BTS Beat Taylor Swift For The Most Weeks At No. 1 In History On The Sales Chart

Last week, BTS conquered quite a few Billboard charts with their latest single, “My Universe,” a collaboration between the South Korean powerhouses and U.K.-based pop-rock quartet Coldplay. The tune blasted in at No. 1 on rankings like the Hot 100 and a number of rock-related lists thanks primarily to its immediate success when it came to fans purchasing the cut. “My Universe” arrived at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales ranking with 127,000 copies sold, and this frame, it’s steady on top once again.

With one more week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart to their credit, BTS have broken out of a tie with one of the most successful musicians of all time and proved, like never before, that they can still sell music in an industry that has largely moved on from buying and focused heavily on streaming.

As “My Universe” leads the charge once again, BTS collect their forty-fifth week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart. That’s not just an amazing number, it’s the most impressive sum of all time. With another frame in charge of the purchase-only list, the septet breaks out of a tie with Taylor Swift. Last period, the two names were on the same level as one another with 44 weeks on top, but now, after years of claiming this piece of history, Swift has been pushed to second place.

Interestingly, BTS pass Swift in this regard, but she still leads when it comes to the artists with the most No. 1 hits on the Digital Song Sales chart. So far, the singer-songwriter has sent 22 different tracks to the summit. That’s the most among all acts by far, and she remains the only name to accrue 20 or more leaders. BTS have only pushed nine tunes to the peak position—enough to tie them with Bruno Mars and Beyoncé for the seventh-most ever.

Swift’s No. 1 hits on the Digital Song Sales chart only average two weeks on top, while BTS’s smashes are apparently much more stable. The K-pop band’s successes live at No. 1 for an average of five weeks apiece, though that number doesn’t give credit to some of their biggest wins. BTS currently claim two for the three longest-running chart-toppers in the history of the ranking. Their disco-leaning cut “Dynamite” holds the record for the most frames on the throne, with 18, while their own “Butter” is on the same level as Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” for second place, with 17 weeks atop the tally each.