{"id":822,"date":"2007-06-07T08:17:04","date_gmt":"2007-06-07T16:17:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/archives\/2007\/06\/07\/sales-winnerslosers\/"},"modified":"2007-06-07T08:17:04","modified_gmt":"2007-06-07T16:17:04","slug":"sales-winnerslosers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/2007\/06\/07\/sales-winnerslosers\/","title":{"rendered":"Sales Winners\/Losers"},"content":{"rendered":"

191. Bow Wow "Price Of Fame"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 3,688
Cume: 523,426<\/p>\n

I guess he’s no longer that lil’.<\/p>\n

Usually they grow up and no one cares.\u00c2\u00a0 Startlingly, they still care about (Lil’) Bow Wow.<\/p>\n

189. All-American Rejects "Move Along"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 3,709
Cume: 1,890,413<\/p>\n

On the surface, this appears to be a GARGANTUAN number considering today’s sales figures.\u00c2\u00a0 But then one discovers it was released almost two years ago, on July 12, 2005.<\/p>\n

How come we can’t sell tonnage anymore?\u00c2\u00a0 Is it the splintering of the audience?\u00c2\u00a0 The lack of attention to radio?\u00c2\u00a0 The lack of music on MTV?\u00c2\u00a0 The raw quality?<\/p>\n

All of these.<\/p>\n

But first and foremost it’s a refusal to monetize acquisition.\u00c2\u00a0 Demand didn’t suddenly go down.\u00c2\u00a0 NO ONE who’s released an album this year has hit this sales figure.\u00c2\u00a0 Is ALL music suddenly crap?\u00c2\u00a0 No, I’d say most people are getting their music via P2P, disc burning or hard drive swapping.\u00c2\u00a0 Is putting DRM on the tracks of PAYING customers solving the problem?\u00c2\u00a0 OF COURSE NOT!\u00c2\u00a0 You don’t deal with the criminals by limiting the rights of those who are playing by the rules.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s just that the rules must encompass everybody.\u00c2\u00a0 Don’t make stealing harder, monetize the theft.<\/p>\n

188. Joan Osbourne "Joan Osbourne: Breakfast In Bed"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 3,711
Cume: 8,246<\/p>\n

This is what happens when you don’t write the hit material.<\/p>\n

Odds are Eric Bazilian could have more chart success than Ms. Osbourne, after all, he’s the one who wrote ONE OF US!<\/p>\n

187. "Jersey Boys"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 3,720
Cume: 324,391<\/p>\n

Wow, this number stunned me.\u00c2\u00a0 For an original Broadway cast album, of a play that JUST opened in L.A?\u00c2\u00a0 How many people have SEEN this frickin’ thing?<\/p>\n

But, the material is killer.<\/p>\n

Then again, why isn’t a Four Seasons compilation selling?<\/p>\n

Wow, IT IS!\u00c2\u00a0 Whereas the original cast album is #107 at Amazon, "The Very Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons" is at #63!<\/p>\n

Warms my heart, puts a smile on my face.\u00c2\u00a0 I still remember listening to those tunes on the jukebox at the Nutmeg Bowl back in ’64.\u00c2\u00a0 My favorite?\u00c2\u00a0 "Dawn (Go Away)"!\u00c2\u00a0 But how about Frankie’s vocal in "Rag Doll"…\u00c2\u00a0 "I’d turn her sad rags into GLAD rags if I could…"<\/p>\n

181. Tony Bennett "Duets: American Classic"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 3,929
Cume: 1,507,067<\/p>\n

Release novelty records, DUETS records, in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

If not a Christmas release?\u00c2\u00a0 A fraction of these sales.<\/p>\n

174. Kings Of Leon "Because Of The Times"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 4,119
Cume: 103,437<\/p>\n

In the top five of ALL acts I get e-mail about.\u00c2\u00a0 A rabid fan base.\u00c2\u00a0 But the records just don’t justify a bigger career, not yet.\u00c2\u00a0 They’ve yet to make that record that blows them up.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m thinking they never will.<\/p>\n

161. Shins "Wincing The Night Away"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 4,555
Cume: 406,333<\/p>\n

Whoever said press doesn’t sell records…<\/p>\n

Thinking people read, they read about the Shins.<\/p>\n

This is a fucking fantastic number.\u00c2\u00a0 And I don’t think SNL was the key force.\u00c2\u00a0 This was a record to believe in, when nothing else fit the bill.<\/p>\n

159. Relient K "Five Score & Seven Years Ago"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 4,603
Cume: 138,689<\/p>\n

No wonder they closed down Capitol.\u00c2\u00a0 You can’t make your numbers on this figure.\u00c2\u00a0 Oh, it could continue to sell, but doesn’t the hard core fan base buy the record IMMEDIATELY?\u00c2\u00a0 And isn’t this band all about the hard core fan base?\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, is this the target demo for THEFT?<\/p>\n

151. Gerald Levert "In My Songs"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 4,817
Cume: 387,083<\/p>\n

Death doesn’t always sell records.<\/p>\n

147. Silversun Pickups "Carnavas"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 5,129
Cume: 169,802<\/p>\n

Sales don’t quite equal the hype, but this is a record and an act that hasn’t peaked yet.<\/p>\n

142. Celtic Woman "New Journey"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 5,210
Cume: 394,562<\/p>\n

Wasn’t touring supposed to sell records?\u00c2\u00a0 Didn’t you release one and then go on the road to move units?\u00c2\u00a0 This record came out gangbusters, but has faded to a whimper, and doesn’t appear that it will be revived.<\/p>\n

In other words, Celtic Woman is not the new Enya, at least not yet.\u00c2\u00a0 Someone whose records sell FOREVER!<\/p>\n

140. Arctic Monkeys "Favourite Worst Nightmare"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 5,261
Cume: 95,368<\/p>\n

Obviously not too many people’s favorite…<\/p>\n

They’re officially over, they will never break through in America.\u00c2\u00a0 Another English hype bites the dust.<\/p>\n

138. Jackson\/Strait\/Buffett "Live At Texas Stadium"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 5,287
Cume: 157,796<\/p>\n

Who thought this was a good idea?<\/p>\n

133. The National "Boxer"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 5,404
Cume: 14,976<\/p>\n

On the bubble.\u00c2\u00a0 Will this gain traction or fade away, not exactly into oblivion, but cultdom?<\/p>\n

A real buzz about this act, but with nowhere for most people to hear it, or hear about it if they’re not hipsters, the record just can’t get traction.<\/p>\n

115. Brandi Carlile "The Story"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 6,336
Cume: 85,597<\/p>\n

Not the new KT, certainly not the new Corinne Bailey Rae.<\/p>\n

Corinne Bailey Rae made cocktail music, guaranteed not to piss anybody off without a tattoo.\u00c2\u00a0 KT is a true innovator.\u00c2\u00a0 Brandi Carlile?\u00c2\u00a0 Well, she’s NICE!<\/p>\n

Not gonna happen.<\/p>\n

107. "Once"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 6,565
Cume: 10,016<\/p>\n

If this were a band, I’d applaud the marketing.\u00c2\u00a0 This movie is SO hot.<\/p>\n

I went on Labor Day and got CLOSED OUT!\u00c2\u00a0 The people in front of us bought the last tickets.<\/p>\n

Things used to build.\u00c2\u00a0 The public sold it.\u00c2\u00a0 "Once" might be undercapitalized, but those who have seen it will not let the movie die.\u00c2\u00a0 This is the future of music.\u00c2\u00a0 Much more than some hip-hop record with electronic handclaps.<\/p>\n

104. Mika "Life In Cartoon Motion"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 6,888
Cume: 129,768<\/p>\n

Could he be too cute?
This still could blow up here, most people just aren’t familiar enough yet.<\/p>\n

82. Hilary Duff "Dignity"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 8,244
Cume: 287,097<\/p>\n

Isn’t it a fucked up world where this blond teenager gets to employ this title, since SO MANY OF HER CONTEMPORARIES ARE SO FUCKED UP!<\/p>\n

Half her audience reached puberty since the last record came out.\u00c2\u00a0 Those left, they’ll be gone by the time of the next.<\/p>\n

Still, although beneath label expectations, I’m stunned this album did this many.<\/p>\n

81. Buckcherry "15"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 8,297
Cume: 733,080<\/p>\n

Good for them.\u00c2\u00a0 No one believed in them, they made the record on their own…Atlantic picked it up and unlike too many other pickups, it SOLD!<\/p>\n

People still want to get fucked up, they still want music to express their anger and frustration.\u00c2\u00a0 Being a young male is exasperating.\u00c2\u00a0 You want it all, and you get very little.\u00c2\u00a0 You need a soundtrack.\u00c2\u00a0 This fits perfectly.<\/p>\n

62. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus\u00c2\u00a0 "Don’t You Fake It’<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 9,617
Cume: 641,345<\/p>\n

Slow but steady.\u00c2\u00a0 Jason’s first victory in his new gig.<\/p>\n

This never reached the top of the chart, unlike most albums, it didn’t come out with a bang and then sink.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s been building.\u00c2\u00a0 46 weeks on the chart so far.\u00c2\u00a0 This is the new paradigm.\u00c2\u00a0 The slow build, sans monster hype.\u00c2\u00a0 Have a few acts this size in your repertoire, and then one of them blows up big and it’s 1972 all over again.\u00c2\u00a0 Can you say WARNER BROTHERS?<\/p>\n

61. Rush "Snakes & Arrows"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sales this week: 9,619
Cume: 159,770<\/p>\n

Either their fans have the loudest voices of all, or there aren’t that many of them, or BOTH!<\/p>\n

Rush has got a rabid fan base.\u00c2\u00a0 They rave about the band constantly.\u00c2\u00a0 But this is a piss poor number.\u00c2\u00a0 Suddenly, it appears Rush is an oldies act, and fans only want the classics.\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, should the band be scared on the road?<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

191. Bow Wow "Price Of Fame" Sales this week: 3,688Cume: 523,426 I guess he’s no longer that lil’. Usually they grow up and no one cares.\u00c2\u00a0 Startlingly, they still care about (Lil’) Bow Wow. 189. All-American Rejects "Move Along" Sales this week: 3,709Cume: 1,890,413 On the surface, this appears to be a GARGANTUAN number considering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music-business"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p96vPs-dg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}