HITS 8/29-30: The Game 90-95k, Babs 65-70k

[Honeymoon]

GAME ON, STREISAND, TOO
Miranda Lambert's Pistol Annies Getting Big Critical Buzz

August 24, 2011

Game and Barbra Streisand.

That might be the last time you read the names of the West Coast gangsta rapper and the Broadway diva in the same sentence, but they will be the two biggest debuts on next week’s HITS Album sales chart.

Game’s new Interscope release, The R.E.D. Album, is slated to do in the range of 90-95k in sales, according to one-day reports from those music retailers who haven’t closed up shop and set up Ludo Bites pop-up restaurants. It’s the rap star’s first album since 2008’s LAX and stands for his self-declared “Rededication to hip-hop.” And, oh yeah, dropping the "The" from his name.

Barbra Streisand, in the midst of well-publicized contract negotiations with her longtime Columbia Records home, returns with an estimated 65-70k in sales for her new album What Matters Most, down from her previous debut of 181k back in Sept. ’09. The two-disc set includes Streisand covering songs by longtime collaborators Alan and Marilyn Bergman she’s never recorded on one and previously released versions on the other.

Columbia Nashville’s Pistol Annies, the band formed by Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, should do 35-40k for their nicely named debut, Hell on Heels. Lambert’s husband, Blake Shelton, co-wrote the closing track on the album, “Family Feud.”

Disney’s Muppets: The Green Album is up next, with 15-20k, including tracks from such alternative stalwarts (and fans) as Weezer, OK Go, The Fray, My Morning Jacket, The Airborne Toxic Event, Andrew Bird, Alkaline Trio, Andrew Bird, Matt Nathanson and Rachael Yamagata, among others.

Universal Republic Nashville singer/songwriter Sunny Sweeney’s Concrete, which is on target for 12-15k in sales, features her country hit, “From a Table Away.” The native Texas has been opening for Brad Paisley on tour this summer.

Album sales are down 10% vs. last week, up 5% vs. same week last year and up 2% year to date.

Track sales are up 1% vs. last week, up 14% vs. same week last year and up 11% year to date.

TEA (Track Equivalent Album) sales are down 7% vs. last week, up 8% vs. same week last year and up 5% year to date.

[Honeymoon]

Lower than I expected for Babs :(

[Oprah]

Wow, guess the industry severely overestimated Babs. The Throne will probably be #1 for a third week.

[Peaches. [Ch, r. is]]

#oop @ Babs

[Honeymoon]

Barbra's album is double disc though so I guess it still stands a good chance to get her another Gold plaque, assuming the running length is long enough for RIAA to consider it as double.

[areyoureadytojump]

Ouch for Babs.

[Deleted]

@ Babs.

[Push The Button]

Ugh, definitely wanted more for Barbra. Shouldn't be shocked though, considering she had no promotion.

[chopped89]

:( @game's projections

[Push The Button]

This will be Barbra's 31 top 10 album.

[livelikedying111]

Bad for Game, but he didn't have a radio hit this era around (or even a single that received some decent airplay...)

[KeepDeanWeird]

Well, when more than half the country won't buy your album because you've been such a "well-informed" expert on politics, that reduces your mark. Maybe if she shut her mouth and focused on singing, she'd perform better. (Plus the songs on this disc are pretty lame.) Guess she'll have to pull another trick to get that six decades at #1.

[Deleted]

Aug 24, 2011 16:35:44 GMT -5 KeepDeanWeird said:

Well, when more than half the country won't buy your album because you've been such a "well-informed" expert on politics, that reduces your mark. Maybe if she shut her mouth and focused on singing, she'd perform better. (Plus the songs on this disc are pretty lame.) Guess she'll have to pull another trick to get that six decades at #1.

There was no promotion and it's a double-disc set with one disc being all previously recorded material. I don't think "politics" have much to do with the decrease from her previous debut sales week which was less than 2 years ago.

[slw84]

Oh well, she has 9 more years to score a #1 and achieve the #1 album in six decades accolade.

[worldwide]

I really don't care for barbra, she's so overrated and boring.

[jgizzle89]

eh, i was thinking game wouldve broken 100k, but still close. too bad, it's a pretty good album.

[Peaches. [Ch, r. is]]

[Nick]

Aug 24, 2011 17:28:20 GMT -5 worldwide said:

I really don't care for barbra, she's so overrated and boring.

So is Taylor Swift, so apparently age has nothing to do with it.

People have different tastes in music, leave it at that. I wouldn't buy The Game or Barbra, just saying. Barbra is a legend whether you like her or not.

It's nice to see older acts still selling anyway.

[Push The Button]

Aug 24, 2011 16:35:44 GMT -5 KeepDeanWeird said:

Well, when more than half the country won't buy your album because you've been such a "well-informed" expert on politics, that reduces your mark. Maybe if she shut her mouth and focused on singing, she'd perform better. (Plus the songs on this disc are pretty lame.) Guess she'll have to pull another trick to get that six decades at #1.

So, you're saying that more people are turned off by her point of view in 2011 than they were in 2009?

[Wavey✨️]

"Jay-Z's Lips>>>>Game's whole career"

[kingofpain]

Now that Oprah is off the air, Babs doesnt have that kind I'd marketing vehicle to sell the album. I know she hawked that last CD on Oprah and that's what got it a lot of attention. The only promo I saw for this was on CBS Sunday morning which isn't exactly a huge platform for the masses...

[HolidayGuy]

Babs also was on, I think, QVC, promoting the last album.

[Verisimilitude]

Aug 25, 2011 7:42:40 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

Babs also was on, I think, QVC, promoting the last album.

She released this album too early. Three months later, and over 100K wouldn't have been a problem.

[Minor Scratch]

Yes. I don't understand why she just didn't wait for a holiday 4Q release.

[Honeymoon]

Maybe she wanted to release before Grammy's 2012 deadline? I doubt it though

[HolidayGuy]

A higher projection for the Muppets tribute album. :)

Your Real Housewives of Weakend Chart Preview

A strong weekend for Jay Z and Kanye West, in their third week, could see the duo challenge Game for The #1 Throne on next week's HITS Album Chart. For now, though, Game gets the slight edge. Country female supergroup Pistol Annies holds strong after two days, thanks to a good look from being #1 at iTunes (Lil Wayne, in pre-order, is currently #1). Here's how it's shaping up headed into the MTV Video Music Awards weekend:

*Game (Interscope) 90-95k
Jay Z and Kanye West (Roc-a-fella/Roc Nation) 85-90k
Adele (XL/Columbia) 70-75k
*Barbra Streisand (Columbia) 68-73k
Now 39 (Capitol/EMI) 50-55k
*Pistol Annies (Columbia Nashville) 45-50k
Luke Bryan (Capitol Nashville) 30-35k
Jason Aldean (Broken Bow) 27-30k
*Muppets: Green Album (Walt Disney) 24-27k
Eric Church (Capitol Nashville) 21-24k
Mumford & Sons (Glassnote) 18-21k
Beyonce (Columbia) 18-21k
Foster the People (Columbia) 18-21k
Lady Gaga (Interscope) 18-21k
Eli Young Band (Republic Nashville) 17-20k

*Debuts (8/25p)

[Deleted]

Could Mumford and Sons enter the top ten again?

Jason Aldean (Broken Bow) 27-30k
Next single please , before it falls even further!

Beyonce (Columbia) 18-21k
Lady Gaga (Interscope) 18-21k
Doing better than most people expected...

Foster the People (Columbia) 18-21k
Should make it to Gold status at least and I gotta say, it reminds me a lot of Mumford and Sons when Little Lion Man started picking up except for that the M&S' album gained without the support of Pop radio.

[grouper6]

I think that Beyonce should be doing better than 18-21k projection. Hopefully, her MTV performance pushes the cd to sell more the following week. She's struggling and there are no 2ways of saying that.

She needs a hit that radio will play and will make people take a 2nd look at the cd to purchase it.

[Deleted]

Her performances are always her selling point so I'm sure she will get a considerable boost next weke.

[#LisaRinna]

Aug 26, 2011 11:21:55 GMT -5 grouper6 said:

She's struggling and there are no 2ways of saying that.

Is she though? This will be the 1st time the album leaves the top 10 since its debut, after 9 weeks.
Assuming she gets a good boost digitally Sunday immediately after her performance, she can easily best that 18-21k prediction and then post an increase the week after.