CHART FINAL: SWIFT, SZA START 2023 WITH A BUZZER-BEATER

The first HITS Top 50 of 2023 went down to the wire as we're projecting Taylor Swift's Midnights (Republic) will beat SZA's SOS (TDE/RCA) by a hair for #1. Swift's late-week surge in digital sales was enough to end SZA's three-week run atop the chart.

As always with a race so tight—the competitors are separated by a mere 200 units—expect a greater margin of error. We have Midnights at 124.6k and SOS finishing with 124.4k.

Swift and SZA's critically acclaimed albums, which have held #1 or #2 the past four weeks, have been maintaining weekly activity above 100k well past their release dates (10/21 for Midnights, 12/9 for SOS). It's a great start to the year and hopefully a sign of a changing tide after male-dominated 2022 chart action.

Republic has four of the top six titles on the year's premiere album chart as Metro Boomin's Heroes & Villains (Boominati Worldwide) jumps to #3, followed by Drake & 21 Savage's Her Loss (OVO) at #4 and Mercury/Big Loud's Morgan Wallen at #6.

Streeting this week are new titles from Motown's YoungBoy Never Broke Again and EMPIRE's French Montana. See the full chart while we grab a drink and research what this whole "dry January" thing is about.

HITS LIST: TIME OF THE SEASON
The temperature's rising, it isn't surprising. (6/24a)
LEÓN SINGS NEW TUNE WITH VIRGIN/ISLAND PARTNERSHIP
Done deal (6/24a)
ABRAMS JOINS SWIFT AT WEMBLEY
Travis Kelce was onstage too. (6/23a)
CAA MAKING MOVES WITH PAGLIERANI
She's got an impressive stable of acts. (6/23a)
YOUR SIZZLING SUMMERTIME PHOTO GALLERY
Connecting the faces with the boldfaces. (6/22a)
THE GRAMMY SHORT LIST
Who's already a lock?
COUNTRY'S NEWEST DISRUPTOR
Three chords and some truth you may not be ready for.
AI IS ALREADY EATING YOUR LUNCH
The kids can tell the difference... for now.
INDIE DISTRIBUTION'S RISE TO GLORY
The discovery engine is revving higher.
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