YOUR TOP 15 (PLUS ONE): Universal appears headed to having an unprecedented nine of the Top 10 albums on next week's chart, with Lady Gaga (seen at right with the co-stars of her upcoming holiday special) leading the pack. Kelly Clarkson's holiday album, Wrapped In Red, is the lone non-UMG title. We don't believe this has ever happened in the modern charting era. Here's how it looks headed into the weekend:
1.
Lady Gaga (Interscope)
240-260k
2.
Eminem (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope)
200-220k
3.
Now 48 (UMe)
95-105k
4.
The Robertsons (EMI Nashville)
60-65k
5.
Katy Perry (Capitol)
45-50k
6.
Kelly Clarkson (RCA)
40-45k
7.
The Beatles (Capitol)
35-40k
8.
Drake (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)
30-35k
9.
Lorde (Lava/Republic)
30-35k
10.
Jhene Aiko (Def Jam/IDJ)
30-35k
11.
Celine Dion (Columbia)
27-30k
12.
Miley Cyrus (RCA)
25-28k
13.
Luke Bryan (Capitol Nashville)
24-27k
14.
Florida Georgia Line (Republic Nashville)
19-22k
15.
Imagine Dragons (KidinaKorner/Interscope)
17-20k
16.
Arcade Fire (Merge)
17-20k
Meanwhile, the 50-year anniversary of the Beatles' arrival in the U.S. makes us feel really freakin' old.
(11/14p)
Lady Gaga's 'ARTPOP' Aiming for No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart
Lady Gaga's new album "ARTPOP" is aiming for No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Industry sources forecast the diva's latest release to sell around 260,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, Nov. 17.
That sum should be enough to take over the No. 1 slot from Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP 2," which debuted atop the list this week with 792,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 20.
"ARTPOP's" projected sales are lower than its pre-release forecast of 300,000 to 350,000. As we've noted in the past, it's difficult to project sales before an album is released, based on a multitude of variables. Still, "ARTPOP's" arrival will be near that of recent debuts from Gaga's fellow pop divas like Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. Perry's "PRISM" started with 286,000 and Cyrus' "Bangerz" bowed with 270,000.
"ARTPOP" could mark Gaga's second No. 1 album, following her last studio effort, 2011's "Born This Way." It bowed with 1.1 million sold. (That debut benefited from an Amazon MP3 offer that sold it for 99 cents on two days of its debut week. Billboard estimates that the 99 cent version resulted in 440,000 copies of the album's first-week haul.)
Overall, "ARTPOP" will rack up the fifth top 10 set for Gaga, who previously notched top 10s with her first album "The Fame" (No. 2 peak in early 2010), "The Fame Monster" (EP) (No. 5 in 2009), "The Remix" (No. 6 in 2010) and "Born This Way."
She additionally charted with "A Very Gaga Holiday" (EP) (No. 52 in 2011) and "Born This Way: The Remix" (No. 105 in 2011).
"ARTPOP's" first single, "Applause," is currently in its 13th consecutive week in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has resided in the top 10 since its debut at No. 6 back in August.
The album's second single, "Do What U Want," featuring R. Kelly, rebounds 58-48 on the Hot 100 after debuting at No. 13 two weeks ago.
Over on the Pop Songs airplay chart (known as Mainstream Top 40 on billboard.biz), "Do What U Want" jumps 39-29 in its second week. (The tally monitors the most played songs on top 40 radio in the U.S.) Gaga has two cuts in top 30 this week, as "Applause" also ranks at No. 4.
YOUR NEW RELEASES: It's time to take a look at the week's key debuts, which include not only the long-awaited ARTPOP but also the latest NOW comp (has it really only been 48?) and a freshly packaged set of BBC performances by some mop-topped Liverpudlians.
Lady Gaga (Interscope)
250-275k
NOW 48 (UMe)
90-95k
The Beatles (Capitol)
40-45k
Jhene Aiko (Def Jam/IDJ)
25-30k
The Killers (Island/IDJ)
12-15k
In other new-release news, Sarah Palin has released a new opinion: That the Pope seems "kinda liberal." No word yet if the Tea Party will try to field a challenger.
(11/13p)
A WACKY WEEK FOR GAGA
Meanwhile, some pundits began asking out loud whether the 350k first-week projection for ARTPOP is reachable—but digital pre-orders are now north of 100k, an encouraging sign. Lead single "Applause" has also performed reasonably well: it’s still Top 5 at Pop after 12 weeks and has moved 1.8m units, while the video has passed 100m views, along with 45m views of the audio and lyric clips.