Last week, just ahead of the Astroworld Festival, Travis Scott’s album of the same name sat at No. 50 on the Billboard 200, having moved up an expected 6 slots on the chart as anticipation for the festival and a pending release built up.
Now, in the aftermath of the tragedy that took place in Houston last weekend, a counterintuitive trend takes place as Scott’s Astroworld is slated to once again break the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 chart as Hits Daily Double reports that the album will reportedly go No. 38–an increase of 12 slots–selling just shy of 15,000 album equivalent units with a reported 14,666, with 617 accounting for pure album sales. Using rough math, tracks from the album were streamed at least 17 million times since the Astroworld Festival–and that’s the lowest possible estimate.
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In all likelihood, the events that transpired at Astroworld probably sparked interest in Scott’s catalog. Other theories could also chalk this increase up to a legion of fans attempting to combat calls for “mute” Travis Scott, particularly on platforms like TikTok.
All the while, it’s unlikely that their fandom can save Scott from the onslaught of lawsuits already being tossed at the Houston entertainer and Astroworld promoter Live Nation. According to new reports, mostly requesting payment for damages and injuries suffered.
“The deadly crowd surge and its aftermath unfolded right in front of Webster and [Aubrey] Graham. Nonetheless, they continued their performance while medical personnel struggled to reach the numerous unconscious and injured concertgoers,” reads one suit from a festivalgoer, who also names Drake as a defendant.
The plaintiff, Niaara Goods, is suing for $1 million in damages.