Peter Tosh Outsells Bob Marley Thanks To Vinyl Sales
Regend legends Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff have re-entered the Billboard Reggae Albums chart for the first time in years, fuelled by vinyl reissues of their classic albums on Record Store Day (RSD).
In fact, the vinyl boost helped Peter Tosh to outsell Bob Marley in the pure album sales count last week, which is also a first for any Reggae or Dancehall artist in several years. However, the Bad Card singer remains king on the Reggae chart dated May 7, where on-demand streaming is also considered.
Peter Tosh
On RSD, April 23, 2022, 6,700 copies of Tosh’s Complete Captured Live album were made available on vinyl for the first time since 2002. The album features 15 songs that were performed live at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in 1983, including fiery versions of Equal Rights/Downpressor Man, African, and Get Up, Stand Up.
Complete Captured Live has now debuted on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart at No. 2 this week, after it sold 3,500 of the 6,700 vinyl copies in the United States last week, according to data provided to DancehallMag from Billboard’s sales tracker, Luminate.
Peter Tosh’s last album to enter the chart was Super Hits, which peaked at No. 7 in April 2002 and had spent 11 weeks on the chart.
Bob Marley
Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Legend remains at No. 1 for the 121st consecutive week on the Reggae Albums chart dated May 7. Legend also remains on the Billboard 200 at No. 92, for its 728th week on that chart. It sold 11,400 equivalent album units in the United States last week, which includes 2,500 in pure album sales, 1,600 in digital song sales, 11,120,800 in on-demand audio streaming, and 707,100 in on-demand video streaming.
Legend, an Island Records greatest hits collection first released in May 1984, is also currently at No. 39 on the UK Official Albums chart dated May 5.
Jimmy Cliff
On Record Store Day 2022, 2,500 copies of Jimmy Cliff’s Follow My Mind were also reissued in vinyl. The album, first released in 1976, featured 12 songs including If I Follow My Mind, No Woman, No Cry, Look at the Mountains, and The News.
Follow My Mind has entered the Billboard Reggae Albums chart for the first time at No. 10, after it sold 1,300 copies in the United States last week, according to Luminate.
Jimmy Cliff’s last entry on the Billboard chart was his Best Of Jimmy Cliff album, which peaked at No. 7 in November 2017.
Vinyl record sales have been steadily increasing over the last decade. In 2021, one out of every three albums sold in the United States were vinyl LPs, according to Billboard. During that year, revenues from vinyl sales increased 61% from 2020 to $1 billion, and accounted for 7% of all music revenue. The last time vinyl sales crossed $1 billion was 1986.
Elsewhere on the Billboard Reggae albums chart, Shaggy’s Best of Shaggy: The Boombastic Collection (2008) is No. 3 for its 162nd week on the chart. The collection, which featured hits from all eight of Shaggy’s previous studio albums, sold 2,900 units last week predominantly from streaming activity.
UB40’s Greatest Hits compilation is at No. 4 on the Reggae chart with 1,700 units sold, followed by Stick Figure’s World On Fire at No. 5 with 1,600 units sold and their Set In Stone album at No. 6 with 1,500 units sold.
Koffee’s Gifted debut, released on March 25 via Promised Land/RCA, has dropped one place to No. 7, after selling 1,500 units last week. This brings the Grammy Award winner’s five-week sales and streaming total to 10,033 units in the United States. The deluxe edition of Gifted has sold over 188,000 units in total in the US.
Sean Paul’s The Trinity and Dutty Rock album have re-entered the chart at No. 8 and No. 9, after selling 1,400 and 1,300 units each respectively.