Rihanna’s Album Flops- Sorta
Starbucks Sales Help Push New Album to #1, with 180k in First-Week Sales
June 6, 2007
A new paradigm has arrived for the record industry, and it all took place in the local coffee shop.
Thanks to its presence in more than 9,000 Starbucks in the U.S. alone and a worldwide marketing campaign and set-up by Hear Music and Concord Music Group, Paul McCartney’s Memory Almost Full looks like it will debut at #1 on next week’s chart, with a total of 180k in first-week sales.
Considering Macca’s last album, 2005’s Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, on his long time home, Capitol/EMI, sold around 95k its first week, the total on the new disc will be nearly double and, according to insiders, is mostly attributable to baristas hawking it with mocha cappuccinos across this great land of ours.
With the album debuting yesterday by being played all day long on Starbucks PA systems, the coffee giant has commanded the largest marketshare ever on any title.
Kudos also to Concord’s Gene Rumsey and newly named head of sales Mike Gillespie for making sure the album maintained its traditional retail base, insisting Starbucks’ presence would not hurt business.
A couple of red-hot R&B artists riding radio hits will also challenge for the lead, but according to one-day sales reports from grateful retailers around the country, both will fall just short.
Def Jam/IDJ’s Rihanna, thanks to her hit duet, “Umbrellas,” with Jay-Z, will see her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, debut near the top, where it will be challenged by Jive/ZLG soul star T-Pain’s Epiphany, for the next two slots after Paul, both at around 160-170k. Have the guy “buy u a drank” at the nearest Starbucks in celebration.
El Cartel/Interscope reggaeton superstar Daddy Yankee follows, with his total of 110-115k for El Cartel: The Big Boss buttressed by major sales in his native Puerto Rico.
WB’s Music City mafia country kingpins Big & Rich are also looking at six figures, with a total of around 100k, give or take.
Interscope’s Marilyn Manson is looking to scare up sales of between 90-100k for his new album, Eat Me, Drink Me.
Police’s greatest hits on A&M/UMe is looking at 40-45k, maybe even more, thanks to Starbucks, while Suretone’s ex-Soundgarden, ex-Audioslave vocalist Chris Cornell is on target for 40k.
The market was down less than a percent vs last week, down 10.6% vs. same week last year and now down 16.4% year-to-date.
Relax and have a frappuccino, folks
Stella said,
I am not surprised. I just had to put some Rihanna fans in their place this morning. This girl is being compared to Beyonce but in reality she cannot sing or dance. To me she is a modern day Ashanti. She is hot now but in 10 years her career will have run it’s course. Ashanti had higher record sales though and wasn’t a pop queen like Rihanna is now so comparing her to Ashanti may not even be fair cause Ashanti’s record sales were far superior. With all the hype she has gotten she should have at least sold 300,000 copies and yeah with these numbers I would call it a flop too. Janet sold 290,000 copies and they called her album a flop.
Twa said,
how are you gonna start judging on a week sales based off of one day? I think people need to slow down and stop getting so excited. we will judge by the official # of sales next week okay….
it is not that serious.
Twa said,
gonna determine a flop based off of a days sales…..smh.
i swear rhianna, people want you to do bad.
jersey_girl said,
Hits Daily Double has judged her first day sales and everyone else’s. This is what they do and the bigger sites like SOHH will be reporting the same thing. You psycho fans need to slow down and stop cvrying like babies. Rihanna gets plenty of love here so stop acting like their is a conspiracy to see her do bad. H.ell if the album is going to sell 170 thousand copies is it Stephanie’s fault? She reports the news she’s not making it up.
Twa said,
i am not a rhianna stan at all, but don’t you think it is kind of futile to judge a success or flop of an album based on a day’s worth of sales. That is really frivilous to me. Rhianna is a FLOP, FLOP, FLOP……..smh. her album only came out yesterday….the same with t-pain’s…
Stephanie said,
[quote comment="8248"]i am not a rhianna stan at all, but don’t you think it is kind of futile to judge a success or flop of an album based on a day’s worth of sales. That is really frivilous to me. Rhianna is a FLOP, FLOP, FLOP……..smh. her album only came out yesterday….the same with t-pain’s…[/quote]
I didn’t say Rihanna was a FLOP, FLOP, FLOP- you did. I also clearly state that I was being dramatic. None of that however takes away from the fact that the album will definitely have medoicre sales at best for it’s first week of release. And because T-Pain is a new artist with only a minor hit up under his belt, no one would call him only selling 170,000 copies a flop. But seeing as how Rihanna has a worldwide smash that has supposedly broken all types of records, you would expect that artist to be able to sell more than 200,000 in their first week.
Porgy said,
I don’t know what the big deal is. Everyone is reporting the same thing, just saying it in different way. The consensus is the same though. For a big artist her reported sales are just okay. People also been trying to portray her as the new Beyonce and taking her place. She won’t be taking anyone’s place with these low sales. If she can’t pull out big numbers with a hit as big as Umbrella then she is no real sperstar :hmph:
nOva said,
Maybe we’re going back to the days where hype and a hot video didn’t guarantee major first weeks sales. Back in the day, an artist had to aggressively promote, tour and release multiple singles over a period of time. Who knows, if she and her label make the correct decisions (which they probably won’t, this IS Def Jam, afterall), she could be gold in six weeks and plat over a healthy stretch. Contextually, the album might indeed be a fist week flop, but the overall success of the album remains to be seen.
As far as T-Pain goes, that cat is MURDERING R&B and I kind of want him to do bad. But he probably won’t, because people enjoy bad-sounding, easy-to-digest crap music made by unattractive chauvenists.
Stephanie said,
Hey Nova
I actually started to add your name to this post because I know how much you hate HDD.
I actually think the album will be a hit over time. I think as more singles are released more people will come on board an actually buy the CD. On the other hand, it appears many may already have what they want- which is just the single which they have downloaded in droves from iTunes.
Twa said,
I did not say that you said rhianna’s album was a flop, I was referring to the title of this post “rhianna’s album flops” even through i emphasized the word 3 times. dummy. who said rhianna was a big artist? rhianna has been out for 2 years just like t-pian even though t-pain is on his sophmore album and rhianna is on her 3rd. Rhianna was never big, but she is getting there with the success of her new single. Her last 2 releases did not sell this much on the fist day so this is improvement & more success. Her singles also did not do as well on the last 2 albums. People are excusing that fact.
nOva said,
[quote comment="8253"]I did not say that you said rhianna’s album was a flop, I was referring to the title of this post “rhianna’s album flops” even through i emphasized the word 3 times. dummy. who said rhianna was a big artist? rhianna has been out for 2 years just like t-pian even though t-pain is on his sophmore album and rhianna is on her 3rd. Rhianna was never big, but she is getting there with the success of her new single. Her last 2 releases did not sell this much on the fist day so this is improvement & more success. Her singles also did not do as well on the last 2 albums. People are excusing that fact.[/quote]
Did you just call the site owner “dummy”?
GOOD WORK!
Stephanie said,
[quote comment="8253"]I did not say that you said rhianna’s album was a flop, I was referring to the title of this post “rhianna’s album flops” even through i emphasized the word 3 times. dummy. who said rhianna was a big artist? rhianna has been out for 2 years just like t-pian even though t-pain is on his sophmore album and rhianna is on her 3rd. Rhianna was never big, but she is getting there with the success of her new single. Her last 2 releases did not sell this much on the fist day so this is improvement & more success. Her singles also did not do as well on the last 2 albums. People are excusing that fact.[/quote]
Twa, you are just a dollar sign to me. Just keep coming back, reading my posts and increasing my page views. The more you surf the site the more money I make. Thank you. Your love and support enabled me to buy a $300 Motorola KRZR. Now come back, post again and I’ll have made enough money in that split second to afford to buy a case for it as well. Now whose the real dummy? I know just what to say and how to say it to keep you coming back for more :koolaid:
J said,
I’m guessing it’s because, no matter how much they try and convince us otherwise, the girl is lame. :| The hype around her is not justified because she has minimal talent.
jummpy said,
I can concur with most of the post it just been couple of days besides she just starting out i have confidence she well grow into her craft besides Jay’s has Lot on the line with her saying in other words he has a lot to prove that he just doesn’t produce 1 hit wonders
Liyah said,
I think we should give her a little more time. Sometimes people’s careers don’t kick off imediately. She may come around soon. I wish people would stop comparing EVERY ONE to Beyonce, not just Rhianna. Rhianna is a star in her own right and not every one is trying to be Beyonce. For some reason people imagine Beyonce as this measure of perfection. Yes, she’s doing well in spite of B’day but that is b/c she is pretty and all over the place no matter where you look. She is pushing. May be Rihanna is not pushing as hard but she is doing well for herself. I feel bad for some of these artist being threatend to measure up to Beyonce’s Extraness (I know its not a word)
KSH said,
Geesh! Ima say that Rihanna ain’t made it to name status yet - where you can just have a name and people will buy it even if it sounds like crap. I am not a #’s person. I don’t equate quality with number of sales. Some of the best album’s this year have had marginal sales numbers so I don’t now and will ever think that sales = quality.
She only has one single out and I think over time the album will do what it needs to for her career. It’s really not that big of a deal. Last year HDD predicted that Beyonce would be the highest selling r&b/pop CD - But Justin Timberlake had another plan in mind - and even after releasing 5 singles B’Day was still laggin behind Future/Sex LoveSounds. So you never know what you might get with these cd’s.
lady said,
Here we go again it only been 2 days and u calling rihanni album a flop. I think it good she selling like that with in one day. Now if she sell like that everyday by monday she would sold 1/2 million by monday that is good. Give this young lady a chance. Go Rihanni
neal said,
i’m a cashier at best buy and rihanna’s album is fastest selling album in the store. people are buying this album like crazy. i know her sales will be a lot higher than predicted. all haters will be suprisingly slapped in the face when the offical numbers come out. this site and all the haters are hoping for a slop.
SORRY BUT IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. This album is triple platinum. and you and all the haters know this is the best album of the year. that is why you are so fast to judge and say bad things. GET A LIFE!!!
Debra said,
[quote comment="8308"]i’m a cashier at best buy[/quote]I stopped reading after this
MrsHarris said,
give it time…it hasnt even been a week that her album’s been out! lol
Liyah said,
:| Debra, I’m surpised at you.
ASHLEY said,
YEAH I’M A CASHIER AT BESY BUY TOO. WHEN DID RIHANNA ALBUM BECOME THE FASTEST SELLING ALBUM IN THE STORE.LOL
prettyparker said,
Oh goodness ladies - I love reading your posts!
Could someone let me know how many records determine if an album is a hit or a flop? I mean what the lowest number of records sold to make gold, silver, platinum status?
Stephanie said,
Actually, calling the album a flop was just word play which is why I clearly stated I was being dramatic. Rihanna fans can’t take a joke though.
However, with all the promo that has gone on with her and the single being so big, 170,000, even 180,000 copies in the first week is pretty low. Big name artists reach gold status (500,000 copies) in the first week. Anything under 300,000 is considered pretty bad these days for any artist of stature. Janet sold 298,000 copies and well you see how her album was labeled a flop and rightfully so.
Still, Good Girl Gone Bad may be a slow burner. It will more than likely continue to sell about the same every every week, eventually selling 2-3 million. I can’t be sure- it all depends. But if her second week sales drop dramatically, Def Jam has a problem on their hands.
prettyparker said,
[quote comment="8337"] Actually, calling the album a flop was just word play which is why I clearly stated I was being dramatic. Rihanna fans can’t take a joke though. [/quote]
Oh, no worries about the word-play, Stephanie, I knew that when I first read the article.
I just wanted to know what is considered good/bad sales these days because I was reading a neilson-soundscan article that listed the Top 25 Selling Albums 1991-2006, and the only sista (black/ latina) on that list was Whitney Houston for The Bodyguard (11,790M). So I was beginning to think gold, silver, platinum would be impossible for a sista like Rhianna, if that was the bar she is trying to reach.
Boogie said,
It’s not a flop per se , but considering the hype, all the magazine covers, interviews,tv shows, paying paparazzi to follow her every move, costly caribbean-gyal-gone-glam makeover - that **** is a flop.
The expectaton was that she would do 300K or more. Neyo did around 250K with half the promotion and a mediocre single. Tpain washed his dreads ‘maybe’ once for his cheap ‘Buy You A Drank’ video and ends up with similar sales!! Not a good look for Defjam.
Consumers (especially teens) are far more savvy to contrived images and obvious marketing gimmicks than marketers think and apparently Rihanna is not making the right connection with her market. As the saying goes…she’s alright but she’s not real.
S. Dot said,
I don’t know she has a huge fan base. I think it will do well over time
Dana said,
Boogie is right. We all brought into the hype and assumed she would do really big numbers. I know Hits Daily is pretty acurate by they are always off by a few either. Sometimes they estimate too high and other times they estimate too low. What wasn’t taken into consideration is Rihanna’s performances last night on BET and the Today. That may swing a few thousand more people in her direction.
Kitten said,
[quote comment="8238"]I am not surprised. I just had to put some Rihanna fans in their place this morning. This girl is being compared to Beyonce but in reality she cannot sing or dance. To me she is a modern day Ashanti. She is hot now but in 10 years her career will have run it’s course. Ashanti had higher record sales though and wasn’t a pop queen like Rihanna is now so comparing her to Ashanti may not even be fair cause Ashanti’s record sales were far superior. With all the hype she has gotten she should have at least sold 300,000 copies and yeah with these numbers I would call it a flop too. Janet sold 290,000 copies and they called her album a flop.[/quote]
Beyonce has been overrated for years let Rihanna have her time to be a wack artist getting top dollars and mad attention. Everyone for the past 5 years or maybe a little longer has done it! She’s been compared to Beyonce b/c when you look at her she puts you in the mind of her alittle but me personally I don’t see it. They are both wack as hell in my opinion.
rkj said,
Maybe she’s over saturated the market. She’s done 3 CD’s in just under 2 years (or 3?).
She hasn’t given anyone time to miss her and wonder “what’s Rihanna up to?”
Or.. maybe the public can see through an elaborate marketing scheme and they’re enjoying the single on the radio without making a donation to DefJam’s bank account.
I saw her on GMA this morning — she sounds quite painful without that studio help.
Yeah Right said,
@kitten You ALWAYS hating on Beyonce. Get over yourself. She couldn’t be too overrated with ten Grammys and millions and millions of records sold. You don’t like her fine but stop hating. Rihanna thought her new haircut would put her on for real and it didn’t work. So you and anybody else trying to blame Beyonce or put her down cause Rihanna didn’t come up might as well charge it to the game or get her some voice and performing lessons. Shes only good for a hot summer song and taking pictures.
#1rihannafan said,
The haters keep on hating and Rihanna keeps on rising. WHO ARE THE LOSERS? Who is the winner?
I love you Rihanna and I love your music. Your performances have improved so much. Your vocals have improved so much. You just keep getting better and better. You are my superstar. I am your number one fan. Your new album is the best album of 2007. May God continue to bless you and may you continue to trust in him. It’s your attitude that keeps you rising each year. If some of these haters had an attitude like you and trusted in God like you do they life would be much better and they wouldn’t have to be on every website hating on you. God has blessed you tremendously. Let no man curse what God has blessed. I love you and keep doing you. Keep rising. Kisses, kisses, kisses, kisses, kisses, kisses, kisses.
Stephanie said,
Wow.
Miss April Joy said,
Well she’s no Beyonce, can’t sell half a million in the first week, well we’ll see! I doubt if she get’s over 200,000
Sick of It said,
I agree that as more singles are released, the CD will eventually be a success. Maybe people are just waiting until more songs come out before they go out and buy it; that’s kind of what I’m doing anyway hehe :oops:
jummpy said,
GEE#34!I think everyone came to conclusion that she’s no Beyonce nor should she should be. But you and lot of people failed to see the beauty in jay’s plain,that is
When you’re beloved “B” goes in retirement and have those little Joe camels humping around the palace um,um !! i mean the that big fabulous mansion
and she becomes what’s she been pining to be a stepford wife.He can always say he have two of the hottest chick’s in the game.
Believe you me jay is running that career and he’s going to make sure that chick is going to blow up
Kitten said,
[quote comment="8365"]@kitten You ALWAYS hating on Beyonce. Get over yourself. She couldn’t be too overrated with ten Grammys and millions and millions of records sold. You don’t like her fine but stop hating. Rihanna thought her new haircut would put her on for real and it didn’t work. So you and anybody else trying to blame Beyonce or put her down cause Rihanna didn’t come up might as well charge it to the game or get her some voice and performing lessons. Shes only good for a hot summer song and taking pictures.[/quote]
You need to calm down I can’t hate on someone that I just don’t like. Damn Beyonce fans are psycho!!! She’s overrated and paid what else is new damn near every artist on the charts is wack damn if Rihanna can blow up anyone can!!!! You are taking this too seriously I don’t dig her and that’s my opinion. Grow up! Beyonce sold her soul for fame like everyone knows and understands people love her cool but I don’t dig her. Or anyone on the radio besides Robin Thicke, Fantasia, Anthony Hamilton, and a few others. If you haven’t notice we don’t have much to choose from! Not saying I don’t respect her gangsta but if you call stepping on people to get ahead a good thing then you and satan can rock on with your bad selves. I don’t give a daggone if Rihanna never blows up she can’t sing a lick. Who said I blamed Beyonce for anything you sound retarded! 10 Grammys? Beyonce’s first cd sold as much as it did from a little thing called payola where Sony records was sued for $10 mill b/c of your favorite pop singer! Once I heard that among other dirty and under minding things her and her family does to get ahead I can’t support that. She’s the Omarosa of music!!! Respect she gets but support by buying her or anybody like her cd’s is out of the question. Where are all the R&B artist? And I’m hating, please! The last time I actually paid for a cd from a new artist was over 4 years ago! Don’t blame me blame whitey in the high rise with the rest of the execs feeding us a bunch of bull instead of real true talent and looks to match. I have my choice of music and all this and other sites post is garbage in heavy rotation.
[quote comment="8365"]Shes only good for a hot summer song and taking pictures.[/quote] You dummy that’s all Beyonce is good for and everyone else that’s out TRYING to sing!
Kitten said,
[quote comment="8424"]GEE#34!I think everyone came to conclusion that she’s no Beyonce nor should she should be. But you and lot of people failed to see the beauty in jay’s plain,that is
When you’re beloved “B” goes in retirement and have those little Joe camels humping around the palace um,um !! i mean the that big fabulous mansion
and she becomes what’s she been pining to be a stepford wife.He can always say he have two of the hottest chick’s in the game.
Believe you me jay is running that career and he’s going to make sure that chick is going to blow up[/quote]
I agree with Jay helping Rihanna to blow up but the part about Bee and Jay having kids and what not is unbelieveable. They seem so fake and strictly business. Beyonce is played out now and people can’t accept it that’s why Jay is holding Rihanna down. It’s time for new faces and a new style. Jay knows what’s up. When Bee was really hot and looking damn good, not that she looks bad now but nothing how she was before, Jay was everywhere with her hugging on her holding her hand the whole nine. From Destiny’s Child’s first cd to Bee’s first solo cd I was a fan until all the dirt came out and I said oh here’s Diana Ross coming out! People call Jay camel this or whatever but that dude is smart. He made that song “Lost One” for a reason I keep telling people that. He was ready to settle down she wasn’t so now it’s about business and sex and keeping their names together b/c those names spoken in a complete sentence is dollar bills for days and they know it! All that marriage crap will never happen and if it does it will be as happy as Beyonce’s parents marriage. Nough said!
Yeah Right said,
@Kitten How you know? Do you know them? I thought you said you don’t like her but you surely following her every move. Like i said before you are hating. You don’t have to like her cause im sure she doesn’t care so why won’t you just ignore her and stop keeping tabs on the girl so you can have something negative to say. Girl please you ain’t fooling anybody but yourself.
And like i said dummy Rihanna is only good for taking pictures and a hot summer song cause she never sells records for real. People don’t buy into that and this time really proved it. She had promotion out the *** and she can’t even push 200,000. So jump on the bandwagon hon who cares. Beyonce is year round and you proving it by talking about her now while shes on tour and having nothing to do with this post. Hate it or love it
Yeah Right said,
And when did you see them hugging and holding hands? Stop embellishing your story to make it sound good and try to prove a point. You never saw them doing that from jump to say they don’t do it now. I understand you don’t like her and you want to see Jay with someone else but don’t lie. I tell you people will do and say anything to TRY and bring someone else down. Whats wrong your boyfriend broke up with you? Are you depressed and need an outlet? Tell me whats wrong Kitten
ANewDay said,
Rihanna is on her way up - Beyonce is on her way out. That’s why Beyonce stans are having a (temporary) field’s day over this. Yet, even if Rihanna’s album doesn’t go to #1 in the coming weeks (or ever), it won’t change the fact that Beyonce is on her way to obscurity now. There are new and better talents and faces on the horizon now.
Yeah Right said,
@ANewDay You wish! Are you implying that Rihanna is more talented than Beyonce?
What are you smoking? Regardless of what you say about Beyonce, Rihanna’s album still isn’t gonna do huge like yall stans were expecting and talking all that crap about Beyonce didn’t help it either. So yeah i am having a field day :dance1: :dance2: