When Dr. Dre released his last album, 1999’s 2001, most consumers still bought CDs. In 2015, music streaming has become a more popular way for fans to listen to new projects, and Dre’s Compton became the first major test for Apple’s new streaming service Apple Music.

According to the NY Times, Compton was streamed 25 million times worldwide in its first week of release. The Apple Music exclusive was reportedly streamed 11 million times in the United States.

The 11 million number for Compton is impressive, but it fails in comparison to Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late topping 48 million streams in one week and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly pulling around 39 million streams. Both albums from Drake and Kendrick were available on other streaming services.

Apple Music launched in June. The service had the disadvantage of coming into a very competitive marketplace after other established streaming platforms like Spotify, Pandora, and Rdio have been available for years.

Dre’s latest LP is expected to open on the Billboard 200 album chart in the number 2 position behind Luke Bryan’sKill The Lights. Compton is expected to sell around 280,000 copies. The project’s sps (sales plus streaming) will be close to 300,000 units (every 1,500 streams equal one album sale).

allhiphop.com