US Chart Talk: 11/24/07

[Skin]

That Finger Eleven song took long enough to catch on, geesh. I was over that song 4 months ago.

[promise to try]

You don't get it, you can't compare Blackout to that thing mostly because one is good and the other is not.

And yeah, everybody has their flops, more than once even.

but we still don´t know if Blackout it´s going to be a flop or not!!!! give it a little more time! and the album is very good, so anything can happen, but she has to promote it "in a classic way"

[HolidayGuy]

The album will end up her lowest-selling studio album (heck, probably even will sell less than GH: MP, which has done 1.25m to date)- fact, so just accept that, dahlin'. It will be lucky to reach1 million in the USA, truthfully.

BTW- per bks, this is what helped Spice Girls this week- the Streaming Media chart. Guess that info can make a notable difference at times.

Alicia Keys "No One"

Soulja Boy "Crank That"

Spice Girls "Headlines"

Chris Brown "Kiss Kiss"

Britney Spears "Gimme More"

[franxisco66]

I also think it is going to be a failure, especially in the US. Even in Europe has dropped considerably in most countries. I havent heard the whole record, and I probably won't. But latest reviews at metacritic are at 61% which isnt that great, so being as objective as possible, I think one can say that it isnt a good album (even for Britney)

[Alexz]

I also think it is going to be a failure, especially in the US. Even in Europe has dropped considerably in most countries. I havent heard the whole record, and I probably won't. But latest reviews at metacritic are at 61% which isnt that great, so being as objective as possible, I think one can say that it isnt a good album (even for Britney)

For that bad review it received 100 excellent reviews.

[HolidayGuy]

Oh, it just had one negative review? Must have missed somethin'. ;-) She ain't a musical wonder, so can't expect this latest to be any different. On the chart side, of note is that despite debuting at No. 1 on the Eurochart, it only had 1 No. 1 ranking in Europe, correct?

But, on the positive side, the album will outsell Backstreet Boys' latest!

[Guest SuperPop]

Shocked Spice Girls debuted, with less than 10K in digital sales and nearly zero audience.

bks at Pulse:

BILLBOARD HOT 100

-- 90 SPICE GIRLS HEADLINES (FRIENDSHIP NEVER ENDS)

its really shocking that it debuted..

[thebigham]

MTV.com:

Jay-Z Earns 10th #1 Debut As American Gangster Clips Eagles' Wings

Chris Brown, Angels & Airwaves, Cassidy crack Billboard chart's top 10; Britney Spears' Blackout drops 70 percent.

By Chris Harris

Wednesday (November 14) marks a professional milestone for hip-hop heavyweight Jay-Z. With 425,000 copies of his latest release, American Gangster, flying off shelves during its first week, the MC/ Def Jam president has earned himself the 10th chart-topping debut of his career.

Now, while that's certainly an impressive feat for any artist these days, it's an even more monumental achievement than you'd think. Thanks to American Gangster, a concept album inspired by the Ridley Scott-directed film of the same name, Jay's now tied with Elvis Presley in second place for most career #1 albums; only the Beatles have more, with 19 overall.

And to think the man wanted to retire after 2003's The Black Album.

Gangster is Jay-Z's second full-length project in a year's time, following up 2006's comeback album, Kingdom Come. Both The Black Album and Kingdom Come entered the Billboard top 200 at #1, with 463,000 and 680,000 scans, respectively. According to SoundScan, Hov has had seven other studio offerings open at the chart's peak, including 1998's Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life (with 352,200 scans); 1999's Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter (462,700); 2000's The Dynasty: Roc la Familia (557,800); 2001's The Blueprint (426,500); 2002's The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse (545,200); his 2004 collaboration with R. Kelly, Unfinished Business (215,000); and 2004's Collision Course, a mash-up set featuring Linkin Park (368,300).

While most figured Jay was a lock for the #1 position on next week's chart, some put their money on R&B heartthrob Chris Brown's sophomore release Exclusive to deliver a mind-bending upset — after all, the ladies do love him. Others had Garth Brooks' two-CD/ DVD collection The Ultimate Hits finishing in first. Of course, they were wrong. In fact, Jay's closest competitor was last week's #1, the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden, which sold another 359,300 copies for the chart's #2 opening. Brooks' best-of generated 351,800 scans to open at #3, while Brown's LP sold 294,500 units and follows in the #4 spot.

Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride slipped two spots to #5, with sales reported at 120,780, and at #6, up two places from the previous week, is Josh Groban's Noël with 115,600 copies sold. Britney Spears' Blackout nosedives five positions to #7, selling another 86,700 units (second-week sales of the disc suffered a 70 percent decline), while Taylor Swift's self-titled LP follows at #8 with 67,600 scans.

All told, five new releases entered next week's chart in the prestigious top 10, including Angels & Airwaves' sophomore LP, I-Empire, which sold 66,500 copies to take the #9 slot, and Cassidy's first post-prison outing, B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story, which scanned 63,200 copies to debut at #10. Meanwhile, a dozen other titles are making their first appearances on the chart this week, including Latin reggaetón duo Wisin & Yandel's Los Extraterrestres, which enters at #14 with 52,600 copies sold. Country act Little Big Town follow at #24, selling 34,600 copies of their new one, A Place to Land, while the soundtrack to "American Gangster" takes the #36 spot with 21,000 scans.

Still on Top: The Greatest Hits, the third compilation album to be issued by Van Morrison in 2007, debuts at #48 with 17,900 copies snatched up, while Jimmy Buffett's Live in Anguilla sold 15,350 copies to enter at #54. Hvarf/Heim, Sigur Rós' double-CD compilation, follows at #58 with 14,500 scans, and coming in at #85 with 10,500 copies sold is Demon Hunter's Storm the Gates of Hell. Nas' Greatest Hits comes in at #124 with 6,900 sold.

Nonpoint return from obscurity at the #130 position, having sold 6,400 copies of their new one, Vengeance, while Aliados de la Sierra's Con Los Ojos Cerrados follows at #137 with 6,000 scans. American songstress Sara Groves' Tell Me What You Know debuts at #194 with 4,300 scans, and at #196, with sales of 4,200, it's Andrea Bocelli's The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere.

[HolidayGuy]

There are two chatrting versions of Bocelli's compilation?

[Guest thepowerofmadonna]

I hope Alicia hits #1 on the singles chart next week.

[franxisco66]

Not just one bad review. Metacritic compiles quite a few reviews, so it is a marker of what the critics say. And if you have a look, it is difficult to obtain a mark lower than 60%, so those who say that Blackout is a good album.... maybe should say instead 'I think it is a good album in my opinion because I'm a fan and I will like anything that Britney does'

For that bad review it received 100 excellent reviews.

Edited November 16, 2007 by franxisco66

[thebigham]

HITS:

THANKGIVING WEEK IS RIGHT! Remember when the Top 10 contained nothing but records in six figures? Next week, for the first time in a dog’s age, it could happen again, so cross your fingers and pray to the God of Charts.

Here’s how things are shaping up going into the weekend: #1: Alicia Keys (J/RMG), 600-625k; #2: Josh Groban (Reprise), 250-275k; #3: Eagles (self-release) 215-225k; #4: Celine Dion (Columbia), 195-205k ; #5: Now 26 (EMM), 190-200k.

#6: Garth Brooks (Pearl), 180-190k; #7: Carrie Underwood (Arista/RMG), 120-125k; #8: Jay-Z (Roc-A-Fella/IDJ), 120-125k; and fighting it out for #9 are Chris Brown (Jive/ZLG) and Led Zeppelin (Rhino/Atlantic), with both trending toward 100-105k. (11/16a)

[thebigham]

2m at Pulse

Top sales weeks 2007

1 09/29/09 GRADUATION KANYE WEST 956,936

2 11/17/07 LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN EAGLES 710,946

3 09/29/09 CURTIS 50 CENT 691,304

4 06/02/07 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT LINKIN PARK 622,827

5 09/01/07 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 SOUNDTRACK 615,361

6 10/13/07 STILL FEELS GOOD RASCAL FLATTS 546,505

7 11/10/07 CARNIVAL RIDE CARRIE UNDERWOOD 527,101

8 07/14/07 T.I. Vs. T.I.P. T.I. 467,737

9 06/09/07 IT WON'T BE SOON BEFORE LONG MAROON 5 429,484

10 11/24/07 AMERICAN GANGSTER JAY-Z 425,861

[thebigham]

HITS:

I.B. BAD ON SALES TRENDS

Better Late Than Never: Q4 Picks Up Steam

With Jay-Z, Garth, Chris Brown, Eagles, Etc.

November 15, 2007

It took a month, but the fourth quarter might finally be underway, with last week's one-two punch of the Eagles and Britney Spears followed by a trifecta of 300k-plus debuts, thanks to the star power of Jay-Z (433k), Garth Brooks (355k) and Chris Brown (302k), with the Eagles passing the 1 million plateau in week two.

These late-breaking hits have given a much-needed boost to what has turned out to be another dramatically disappointing year. The Eagles' lofty tally is a testament to the forward-looking deal made by Irving Azoff, as he sold 3 million albums directly to Wal-Mart, with its 3,484 stores and 484 Sam's Club locations. It's a sign of the times that three-quarters of Brooks' total was generated by Wal-Mart as well.

The 711k Eagles LPs sold last week, and the 2.5 million units some prognosticators expect it to sell by year's end, will give the industry as a whole a boost at the moment it's most needed. (In a side note, the Eagles' sales performance is an anomaly in the sense that it's occurring without benefit of iTunes).

As for Billboard's decision to count Long Road Out of Eden on the album chart, it's worth noting that all four major distribution heads felt that the Eagles should be included on the chart, in large part out of a realization that the Big Four will increasingly turn to nontraditional distribution strategies as they search for new solutions.

Nearing the end of year six in the industry-wide depression, the rules are clearly changing, as selling music differently becomes a growing trend. The latest round of nontraditional releases includes the much-ballyhooed Radiohead paradigm-busting digital self-release, James Taylor's first album under his new deal with Hear Music/Concord, and Capitol Music Group's Spice Girls greatest hits album, a two-month CD exclusive with Victoria's Secret's 1,100 stores, powered by the momentum of a sold-out reunion tour. Remember, though, that latter total will not be made public by the retailer as a result of a prior agreement with the label group. Expect many more similar outside-the-box release strategies in '08.

[Guest Hafo]

at Celine's low sales. Wonder if Garth will overtake her as well!

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH UNDERPERFORMING FEMALE SINGERS THESE DAYS

[thebigham]

Celine does not have a hit single at radio.

[Guest Hafo]

Still. There's been lots of publicity around this release...

[thebigham]

Lots of publicity minus a radio hot equals a bad first week, I guess.

It happened to JLo too.

[HolidayGuy]

Yeah, but look at someone like Norah Jones- a big hit at radio isn't necessary all the time, and her audience is similar to Dion's. Heck, look at the Eagles!

[thebigham]

Two exceptions to the rule?

I don't know why everyone is surprised Celine is flopping. I've been unimpressed since the beginning. Lackluster first single witha ridiculous video...

[HolidayGuy]

There probably are more exceptions.

I'm not surprised really, either- gotta love the President of the CD Fan Club- not Topaz, but Billboard's Chuck Taylor- and his review of the album (where he again touts her as "the world's biggest-selling female artist" or whatever. Are his tastes THAT bland?

[franxisco66]

I thoght that Kelly Clackson would be the flop of the year, but I think Britney is going to make Kelly seem a success

I think Celine will sell steadily over Xmas, still won't match the success of Falling into you or Let's Talk about Love.

Is Amy's Frank released in the US on monday?

[HolidayGuy]

Won't Match the success of Falling into You or Let's Talk About Love? With those 2 albums at 10m+, I'd say that's a safe bet! The album probably won't even match One Heart, which has scanned 1.8 million.

Spears' album now is 320K or so below Clarkson's My December- so, it could outscan it. And, remember, Clarkson went from a 6m album to that; Spears' last studio album has scanned 2.96m, so not as bad a comedown.

[Lucy Goosie]

Celine may not do 200k? That is shocking.

[promise to try]

Won't Match the success of Falling into You or Let's Talk About Love? With those 2 albums at 10m+, I'd say that's a safe bet! The album probably won't even match One Heart, which has scanned 1.8 million.

Spears' album now is 320K or so below Clarkson's My December- so, it could outscan it. And, remember, Clarkson went from a 6m album to that; Spears' last studio album has scanned 2.96m, so not as bad a comedown.

I can imagine Britney selling more than 320.000 copies the next 6 weks, but I can´t imagine Celine selling 18. million copies

[Skin]

Nobody give a fart about Celine here anymore, hence the flop.

[BoogieWoogie]

who farted?