Can 1st week sales of new Coldplay album (X&Y) match those of HTDAAB?

[ybird3k]

also it's worth noticing that coldplay started their tour as soon as X&Y was released, which would have helped initial sales whereas U2 didnt start to tour until march (about 15 weeks) after the release of bomb. so X&Y's 13 week total sales include some which are a result of their tour, where as bombs do not.

 

[MJDangerous]

It's more easy for U2 to sold huge with initial sales only, with 25 years behind them they have a big and solid database all around the world, what Coldplay have not really, many people love Coldplay music but still waiting to see if they love 2-3 singles of the new album to buy the CD. When U2 release an album, it's not the same, at least 65% of people already know if they will buy or not the album.
In consequence, U2 singles are not so able to give a huge boost at HTDAAB like Coldplay singles can at X&Y.
In most of that, U2 release his album at Christmas time, so they kept fabulous sales during 1 month.

With all those points, I think that X&Y will outsold with not many difficulties HTDAAB in next months.

But Coldplay can wait a long time before pass the 130 millions mark in the world... lol

 

[ybird3k]

coldplay's 2nd single Fix You, enters UK chart at #4, and is down to #4 in the airplay chart. not as good as 'sometimes'.

and U2 150M?

 

[fedeu2]

Although I can see where are you coming from, I think that the huge initial sales of the bomb were not exclusively due to U2 being a household name in the music scene. By that rationale, every "new" Rolling Stones album should become a monster seller, and that´s really not the case.
Bottom line is that if U2 weren´t regarded as still relevant and producing quality music their albums wouldn´t be so successful.

And remember, even though it´s true HTDAAB was released at the most "convenient" time of the year, the subsequent weeks after the holidays season are typically very low in sales thus kind of counterbalancing the Christmas effect.

As for Coldplay, I would hate to be wrong here but it looks like they will be another flash in the pan much like Oasis were back in the mid-nineties.
Nevertheless, X&Y is going to sell a lot more copies than Be here now. It remains to be seen whether X&Y will match the sales of A rush of blood to the head.

It's more easy for U2 to sold huge with initial sales only, with 25 years behind them they have a big and solid database all around the world, what Coldplay have not really, many people love Coldplay music but still waiting to see if they love 2-3 singles of the new album to buy the CD. When U2 release an album, it's not the same, at least 65% of people already know if they will buy or not the album.
In consequence, U2 singles are not so able to give a huge boost at HTDAAB like Coldplay singles can at X&Y.
In most of that, U2 release his album at Christmas time, so they kept fabulous sales during 1 month.

With all those points, I think that X&Y will outsold with not many difficulties HTDAAB in next months.

But Coldplay can wait a long time before pass the 130 millions mark in the world... lol

 

[fedeu2]

For once sales are in accord to music greatness. I mean, Sometimes is clearly the better song. Fix you is a very good song though. Now if only Martin would realize his falsetto voice is horrible!


Total worldwide sales of U2 are estimated at 130-140 M.
But I´m sure others in this forum can provide more exact figures. Edge3?

coldplay's 2nd single Fix You, enters UK chart at #4, and is down to #4 in the airplay chart. not as good as 'sometimes'.

and U2 150M?

 

[MJDangerous]

Although I can see where are you coming from, I think that the huge initial sales of the bomb were not exclusively due to U2 being a household name in the music scene. By that rationale, every "new" Rolling Stones album should become a monster seller, and that´s really not the case.
Bottom line is that if U2 weren´t regarded as still relevant and producing quality music their albums wouldn´t be so successful.

The difference is that Rolling Stones are know for their old songs, they I have no one hit since more than 20 years and their albums are not always very good since "the after" of Exile On The Main Street (I'm not saying that they are not a great band, The Rolling Stones are one of the best bands ever).
U2 is a unique band in the sence that they have no one really "flop". For many people, an U2 album is an album when you will found for sure what you want if you love the band. They have never release a "bad" album, all U2 discography is great and everybody know this, it's why many people buy their albums at the release, because they are sure to buy a great album (myself I have buy HTDAAB without listen Vertigo before...).

And summer time sales are so low that January-February sales.

Concerning Fix You, #1 is a good result, Coldplay have never sell very well singles, they are a albums band (Coldplay have 0 #1 hit). X&Y sold 42.5k copies this week again, already over 1.350.000 copies sold in UK and it is always in the top 3.

 

[Zoovation]

Ok, hits has started again:

9.63%

A Bigger Bang #4 with 7,466

X&Y #23 with 2,011

As usual, there will be some changes until the final result.

 

[Soldatti]

Anybody seen the difference between Blunt's album and the Stones album in UK?
11 copies!

Actually the Stones are #1 in Great Britain with a 825 copies lead over Blunt but they lost due Ireland sales. Incredible. Why the hell the Ireland sales are there? I don't get it.

 

[fedeu2]

Maybe it´s because North Ireland is part of the UK ...

Anybody seen the difference between Blunt's album and the Stones album in UK?
11 copies!

Actually the Stones are #1 in Great Britain with a 825 copies lead over Blunt but they lost due Ireland sales. Incredible. Why the hell the Ireland sales are there? I don't get it.

 

[edge3]

Maybe it´s because North Ireland is part of the UK ...

Yes, exactly right...from Musicweek :

'The Stones’ album sold 43,466 copies, and Back To Bedlam 43,477. The Stones actually sold 825 copies more in Great Britain but Blunt trounce them 1,381 sales to 545 in Northern Ireland.'

...also, regarding U2's overall album sales...of course it's impossible to have an exact figure but i reckon 140-145 million is now about right.

 

[ybird3k]

'The Stones’ album sold 43,466 copies, and Back To Bedlam 43,477. The Stones actually sold 825 copies more in Great Britain but Blunt trounce them 1,381 sales to 545 in Northern Ireland.'

haha, unlucky Stones

Northern Ireland is part of the UK, but not part of Great Britain.

43k for a #1 album is quite low, i actually thought stones would have done better mind.

and on HITS, whats with 50 cent at #2 (39) greenday at #5, and rush of blood to the head inside the top 50!!

any chance of bomb back on the BB 200 this week?

 

[ybird3k]

HITS FINAL

#20 (#15) COLDPLAY 36,881 -10%

whats with 50 cent's massive 534% increase to #2 from #39? has he got a new single out or what, maybe he's been shot again?

 

[Soldatti]

whats with 50 cent's massive 534% increase to #2 from #39? has he got a new single out or what, maybe he's been shot again?

It's a re-issue with DVD/Bonus Tracks.

 

[ybird3k]

oh right, still a huge increase for a few bonus tracks and a DVD. why dont U2 do the same with bomb and try getting it back to #1?

 

[Zoovation]

Coldplay down 11% to 173k (#4).

U2 sold about 140k that week.

 

[fitz]

Week 14:
X&Y: 173 k
Bomb: 140 k

Coldplay leads 9:5

but total (after 14 weeks):

X&Y: 6.054 k
Bomb: 6.840 k

In week 15 Bomb sold only ca. 80 k, so the advantage will melting like snow in the sun!

 

[Zoovation]

Didn't U2 sell 100k during week 15?

 

[fedeu2]

If this trend continues, it will take at least 20 more weeks for X&Y to match sales of bomb.

Week 14:
X&Y: 173 k
Bomb: 140 k

Coldplay leads 9:5

but total (after 14 weeks):

X&Y: 6.054 k
Bomb: 6.840 k

In week 15 Bomb sold only ca. 80 k, so the advantage will melting like snow in the sun!

 

[edge3]

Didn't U2 sell 100k during week 15?

Yes. 112K was my carefully calculated estimate for week 15. Then, next 5 weeks (also carefully calculated estimates) :

week 16 : 88K
week 17 : 85K
week 18 : 82K
week 19 : 85K
week 20 : 70K

 

[edge3]

Week 14:
X&Y: 173 k
Bomb: 140 k

Bomb sold 162K in it's 14th week at Mediatraffic (140K in week 13).

Btw incl. Japan X&Y has actually now been out for 15 weeks. So the comparison for week 15 is (obviously) now :

X&Y : 173K
Bomb : 112K (est)

 

[ybird3k]

HITS

#15 (#24) COLDPLAY 36,516 -1%

paul wall at #1 ?, who's he, infact i dont know who most of them in the top 50 are.

 

[LemonMelon]

One thing to remember about the numbers for ATYCLB vs. BOMB is that BOMB is selling in environment that has been much more heavily impacted by "file sharing", "other free downloading" and "CD burning" to an extent that ATYCLB was not back in the years it was selling. Sales for all albums in 2005 are sometimes as little as 60% of what they were back in 2000 and 2001.

Despite this, BOMB is still ahead of where ATYCLB was in total sales after 40 weeks of release. But it is unlikely that BOMB will match the final total sales of ATYCLB in its first 2 years of release.

Another reason is that HTDAAB didn't have a Beautiful Day-sized anthem.

It has Vertigo and All Because of You which are basically 1 1/2 Elevations...

It has SYCMIOYO which qualifies as a Stuck In A Moment.

It has City of Blinding Lights, which is about 1/2 of a Walk On in terms of success.

But there's no Beautiful Day anthems here.

So what does that leave us with?

0 BD's
1 1/2 Ele's
1 SIAMTYCGOO
1/2 WO's

And a tour that's about equal to Elevation...

And you get equal sales.

 

[STING2]

Another reason is that HTDAAB didn't have a Beautiful Day-sized anthem.

It has Vertigo and All Because of You which are basically 1 1/2 Elevations...

It has SYCMIOYO which qualifies as a Stuck In A Moment.

It has City of Blinding Lights, which is about 1/2 of a Walk On in terms of success.

But there's no Beautiful Day anthems here.

So what does that leave us with?

0 BD's
1 1/2 Ele's
1 SIAMTYCGOO
1/2 WO's

And a tour that's about equal to Elevation...

And you get equal sales.

The tour in Europe is U2's biggest ever in terms of the level of demand. As a matter of fact, U2's 32 date stadium tour of Europe this past summer is the HIGHEST GROSSING tour in the history of Europe! U2 right now are more popular in Europe than they have been at any time in their history with the possible exception of the summer of 1987.

I think HTDAAB is a better album than ATYCLB, but it unfortunately has not received the same level of radio airplay as ATYCLB did.

 

[ybird3k]

I think HTDAAB is a better album than ATYCLB, but it unfortunately has not received the same level of radio airplay as ATYCLB did.

in the US, but in europe the HTDAAB singles have recieved massive airplay, probably more than ATYCLB

 

[solar]

Any new numbers about U2vsColdplay???

 

[STING2]

Mediatraffic numbers have Coldplay X&Y at 6.6 million while HTDAAB is at 8.2 million.

 

[solar]

Gracias

 

[ybird3k]

X&Y is no longer in the top 50 of the BB200, after 22 weeks. how long did bomb stay in top 50?

 

[POP-ROMANCER]

I think Coldplay made a big mistake by releasing Fix You. It's not as commercial as for example their first single speed of sound or their new single Talk.

It's exactly the same as with their last album AROBTTH by releasing The scientist as a second singlewhile In my place was a very big hit. And their third one: Clocks.

I think Talk will be a very big hit but does it have an big impact on sales of X&Y? I don't think it will have while Clocks had.

When I first listened to the album I never thought they would be relaese Fix you. It didn't get that much airplay here in the netherlands.

As for u2, you're right sting2: They are bigger here than they have ever been!

 

[ybird3k]

i think fix you was the right choice, it was called 'best single on the album' by everyone when the album was released, and has had massive airplay here in the UK.