Ed Sheeran's Record-Setting Streak Continues

Sheeran's "Divide" Conquers

ALL ACCESS reported early this week (NET NEWS, 3/7) on ED SHEERAN's record-setting YOUTUBE and SPOTIFY action following the release of his new album "÷" [Divide].  The performer continues to amaze as his single "Shape Of You" just broke the record for most spins in a week on the MEDIABASE Pop chart with 19,585 spins!  It is locked at #1 at both Top 40 and Hot AC and headed Top 5 at Rhythm.

It’s also #1 on iTUNES’ "Top Songs" chart and SPOTIFY’s "Top 50" (both Global and U.S.) and has been # 1 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 for six weeks.  The video -- directed by MTV VMA winner JASON KOENIG -- is further achieving record-shattering numbers of its own, with individual views in excess of 300 million at SHEERAN’s official YOUTUBE alone.

ED’s "÷" album has fast proven an even greater phenomenon than his 4x RIAA platinum certified second album, 2014’s "x" [Multiply]. Released MARCH 3rd, the album immediately rocketed to #1 on iTUNES charts in 96 countries around the world. It has also achieved historic levels of steaming success including the best-ever one day streams for a single artist (68,695,172), best one-day streams for an individual album (56,727,861), and best first-day streams for an individual album (56,727,861), the latter two statistics almost doubling the previous record holder’s success. In addition, "Shape of You," the album’s stellar first single, earned the best one day streams for a single track with a remarkable 10,123.630 streams -- besting SHEERAN’s own record set earlier this year upon the single’s initial release.

"÷" shot to the top of the charts in his  native UK, shifting 672,000 units in its first week of sales.  As a result "÷" has secured the third highest week-one sales of any album in the history of the Official Albums Chart in the U.K., ranking behind only ADELE’s "25" (2015) and OASIS’ "Be Here Now" (1997).

First week sales of "÷" in the U.K. are more than three times the volume of the week-one sales of his second studio album "x (Multiply)," which shifted 182,000 units in its first week, and more than the rest of the Official Albums Chart’s Top 500 combined this week. ÷- has broken week one Spotify records in the U.K., racking up almost 74 million streams and beating the previous record held by JUSTIN BIEBER’s "Purpose," which recorded 20.5 million streams in the U.K. in NOVEMBER 2015.

"÷" has raced to the top of the iTUNES charts in 97 countries. It has already been named #1 album in several countries, including IRELAND, NORWAY and SWEDEN, where it’s also achieved the highest week-one album streams in local chart history.

Tracks from "÷" dominate the U.K. singles chart, occupying nine places in the Top 10, the first time an artist has ever achieved this. The 16 tracks from the album have all become Top 20 hits, according to data from the UK Official Charts Company, making ED SHEERAN the first artist to have all the tracks from their album enter the U.K. Top 20. In IRELAND, all 16 tracks from his deluxe edition make up the top 16 tracks in the official chart, another unprecedented achievement.

Commented SHEERAN himself, “Wow! What a phenomenal week. To every person who’s bought the album -- thank you. I’m buzzing!”

ATLANTIC RECORDS U.K. President BEN COOK stated, "ED is truly one of a kind and '÷' is an incredible musical statement that only he could make; it’s passionate and contemporary, whilst being distinct and timeless. In the six years since we signed him, nothing with ED has been accidental – he’s constantly raised the bar, challenging us to match his drive and musical output at every step: '÷' is no different. It’s his best record to date and together we’ve innovated to create this historic, cultural moment. ED has proven himself to be a rare modern-day artist whose career continues to grow stratospherically and his music will resonate across generations for years to come.  What a lad!”

WARNER MUSIC U.K. Chairman/CEO MAX LOUSADA added, “These are truly great results from a truly great artist, but the ED SHEERAN story isn't about numbers. It's about an artist who brilliantly captures life's moments big and small. He wraps them into words you can't forget and tunes you can't stop singing, delivered through performances you want to hear again and again. I'd like to congratulate ED and his management on this remarkable feat and salute ATLANTIC, his biggest champions since day one, as well as the extended WARNER family around the world who've worked as one team to help create a truly global phenomenon."

ATLANTIC RECORDS Chairman/CEO CRAIG KALLMAN and Chairman/COO JULIE GREENWALD were equally effusive: “ED is that rarest of artists whose songs cut across boundaries of age, culture, and nationality. He writes music that is deeply personal and at the same time completely universal, and he has created a phenomenal album that is striking a chord with millions of people across the globe. In six short years, ED has become a superstar by simply being himself – an amazing, down-to-earth human being who is an out-of-this-world musician, songwriter, and performer. All of us at ATLANTIC are immensely proud to have ED in our family, and we congratulate him on this landmark achievement.”

Look for SHEERAN on tour across the U.S. this summer, details here on the fan pre-sale that starts this MONDAY, MARCH 13th.

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