I know it's too early to say anything, but I'm actually worried about Gaga's first week sales for her next album released this year, since a lot of big names had underwhelming sales currently despite the promo and hit singles. Talking about big hits, I don't think the lead single actually helps album sales that much, look at these examples :
- WFL was the biggest hit in Rihanna's career, yet the album released in the biggest Black Friday week in history couldn't even crack 200K.
- Boyfriend topped the iTunes chart of more than 20 countries and still managed to have longevity, the album was greatly promoted, yet he only opened with 374K. That's not bad but still disappointing for someone who has a huge fanbase and is at his prime.
- Madonna's performance at the Super Bowl didn't save the album from plummetting.
- Nicki's album's underperforming after the big buzz surrounding her Grammy performance and a radio-friendly hit.
It is too early to talk about this since we don't even know what Gaga's new album will be like, but I'm worried about her seeing the big names in pop having problem to sell their albums. We all know Gaga's digital power and popularity in the US have somewhat declined, her singles from the previous era underperformed, and she doesn't have the cross-over appeal like Adele or Taylor Swift. However if she plays the promo card right and gains the public's interest again, the album can still open with great numbers being a holiday release. Not that first week's sales are that important compare to longevity, but I just want to let it all out.
