Taylor Swift fans mobilize to keep Tool from knocking her out of number one on the album charts.
Based on some midweek analysis of album sales and streams, Forbes came to the conclusion that Tool’s Fear Inoculum would sell enough copies in its first week to knock Taylor Swift’s Lover off its perch as the best-selling album in North America. (I occurred, by the way. The story is here.)
All things being equal, Tool should end up at #1. But things aren’t equal. Tay-Tay has her Swifties.
The Swifties are hardcore and will do anything to support/protect their pop princess. If they need to go out and buy/download/stream additional copies of Lover in order to keep it at the top of the charts, they will.
Take a look at this week reported by People:
“Keep streaming guys! This band Tool is dropping a new album after 13 years (lmao 13) is okey but.. We still have a chance! STREAM #Lover by Taylor Swift HARDER! Also [“You Need to Calm Down”] and Lover seems to [be] doing well so.. We have work,” on Swiftie tweeted on Tuesday.
Keep streaming guys! This band Tool is dropping a new album after 13 years (lmao 13) is okey but.. We still have a chance! STREAM #Lover by Taylor Swift HARDER! Also YNTCD and Lover seems to doing well so.. We have work 💪 pic.twitter.com/tplJMRG4AO
— AILIN BESHARA (@Dureza10Mohs) September 4, 2019
Meanwhile, Tool fans have responded.
16 year old Taylor Swift fans who have no clue who Tool is freaking out that they’re gonna surpass her in sales (they will) is hilarious pic.twitter.com/TMj81gi6SQ“
— very angry Psycho wife(?) (@Uppercut_Slut) August 31, 2019
Meanwhile, a statement put out by the Executive Director of the Coalition of Independent Record Store called the Tool recorded “the biggest thing to hit retail in years.”
“Several stores had well-attended midnight sales on Thursday (it was my store’s first midnight sale in 10 years). “When we returned to work on Friday morning, there were lines at the door. We had to shut down online sales because we feared we couldn’t supply our local customers with a new release that was literally flying out the door.” (Via Digital Music News)
Then there’s this. I get an industry newsletter that summarizes rolling record sales figures in the US. This appeared this morning. Note where Swift appears.
The chart week closed Thursday at 11:59 pm PDT. We’ll know who finishes on top sometime this weekend.
THIS IS SO SAD! hahaha but I love it! Go Tool!