Hard Candy SoundScan/Billboard 200 Discussion

[afrolito]

It's definetely dying, and in it's last stages. 2012 is an optimistic number, and is not that far away in any case. The entire industry will be digital sooner rather than later.

I can't wait for loons to jump out of the window when M releases her next one in a strictly digital format. She's even said herself many times lately, how she wants to get her music to fans in new and exciting ways. Of course most here only pay attention to her hairstyle or what dress she's wearing.

[HolidayGuy]

Don't say most, thanks. But, I know what ya mean. Some do get into a tizzy over superficial stuff in regards to M, no doubt about it.

[Matt]

If I look at HC's chart run in the US, I'm impressed, she does not fall like a stone. I'm more disappointed with other countries. In the US she is doing fine for her standards. I mean 4 weeks Top ten is great for her. It's just that sales are down in general.

If one (hopefully the second) of her next singles can get some good airplay, HC could do really good. I don't see her doing promo and the tour won't help either, so it all depends on airplay ( and maybe videos).

At this point I even doubt she will do a video for the third single though.

[HolidayGuy]

The tour could help sales stabilize (though by that point, will HC even be on the BB 200? We're talking about the USA tour beginning more than 4 months from now) The DWT and CT helped Music and COADF rack up some extra weeks they probably wouldn't have seen otherwise.

[promise to try]

I had an (stupid maybe?) idea: we, me too, are thinking that she´s not promoting the album enough on the TV shows; but what about that being a conscious thing? I mean, maybe they thought that it´s going to be difficult to promot an old artist, so they prefered to keep a lower image of her, not having "that 50 years old" woman jumping on the shows all the time... does it make any sense?

[Alexz]

It's definetely dying, and in it's last stages. 2012 is an optimistic number, and is not that far away in any case. The entire industry will be digital sooner rather than later.

I can't wait for loons to jump out of the window when M releases her next one in a strictly digital format. She's even said herself many times lately, how she wants to get her music to fans in new and exciting ways. Of course most here only pay attention to her hairstyle or what dress she's wearing.

She can't release digital-only albums. People in many countries wouldn't be able to buy them. I wouldn't buy it even if I can and that's for sure.

[Matt]

Her next album will probably be out in fall 2010, at that point it will be too soon to release digital only. And most Madonna fans are "too old" to kiss the physical music goodbye. There will always be a market for it just much smaller like with vinyl today.

[Guest northernlad]

^ I wouldnt say it is dead yet. We all know sales are much lower than, say 5 yrs ago, but some albums still manage to sell over 8 million copies worldwide....

HC is doing ok, but just ok. I would call it a flop, but not a success either...

And what albums are those? Aside from Timberlake, I can't think of a single artist that has had that level of success post-2005. Anyway, I don't get you guys, granted I know nothing about charts, but it seems to be doing great for Madonna - perhaps the opening week sales could've been higher but that's it. Like someone else said it's doing hella worse in the UK & many other places. This reminds me of how people went on and on about what a failure AL was in the US but that Europe loved it, when it actually was a bigger disappointment there.

[Alexz]

Winehouse sold more than 8 million. Alicia Keys already 5 million and still charting. Leona will probably sell 5-6 million. Duffy could so similar numbers.

[Guest northernlad]

5 million is a lot less than 8 million

btw, I thought Alicia Keys was over.. what a surprise

[Alexz]

Well, it's still charting, she has become quite an international star. And let's face it, 5 million is the new 10 million.

[franxisco66]

And what albums are those? Aside from Timberlake, I can't think of a single artist that has had that level of success post-2005. Anyway, I don't get you guys, granted I know nothing about charts, but it seems to be doing great for Madonna - perhaps the opening week sales could've been higher but that's it. Like someone else said it's doing hella worse in the UK & many other places. This reminds me of how people went on and on about what a failure AL was in the US but that Europe loved it, when it actually was a bigger disappointment there.

Winehouse almost 10 million, Furtado 8 million and prob similar numbers will be seen shortly for Coldplay, Duffy, Keys

It is clear to everyone that CDs are down, no point discussing that, but obviously some people still buy them so they will still be around im afraid. Who knows about the future.

[Guest dicktracy]

Winehouse almost 10 million, Furtado 8 million and prob similar numbers will be seen shortly for Coldplay, Duffy, Keys

It is clear to everyone that CDs are down, no point discussing that, but obviously some people still buy them so they will still be around im afraid. Who knows about the future.

Both Winehouse and Furtado's albums came out in 2006 internationally. Two years from now we can compare them to HC. HC is no LAV but is definitely no AL. Let's keep the faith.

[Candylipsgirl]

and Usher is doing what I thought he was going to do, 400.000 copies or more on its first week...yes, it´s a big drop for him...maybe madonna is not doing that bad after all

Promise:

There is NO way Usher is expected to sell 1M albums again.

400K is NOT a dissappointment by any means.

Clearly, PEOPLE STILL BY CDS!

Im NOT going to argue the fact sales are NOT the same as prior times for CDS.

I think that point is been tiredly discussed a ZILLION TIMES>

However, the CD market is still alive. AND people need to stop saying NO ONE BUYS CDS anymore.

They still do. PERIOD!

As far as Hard Candy sales go- and the fact we are all still comparing it to American Life sales-makes a statement on its own.

HC is NOT doing well! If it was, that total -466K- should have been sold in 2 weeks- NOT 4!

[scrapple]

Promise:

There is NO way Usher is expected to sell 1M albums again.

400K is NOT a dissappointment by any means.

Clearly, PEOPLE STILL BY CDS!

Im NOT going to argue the fact sales are NOT the same as prior times for CDS.

I think that point is been tiredly discussed a ZILLION TIMES>

However, the CD market is still alive. AND people need to stop saying NO ONE BUYS CDS anymore.

They still do. PERIOD!

As far as Hard Candy sales go- and the fact we are all still comparing it to American Life sales-makes a statement on its own.

HC is NOT doing well! If it was, that total -466K- should have been sold in 2 weeks- NOT 4!

HC is doing well!!!!

[franxisco66]

Both Winehouse and Furtado's albums came out in 2006 internationally. Two years from now we can compare them to HC. HC is no LAV but is definitely no AL. Let's keep the faith.

Do you really thik HC is going to sell over 8 million? And noone was comparing them with HC anyway

Btw Winehouse's album is still selling over 100,000 weekly after 2.5 yrs of being released, so I dont think any sensible person will compare it with HC (not now or ever)

[franxisco66]

400k for Usher it is a dissapointment. I dont understand how people analyse figures. so 290 for M (coming from 350 with COADF) was a dissappointment but 1.1m to 400k in Usher case is not? Please clarify this

[Candylipsgirl]

400k for Usher it is a dissapointment. I dont understand how people analyse figures. so 290 for M (coming from 350 with COADF) was a dissappointment but 1.1m to 400k in Usher case is not? Please clarify this

Do you actually expect Usher to keep selling 1 M every time a new cd is released?

1M is a "fluke" that happens "once in a lifetime"-its an INCREDABLE amount to begin with.

No one in their right mind expects that kind of number -or close- again.

As far as HC is concerned-take a look on the thread what CD everyone is comparing it with as far as sales-

Not Confessions, Not Music....that should be a statement in its self

[franxisco66]

Do you actually expect Usher to keep selling 1 M every time a new cd is released?

1M is a "fluke" that happens "once in a lifetime"-its an INCREDABLE amount to begin with.

No one in their right mind expects that kind of number -or close- again.

As far as HC is concerned-take a look on the thread what CD everyone is comparing it with as far as sales-

Not Confessions, Not Music....that should be a statement in its self

of course not 1 million, but only 40% of what he last sold, yes, it is a disappointment.

you saidpreviously 'HC is NOT doing well! If it was, that total -466K- should have been sold in 2 weeks- NOT 4!'

so M should have been sold 350 the first week for it 'TO DO WEL'L , in other words you really expected Madonna and usher to have similar opening numbers? That is not very realistic. And yes, it makes sense to compare it with the previous album, I know every album is different and released in different season, bla bla bla, but it in normal to make comparisons with a previous album, We all do

[Guest dicktracy]

Do you really thik HC is going to sell over 8 million? And noone was comparing them with HC anyway

Btw Winehouse's album is still selling over 100,000 weekly after 2.5 yrs of being released, so I dont think any sensible person will compare it with HC (not now or ever)

HC can sell 8 million worldwide. It may not. But it can. It will depend on how successful the other singles are and the tour of course. In America, it's a different story. She'll probably not match Confessions but it will for sure outsell AL. And AL has sold 5 million worldwide regardless.

As for Winehouse... yeah, she may be still selling over 100K weekly. It's her breakthrough album. When she's promoting her eleventh it may not be that easy. Anyway, no need to get defensive. There was only the implication that HC is not a worldwide hit when it is. Will it last and outsell some of the Furtado's and Winehouse's of today? Probably not. But we'll only know for sure after it has been on the charts for at least a year.

Anyway, who cares. Her tour will probably break her own record. Madonna is playing a different game already, we just need to catch up.

[Cherish]

All those predicting it would have dropped out of the Top 20 by now are looking very stupid!

[Guest nothingfails0603]

I think album sales are dead in America for several reasons.

1. lack of MTV/VH1 type exposure really makes a difference. Look back at the blockbusters of the 80's and 90's, they were all over MTV

2. the music industry is really stale right now, I'd compare it to 90-91 right before Nirvana and gangsta rap exploded and revolutionized things

3. Radio and it's demographic obsession. People argue that radio tries to court youth because young people buy music, but look at the albums chart, Josh Groban and The Eagles were two of last years biggest blockbusters, neither had radio airplay and both were bought by mainly older people. Radio needs to get off its ageism kick and try to court all age groups instead of 13 year olds who think Beyonce's "been around forever". Older people with money buy expensive concert tickets and they still buy cd's, so why is radio so biased against any singer over 40 (you can even argue 35 considering radio dropped Toni and Celine before they hit 40).

I don't think physical sales will ever truly die, but the music industry needs to change and have a revolution.

[promise to try]

Promise:

There is NO way Usher is expected to sell 1M albums again.

400K is NOT a dissappointment by any means.

of course it´s impossible for Usher to sell a million copies in its first week in may, not only because of the market, but because Yeah! was a huge hit, wat bigger than Love in this club. And I´m sure hbis company was expecting that drop, because it´s quite obvious that the times are different, although, yes, people are still buying cds, yes.

[thebigham]

HITS:

Weakend Top 10:

LaFace/ZLG Superstar Will Bow on Top with 435-450k in Sales for Here I Stand

May 29, 2008

Usher's Stand delivers.

The LaFace/ZLG soul superstar's Here I Stand is on track to debut at #1 on next Tuesday's HITS Album sales chart, with a one-week total of 435-450k, which would bring it in range of Mariah Carey's 476k on her Island/IDJ album E=MC2 for the year's best debut.

That'll be more than enough to turn back last week's chart-topper, Universal Republic's 3 Doors Down, which will settle in at 65-70k at #2.

New Line's Sex and the City soundtrack will be the week's other top debut, with a total of between 40-45k, good for #3, as the much-hyped film version of the hit HBO series opens nationwide tomorrow.

Reprise/Rhino's Frank Sinatra best-of compilation, Nothing But the Best, remains in the Top 5, with 35-40k at #4.

J's Leona Lewis is in at #5, at 33-38k, while Mercury/IDJ Brit pop diva Duffy drops only 15-20% in her third week with Rockferry, moving up to #6 in the 33-38k range.

Remaining UGK member Bun B's Rap-a-Lot/Asylum solo effort, II Trill, is right behind that with 33-38k, the same as Madonna's WB album, Hard Candy, and Island/IDJ's Carey with E=MC2 approaching one million in sales.

Atlantic's Death Cab For Cutie continues in the Top 10 with 30-35k in sales, followed by the week's other debut, Blue Note's Al Green collaboration with The Roots' ?uestLove, Lay It Down, in the same ballpark.

Summary:

1 Usher 435-450k

2 3 Doors Down 65-70k

3 Sex And The City 40-45k

4 Frank Sinatra 35-40k

5 Leona Lewis 33-38k

6 Duffy 33-38k

7 Bun B 33-38k

8 Madonna 33-38k

9 Mariah Carey 33-38k

10 Death Cab For Cutie 30-35k

[Guest tir69]

from nr 5 to nr 9 everything is possible

[dimfanis]

HITS:

Weakend Top 10:

Summary:

1 Usher 435-450k

2 3 Doors Down 65-70k

3 Sex And The City 40-45k

4 Frank Sinatra 35-40k

5 Leona Lewis 33-38k

6 Duffy 33-38k

7 Bun B 33-38k

8 Madonna 33-38k

9 Mariah Carey 33-38k

10 Death Cab For Cutie 30-35k

Don't mean to sound negative but I need to see that to believe it. If it sells 33-38K this week it means it almost didn't drop at all from last week which I have to say i find it impossible. What is selling the record exactly? There is no new single and there was no new promotion.

But again, I hear 4M a lot from people's cars (more so than before) and I heard also Candy Shop yesterday and not in a gay area of New York (where I live). So the record is getting good word of mouth????

A 5th week inside the top-10 will be a pleasant surprise of course but i'm afraid HITS is way off this time.

[Candylipsgirl]

Don't mean to sound negative but I need to see that to believe it. If it sells 33-38K this week it means it almost didn't drop at all from last week which I have to say i find it impossible. What is selling the record exactly? There is no new single and there was no new promotion.

But again, I hear 4M a lot from people's cars (more so than before) and I heard also Candy Shop yesterday and not in a gay area of New York (where I live). So the record is getting good word of mouth????

A 5th week inside the top-10 will be a pleasant surprise of course but i'm afraid HITS is way off this time.

Thats exactly why I was expecting bigger 1st week opening! 4M is a monster hit.

THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS WILL BE VERY IMP...IF SALES STABILIZE - THERE IS HOPE FOR A BIGGER SUCCESS

Maybe, now, people liked what others say about this cd...maybe it will be more of a grower, than the intial.

If Gi2me and 4m turn out to have "long lasting longevity" on usa airwaves, this can mirror MUSIC / DTM

and the album can grow slowly until the tour comes....

[HolidayGuy]

4M is NOT a monster hit in the USA, it's had excellent digital sales (to say the least). On the airplay side, I don't think anyone can call a track with a peak BDS audience of roughly 54 million a monster hit- maybe it's just me.

4M has done very well- but, as said, I dunno, about 458 times already, it's not a typical Madonna track and loads of people liking it wouldn't be interested in getting a Madonna album- hence, its digital success. Dunno why that fact isn't sinking in for some.

[Guest D'Deridex]

If Gi2me and 4m turn out to have "long lasting longevity" on usa airwaves, this can mirror MUSIC / DTM

and the album can grow slowly until the tour comes....

Because 4M has done just so much for this album already, crippling it in the US and murdering it in the UK. I knew that crap song should've never been recorded, let alone released.

[Alexz]

I knew that crap song should've never been recorded, let alone released.