OCEAN SAILS STRAIGHT TO #1

Frank Ocean has certainly been making headlines. His Blonde (on his Boys Don't Cry label) has officially topped the Sales Plus Streaming (SPS) Chart with 278k. Considering 232k is purely sales, it’s also #1 on the Album Sales Chart. That’s the year’s third-biggest debut, after Drake’s Views (YMCMB/Republic) and Beyoncé’s Lemonade (Columbia).

A recap of the Ocean-UMG saga can be found here.

Blonde’s acclaimed predecessor, Channel Orange (Def Jam), has re-entered the chart at #24. By the way, Orange is at 680k+ RTD.

Whether or not Endless’ 18 tracks will ever be plucked out and delivered in the form of a proper album available for sale and track-by-track streaming remains the subject of, er, endless speculation.

Meanwhile, Mad Love/Interscope’s Tory Lanez scores the second biggest bow, landing at #4 with 53k for I Told You. Electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling’s Brave Enough (Lindseystomp) debuts at #5, and Dolly Parton’s new release, Pure & Simple (Dolly/RCA Nashville), rounds out the Top 10.

Sia’s This Is Acting (Monkey Puzzle/RCA) breaks back into the Top 15, while smash single “Cheap Thrills” reigns at #1 on the Top 40 and Hot AC radio charts. Looks like something “Cheap” turned out to be pretty damn lucrative. Chris Stapleton’s Traveller (Mercury Nashville) also returns to the Top 15 in its 43rd week out; this thing’s stamina is truly remarkable.

And powered in part by a $6.99 sale at iTunes, blink-182’s California (BMG) re-enters at #30 and Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams (Parlophone) jumps #38-21.

Streeting this week are albums from BMLG’s Florida Georgia Line (coming off the biggest country single of the year); Columbia’s Barbra Streisand (who could contend for #1 with a gorgeous ticket bundle); and RCA’s Britney Spears (coming off a big Corden look with enough momentum, it now seems, to land with six figures), as well as Caroline’s Prophets of Rage and Harvest’s Glass Animals.

And streeting sooner than our sleep schedules would like is HITS’ 30th Anniversary Special Issue. Have you bought an ad yet? If not, we’d like to remind you that it makes excellent litterbox liner, so even if you aren’t too fond of us (of course we can’t imagine why that would be), do it for kitty!