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HITS Daily Double: Rumor Mill
DOUBLE-DIP SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE: Here are the latest label forecasts on some of the Sept. 18 and Sept. 25 releases (see 8/23 item below): G.O.O.D. Music compilation 200k,
Pink 200k, The Killers 125k, Carly Rae Jepsen 100k, No Doubt 175k and Michael Jackson 150k. In other news, Diana Krall and the Barbra Streisand CD move to Oct. 2 (Columbia is releasing the LP on Sept. 25 to make it eligible for Grammy consideration), while Ne-Yo moves to Nov. 6. Expect some of the forecasts to change as we get closer to release. You can also expect some label estimates to be over-projected and/or very bullish, which could lead to some major disappointments for certain key artists and top label execs, but par for the course heading into Q4. (8/24a)
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME ACTION? As with the NFL, it won’t be long until the labels shake off the dog days of summer and put their starting teams back in the game. The biz is already buzzing about the loaded release slates for next month’s two straight Super Tuesdays—Sept. 18 and 25. The season kicks off with new albums from the likes of
Pink, Carly Rae Jepsen, Wiz Khalifa, Ne-Yo, The Killers, Dwight Yoakam and the 25th anniversary reissue of Michael Jackson’s Bad. The momentum actually increases the following Tuesday, with a slate topped by Mumford & Sons. Green Day and No Doubt, along with Diana Krall, Barbra Stresiand, India.Arie and Lupe Fiasco. Here are a couple of competitions the oddsmakers are currently handicapping: With a projected 400-450k first week, will Mumford’s Babel (Glassnote, 9/25) become the biggest debut of the year? If so, the banjo plunkers will hold the title only until Oct. 22, when Big Machine unleashes Taylor Swift’s Red. Which labels will wind up as the big winners—and which labels need some winners to turn their years around? You’ll wanna be on the 50-yard line for this one. (8/23a)
