Press release
The album makes global streaming history by breaking the Spotify record for the highest first week streams with almost 375 million streams
÷ has the third biggest opening week in UK Official Album Chart history with sales of 672,000 units
The album tops the iTunes albums chart in 97 countries
Singles from ÷ occupy a record-breaking nine places in the UK Top 10 Chart
Ed Sheeran’s amazing third studio album ÷ (Divide) has lit up charts and smashed records around the globe.The landmark album made streaming history with the highest first week Spotify streams ever, with almost 375 million streams over the full week, beating the previous record of 223 million streams set by The Weeknd last November with Starboy. In total, tracks from ÷ claimed five of the top 10 slots on the global Spotify chart this week. ÷ shot to the top of the charts in Ed’s 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, ranking behind only Adele’s 25(2015) and Oasis’ Be Here Now (1997).
First week sales of ÷ in the UK are more than three times the volume of the week one sales of Sheeran’s 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 UK, 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 UK in November 2015.
÷ has proved a global phenomenon, racing to the top of the iTunes charts in 97 countries. Official charts data for the week is still being compiled in many countries, but ÷ has already been named number one 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 UK 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 UK Top 20. In Ireland, all 16 tracks from his deluxe edition make up the top 16 tracks in the official chart, another unprecedented achievement.
Meanwhile, ‘Shape Of You’, one of the first singles to be released from the LP, has become the most spun track in the history of the US Top 40, topped the iTunes charts in more than 100 countries and broken streaming records around the world.
Ed Sheeran commented: “Wow! What a phenomenal week. To every person who’s bought the album - thank you. I’m buzzing!”
Ben Cook, President, Atlantic Records UK said: “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!”
Max Lousada, Chairman & CEO, Warner Music UK commented: “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."
Craig Kallman, Chairman & CEO and Julie Greenwald, Chairman & COO, Atlantic Records said, “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.”
