UPDATE: “Utopia” now projected to move 400k in it’s opening week.
Travis Scott released his long-awaited album, “Utopia,” this past Friday (July 29) through Cactus Jack and Epic Records. The 17-track effort boasts an impressive lineup of guest appearances, with stars like Beyoncé, Drake, 21 Savage, Young Thug, SZA, Swae Lee, Future, James Blake, Pharrell, and Playboi Carti, among others, contributing their talents.
Since its release, “Utopia” has garnered mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. Despite the varied reception, the album is expected to be a commercial success.
As per HDD, Scott’s fourth studio album is on pace to move between 245,000 to 275,000 equivalent album copies in its opening week. These numbers would make “Utopia” the biggest rap album opening of 2023, and the second rap album to hit number one this year, behind Lil Uzi Vert’s “The Pink Tape.”
In addition to the album’s streaming numbers, Scott is also selling multiple versions of Utopia vinyls and CDs through his store. These bundles could add an additional 250,000 units to the album’s sales, bringing the total up to at least 500,000.
This creative marketing approach brings to mind the controversy that arose in 2018 when Nicki Minaj criticized the use of bundles, which contributed significantly to the success of Scott’s “Astroworld” album over her own “Queen” album. In response, Billboard made adjustments to their rules, making it more challenging for artists to integrate merchandising as part of their sales strategy.
Ahead of the album’s release, Scott shared the lead single, “K-POP,” a collaboration with Bad Bunny and The Weeknd. Also, music from “Utopia” has been featured in Scott’s latest film, “Circus Maximus,” which premiered at select AMC theaters last Thursday. The movie, co-directed by Scott himself alongside renowned filmmakers Gaspar Noé, Nicolas Winding Refn, Harmony Korine, Valdimar Jóhannsson, and Kahlil Joseph, has generated immense buzz and further enhanced the anticipation for the album.
Despite facing a setback in the lead up to the album due to the cancellation of a planned livestream event at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Scott remains undeterred. Live Nation Middle East cited “complex production issues” as the reason for the cancelation, but Cactus Jack assured his fans that the event will take place at a later date, promising an unforgettable experience.
Stay tuned for the official “Utopia” first week sales numbers.
