5 Seconds of Summer Keeps Beyoncé and Jay-Z Out of Top Spot

Two pieces of news dominated the pop-music world last week, sending fans online in droves: a new album by Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and the death of the young rapper XXXTentacion.

Yet the top spot on the latest Billboard chart went to 5 Seconds of Summer — the Australian pop-rock band that rose to fame opening for One Direction — with “Youngblood,” which had the equivalent of 142,000 album sales in the United States, according to Nielsen. That total included a relatively low streaming total of 34 million as well as 117,000 sales of “Youngblood” as a full album.

“Everything Is Love,” the joint album by Beyoncé and Jay-Z (who are credited as the Carters), caused an immediate stir when it was surprise-released June 16 through Tidal, the streaming service both artists partly own. Yet despite a wave of fawning media attention and the album coming to Spotify, Apple Music and other outlets a couple of days later, “Everything Is Love” opened at No. 2 with 73 million streams; it also sold 70,000 copies as a full album, bringing its total “equivalent” number to 123,000.

Those disappointing totals raise questions about the market power of Tidal, which Jay-Z took over three years ago with promises of an artist-led revolution. (Beyoncé, at least, is not bothered; on the track “Nice,” she mocks the idea that she cares at all “about streaming numbers.”)

Fans of XXXTentacion, a talented but deeply controversial 20-year-old rapper, immediately took to streaming services after news emerged of his death in a shooting June 18. At one point, nine of the top 10 songs on Spotify were his, and public curiosity was further stoked as details of the police investigation trickled out throughout the week. XXXTentacion’s album “?” — which had opened at No. 1 in March — jumped 21 spots to No. 3 with 116 million streams and 9,000 copies sold.

Also this week, Post Malone’s “Beerbongs & Bentleys” holds at No. 4, while Nas’s new album, “Nasir,” opened at No. 5 and Christina Aguilera’s “Liberation” started at No. 6.