On the latest Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Oct. 27), Universal Music Group (UMG) distributes the entire top six titles — the first time a company has managed the feat since UMG also did it three years ago.
Further, UMG claims eight of the top 10 for the second time in 2018.
UMG distributes Nos. 1-6 on the new chart, led by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born soundtrack, which was released via Interscope Records. The set is followed by, at Nos. 2-6, respectively: Quavo’s Quavo Huncho (Quality Control/Motown/Capitol), Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V (Young Money/Republic), Lil Baby and Gunna’s Drip Harder (Young Stoner Life/300/Quality Control/Motown/AG/Capitol), Ella Mai’s self-titled album (10 Summers/Interscope) and Drake’s Scorpion (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic). UMG also has Nos. 9 and 10 on the new tally: Post Malone’s beerbongs & bentleys(Republic) and Eminem’s Kamikaze (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope).
The only titles UMG doesn’t distribute in the top 10 are twenty one pilots’ Trench at No. 7 (Fueled by Ramen/Elektra Music Group, distributed by Warner Music’s WEA Distribution) and Travis Scott’s Astroworld at No. 8 (Cactus Jack/Grand Hustle/Epic, distributed by Sony Music).
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units are comprised of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Oct. 27-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard's websites on Tuesday, Oct. 23.
Earlier in 2018, UMG nabbed nine of the top 10 on the Sept. 29-dated list.
The last time the company held the entire top six was back on the Nov. 28, 2015 tally. That week, Chris Stapleton was No. 1 with Traveller (on Mercury Nashville Records), while Nos. 2-5 were Eric Church’s Mr. Misunderstood (EMI Nashville), Ellie Goulding’s Delirium (Cherrytree/Interscope Records), The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness (Republic Records) and Tim McGraw’s Damn Country Music (McGraw/Big Machine Records).