HITS 7/05: Beyonce #1 290-310k

[Honeymoon]

A good debut is nice, but it's only the beginning of the album's run. Only time will tell how this album will fare overall, a hit single would definitely help in the coming months

[Deleted]

Jun 30, 2011 6:36:33 GMT -5 slw84 said:

Jun 30, 2011 1:06:32 GMT -5 Peaches. [Ch, r. is] said:

Whatever. The how & why is irrelevant.

• Beat Britney's debut without having a hit single? CHECK
  
• More than double Katy's debut without having a hit single? CHECK
  
• Beat Rihanna's debut without having a hit single despite Riri benefiting from November? CHECK
  
• More than double Ke$ha's debut without having a hit single despite Ke$ha having the biggest song of that year? CHECK

Slayin'
:'( :'( :'(

The first bullet isn't determined just yet...most likely though. Remember Britney also had projections of 275-300k. Tomorrow they should do an update to determine how close it will get or if it will go higher.
The others have been determined but why would she be slaying...does that mean the artists that can actually score hit singles and show consistent sales with their latest efforts are slaying or are they just successful in their own right.
Or is this just gloating because this is.all there is to.go.on now?

Katy sold 196k, Beyonce is NOT doubling that. And Ke$ha debuted with 152k, to get more than double she would need 305k, but it's only 275-300k :kii:

[Glove Slap]

So much illiteracy in this thread...

[Rican@]

If what you are saying is true that the public forgets easily then this album would have not pull in these numbers. They would be much lower; however, I don't see that true when her album release date has been mention on high profile shows. It is not to say she has a stable fanbase because that fanbase did not buy her first single either (in which that where I think the label got the clue to put more focus on the album instead of the single).

It doesn't matter when she last did her promo because it all build up to her release date which help. I know many artists who does small concert/tours to build up hype for their release date. And a true album artist who will sell wouldn't need a big promotion machine...

[mew2]

Jun 30, 2011 9:46:01 GMT -5 Jack said:

This thread is a mess.

I especially enjoy how people have set up all these arbitrary parameters for what will make her/this album a success. They keep raising the bar. "It hasn't turned around yet, it might have turned around if it hit 400k, but not now", "It will only be a success if it makes some top ten albums lists", "Britney would have had 100,000 more copies than Beyonce if she'd had similar promo".

Let's quickly dispel this myth that Beyonce has been on some massive promo blitz in the US for the last week. Did someone really try and credit Beyonce's performance at Glastonbury for a significant portion of her opening US sales? She did Oprah, Billboard and Idol a month ago. For the single. And it didn't really do all that much. For whatever reason. So can someone explain to me how the promotional benefits were so specific and selective, that they didn't turn the single into a smash then and there, but a month later it's been permeating in people's minds enough to make them rush out and buy the album?

I don't think people realize how quickly the general public forget. On Pulse, we remember the when, where, what on how of every little performance but that's not how it works in the real world. Months old performances don't sell albums. Hit singles do, massive presence during release week does, genius marketing tools (Amazon discounts) do. So it's remarkable that in the middle of summer, without a hit single and ONE performance in the US during the release week so far, Beyonce's number's are projected this high.

They're impressive for taking everything into consideration, they're impressive relative to what everyone else opened with (bar the couple mentioned), they're impressive relative to her own openings. I'd say more so than Sasha Fierce, which had a hundred and fifty thousand more with two hit singles and Q4 release and a true promo blitz that week. If people were trying to 'blame' (through some backwards logic, that's the word) the album's European opening week numbers on promo, I'd swallow it, but not the US. Sorry.

As far as Britney goes...their domestic promotional schedules for the album release will not be all that different. High profile awards show slot(s), MTV Special, Good Morning America. Let's not try and pretend there's been a massive difference.

Again I shouldn't be surprised. The single thread's gone quiet, the album thread's gone credit. This seems to be the last place people can discredit and devalue a project that was widely-projected as doomed by most around her and many in the press. Clutching on straws in an effort not to admit you were wrong isn't cool. Just enjoy the Naysayer pie and move on. Lots of artists are having lots of success. It's strange to think there'd be a more positive vibe to this thread if she'd had the Bionic situation that so many people were crossing their fingers for.

PREACH. But let's summarize it for the sweating haters:

[Deleted]

In all seriousness, it's incredible how she's managed to turn this era around. There's so much positive buzz now that it seems incredible to think even a week or two ago it had this horrible aura around it.

Jun 30, 2011 9:57:35 GMT -5 Glove Slap said:

So much illiteracy in this thread...

Well, it has Beyonce in the title, sooo...

[#LisaRinna]

Jun 30, 2011 9:27:06 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

^No, her *singles* were- i.e. "Crazy in Love," "Single Ladies." Her albums, on the other hand, did not receive comparable level of acclaim.

All 3 of them have won Grammys.

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

Wow, so many h@ters.

EDIT: lol, love it Mario!

[wavey.]

My input in this thread was to see if she would open Gold even with an underperforming single.
She didn't so I'm happy ;)(JOKE)
But she isn't slaying anything atm. Wait in the weeks to come.

[Eqbk]

Grammys aren't necessarily an indicator of success since nominees/winners are selected by the industry not by music critics. Otherwise, Teenage Dream wouldn't have been nominated at all since that album was not a highly acclaimed album. I agree that the critical acclaim some of her singles receive is noticeably greater than the albums they came from but I think that could start to change w/ 4 since she's getting some of the best reviews of her career.

Congrats to her for the solid opening and being able to turn around an era.

[Lockheart]

Positive buzz? Sure, the album has garnered acclaim - and for good reasons - but the whole era is still shrouded with negativity. The numbers are OK. I did expect slightly higher but the numbers are very decent but only time will tell how it will perform in the long run.

[areyoureadytojump]

www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/beyonce-album-sales-are-a-vindication-columbia-1005257492.story

Beyonce Album Sales Are a 'Vindication,' Columbia's Rob Stringer Says

By Gary Graff, Detroit
June 29, 2011

After reports of dissatisfaction, panic and other pre-release drama, executives at Columbia Records are feeling vindicated by the positive early returns for Beyonce's new album, "4."

"All the speculation that gets around is frustrating when it's just not true," Columbia/Epic Label Group Chairman Rob Stringer tells Billboard.biz. "The story about us being unhappy with the record and stuff is just not true. There's never been any doubt or conversations about moving the record or changing it... Those conversations never existed. We're really, really happy with it."

The label is particularly pleased with sales reports from "4's" initial days of official availability. Stringer says early indications are that the album will debut at No. 1 in as many as 14 countries, including the U.S., and in the Top 3 worldwide. It went triple-platinum in Brazil on its first day of sale, while U.K. projections have it selling "well over" 90,000 copies in its first week -- which more than doubles "I Am...Sasha Fierce's" roll-out in 2008 -- and 1.6 million over its lifespan. The album's second single, "Best Thing I Never Had," is No. 1 on the U.K. iTunes charts and currently sits at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 29 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

"The numbers are very good everywhere," Stringer notes. "We thought the record is great from the beginning, and some of the stuff that is happening now is vindication of it."

Columbia did scramble when "4's" first single, "Run the World (Girls)," leaked and was released ahead of schedule, peaking at No. 29 on the Hot 100. The album, meanwhile, leaked in full on June 7, three weeks ahead of its June 28 release date, leading to reports that "4" would be delayed and possible altered -- particularly after a tepid response from the blogosphere and a feeling that, with more than 70 songs worked on for the album, there would be ample material to create something markedly different than what was being distributed online.

"We didn't want the leaks to happen," Stringer says. "But there was never any discussion of this album moving. It has always been that date (June 28). It's been that date for four months now. There was never a conversation about pushing it back, bringing it forward, changing the songs -- none of it."

Stringer says the company is looking at an 18-month campaign for "4," which will include "extensive touring" by Beyonce. Just back from a successful overseas run that included three concerts in France and a closing-night gig at the U.K.'s Glastonbury Festival, she'll roll out a documentary, "Beyonce: Year of 4," on Thursday on MTV and BET, then perform Friday on ABC's GMA Summer Concert Series. She'll head back to the U.K. for a July 9 show at Scotland's T in the Park and a stop the next day at the Oxegen Festival in Ireland.

"The main concentration for the next few months is to get this record working everywhere," Stringer says. "She's well versed in being a global artists. The touring plan is extensive. The promo plan is extensive. We also know we're going to put out a lot of singles and...shoot a lot of videos from the record. There's enough positive information that we think we can work the record for another 18 months, and hopefully over that period we'll all be proved right that this is an important record and a commercially successful record."

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

The so-called "negativity" started from the people who wanted to see her fail. Others just jumped on the bandwagon to feel cool and sh!t.
I'm glad Bey is standing her ground and showing what a true artist is capable of.

[spongebob]

Jun 30, 2011 10:33:56 GMT -5 Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815... said:

Wow, so many h@ters.

EDIT: lol, love it Mario!

and.....................SPLAAAATSSSSSSS ##$@@$ BOOOOMMMMM on their faces... buaahahahahahaha

[Rodze]

Yawn.

This thread is nowhere near as entertaining as the Gaga one.

[Kishi KCM]

Jun 30, 2011 9:46:01 GMT -5 Jack said:

This thread is a mess.

I especially enjoy how people have set up all these arbitrary parameters for what will/won't make this album a success. They keep raising the bar. "It hasn't turned around yet, it might have turned around if it hit 400k, but not now", "It will only be a success if it makes some top ten albums lists", "Britney would have had 100,000 more copies than Beyonce if she'd had similar promo".

Let's quickly dispel this myth that Beyonce has been on some massive promo blitz in the US for the last week. Did someone really try and credit Beyonce's performance at Glastonbury for a significant portion of her opening US sales? She did Oprah, Billboard and Idol a month ago. For the single. And it didn't really do all that much. For whatever reason. So can someone explain to me how the promotional benefits were so specific and selective, that they didn't turn the single into a smash then and there, but a month later it's been permeating in people's minds enough to make them rush out and buy the album?

I don't think people realize how quickly the general public forget. On Pulse, we remember the when, where, what and how of every little performance but that's not how it works in the real world. Months old performances don't sell albums. Hit singles do, massive presence during release week does, genius marketing tools (Amazon discounts) do. So it's remarkable that in the middle of summer, without a hit single and ONE performance in the US during the release week so far, Beyonce's number's are projected this high.

They're impressive taking everything into consideration, they're impressive relative to what everyone else opened with, they're impressive relative to her own openings. I'd say more so than Sasha Fierce, which sold a hundred and fifty thousand more with two hit singles, Q4 release and a true promo blitz that week. If people were trying to 'blame' (through some backwards logic, that's the word) the album's European opening week numbers on promo, I'd swallow it, but not the US. Sorry.

As far as Britney goes...their domestic promotional schedules for the album release will not be all that different. High profile awards show slot(s), MTV Special, Good Morning America. Let's not try and pretend there's been a massive difference.

Again I shouldn't be surprised. The single thread's gone quiet, the album thread's gone quiet. This seems to be the last place people can discredit and devalue a project that was widely-projected as doomed by most around her and many in the press. Clutching on straws in an effort not to admit you were wrong isn't cool. Just enjoy the naysayer pie and move on. Lots of artists are having lots of success. It's strange to think there'd be a more positive vibe to this thread if she'd had the Bionic situation that so many people were crossing their fingers for.

THIS. I have to give you credit, well done!

[Deleted]

Jun 30, 2011 10:47:52 GMT -5 Lockheart said:

Positive buzz? Sure, the album has garnered acclaim - and for good reasons - but the whole era is still shrouded with negativity. The numbers are OK. I did expect slightly higher but the numbers are very decent but only time will tell how it will perform in the long run.

The negativity is being created by blogs. Public opinion is shifted so easily and it's so annoying to see how they are all trying to twist these numbers into a bad thing and it's annoying because had another act like Katy or Rihanna done these numbers it wouldn't have been seen as bad.

And I'm not just being a blind stan and doing this just for Bey because I remember blogs doing the very same to Britney when she got her 275k which I thought was still pretty good. For some reason, people expect her and Beyonce to be consistently pulling over 400k even despite the clear facts that neither of them released in the fall (whereas people like Katy and Rihanna did) and that neither of their hits were nearly as big as Katy or Rihanna's. And yet she still gets flack for pushing near 300k. It's mind-boggling.

[PDC1987]

Jun 30, 2011 10:21:14 GMT -5 #LisaRinna said:

Jun 30, 2011 9:27:06 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

^No, her *singles* were- i.e. "Crazy in Love," "Single Ladies." Her albums, on the other hand, did not receive comparable level of acclaim.

All 3 of them have won Grammys.

Critical acclaim and the Grammys aren't the same thing.

[TGIF]

Jun 30, 2011 4:28:31 GMT -5 lucylu said:

Jun 30, 2011 1:06:32 GMT -5 Peaches. [Ch, r. is] said:

Whatever. The how & why is irrelevant.

• Beat Britney's debut without having a hit single? CHECK
  
• More than double Katy's debut without having a hit single? CHECK
  
• Beat Rihanna's debut without having a hit single despite Riri benefiting from November? CHECK
  
• More than double Ke$ha's debut without having a hit single despite Ke$ha having the biggest song of that year? CHECK

Slayin'
:'( :'( :'(

Hit single or not you still have to promote your album unless you're Alicia Keys or Sade. Hit singles don't affect first week sales. Hit singles affect longevity.

its kinda sad that the only way they can make beyonce seem like she's doing good is by putting others down the bullet points that member made doesnt make much sense anyway..

- Ke$ha had the biggest song of the year as a new artist ??? why someone would even compare her to beyonce is just dumb

- & when Teenage Dream debuted, Katy was not as established as Beyonce is who has been out for over 10 years...that was only Katy's 2nd album so of course she wouldnt beat that ???

- & he's already talking about beating Britney's numbers when this is just a prediction & its still "275-300k" which is about the same plus alot of people were quick to dismiss HIAM as a flop b/c of how fast it peaked so now its just fishy that all of sudden the story is changed & now its considered a hit single so that it can be conveniently used to put others down to make Bey look better "defend" Beyonce


the numbers are very good but so was Ashlee Simpson's I Am Me which dropped off quick after the first week all i'm saying is that they're acting as if egg has been dropped on anybody's face when this is only week 1.. let's see how things go after that before we start bragging

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

Jun 30, 2011 11:49:49 GMT -5 PDC1987 said:

Jun 30, 2011 10:21:14 GMT -5 #LisaRinna said:

All 3 of them have won Grammys.

Critical acclaim and the Grammys aren't the same thing.

I think they go hand in hand. IMO.

[TGIF]

^ not really at all actually. there were a lot of albums that got better critical reception than Teenage Dream did but were not nominated for grammy's. Grammy's put a lot of commercial reception as well

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

Jun 30, 2011 11:53:54 GMT -5 TGIF said:

- & when Teenage Dream debuted, Katy was not as established as Beyonce is who has been out for over 10 years...that was only Katy's 2nd album so of course she wouldnt beat that ???

One name: Adele

Jun 30, 2011 11:53:54 GMT -5 TGIF said:

- & he's already talking about beating Britney's numbers when this is just a prediction & its still "275-300k" which is about the same plus alot of people were quick to dismiss HIAM as a flop b/c of how fast it peaked so now its just fishy that all of sudden the story is changed & now its considered a hit single so that it can be conveniently used to put others down to make Bey look better "defend" Beyonce

I don't think anyone would say Brit's HIAM flopped, that's ridiculous. Compared to other #1's, yes it looks bad cause of how fast it dropped but it was still a hit regardless. NOW, compared to Bey's single there's no comparison. Is not to make Bey look better its just facts.

Jun 30, 2011 11:53:54 GMT -5 TGIF said:

the numbers are very good but so was Ashlee Simpson's I Am Me which dropped off quick after the first week all i'm saying is that they're acting as if egg has been dropped on anybody's face when this is only week 1.. let's see how things go after that before we start bragging

No one's bragging, we are just defending the Queen's name. We are simply celebrating after weeks of people bashing everything Bey has put out and done. Mind you, for no reason, just to simply hate. Hate is the key word here.

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

Jun 30, 2011 11:58:40 GMT -5 TGIF said:

^ not really at all actually. there were a lot of albums that got better critical reception than Teenage Dream did but were not nominated for grammy's. Grammy's put a lot of commercial reception as well

"not really at all actually" ....
The IMO in my post means IN MY OPINION. So again, in my opinion, I believe it does.
Not everything can be nominated for Grammy's. There's only five slots per category. Obviously someone's gonna be left out.

[F.A.M.O.U.S.]

Jun 30, 2011 1:06:43 GMT -5 d.t.m said:

Are you all actually saying because she had a series of notable appearances a month ago they had little to no effect on album week? Like really??? So I guess Columbia completely wasted their efforts.

Seriously if they waited to start the promo trail this week like a lot of R&B acts do her fanbase and name alone would have never gotten this north of 250k after how the singles performed. The only mistake they made was continuing to beat a dead horse with RTW instead of switching to BTNH earlier even though her profile was kept high.

Exactly. She got more press + recognition for what she did a month ago than most other popstars got even if they did more promo stops......her promotion reached a wider audience than anyone else's did except for maybe Gaga.

they dont see the difference between Beyonce promoting on Oprah + American Idol and Britney performing on Jimmy Kimmel or Rihanna performing on Letterman and on MTV The Seven.......
Dont think there would problem if the stans werent so insistent on her "snatching wigs" or "embarassing the others" thou......their cockyness is part reason why so many ppl + websites are calling this out as a flop + rightfully so because of how big her ppl + followers were hyping it up to be

[Deleted]

Jun 30, 2011 12:14:51 GMT -5 Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815... said:

"not really at all actually" ....
The IMO in my post means IN MY OPINION. So again, in my opinion, I believe it does.
Not everything can be nominated for Grammy's. There's only five slots per category. Obviously someone's gonna be left out.

You can't have an opinion on whether the Grammys match up with critical acclaim. Either they do or they don't.

[F.A.M.O.U.S.]

Jun 30, 2011 4:22:25 GMT -5 lucylu said:

Jun 30, 2011 0:22:40 GMT -5 Push The Button said:

Rihanna appeared at EVERY award show, EVERY talk show and BOTH morning shows.

Most of the Award shows were after her album release. The AMAs were about 5 days after her release date and she did not do every talk show. She did not do Oprah, Ellen, The View, Wendy, Monique or any of those shows. She did GMA the week the album was released. She did not do The Today Show until June again the album came out in November. What are you talking about?

Lol thank you for correcting them. set them straight.

[F.A.M.O.U.S.]

Jun 30, 2011 6:30:14 GMT -5 slw84 said:

Jun 29, 2011 23:43:03 GMT -5 F.A.M.O.U.S. said:

What does that have to do with anything???? Jesus,some of U get so emotional if there are any conflicting views....especially when its a view so obvious that U cant respond with anything other than lashing out with personal attacks or going off topic

That's the main thing keeping me from stanning for bey...
I'm a fan but the stan are quick to attack when their fave isn't doing so well and when there fave is...they r constantly going to bring up others...but if you were to bring up.someone doing more than their faves...its trolling.
Same stuff, different day.
But to jump in...whoever made a comment about the bet awards well they are a core urban audience with decent audience numbers...in fact this year was their second highest viewed of all time.

Yep + thats the main reason why its being reported as a flop on so many sites......because of how everyone hyped her up to be like she is someone who is immune to disappointments unlike others + how she would snatch wigs when this prediction doesnt even prove that.

1st week sales shows how strong your core fanbase is......no surprise that she would debut higher than Katy or Rihanna especially when her promotion reached a wider audience....just because her sales arent bad out of the gate like Bionic doesnt mean she's in smooth sailing yet,just shows she has a more established core fanbase who goes out the 1st week

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

Jun 30, 2011 12:16:55 GMT -5 @backintime said:

Jun 30, 2011 12:14:51 GMT -5 Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815... said:

"not really at all actually" ....
The IMO in my post means IN MY OPINION. So again, in my opinion, I believe it does.
Not everything can be nominated for Grammy's. There's only five slots per category. Obviously someone's gonna be left out.

You can't have an opinion on whether the Grammys match up with critical acclaim. Either they do or they don't.

I say they go hand in hand.

[Deleted]

The only way they'd go hand in hand is if the five most critically acclaimed albums of the year got nominated for album of the year, and the most critically acclaimed one won, the five most critically acclaimed new artists of the year were nominated for best new artist, etc. That obviously isn't true. So you're wrong. Opinion doesn't come into it, just like how opinion doesn't come into sales.

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

ok, cool.