FROM THE FRONT ROW
// Five Seconds Of Summer Robbed of Fourth Number One Album Position //
Australian band, Five Seconds Of Summer (5SOS), have fallen victim to a clerical error causing them to chart at number two on the Billboard 200, with the release of 12 track studio album, ‘CALM’.
Through no fault of their own, ten thousand copies of CALM were sent out before their intended release, meaning the sales were not counted as part of their debut week numbers. Losing to The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours’ by less than 3000 units rightfully angered fans, who have worked hard to make up for lost numbers and put in efforts to prevent leaks from being accessible.
CALM, released on Friday the 27th of March, would have charted in its rightfully earned number one spot had the copies been sent out on time or counted as such. Ashton Irwin, the drummer of the band, has posted a video addressing the issue, saying “whether the chart positioning changes, I am so appreciative for everything you’ve done for us over the past couple of weeks”.
The error was completely out of the bands control and overshadowed their success of charting at number one in the UK and Australia. This is not the first time such errors have occurred, and with so many in charge of distribution, they are bound to continue. Previously however, artists such as Ariana Grande and Harry Styles have not been penalised or lost out on the number one spot due to these issues, which were also through no fault of their own.
Despite worldwide hashtags and fans pressuring Billboard for a response, they have refused to comment and have removed related articles about the group from their site. Theories have circulated about the music industry purposely snubbing the group for calling out problems within the sector, with lyrics such as “digging my grave to get a reaction, changing my face and calling it fashion” included in February release, ‘No Shame’.
We congratulate 5SOS for their No. 1s in the UK and Australia and hope this issue is resolved (or addressed at the very least) as soon as possible.
Their senior album, CALM, is available on all major music streaming platforms and we will be giving away signed copies on our social media pages shortly!