Sheeran bridges ‘Divide’ between streaming, sales

Ed Sheeran’s “Divide” was the top-selling album of 2017 in the U.S., logging total equivalent sales of 2.76 million copies, a figure that melds sales and streaming data, according to final year-end music consumption data compiled by Nielsen Music.

It was one of just two albums, with Taylor Swift’s “Reputation,” to sell more than 1 million physical units at a time when most consumers are streaming their favorite songs and albums rather than purchasing them.

On-demand audio streaming accounted for 54 percent of total audio consumption, which combines album and track sales with streaming equivalents. That’s up from 38 percent last year and 22 percent in 2015, constituting the majority of audio consumption for the first time.

That growth was fueled by increased appetite for R&B and hip-hop music, which also scored a first by outpacing rock in the U.S. for the first time in terms of total volume for albums, a number that includes album sales, track-equivalent sales and on-demand audio and video streaming equivalent albums.

Nielsen officials note that eight of the 10 highest volume artists were R&B/hip-hop acts, with only Sheeran and Swift bringing pop into the top 10. Drake was No. 1 with 4.8 million total volume, followed by Kendrick Lamar (3.7 million), Sheeran (3.6 million) and Swift (3.4 million).

Sheeran’s hit single “Shape of You” spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart and 59 weeks total on that chart, the longest run for a single in the history of the chart. Lamar’s “Damn” was the top R&B/hip-hop album of 2017 in total volume.