Ed Sheeran’s fourth solo album heads straight to the number one album on Apple Music by pre-adds, two months before release.

Due for release on 29th October, Ed Sheeran – = takes the top spot on Apple Music’s pre-add chart for the week of 20th August – 26th August. = or “equals” is Ed Sheeran’s first album since 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project and his first solo album since ÷ (“divide”) in 2017. The lead single Bad Habits dropped in June and is currently sitting at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single from = is Visiting Hours, which debuted on this week’s Hot 100 at number 75.

Pre-adds (or pre-saves on Spotify) allow fans to save an upcoming release prior to release day. This means come release day, the new music is automatically added to the users library. Pre-adds and pre-saves are a great tool for artists as it increases day-one streams and shows streaming services which new music is likely to succeed, a crucial metric when services are playlisting for their editorial playlists. You can create your own pre-adds or pre-saves on Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer for free with our partners over at PUSH.fm.

Rolling Stone reveal the top albums by Apple Music pre-adds for the week of August 20th – August 26th:

  1. Ed Sheeran – =
  2. Kacey Musgraves – Star-Crossed
  3. Lil Nas X – Montero
  4. Wizkid – Made In Lagos
  5. MO3 – Shottaz 4Eva
  6. Jaden – CTV3: Day Tripper’s Edition
  7. Yama – The Meaning of Life
  8. Asking Alexandria – See What’s on the Inside
  9. James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart
  10. Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
  11. JoJo – Trying Not to Think About It
  12. Saucy Dog – Lazy Sunday
  13. Tion Wayne – Green With Envy
  14. Coldplay – Music of the Spheres
  15. Imagine Dragons – Mercury – Act 1
  16. Shy Glizzy, Glizzy Gang – Don’t Feed The Sharks
  17. OneRepublic – Human
  18. Halsey – If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
  19. Creepy Nuts – Case
  20. LANY – gg bb xx
  21. The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You
  22. Various Artists, Metallica – The Metallica Blacklist
  23. Wage War – Manic
  24. Old Dominion – Time, Tequila & Therapy
  25. 25. OhGeesy – GEEZYWORLD