John Hlavaty ([email protected])
Tue, 5 Jan 1999 14:48:44 -0500
Below is the most recent album and single chart
news that I could find on-line. Because of my vacation,
I missed a week on some charts. Also, the Irish album
chart has not been updated since Nov. 28th. If anyone
has access to that chart or any chart with missing
information, please let me know. All missing data is indicated
with a "?".
At the end of the chart data I have some other
sales/chart information that might be of interest
to some.
U.S.:
"Best Of + B-Sides":
#2-5-21-28-29-33-38-45
"Best Of":
#57-45-68-70-70-56-58
"The Sweetest Thing":
13 total weeks on the Modern Rock charts, last
nine weeks: #17-13-11-11-10-9-10-9-10
Revised Hot 100 chart:
#66-69-63-?-?-?
U.K.:
"Best Of + B-Sides":
#1-2-15-21-23-25-?-37-62
"Best Of":
#8-9-4-8-9-?-8-7
"The Sweetest Thing":
#3-4-10-18-31-38-44-60-?-55-70
Canada:
"Best Of + B-Sides":
#1-4-11-19-27-?-?-out of top 75 (sold out?)
"Best Of":
#5-8-6-5-6-6-6
"The Sweetest Thing":
Part 1:
#1-3-3-3-6-8-?-9-10-8
Part 2:
#3-4-2-7-7-7-?-10-11-10
Ireland:
"Best Of":
#1-1-1-1-?-?-?-?-?
"The Sweetest Thing":
#1-2-4-9-11-17-20-22-?-?
Australia:
"Best Of":
#1-1-1-1-3-3-2-1-3
"The Sweetest Thing":
#6-6-10-10-15-19-21-23-22-20-15
TidBits:
1) "The Best Of + B-Sides" is no longer on
the Canadian charts, even though the "Best Of"
single CD release is in the top 10. I can
only presume that the "Best Of + B-Sides"
has sold out in Canada (since it was a limited
numbered release).
2) "The Sweetest Thing" has enjoyed 5 weeks in the
top 10 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts.
3) Note that on several charts U2's releases
have actually increased in the past few weeks!
This chart endurance suggests that the "Best Of"
will remain on the charts for some time and
may outsell "POP" and "Zooropa".
Certifications:
1) "The Best Of + B-Sides" has been certified as
PLATINUM in the U.S. (1 million copies
sold). "The Best Of" has been certified as GOLD
(500,000 copies sold).
2) "The Best Of + B-Sides" has been certified as
TRIPLE PLATINUM in Canada (300,000 copies
sold). "The Best Of" has been certified as PLATINUM
(100,000 copies sold).
Differences Between Certification and Sales:
Organizations like the RIAA or ARIA that certify
albums and singles as Gold, Platinum, etc. do
so based on how many copies of a release are
sold to STORES. Music charts in many
countries use SoundScan, which measures
direct consumer sales. Consumer sales may
not equal certification. For example, Garth
Brooks' "Double Live" release has already
been certified as selling 12 million copies
just in the U.S.! This really means that U.S.
*stores* have bought 12 million copies of this
release. However, according to SoundScan, "only"
3.7 million units have been sold to customers.
There is also the issue of 2-CD releases. A
double CD release is counted as two CDs, so
in actuality only 6 million copies of Garth
Brooks "Double Live" were bought by stores.
But since that is a double CD, it counts
as 2 CDs, hence why it was certified as selling
12 million.
The same is true for U2's "Best Of + B-Sides".
This would explain why the album was
certified as triple platinum (300,000 copies
sold) in Canda when only 175,000 numbered
copies were released there.
Chart Postions and Sales:
In the past I estimated U.S. sales based on chart
positions. Typically a release at #20 was selling
at a rate of 50,000 copies per week. An item
at #50 sold at 20,000 copies per week. Usually
items in the top 10 sold over 100,000 copies.
Recent changes in SoundScan's reporting system
combined with holiday sales nullify those estimates.
For example, while perusing the newspaper
the other day, I read an article that stated how one
artists' release charted at #29 selling 149,000 copies
that week. This is triple the sales for that position
(based on past chart/sales information).
During the holiday rush, U2's "Best
Of + B-Sides" lingered between #21 and #45. In the
past this meant sales between 20-50,000 copies
per week. However, based on the knowledge that
albums charting as "low" as #29 were actually
selling 149,000 copies a week, it's quite possible that U2's
"Best Of + B-Sides" has been selling at a rate of over
100,000 copies every week since its release.
U2's "Best Of" (without the B-Side CD) has floated
between #45 and #70 since its release. This could be
interpreted as selling between 20-100,000 copies per week.
It should be noted though that estimating sales from
chart positions has, for the moment, become almost
impossible.
Furthermore, even though an item may drop on
the charts, its sales may actually increase for that
week. It's just that other releases sold even more
thus accounting for the chart drop. For example, Garth
Brooks' release dropped to #2 this week, but
it actually sold BETTER this week than last week
when it was #1. The #1 album simply sold more.
It's with the above information in mind I stress
the need for a "grain of salt" whenever I present
chart information.
To repeat a comment I wrote in my last note,
many of you have kindly provided me chart news
for other countries. Thank you. However, due to time
limitations I only post news from 5 countries (as I feel
that these countries are a "fair" representation of
WIRE and U2Lemon members). If anyone has
any chart/sales information, please post it as
I'm sure many others are interested in U2's success
in other parts of the world. Also, if any of you
come across other certifications, please let me know.
Lastly, while visting my parents' home during the holiday,
I rummaged through some of my old belongings.
I came across a 1987 newspaper color feature discussing
U2's "Joshua Tree" release. If there is an interest,
I will post the article on "U2Lemon" later in the week.
Ciao,
John
John J. Hlavaty, Ph.D. Tel: 978-927-5054, ext. 360
New England BioLabs, Inc. Fax: 978-921-1350
32 Tozer Road e-mail: [email protected]
Beverly, Ma 01915
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