badujunkie said:

I agree,"Give It To Me" is not a good choice for a single,at least not here in America.It'll be a major dance hit everywhere else but US radio won't touch this song.I predict that Warners will release it as a single,it'll bomb (expectedly) and then they'll release the obvious single ("Beat Goes On") to try to make up lost ground.I'd like to see "Miles Away" become the fourth single,but it's not certain that we will get a fourth single.

Im not even gonna pretend i know what works on American radio and what doesn't - i dont understand US charts and dont really want to.

Give It 2 Me is the obvious choice as second single to my mind - everyone ive played it to has loved it instantly, but Im English, and we tend to like our music at a slightly more frantic pace over here. I can see how it may turn US radio stations off - but i say fuck em.....their loss.

Heartbeat would probably be a good choice as its a very catchy melody and has a slower beat. Beat Goes On would work, not least because its a good groove, but its obviously got Kanye on there. Miles Away is another option, as is Shes Not Me, but im not convinced there's quite enough in them to grab peoples attentions - even though i rate both songs highly.

Id release the following:

4 Minutes
Give It 2 Me
Heartbeat
Beat Goes On
Miles Away

CrozzaUK said:

US radio is so depressing.Basically,this is how it works: If you have hip-hop elements in your music (especially a popular guest rapper),you will likely have a hit.If you release a dance/electro single with no hip-hop elements,good luck Dance music isn't very popular on US radio.



"Give It To Me" is gonna be huge in Europe and elsewhere.It's a fast,relentless dance song that wouldn't have sounded out of place on 'Confessions On A Dancefloor'.I kinda agree with you....if American radio can't embrace a song like this,then fuck 'em.Besides,Madonna already got her American Top 10 smash hit from this album."4 Minutes" has exceeded all expectations.This week,in fact,it reaches Number One on the Dance/Club music charts,while still hanging around in the Top 10 singles chart as well.



perhaps.



I agree,this is an obvious choice.




I think "Miles Away" would make a perfect final single.It would do well in certain markets.....I could see adult contemporary stations embracing it.






Excellent choices! I doubt that we'll get five singles,though.Definitely three.....four if we're lucky.

VoicesCarry said:

What, the rest of y'all can't hear it?

I know "Miss Broadway" but I don't hear the similarity to "Give It To Me"

I do hear a Rick James "SuperFreak" bass riff in "Give It To Me"

SoulAlive said:

2:19-2:33 right before the "Get stupid" breakdown.. the lead synth and errythang.

haha I thought I heard "Super Freak" at the start too but

BILLBOARD HOT DIGITAL SONGS

1 1 LEWIS*LEONA BLEEDING LOVE 217128 -8 235880 1783105
3 2 LIL WAYNE LOLLIPOP 163612 -7 175793 1229367
2 3 MADONNA FEAT. JUSTIN TIMBERLAK 4 MINUTES 150170 -19 185159 1181900
11 4 BEDINGFIELD*NATASHA POCKETFUL OF SUNSHINE 134830 110 64125 636477
4 5 SPARKS*JORDIN NO AIR 104868 -12 118946 1599908
5 6 RAY J FEAT YUNG BERG SEXY CAN I 103683 -9 113328 1137148
9 7 MCCARTNEY*JESSE LEAVIN' 102432 8 94653 200408
7 8 USHER LOVE IN THIS CLUB 91930 -8 100437 1329145
6 9 BROWN*CHRIS FOREVER 89866 -21 113072 203032
10 10 MAYER*JOHN SAY 75856 -14 88194 734203
8 11 CAREY*MARIAH TOUCH MY BODY 72837 -26 98711 868528

also...

-- 21 MADONNA GIVE IT 2 ME 37654 999 0 37654
-- 101 MADONNA BEAT GOES ON 11348 999 0 11348
-- 180 MADONNA CANDY SHOP 7578 999 0 7578


(Look for Give It 2 Me to make a brief 1 week appearnce on the Hot 100 (for now) based on these sales )


Phyical CD single sales (you remember.. actually going to the store and buying them)....

Billboard Hot Singles (CD Maxi)

-- 1 MADONNA 4 MINUTES 5,052 999 434 6,316
-- 2 CAREY*MARIAH TOUCH MY BODY 660 -19 813 4,494

-----


Madonna's SoundScan Debuts on the Billboard 200

Hard Candy Madonna 280,000 #1 5/17/08
The Confessions Tour Madonna 40,352 #15 2/17/07
I'm Going To Tell You A Secret Madonna 25,475 #33 7/8/06
Confessions On A Dance Floor Madonna 349,556 #1 12/03/05
Remixed and Revisted Madonna 20k #115 12/13/03
American Life Madonna 240,821 #1 05/10/03
GHV2 Madonna 150,300 #7 12/01/01
Music Madonna 419,601 #1 10/07/00
Ray Of Light Madonna 370,683 #2 03/21/98
Soundtrack: Evita (2-CD) Madonna 92,300 #6 11/30/96
Something To Remember Madonna 110,000 #6 11/25/95
Bedtime Stories Madonna 145,000 #3 11/12/94
Erotica Madonna 167,000 #2 11/7/92
[Edited 5/7/08 8:56am]

FARK!

Is this album already outperforming Confessions? Looks to be doing VERY well in most territories.

BILLBOARD HOT 100
1 1 LEWIS*LEONA BLEEDING LOVE - SINGLE
2 2 LIL WAYNE LOLLIPOP
3 3 JORDIN SPARKS DUET NO AIR
5 4 USHER LOVE IN THIS CLUB
6 5 RAY J FEAT. YUNG BERG SEXY CAN I
4 6 MADONNA 4 MINUTES
7 7 CAREY*MARIAH TOUCH MY BODY
19 8 NATASHA BEDINGFIELD POCKETFUL OF SUNSHINE
8 9 SARA BAREILLES LOVE SONG
14 10 JESSE MCCARTNEY LEAVIN'



-- 57 MADONNA GIVE IT 2 ME
77 58 CHRIS BROWN TAKE YOU DOWN
79 59 USHER FEATURING BEY LOVE IN THIS CLUB, PART II

Yikes @ her second week projection. American Life sold 91k in its second week. This is going to sell similarly to AL in the US, and perhaps worldwide. As is typical for her, she will probably quit promoting the album to focus on the tour.

IS A CHART’S BEST FRIEND

Legend’s Rick Rubin-Produced Columbia Album Will Debut at #1

May 7, 2008


It’s been 42 years since Neil Diamond released his debut album in 1966, The Feel of Neil Diamond.

The veteran singer-songwriter proves he’s still got the waist movement, Cherry, with his latest Columbia Records release, Home After Dark, produced by label creative chief Rick Rubin, set to debut at #1 next week for Steve Barnett and company with a one-week total of 125-130k.

That number, which could go higher with Mother’s Day weekend sales, should be more than enough to beat out Madonna’s WB release, Hard Candy, which appears on tap for between 85-95k after one week on top.
[Edited 5/7/08 19:46pm]

But AL was five whole years ago when CD sales were better.

Cinnie said:

Yes, but she didn't have a massive radio hit like she does now.

jillybean said:

actually, I get shades of "Supernatural" from parts of "Voices"

VoicesCarry said:

which only shows just how far CD sales have fallen. something that's actually got a huge hit from it now sells what something that was a real dog did 5 years ago in its second week.

BREAKING NEWS: MADONNA'S 'STICKY AND SWEET TOUR' WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER TODAY (MAY 8).....SEE THIS THREAD PAGE THREE...

http://prince.org/msg/8/269208

Tourdates revealed!

SoulAlive said:

horrid, horrid title

R3V said:

I like it

what would you have called the tour?

xperience319 said:

It debuted at Number One in 27 countries so far.In addition to debuting at the top of the charts in Canada and the US,the album has also entered at Number One in the United Kingdom,Ireland,Australia,Germany,Italy,France,Japan,Netherlands,South Africa,Sweden,Finland and Slovakia,just to name a few.

Here's Billboard's take on Hard Candy's Number One debut in America....

Madonna's "Hard Candy" album makes a sweet entrance at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 280,000,giving the diva her seventh chart-topper and the third biggest sales week of the year.A whopping 26% of the album's first week sales were downloads sold through digital retailers.

*Madonna's 'Hard Candy' takes its expected bow atop the Billboard 200 albums chart,giving the queen of pop her seventh No.1-the second-most among all female artists.Only Barbra Streisand,with eight,has more."Candy" earns the third biggest sales week of the year as well,with 280,000 sold in its first week.That's a bigger number than the 225,000-250,000 range that Billboard projected last week based on the set's first-day sales figures. (Digital downloads accounted for a whopping 26%---73,000---of the album's overall first week,easily making it No.1 on the Top Digital Album charts).

*Madonna's last studio effort,2005's "Confessions On A Dancefloor",started with 350,000 when it bowed at No.1.However,that discofied album was released on November 15,just as the Christmas shopping season was kicking into high gear,which partially explains its bigger opening.Each of the top seven albums that week on the Billboard 200 sold more than 100,000.Even the No.2 album,the debuting "Some Hearts" by Carrie Underwood,started with more than 300,000.

*So far,in 2008,there has yet to a week that busy.The last time the chart housed seven or more albums that each sold at least 100,000 was-no surprise-the sales week ending Dec.23,2007,when the top 23 all did more than 100,000.Ho,ho ho!

*For those chart watchers (and diva enthusiasts) who are trying to draw comparisons between "Hard Candy's" 280,000 and Mariah Carey's 463,000 start with her new "E=MC2",hold your horses.During "E=MC2's" release week,Carey pulled out all the stops and performed on "American Idol","The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Good Morning America".During "Hard Candy's" release week,Madonna did not perform on TV.In fact,she has yet to perform on American TV to promote this album.Last week,the only chat show she visited was BET's "106 and Park" on May 2.(She will appear on VH-1's Top 20 Countdown this Saturday May 10).

*Madonna,did however,stage a well-publicized club show at the Roseland Ballroom in New York on April 30,which was streamed online via MSN.But a club show--no matter how hot--can't compete with the impact "American Idol" and Oprah Winfrey has.And,keep in mind that Carey was returning with her first album since her comeback set,"The Emancipation of Mimi",which also happens to be the biggest selling album of 2005.

*Besides,with an album loaded with singles that seem ripe for American radio,"Hard Candy" may have a healthy shelf life.The set was fueled by the unqualified hit single "4 Minutes" (featuring Justin Timberlake).It's her biggest radio hit since 2001's "Don't Tell Me" and it spent multiple weeks at No.1 on the Hot Digital Songs chart.Madonna's had a tough time getting her new music heard on U.S. radio in the past six or so years,so securing American airplay with "4 Minutes" was key in the promotion of "Hard Candy".The diva is in Europe now,focusing on the promotion of the album there.On May 6,she staged her second club show supporting the album,this time at the Olympia Hall in Paris.(Her upcoming "Sticky and Sweet Tour" is expected to be announced on Thursday May 8).

newpower99 said:

to put it all in perspective.....

***"4 Minutes" is Number One on the Billboard Club Play charts.

***On the Digital Sales Chart,"4 Minutes" comes in at Number Three,selling an additional 150,000 downloads this week.

***On that same chart,"Give It To Me" comes in at Number 21,selling around 37,000 downloads.

***"Candy Shop" and "Beat Goes On" also were on the Top 200 Downloads chart.

***NOTE: The impressive sales for "Give It To Me" will help it debut on today's Billboard Hot 100,but it will likely drop off until the actual single/radio release in June.

R3V said:

There's only a handful of artists who sell a ton of CDs these days (Justin,Kanye,Beyonce,Mariah,a few rappers).In Madonna's case,she will sell some decent numbers but let's face it...with all the promotional tie-ins and lucrative deals,she's already made her millions off this CD.She can now concentrate on the tour."Thank God I don't have to rely solely on record sales",she recently said."I know how to put on a show".

And what's wrong with that? As a fan,I'm much more excited about a tour than I am about a bunch of meaningless TV appearances,where she sits there,bored,and gets asked the same dumb questions over and over.A tour is the ultimate way to promote your music and connect with your fans.And she's smart to announce her tour while her CD is still "hot".This is what Janet should have done,it might have kept her momentum going a little longer.

R3V said:

Not really. Mariah just got her highest opening week sales ever, so...I guess it depends if people are actually prepared to buy the album or not. In Madonna's case, people would rather buy the single than the album - 4 Minutes is a digital smash.
[Edited 5/8/08 6:27am]

SoulAlive said:

Who said there is anything "wrong" with it? It's a statement of fact.

VoicesCarry said:

You're right, "4 Minutes" IS a massive radio hit.

VoicesCarry said:

Mariah has always sold more records in America than Madonna,but come on....280k in the first week is nothing to sneeze at.That's impressive,considering where the industry is at these days.And her worldwide sales are incredible.Hard Candy is Number One in 27 countries right now.

But this is all a moot point.The real money is in touring,and we all know who's gonna come out on top in that area

.
[Edited 5/8/08 6:36am]

SoulAlive said:

Nothing is impressive without longeivity. For example, Leona Lewis is going to top Mariah's numbers without ever selling more than 200k/week.

It's ironic because Madonna made this record to explicitly appeal to the US audience.

VoicesCarry said:

Having grown up in the 70s and 80s,I remember a time when an album would "last" six months or more on the charts.With a few exceptions,those days are over.There is no more "longevity" for most CDs that are released these days.That's why touring is more important than ever.



And to that end,she's succeeding."4 Minutes" is her biggest US hit in years.

SoulAlive said:

It's also why longeivity - and not the opening number - is impressive. And, yes, touring puts the butter on Madonna's bread, no doubt about it.

nevermind
[Edited 5/8/08 10:55am]

VoicesCarry said:

Mariah got those sales by a number of aggressive, highly promoted TV appearances. Would she have achieved anything near that number without American Idol? Highly unlikely.

Madonna's album is pretty much selling on the basis of the music alone as she really hasn't done much promo in the US at all.