Hard Candy SoundScan/Billboard 200 Discussion

[Ciccone's Cheeks]

hopefully Ms #s will be posted soon.

As 4 Mimi, hands down, her latest is most def. underperforming. She has the longest #1 song of the decade so far, easily produced the #1 comeback album and comeback of the decade, yet her last 2 singles are BOMBING (by her typical #1, or min. top 5 standards). No matter what she releases now from the album (and I do believe there were at least a few WAY better single choices radio wouldve eaten up) the major momentum and interest she had gained back with radio, has drastically minimized. It hasnt been officially declared yet, but this album will be lucky to sell Charmbracelet #s= by any objective persons definitions, a FLOP!. I strongly feel for the first time "ever" she got lazy, and *wasn't* as obsessed and posessed lol with scoring another #1 song, primarily due to the distraction of the marriage, bad single choices, management..., just this whole era for her was half-assed, when the material easily couldve kept her portly #1 obsessed crazed ship going lol

[HolidayGuy]

Charmbracelet- in the USA- has scanned around 1.15 million- so this latest album will outscan it.

Can't imagine anyone was expecting numbers remotely close to the last album. It is looking to be quite a comedown, though.

[Guest jamesshot]

HC is falling fast now. I didn't expect it to fall this fast due to A) the massive amount of publicity lately should have had some effect and B) 4M still being a big hit.

[doctorjosh]

I really hope WBR sticks with BGO as the 3rd single, which should garner some decent airplay and, hopefully, keep album sales steady. Add in the tour and maybe, just maybe we might see HC move back up the chart...

[Guest Bad Robot]

I don't like it either

It's one of the worst photos/images in her career, let alone for an album cover!

[doctorjosh]

I agree about the album cover. It looks cheap and just a little inappropriate for a woman who's nearly 50!

[Guest hotstickyandsweet]

hopefully Ms #s will be posted soon.

As 4 Mimi, hands down, her latest is most def. underperforming. She has the longest #1 song of the decade so far, easily produced the #1 comeback album and comeback of the decade, yet her last 2 singles are BOMBING (by her typical #1, or min. top 5 standards). No matter what she releases now from the album (and I do believe there were at least a few WAY better single choices radio wouldve eaten up) the major momentum and interest she had gained back with radio, has drastically minimized. It hasnt been officially declared yet, but this album will be lucky to sell Charmbracelet #s= by any objective persons definitions, a FLOP!. I strongly feel for the first time "ever" she got lazy, and *wasn't* as obsessed and posessed lol with scoring another #1 song, primarily due to the distraction of the marriage, bad single choices, management..., just this whole era for her was half-assed, when the material easily couldve kept her portly #1 obsessed crazed ship going lol

ha!! eat shit lambs

[thebigham]

I really hope WBR sticks with BGO as the 3rd single, which should garner some decent airplay and, hopefully, keep album sales steady. Add in the tour and maybe, just maybe we might see HC move back up the chart...

The 3rd single is Miles Away.

[promise to try]

I agree about the album cover. It looks cheap and just a little inappropriate for a woman who's nearly 50!

that's the only reason I can think for using this picture as the cover, to use an inappropriate one of her age...maybe she knows that she's not supposed to dress like this, and that's why she's done it

and about Mariah being lazy, yes could be true, but yesterday I saw her in a late night show, and then she sang two songs (and they talk about her new video).So...

[HolidayGuy]

doctorj- decent airplay? In the USA? Stop the fantasizing, pal.

[franxisco66]

Selling one million in the US today (especially if the album is not released in Nov/Dec) is HUGE...only a handful of albums do it per year.

She's sold more than almost anyone else worldwide this year. This album is not a flop.

But it hasnt sold 1 million. A million will be great in 2008 I agree.

And I was refering to US sales as this is a US thread, if we talk worldwide, then it is a different story. I still think it is NOT a flop in the US, but not a moderate success either

[thebigham]

Ed Sadtler from the 8/9 charts:

Madonna - "Hard Candy" [Gold]

The Billboard 200 - 1*-3-8-9-11-14-31-36-46-57-63-69-85

Billboard Comprehensive Albums - 1*-3-8-9-11-14-32-36-47-60-67-73-92

Top Digital Albums -1-2-6-11-13-20-23 (off 7-5-08)

Top Internet Albums - 1-4-7-5-7-15-12-23 (off 7-12-08)

Tastemakers - 2*-2-9-12 (off 6/13/07)

Top Canadian Albums - 1*-1-2-2-2-5-7-15-14-13-14-13-15

European Top 100 Albums - 1-1-1-1-1-2-2-2-4-4-4-4-4-4

[boy skeffington]

But it hasnt sold 1 million. A million will be great in 2008 I agree.

And I was refering to US sales as this is a US thread, if we talk worldwide, then it is a different story. I still think it is NOT a flop in the US, but not a moderate success either

I didn't say Hard Candy sold 1 million in the US. I was saying that ANY album sellling one million in the US is huge...so her ending up with around 700,000 is pretty okay and not a flop.

[doctorjosh]

doctorj- decent airplay? In the USA? Stop the fantasizing, pal.

Why wouldn't BGO get some decent airplay? It'll mainly come from the Kanye association for that song. I certainly don't think it'll reach 4M proportions.

[Guest Nichu94]

SS sales USA this week:

85 MADONNA HARD CANDY 7,259 8,613 -16 605,833

[thebigham]

Hard Candy SoundScan

SDV: 741

5/17: 1 MADONNA HARD CANDY 279,522 280,273

5/24: 3 MADONNA HARD CANDY 94,177 -66.3% 374,450

5/31: 8 MADONNA HARD CANDY 53,302 -43% 427,752

6/07: 9 MADONNA HARD CANDY 38,632 -28% 466,384

6/14: 11 MADONNA HARD CANDY 31,791 -18% 498,175

6/21: 14 MADONNA HARD CANDY 26,925 -15% 525,100

6/28: 31 MADONNA HARD CANDY 19,149 -32% 544,249

7/05: 36 MADONNA HARD CANDY 14,294 -25% 558,543

7/12: 46 MADONNA HARD CANDY 11,867 -17% 570,410

7/19: 57 MADONNA HARD CANDY 10,524 -11% 580,934

7/26: 63 MADONNA HARD CANDY 9,027 -14% 589,961

8/02: 69 MADONNA HARD CANDY 8,613 -5% 598,574

8/09: 85 MADONNA HARD CANDY 7,259 -16% 605,833

[thebigham]

Week 13 comparison:

85 MADONNA HARD CANDY 7,259 -16% 605,833

59 MADONNA CONFESSIONS 23,724 +30% 1,265,756

150 MADONA AMERICAN 7,138 -2% 542,867

[Guest chicagobull]

doctorj- decent airplay? In the USA? Stop the fantasizing, pal.

debbie downer.

[motherandfather03]

maybe miles away will appeal to the ac/hac formats which in turn may boost album purchases from the "moms" which might not have rushed out for the "pop" sound of JT/M colab on 4M

she should do oprah when she stops in chicago for the tour. an oprah appearance in the fall will almost guarantee an increase.

605k is still not to shabby considering the climate and the lack of promo from the label and the artist

btw- give it 2 me is still growing at pop, albeit very slowly +39 spins from last week.

[Matt]

I still believe she will reach 700k in the US until the end of 2008. I would be happy with that, but that's just me;)

[HolidayGuy]

Peeeps, you're just not grasping USA radio's problem with Madonna (ageism is at the top of the reasons). It's hard to accept, I know it, but gotta face reality.

It's not like "Give it 2 Me" was some non-commercial release-it's a decent, fun pop track, and radio totally had no interest in it- couldn't even break 3m audience (via BDS, what Billboard uses). This follows a track that peaked with 54 million or so audience- a track that no doubt was helped in part by the Justin Timberlake association. There likely always will be *some* curiosity with a brand-new Madonna track, but if it were just Madonna, it's unlikely it would have done as well as it did.

Now we're looking at a 3rd single- it's possible that it could squeeze out higher airplay than GI2M (wouldn't be too hard). But, anyone expecting even HU-like audience in the USA for a 3rd Madonna single- at this stage in the game- is ad-dreamin'. Not being Debbie Downer, but realistic (I take the same flack when I've talked about other "divas'" radio fortunes).

Back to HC- it's back to scanning very similar weekly totals to AL. Roughly 63K ahead of AL ain't too bad now- probably around 68K to go to catch up to AL's to-date numbers.

[Guest demitri]

I think HC is going to rake somewhere around 700 000 to 750 000 copies by year's end. Its not going to sell more than that.

Like a lot of people here I too think TBGO would be a much better single choice, not that I expect the single to be a Top 20 hit but I think it'll be better received and generate for sales for the album but either way I dont think this or any other potential 3rd and 4th single would really spike sales beyond my prediction of 750K

[HolidayGuy]

Down to No. 95 in week 14, with 6,326 units- cume stands at 612,159.

American Life dropped 150-188 in its 14th (and final week) on the BB 200, scanning 5,876, for a cume of 548,743.

[Guest nothingfails0603]

wow, that's a blast from the past where 5,876 would almost push you off the chart, while now that's almost guarenteed a top 100, since the #200 album these days usually sells around 3200-3500 or so

[mtzlplk]

Down to No. 95 in week 14, with 6,326 units- cume stands at 612,159.

F@CK IT!!!!

[Nightshade]

I don't think it is selling that badly when you look at the overall market. Still, I wished for AT LEAST platinum with this album - and that seems like a long way off now. I suppose she's really only 225,000 away from a realistic 1x certification but lord knows Warner won't do it by that time.

I'm curious if the *rumored* October HBO broadcast of the concert would help much. I know the Confessions Tour broadcast didn't do much of anything for COADF, but that was coming 1+ year after the album's release, and 2 months after the tour was done. This is only 5 or 6 months behind the initial release.

Here's to hoping.

[fak]

i doubt a broadcast will help much at all. madonna fan's as a whole have not warmed to the project - they probably have heard the hard candy album online and thought no. it might inspire some new people to buy it. and by the time the tour is aired we dont know whereHC will be by then. is definitely underperforming. could it be its last week on the hot 100?

madonna really needs to do some performances - without justin to get her album noticed over the next few months. stuff like the grammy's alway helps.

[HolidayGuy]

COADF gained 120% following the concert broadcast- the percentage gain more than likely wouldn't have been as large, even though it was Thanskgiving week. So, it probably helped the album a little bit there.

I would imagine this is HC's last week in the top 100- now, we'll see if it can spend 14 additional weeks between 101-200- it may not.

[Cherish]

HC is pretty much over in the U.S, perhaps only hype generated by the tour and better airplay for the 3rd & 4th singles could revive it?

I don't think HC is all that bad, certainly better than AL, but it seems that it'll end up being her 2nd worst selling album ever!

[HolidayGuy]

Well, the quality doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the sales- keep in kind sales are lower nowadays, too.

If the album's still on the chart by the time the tour hits America (may not be), that could stabilize sales (whereever level they'll be at that point).