The most recent album of Bad Bunny, titled “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 after its first full week of tracking.
This achievement marks the fourth album by the reggaeton artist to reach the top of this chart. It was a close competition with Lover (Live From Paris), Taylor Swift's live album, which took the second spot by just 1,000 units less.
During the tracking week ending on January 16, Debí Tirar Más Fotos accumulated 203,500 units, while the relaunch of Lover: Live From Paris reached 202,500 units, driven mainly by the sale of 161,000 vinyl copies and its digital download release.
Differences in sales strategies
Bad Bunny debuted in second place a week earlier, as his official release happened on a Sunday, limiting his initial registration period to five days. His rise to first place was mainly driven by streaming, with a total of 264 million plays during his first full week. In contrast, the physical and digital sales of "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" represented only 8,000 units.
On the other hand, Swift focused her strategy on the exclusivity of the physical format. The vinyl editions of Lover (Live From Paris) sold out quickly, and the digital copies contributed to the resurgence of the album.
This is the biggest achievement of a live album in over five years, also being the highest-selling one in vinyl format since Luminate began recording data in 1991.
Impact and records
The success of "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" reflects the growing influence of streaming on music charts, especially for Spanish-language albums.
For Swift, the re-release of her live album marked a significant milestone, surpassing by far her previous position on the Billboard 200 and setting new records in physical vinyl sales.
In 2019, Lionel Richie was the last to reach such high levels with a live album with Hello From Las Vegas. The limited edition of Swift, initially released in 2023, ended up selling for over $1,000 in resale stores, reinforcing her status as a cultural and commercial phenomenon.
Outside of Bunny and Swift, there were no new releases in the Top 10 this week. SZA's "SOS" remains in third place, followed by Kendrick Lamar's "GNX" in fourth, and Lil Baby's "Wham" in fifth.
Among other artists, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, and Morgan Wallen also appear in the top positions, with Gracie Abrams closing the ranking with The Secret of Us.