Taylor Swift’s Timely Streaming Win Helps Her Album Become A Bestseller Again

Taylor Swift’s Folklore rises from No. 61 to No. 45 on the Billboard 200 and reenters the Top Album Sales chart at No. 47, driven by seasonal “August” streaming boosts. SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – MARCH 02: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO BOOK COVERS Taylor Swift performs during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at the National Stadium on March 02, 2024 in Singapore. (Photo by Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

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Every December, it’s common for Christmas songs to invade the Billboard charts, and as Halloween nears, several tunes — especially “Thriller” by Michael Jackson — mount incredible comebacks. There aren’t too many other tracks that enjoy annual surges in streams and sales that aren’t connected to those two holidays, but Taylor Swift has landed one of the few.

“August,” featured on her album Folklore, returns to prominence as its namesake month nears and begins. Some years, the uptick is relatively small, while at other times, it’s big enough to help the tune and the album it’s featured on — and that’s the case in 2025.

Folklore Reenters Top Album Sales Chart

Folklore is enjoying its biggest week in some time on the Billboard charts, thanks largely to increases in streams and sales of “August.” At the moment, Folklore lives on four tallies, surging on three and returning to one.

Five years after its release, Folklore is back on the Top Album Sales chart, appearing once again as one of the 50 bestselling titles in the country. The Grammy-winning effort lands on the list at No. 47 after selling more than 2,800 copies in the most recent finished tracking frame.

Major Gains on Alternative and Rock Charts

Swift’s surprise release also surges on several other rankings. Folklore lives inside the top 10 on both the Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums charts, pushing to Nos. 4 and 9, respectively. It reappears inside the highest tier on the latter list, as last frame it sat at No. 14.

The hugely popular project almost finds its way back inside the top 40 on the Billboard 200 as it jumps from No. 61 to No. 45. Consumption of the project grew by more than 14% from one frame to the next, as it moved 16,650 equivalent units compared to 14,600 units the week prior (per Luminate).

Folklore Leads Swift’s Album Chart Wins

Swift sees eight of her albums appear on at least one Billboard chart apiece this week. Several titles, including The Tortured Poets Department, Reputation, and Red (Taylor’s Version), live on two tallies at the same time. Folklore is easily the winner, as it appears on four rankings, doubling the total number of appearances of her other most successful projects in America at the moment.

“August” Drives Folklore’s Seasonal Popularity

Somewhat surprisingly, while consumption of the song “August” is largely to thank for the success of Folklore, the song itself does not appear on any Billboard charts at the moment. The tune was never pushed as a single, but remains a fan favorite nonetheless. “August” reached No. 23 on the Hot 100 and gave Swift one of her first top 10 hits on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in its initial heyday.

Folklore’s Grammy-Winning Legacy

When Folklore arrived in July 2020, it became Swift’s seventh No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, where it debuted with more than 846,000 equivalent units, making one of the largest opening sums in recent memory at the time. It went on to win Album of the Year at the Grammys – another such success for the singer-songwriter – and has remained a top performer ever since, helped by tracks like “Cardigan,” “The 1,” and “Exile” alongside “August.”