HALSEY, PREORDERS AND THE BIBLE: A REPORT ON NON-REPORTING

Album preorders give an artist and label an idea how well a title will perform once it's released. The number of pieces shipped to a retailer is often based on these preorders. If a retailer doesn't report the sales once those preorders have been claimed, it damages the title's first-week chart performance.

Last week, Urban Outfitters failed to report over 6k in online and in-store sales. The reasons for this are still being sorted out, but it's not the first time this has happened. Further, Billboard's rules for Internet/mail order shipments dictate a dramatically different reporting week than for other retailers or streaming services. All Internet/mail order reporting must be in no later than Monday night for the week ending three days later. When a retailer won't or can't ship a release by this deadline, those sales move into the following week.

This, along with customs delays, prevented Halsey's If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power from breaking 100k on the Billboard 200. Labels are beginning to seriously question the music bible's rule as another archaic leftover from times past—one which needs updating for the streaming and Covid-influenced shopping era.