Why Taylor Swift's Chart Presence Lags in the U.K

Taylor Swift's latest LP, The Tortured Poets Department, obliterated the Billboard Hot 100 charts following its release on April 19. It became the most-streamed album in a single week on Spotify, and its lead single, "Fortnight ft. Post Malone," became the most-streamed song in one day in Spotify history. The record has sold 2.61 million album equivalents in the United States.

Swift currently takes up the top 14 spots on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. However, in the United Kingdom, her numbers are much smaller.

"Fortnight ft. Post Malone" sits atop the chart, followed by Hozier's "Too Sweet," which disrupts Swift's clean sweep of the top three. The title track of The Tortured Poets Department and "Down Bad" round out the third and fourth spots, respectively.

Only three songs from The Tortured Poets Department breached the top ten. Why?

Swift's less impressive U.K. stats don't reflect the streams or sales of The Tortured Poets Department's tracklist. Rather, these three placements stem from a rule implemented in 2017 by the U.K. Official Single Chart.

It all began with the immense success of Ed Sheeran's ÷. Upon release, Sheeran's record took up all but one spot in the U.K. Top 10 charts with 16 total songs in the top 20.

The Official Charts hoped that this change would "reflect how fans are engaging with music in an increasingly streaming led world." Tests predicted that the number of charting artists would increase by 20% and chart hits by 11%.

In 2017, Official Charts Company CEO Martin Talbot explained the change, saying that the U.K. Official Chart is "not for album tracks; we want to remain the Official Singles Chart, for singles...It's tougher than ever for new music and developing artists to break through, and this is us doing our bit."

He claimed that the organization was hoping to "inject energy back into the chart."

Now, songs can be "starred out" even if their streaming and sales numbers best those of other tracks in the Top 100. An artist's best charting songs could change, but they cannot have more than three tracks on the charts in a given week.

The second element of the U.K. Charts three-song rule pertains to a track's longevity. If a song's streaming numbers drop below the average drop for other singles, its streaming sales "are halved to Accelerated Chart Ratio."

Swift's hold on only three top 10 spots isn't an indication of a "flop" or a shortage of British fans, but rather reflects the U.K's well-established way of handling massively successful albums like The Tortured Poets Department.

"Fortnight ft. Post Malone" and The Tortured Poets Department ranking at number one on both the Singles and Albums charts, respectively, earned Swift another accolade in the U.K. This is her third time with a chart double in the U.K., following 2022's Midnights and "Anti-Hero" as well as her 2023 remaster of 1989 and the song "Is It Over Now?"

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Taylor Swift, United Kingdom