Eagles Blackout Britney
11/06/07
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(antiMusic) The Eagles were the clear winner
this week having sold over 700,000 copies of their new album "Long Road
Out of Eden." However, Britney having sold about half as many copies of
her "comeback" album will likely be at the top of the Billboard charts
because Wal-Mart who sold the Eagles album exclusively does not report
to SoundScan (according to a Reuters report) which is a bit of a head scratcher
since they are reportedly one of the largest sellers on music in the U.S.
So just how valid are the Billboard charts that rely on those SoundScan
numbers? And do record companies rely on those numbers to award gold and
platinum albums? Some interesting questions to ponder.
Update: After our story posted,
we received an update from Billboard, they have now changed their policy
so The Eagles will head the Billboard album chart. Here is part of what
they sent over: The Eagles' first new studio album in 28 years, "Long Road
Out of Eden," takes a short route to No. 1 on The Billboard 200 after Billboard
revised a significant chart policy today (Nov. 7). In consultation with
Nielsen SoundScan, Billboard will now allow exclusive album titles that
are only available through one retailer to appear on The Billboard 200
and other Billboard charts, effective with this week's charts. Prior to
this, proprietary titles were not eligible to appear on most Billboard
charts.
Early Nielsen SoundScan numbers have the
Eagles taking the top perch on The Billboard 200 with 711,000 copies sold,
with most sales moved by Wal-Mart and Sams Club stores... Britney Spears'
new Jive album, "Blackout," which would have been No. 1 had the Eagles'
data not been reported, will open at No. 2 with first-week sales of 290,000
copies. Read more on on this change here
Here is a press release Wal-Mart issued:
Wal-Mart Stores, U.S. has announced that the Eagles' "Long Road Out of
Eden" - released Oct. 30 exclusively at Wal-Mart, Walmart.com, Sam's Clubs
and Samsclub.com - has sold more than 700,000 units in its first week of
release. This represents the largest first week sales of any music product
at Wal-Mart in the last two years. The two disc set of 20 new songs is
available in store for $11.88 or $10.88 in downloadable MP3 format online.
"We were confident that Eagles fans would
embrace 'Long Road Out of Eden' but it has exceeded our first week projections.
With the holiday season approaching we are confident that the double CD
package will be one of the biggest sellers in Wal-Mart history," said Gary
Severson, senior vice president of Entertainment, Wal-Mart. "We've notified
the RIAA of the sales to quickly certify 'Long Road Out of Eden's' multi-platinum
status."
"The band produced and delivered an album
of integrity that was in keeping with their legacy
and the fans responded,"
said Irving Azoff, Eagles manager. "The phenomenal first week sales of
'Long Road Out of Eden' are a testament to Wal-Mart's marketing and distribution."
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