artists, new takes have been known to be instrumental or slowed, others feature alternate artwork or bonus tracks, but they all serve the same purpose: driving up total sales before the tracking week ends.
Trying to Beat Playboi Carti to No. 1
These last-minute efforts appear to be in direct response to early predictions from HitsDailyDouble, which suggest that I Said I Love You may debut at No. 2 on next week's Billboard 200. According to the publication, Playboi Carti's new release Music is currently projected to spend a second week at No. 1, holding off Gomez and Blanco's joint album by perhaps tens of thousands of equivalent units.
Selena Gomez's No. 1 Streak Could Be in Jeopardy
As a soloist, Gomez has never missed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200. Her previous three full-lengths — Stars Dance, Revival, and Rare — all topped the tally, even if only briefly.
Whether this marketing move will be enough to push her release past Carti's Music remains to be seen. It's also possible that Billboard may decide to disqualify some of the sales, which happens from time to time in especially egregious moments.
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