Travis Scott’s team is upset about the ranking of his mixtape Days Before Rodeo behind Sabrina Carpenter’s Short ‘n Sweet on the Billboard 200.
Scott’s label, Cactus Jack Records, sent a letter to Luminate claiming almost 1,300 units sold weren’t counted, which would’ve placed him above Carpenter’s 362,000 sales.
“This was never about Travis versus Sabrina — it’s about the integrity of the process and the questionable tactics used in U.S. charting,” a rep for Travis Scott tells Rolling Stone. “This could happen to any artist.”
The letter accuses Billboard of unfairly discarding verified sales, using outdated methods, and inconsistent decisions. They also mentioned an employee at Luminate who had worked for Carpenter’s label.
The letter emphasizes that with such close numbers, it’s important to reconsider counting those missed 1,291 units to ensure fairness.
Billboard responded by saying they stand by their chart data and methodology.
The letter includes a conversation with Tommy Stalknecht from Single, who mentioned a surge in orders just before the midnight cutoff. Screenshots showed nearly 1,300 units sold in the last 15 minutes, but these were not accepted in time.
It’s funny how fans always notice things that might get missed otherwise.
Stalknecht declined to comment, saying, “We do not comment on our customer’s business.”
Scott’s team tried to contact Luminate over the weekend to add the units, but they claim there was no response. They faced a similar issue when Scott released Utopia in 2023, which led to some sales being added back later.
Luminate confirmed receiving the letter but maintained their numbers were accurate according to their processes.
The letter also questioned Luminate’s indie retail ‘weighting,’ suggesting it unfairly boosted Carpenter’s sales above Scott’s.
Lastly, the letter highlighted concerns about a Luminate employee who previously worked at Carpenter’s label, questioning his objectivity and potential bias.
Reps for Sabrina Carpenter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This article was updated at 9:05 p.m. ET on Sept. 6 to include a statement from Billboard.
