As Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl continues to near the modern-era single-week album sales record, currently held by the debut week of Adele’s 25, the streams for The Life of a Showgirl keep piling up.

Historic Streaming Numbers: According to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate, the tracks on The Life of a Showgirl have generated more than 460 million on-demand official streams in the United States since the album’s release on Oct. 3. There are multiple versions of album on streaming services: a standard 12-song edition, a track-by-track commentary edition that includes the 12 songs plus commentary tracks from Swift, and a track-by-track commentary edition that has Swift’s commentary and lyric videos for each of the songs.

The Life of a Showgirl already has 2025’s second-largest streaming week for an album, second only to the debut week of Morgan Wallen’s 37-song I’m the Problem, which bowed with 462.63 million for its tracks in May. The Life of a Showgirl is already among the top 10 all time-biggest streaming weeks for an album. Swift herself has the largest streaming week ever for an album, when The Tortured Poets Department’s 31 songs claimed 891.37 million streams in its opening week in 2024.

Sales Tracking: The sales continue to come in to Luminate for The Life of a Showgirl and it may soon topple Adele’s longstanding record for the largest sales week for an album in the modern era. Adele’s 25 debuted with 3.378 million copies sold in its first week in 2015 — the biggest sales week for any album since Luminate began tracking data in 1991 (when the modern era of music sales tabulation began).

Helping The Life of a Showgirl in the last few days of the tracking week are new iTunes Store-exclusive editions of the album that sold for $4.99 each, and for 24-hours only. She’s released three so far (one a day, starting Monday, through Wednesday) and all are adaptations of the four limited-edition CDs Swift released in her webstore over the weekend. The CDs each had the album’s 12 songs, plus two unique bonus tracks (acoustic/alternative versions of songs on the album). The iTunes Store versions carry the same tracklists as the CDs, but the iTunes versions add two unique voice memos to each album.

Currently, there are 32 different versions of The Life of a Showgirl powering its first-week sales (27 physical iterations [18 CDs, eight vinyl LPs and one cassette] and five download variants).

Life of a Showgirl’s official first-week numbers (equivalent album units, total traditional album sales and streaming figures) reflecting the tracking week of Oct. 3-9, are expected to be announced by Billboard on Sunday, Oct. 12, along with its assumed large debut on the multi-metric Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Oct. 18). Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data powers Billboard’s charts. All numbers cited in this story are for the U.S. only.

For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. 

PREVIOUSLY (OCT. 8): Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl has now earned 3.5 million equivalent album units in the United States, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate, since the album’s release on Oct. 3. Of that sum, traditional album sales (physical and digital purchases) equal 3.2 million copies, with the remaining 300,000 powered by streaming activity of the songs on the album.

Luminate’s current tracking week began on Friday, Oct. 3, and ends on Thursday, Oct. 9.

With 3.2 million copies sold, The Life of a Showgirl continues to near the record for the largest sales week for an album in the modern era (since 1991, when Luminate began electronically tracking music purchases). The modern-era single-week sales record is held by the opening week of Adele’s 25, when it debuted with 3.378 million copies sold in 2015.

However, as The Life of a Showgirl has earned 3.5 million equivalent album units, the album has now secured a new record for the largest week, by equivalent album units, for an album, since the Billboard 200 chart began ranking the week’s most popular albums by equivalent album units in Dec. 2014. The previous record was held by the debut week of Adele’s 25, which bowed with 3.482 million units on the Dec. 12, 2015 chart (mostly powered by the 3.378 million individual purchases of the album, with the remaining sum driven by track purchases and streaming).

Equivalent Album Units Explained: Each equivalent album unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. (None of the tracks from The Life of a Showgirl are available to purchase individually, so the album does not have any track sales contributing to its total thus far.)

The Billboard 200 transitioned from a pure album sales-based ranking to a multi-metric, units-based ranking, with the Dec. 13, 2014-dated chart. From that point forward, albums were ranked on the Billboard 200 by equivalent album units earned — meaning that in addition to album purchases counting towards an album’s chart placement, streams of songs from an album, as well as track purchases, would also contribute towards an album’s position on the weekly chart.

While the Billboard 200 has incorporated streams and track purchases since Dec. 2014, Billboard continues to publish weekly album sales-only charts, including the overall Top Album Sales chart (which ranks both current and older/catalog titles), and Top Current Album Sales.

PREVIOUSLY (OCT. 7): Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl has reached 3 million in traditional album sales (physical and digital purchases), across all versions of the album, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate. On the album’s first day of release (Oct. 3), it cleared 2.7 million sold. After Showgirl’s first day, it captured the second-largest sales week for an album in the modern era — since Luminate began electronically tracking data in 1991. The only larger sales week in that span of time was registered by the opening frame of Adele’s 25, which sold 3.378 million copies in its first week in 2015.

Showgirl has earned over 3.2 million equivalent album units in the U.S. With 3.2 million equivalent album units earned, Showgirl already has the second-largest week, by equivalent album units, for any album since the Billboard 200 began ranking the week’s most popular albums by equivalent album units with the Dec. 13, 2014-dated chart. The largest week, by equivalent album units, for any album, in that span of time, was registered by the debut week of Adele’s 25, which launched with 3.482 million units on the Dec. 12, 2015 chart.

Showgirl got a mid-week boost with the release of four new CD variants of the album, exclusively sold through Swift’s official webstore. Available for a limited time, each CD had alternate cover art, the album’s 12 songs, plus two unique bonus tracks for each CD (alternate versions of songs from the album). These four CDs join 23 previously available physical versions of the album (across vinyl, CD and cassette) and two digital download editions (a standard wide version, and iTunes-exclusive version with a bonus video). Also helping Showgirl was a restock of a previously available deluxe CD boxed set, sold through Swift’s store, containing a branded cardigan sweater and a copy of the CD.

Swift herself has been on the promotional trail, chatting up the album on radio programs and sitting down for an interview on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (Oct. 6). Her film Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl barnstormed movie theaters over the Oct. 3-5 weekend, coming in atop the box office at U.S. and Canada movie theaters.

As for Showgirl’s streaming start – its 12 songs generated over 300 million on-demand official streams in its first two days in the U.S. (Oct. 3-4). Swift holds the record for the largest streaming week for an album, when The Tortured Poets Department debuted with 891.37 million on-demand official streams for the 31 songs on its deluxe edition in 2024.

The most-streamed song on Showgirl in its first two days is “The Fate of Ophelia,” with more than 48 million official on-demand steams. That number could grow significantly following the song’s official music video premiere on YouTube on Sunday, Oct. 5.

If The Life of a Showgirl debuts atop the Billboard 200, it will mark Swift’s 15th No. 1 album, lifting her past Drake and JAY-Z for the most No. 1 albums among soloists, and becoming the sole act with the second-most No. 1s. She is currently tied with Drake and JAY-Z with 14 No. 1s each, and only The Beatles, with 19 No. 1s, have more, dating to when the chart began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in 1956.

All 14 of Swift’s full-length studio albums and re-recorded projects from 2008’s Fearless (her second album) through 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department have debuted at No. 1.

PREVIOUSLY (OCT. 4): Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl album is off to a sparkling start in the United States. On its first day of release, Oct. 3, the set sold 2.7 million copies in traditional album sales (physical and digital purchases) across all versions of the album, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate. That marks Swift’s biggest week ever, and the second-largest sales week for any album in the modern era — since Luminate began electronically tracking data in 1991. The only larger sales week in that span of time was registered by the opening frame of Adele’s 25, which sold 3.378 million copies in its first week in 2015.

Showgirl also stuns with a new modern-era record (1991-present) for the most copies of a vinyl album sold in a single week, having already sold 1.2 million copies on wax. That breaks the single-week record, set by Swift in 2024, when her last album, The Tortured Poets Department, sold 859,000 copies on vinyl in its first week.

Further news of first-week building sales and streaming activity for the album, as provided by Luminate, will be reported in the coming days.

The Life of a Showgirl was announced on Aug. 12, and Swift’s official webstore began taking preorders for the album soon after. The set was issued as a widely available streaming edition and in three widely available versions to purchase across all participating retailers (a standard CD, vinyl and digital download album). There is a plethora of further variants of the album to purchase, with more details on the assorted versions later in this story.

Sales Story: The 2.7 million-sales number registered for Showgirl is inclusive of both over-the-counter and download purchases of the album made on Oct. 3, in addition to what is assumed to be a large number of pre-orders of the physical album through Internet retailers (such as Swift’s webstore, Amazon, Target, etc.) shipped to customers for arrival on release day, as well as pre-orders of the digital download album that were redeemed on release day (via the iTunes Store and other similar sellers).

After one day on sale, The Life of a Showgirl is the top-selling album of 2025 in the U.S., surpassing the 520,000 sold of The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, through the week ending Sept. 25.

The Life of a Showgirl’s sales are bolstered by its availability across 23 different physical configurations: 12 CDs, eight vinyl LPs, two deluxe CD boxed sets containing branded clothing and a CD, and a cassette. Four of the physical editions were exclusively sold by Target stores in the U.S. (three CDs and one vinyl), while two (a standard CD and vinyl) were available to purchase at all participating retailers.

Of the remaining 17 physical iterations, all were exclusively sold via Swift’s webstore, and most were sold for limited windows of time since the preorder launched in August. Her store carried the two deluxe CD boxed sets (one contains a branded cardigan sweater and a CD, the other contains a branded crewneck and a CD); four signed CDs; four deluxe CDs in premium packaging containing a collectible charm and photo cards; six vinyl LPs; and the cassette.

On the digital download side, there is a standard digital download available to purchase through all download sellers, as well as an iTunes Store-exclusive version that comes with a short bonus video. (Of note, none of the tracks from the album are available to purchase individually.)

To compare, Swift’s last studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, had 19 different physical iterations available in its first week (nine CDs, six vinyl LPs and four cassettes) and two digital download versions (the standard 16-song album, and the surprise deluxe 31-song Anthology edition).

Vinyl Victory: Collectively, the eight vinyl LPs for Showgirl combined to sell 1.2 million copies on the album’s first day of release — immediately breaking the modern-era record for the most vinyl copies of an album sold in a single week. Swift herself previously held the record with 859,000 copies of Poets sold in its first week.

Million-Sellers Club: Even though we’re only one day down into the tracking week, The Life of a Showgirl sashays into the single-week million-sellers club. With 2.7 million already sold, Showgirl has the second-largest sales week of the modern era (1991-present). It stands behind only the opening week of Adele’s 25, which bowed with 3.378 million sold in 2015.

Showgirl is the eighth Swift album to have sold at least 1 million copies in a single week, following the debuts of Poets, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Midnights, reputation, the original 1989, Red and Speak Now. She is the only act with eight different albums to each sell at least 1 million copies in a single week in the modern era. In total, there have been 27 instances — by 25 different albums — in which an album sold at least 1 million copies in a week in the modern era. One of those albums, Adele’s 25 sold more than 1 million in three separate weeks.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was hospitalized Tuesday after a car crash in Malibu, California, NBC4 Los Angeles was the first to report.

Simmons’ wife Shannon Tweed let NBC4 know that the rocker was recovering at home, while a rep for KISS told Billboard on Wednesday (Oct. 8) that Simmons is “already back to work.”

Also on Wednesday, Simmons sent a message to fans through his X account thanking everyone for “the kind wishes” and assuring, “I’m completely fine. I had a slight fender bender. It happens. Especially to those of us [who are] horrible drivers. And that’s me. All is well.”

Thanks, everybody, for the kind wishes. I’m completely fine. I had a slight fender bender. It happens. Especially to those of us were horrible drivers. And that’s me. All is well.

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) October 8, 2025

According to the NBC4 report, the crash was reported to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department just before 1 p.m. PT when Simmons’ Lincoln Navigator reportedly crashed into a parked car on Pacific Coast Highway. He told deputies on the scene that he had either fainted or passed out before the crash, according to the L.A. Sheriff.

Next month, Simmons and KISS are set to perform together for the first time since December 2023, when they wrapped up their End of The Road Tour with a two-night stand at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The band announced in March that they would reunite as part of the three-day KISS Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas event, which runs Nov. 14-16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The event promises two makeup-free KISS Unmasked shows — one acoustic and one electric — plus activities with Simmons, founding frontman Paul Stanley and 2002-23 guitarist/vocalist Tommy Thayer.

AXS, the AEG-owned ticketing company, is purchasing a majority stake in SISTIC, Singapore’s leading ticketing platform, it was announced on Wednesday (Oct. 8).

“Singapore and Southeast Asia represent some of the most dynamic growth markets in live entertainment,” said Blaine Legere, president of international at AXS. “By combining SISTIC’s deep regional expertise with AXS’s global technology platform, we have a unique opportunity to redefine how fans discover, access, and experience live events.”

Founded more than 30 years ago, SISTIC has been a cornerstone of Singapore’s concert and live entertainment ecosystem. The company services more than 300 organizers annually and facilitates ticketing for over 2,000 events across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong, selling more than 6.5 million tickets each year.

Notable recent events ticketed by SISTIC include Hamilton, My Chemical Romance Live in Singapore, A-mei’s ASMeiR Max 2024 World Tour, Greatest Hits of A.R. Rahman, Ed Sheeran’s + – = ÷ x Tour in Manila, Philippines, and the upcoming World Aquatics Championships Singapore 2025.

SISTIC CEO Joe Ow said the partnership will allow the company to scale while maintaining its commitment to clients and fans.

“Joining AXS’s network opens new opportunities for us to grow and scale our impact to meet changing demands, while staying true to our commitment to deliver professional ticketing services and experiences,” Ow said. “Our technology integration will be intentionally gradual, allowing us to ensure a seamless experience for clients while we combine AXS’s global platform with our deep market knowledge.”

The deal also reinforces SISTIC’s role in supporting the SG Culture Pass, a government initiative designed to strengthen Singapore’s arts and culture landscape. With AXS’s backing, the partnership aims to introduce more diverse live events to the country and solidify its reputation as a global entertainment destination.

Selena Gomez‘s character, Alex Russo, has come a long way since the premiere of Wizards of Waverly Place back in 2007 — but on the latest episode of the Disney Channel show’s reboot, her story may have just come to an end. (Spoiler alert!)

The Wizards Beyond Waverly Place season 2 finale arrived Wednesday (Oct. 8) on Disney+, revealing the answers to some series-long questions. Costarring and executive produced by Gomez and David Henrie — who reprises his role as Justin Russo from the original Wizards — the reboot launched in 2024 with the premise that Alex wanted Justin to help her train a young wizard named Billie Russo, played by Janice LeAnn Brown.

At the beginning, Billie’s past and family were total mysteries. But in the new finale, it was finally revealed: Alex is her mom. And yes, the Rare Beauty founder’s character knew all along.

In the finale, a magic locket activated by Alex’s tears unleashes a memory of the lovably snarky hellraiser wiping a much younger Billie’s memories and sending her off to boarding school to protect her from an evil wizard named Lord Morsus (who also happens to be Billie’s paternal grandfather). “I would do anything to be with you,” Alex tells Billie in the memory. “But right now, there’s someone out there trying to find you, and I can’t let that happen.”

But Alex secretly being a mother wasn’t the only jaw-dropping moment the finale had to offer. During a final confrontation with Lord Morsus, Gomez’s character sacrifices herself by sealing herself inside a portal, dragging the villain in with her. That might be the last fans see of Ms. Russo — unless Billie, Justin and his kids have anything to say about it. At the very end, the gang resolves to find a way to locate and save Alex.

Since its premiere in October last year, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place has brought a new generation of fans into the magical world Disney Channel created in the late 2000s. The original show — which propelled Gomez into superstardom — wrapped in 2012.

And while the actress has her hands full with almost too many projects to count, from running her Rare Beauty empire to starring in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Gomez has said that returning to her roots has been extremely fulfilling for her. “It’s the best feeling in the whole world to be able to bring this back for you and to all the people who have never seen it before,” she told People in 2024.

She added at the time, “This is what gave me everything that I have today, and I’ll never forget that this is where I started.”

Both seasons of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place are streaming now on Disney+.