This week’s HDD next-week’s sales predictions are in, and the numbers look really good for David Cook:
A double dose of Beyonce and her alter ego will grab the top spot on the HITS Album Sales chart next week, as her two-CD Music World/Columbia set, I Am… Sasha Fierce, will debut at #1 with 500-550k in sales, according to those hardy retailers who still have their doors open.
With a stunning appearance on Saturday Night Live last weekend, two hit singles in “If I Were a Boy†and “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)†and a starring role as Etta James in the upcoming Chess Records movie, Cadillac Records (and its accompanying soundtrack), Beyonce might as well be Sasha Claus.
The real tussle will be right below that for #2, as a debuting RCA/RMG’s David Cook and Roadrunner’s Nickelback go head-to-head with this week’s chart-topper, Big Machine’s Taylor Swift, in her second week. All look to be in the 300k range, mas o menos.
Excellent first week numbers for David Cook! The numbers look even better when you consider that his single, “Light On”, has not exactly been burning up the charts–it sits at #56 on iTunes.
David Cook is currently #1 on the iTunes overall and Rock album charts and #1 on Amazon overall and in their Rock and Pop categories.
In other news: David Cook will not only be performing at the American Music Awards pre-show on Sunday, he’ll also be presenting an award during the main telecast…
Hey, I just went on itunes and am a little confused since I was checking DC’s placement. Anyway, I was thinking his record was under Rock, but it’s now showing under Pop.
Oh well, just wondering… No biggie I guess.
At some point this morning, they flipped DCTR and the songs over to Pop. No one knows why….
Weird. Maybe they’ve given up on promoting it as a rock record? It seems like there’s a lot of strange genre assignments on iTunes anyway, so actually I’m not sure it really means much. I mean, Ray Lamontagne is rock and the Fall Out Boys are pop? At least DCTR is #1 on pop and his face is all over the front page!
Cook goes from Rock to Pop?
Now this makes him have the number one album in Pop at the moment but still - what about the argument that his music is rock while Archie’s is pop. They are not in the same genre!
Ultimately I think it is going to cost DC some downloads because some rock fans would rather be dead than say they downloaded pop. And rock album sell more CD’s than singles than pop albums do!
I really would like to know who is behind this, iTunes, RCA or 19E!
It does not bother me if it’s pop or rock. Some songs on his cd could be classified as pop others as rock. It really should be under both. Congrats David on being #1 on Pop now!
What do I know though? I come from old school rock late 60’s/70’s rock and it’s many morphism’s. I don’t know all the different genre’s of *today’s rock*. I guess I am not too old to learn though, lol.
iTunes can get pretty random with its genre classifications. Well, DC can claim he was #1 on Overall, Rock, and Pop!
I have a feeling more people (more Idol viewers?) look at the Pop section so maybe that’s a bright side to the album being reclassified as pop.
I think those same rock fans would rather be dead than say they downloaded an american idol album. I doubt it will cost him somthing.
I wholeheartedly agree leome.
So I guess this album can actually be considered popular rock… or “let’s just pop that rock record into the stereo”…(sorry very, very lame attempt at humor
)
It was just kinda funny because I was so sure some of his songs would be in the top 100 under rock and I was ready to give up and my husband kept saying, look under pop and I kept arguing with him that it was under rock. So I finally looked and sure enough…
I like the idea that he’s been #1 on Rock, Pop and Overall.
Yup, totally agree with leome. The rock stations who won’t play David because of Idol, and the rock snobs who won’t listen for the same reason, were not going to buy his album no matter what it’s classified as.
I’m just happy he’s still outselling Beyonce on iTunes. This isn’t a pop record, even if it says “pop” in genre.
HDD has updated their forcast with more specific numbers. 280-300,000 for David, 300-320,000 for Nickelback:
YOUR WEAKEND TOP 10 CHART PREVIEW: The industry’s hot streak continues (we love typing those words) leading into what’s expected to be a boffo Thanksgiving week, with Columbia diva Beyonce aiming to bow north of 500k at #1, while Roadrunner’s Nickelback seems to be closing in on #2, with 300-320k. David Cook (19/RCA/RMG) appears next in line with an impressive 280-300k, while Taylor Swift (Big Machine/ Universal Republic), this week’s champ, will continue her momentum at 230-240k, followed by Now 29 (UMe), rounding out the Top 5 at 140-150k.
http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/rumormill.cgi
Pretty amazing number!
Yes, but what about the folks who heard him on the radio or possibly a friend’s CD? There are several folks on comments under his You Tube videos and even articles on websites who said they didn’t know he was on AI when they first heard him. (I wouldn’t have known the artists from there before this year). It is people outside of the AI bubble that he has to reach to survive. The rest of us will download his album even if we didn’t care for his first CD!
I didn’t know where to put this, but I guess this monster thread is as good as anyplace - This is a fanmade video for Life on the Moon, and it’s good enough that I had to share it. I think the main reason I like the song so much is because it speaks about the Idol experience, and we’ve all been along for that ride… Anyway, this video just enhances that aspect even more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAGAUrWOyDA
About the rock vs. pop debate - I honestly think that those who simply hear the album, like it and seek it out, will not really care what category it’s under. I know I wouldn’t. Maybe I’m naive.
If those people want the album or the songs they’ll buy it. It doesn’t really matter if it says pop or rock on Itunes, people don’t care for the word. It’s the sound.
Exactly. And, if I hear a song I like, I search for the artist by name on iTunes. Not genre.
I buy music on Itunes all the time and I have never once looked at the classification it’s under. I think most people see something on the front page or they actively search for it. Rock and Pop are usually thrown together at the CD stores anyway so it never makes a difference there, so I don’t think it’d matter here. Besides, one listen to it from the 30 second previews and you’d know what it’s about much more than an arbitrary classification from Itunes.
Itunes likely did it so that all of the DC stuff is in one place. TOML and LO as singles are classified as pop so now everything is together.
I don’t see this affecting his sales. Looking at the classifications that itunes has foisted onto my music collection, the word that comes to mind is “bizarre.” I find it a bit disappointing that they changed the classification because DC seemed to like having it in the rock section, and I was getting a kick out of Magic Rainbow hanging out on the top rock songs page. But I don’t think it’s a big deal.
Man, I really really wanted Cookie to bypass Daughtry’s First Week totals. Stupid Nickleback.
How many did Daughtry sell in his first week? I remember seeing a list of 1st week totals for other Idols, but I can’t find it now. If anyone can steer me towards a chart or something, I’d appreciate it.
Cathy, Kirsten is the keeper of #’s
Thank goodness for Kirsten! I am sure she can tell us!
I’m not Kirsten, but this is definitely one of her charts! (and Nevada’s):
http://mjsbigblog.com/historical-charts/idol-debut-first-week-album-sales/
Daughtry debuted with 303k. It’ll be a nailbiter to see if DC can match that…remember Daughtry didn’t have this crappy economy to deal with too…
Jolene - thanks for the youtube link to LOTM - I really enjoyed it!!!
Thanks Michelle (and Kirsten
). So he’ll be within shouting distance of Daughtry, Taylor, and Kelly. Not bad, considering how music sales have dropped off in the last few years. Seems like almost any artist would be happy with those sales these days, never mind a debut artist. And next week we’ll all be biting our nails, hoping his sales don’t drop off too much. Silly me, I naively thought the weekly worrying was over after he won!
Rock or Pop, David’s video “Light On” just took number 1 on the Top 20 VHI countdown…
He was the guest, and I watched this happen in Real Time - rebroadcast at 9AM, for you morning people.
A little tasty bite to have with your breakfast…
I’m sleepy, you guys can fill in the ironies for this win.
Seriously? So he entered the chart straight into #1? Ahh that’s awesome.
Someone please upload a video of this. I need to squee a bit.
I’m pretty sure there’s nothing so intentional behind the iTunes classifications as what I’m about to say, but…
It has occurred to me — in no way an expert, not even well-studied or experienced in these things lol — that maybe TPTB have decided to push right now for more single track sales for debut charting purposes. Album sales are going strong, so all the more impressive to see single tracks chart straight out of the chute too, and I’m led to believe that singles sell better in the pop genre. Just a theory — equally valid to, say, RCA put DC in Rock for three days, then Pop for three days. Or, it’s totally arbitrary.
Yay for #1 on VH-1!!! Whooohooooo~
HOLY CRAP! I can’t believe he debuted at #1. That doesn’t happen a lot on there right? Did they show him react to it?
Yeah. He said, “I’m floored.”
Appearantly, this is only the 2nd time it happened this year. Hee!