Planet Earth drops from #20 to # 41 this week on Billboard Album Chart with sales of about 17,000 .

Its 4 week total is now approaching 180,000


http://www.billboard.com/...0&g=Albums

thanks for the update

:wave:bye to PE. Future Baby Momma and Chelsea Rodgers. Oh wait was that ever a single. What happened to poor Chelsea. Chelsea Rodgers was supposed to be a single. Help me out with the next line.

It's weird how the UK's Planet Earth giveaway and his 21 Nights in London performances are making me care less and less about his record sales elsewhere.

Now, this isn't meant as any kind of criticism of this thread, cos before now, I was always wanting Prince to finally get a UK number one album and single and for him to be on top here again once more so that just about everybody here would be reminded just what a great musician and icon he is.

And now he is on top here in the UK right now! But not in the conventional way I, or anybody else, would have thought.

And it's odd to hear people in other countries discuss the weekly sales of Planet Earth when for us in the UK, it hasn't been an issue. This is the summer of Prince. We've had a new CD for nothing (£1.40 for the pedantic) and we've had the option of visiting up to 21 main shows and aftershows. And even if we've not been able to go to any of those shows, we've still been able to enjoy being part of the summer of Prince.

And it's made me think nothing of the album sales because he's already given just about everybody in the UK the option of listening to his CD and now doesn't care what they think of it so long as they had the opportunity to hear it. And hence why he doesn't feel the need to perform songs from it on his current run because he knows that really, he's got nothing to promote and he also knows that most people who are there to see him are seeing him because he's Prince and he's the hottest thing in London right now.

He's succeeded in making the UK folk not care about record sales and care more for what he's about as a musician.

It'd be great if he does the same around the World now over the next few years - Free CD in Australia and performances there, Free CD in Asia and performances there, Free CD in South America and, etc. etc. etc.

Again, this isn't meant as a criticism of this thread at all, it's just an observation on how Prince has made this fan far far less bothered about what records he sells when only last year, even I was desperate for him to have a number one CD etc. We haven't had the option to see how well the CD is doing here, so we're now being almost forced to see how the alternative marketing is working and we have seen the results of just how an artist can promote themselves without meaning that they are constantly trying to boost chart positions and boost weekly sales. And it's converted me. And now, let's hope he does it in every other territory around the world to convince everybody else.

I definitely want Prince to do really well commercially around the world (more money for him to carry on doing what he does) and it is interesting to read how the album's selling across the globe, but it's far less important to me now than it once was because his summer 2007 decisions in the UK have changed the way I've been seeing things.

Believe me, 5 years ago, I was the biggest Prince cynic there was! He's impressed me now, he really has.

It's done well enough considering the practically zero video promotion
and literally zero TV appearances . If Prince wants the album to sell
more he's gotta promote it . If he doesnt , its still a top 5 debut US album
and will go down as such .

I think all the publicity he's getting in London and the success of the 02 concerts has made him forget about promoting the album elsewhere.

It's a shame though. PE isn't my favorite album by a long shot, and to be honest, I listened to 3121 more than PE. But PE is a good album and had enough commercial appeal of promoted properly.

Thanks newpower, I understand what haystack is saying and we do appreciate what you're doing. So please keep it up I have kept up with each and everyone one of your up 2 date threads on PE. It's a great album and 2 bad it didn't get the air play are sales it deserves. I guest that's due 2 not having a single or video out

PicassoFace said:

yeah, MANY people don't even know that prince has a new album out

mimi07 said:

Know...or care.

Not bad for an album that went pretty much unpromoted in the US.

He should make a really good video for "Future Baby Mama" and perform it on a few U.S. television shows.He's got some real momentum going with that song....he should promote it here aggressively!

Haystack said:

Just curious - I know you said that this is the summer of Prince in the UK, but what kind of airplay is he getting on the radio? Do you hear a lot of the new stuff on a regular basis? I'm just curious if he's back "on top" in all aspects, not just his live performances.

viewaskew said:

know...and if they did then care

If the record label wants to promote it and put money behind a video or two.. then it might stick in the top 100.

If not, Prince will keep getting upfront ($5-10 Million) and then they can watch it fall out of the top 100 everytime.

But for Prince it is a win win. He owns the masters & they rent them for Millions.. He gets promotion and makes the Lion Share touring.

anotherloverholenyoass said:

To be honest, I don't know how much radio airplay he's getting because I'm not a great radio listener and nobody has been telling me that they've heard Prince on the radio. But again, this is showing that his current profile in the UK is all about alternative ways of promotion, and radio-play is another thing that isn't seeming to matter over here right now.

Thing is though, this is the first time since I became a fan over 20 years ago that I've been able to ask my work colleagues what they thought of the new Prince album and they've been able to answer because they've actually listened to it. I've had everything from 'I didn't really like it', to 'Bloody Hell, it really surprised me'. Because it was cheap and easy, they've actually had the opportunity to listen to what is probably their first Prince studio album ever (or at least since Purple Rain).

Likewise, whenever I've mentioned that I was going to/have now seen him live, I 've had so many 'Oh wow! I love Prince' type responses.
Whilst eating in a restaurant in the West End before the gig, I was asked by a member of staff what we had planned for our trip and as soon as I said we were going to see Prince, she was full of praising comments and how she wanted to see him but couldn't because she had to work every evening he was on. And I'd estimate her age at about 19. How many other 49 year old artists would get that much enthusiasm from a non-fan of that age?

It's like the entire country knows he has a new album out and a hell of a lot of them have listened to it, even if only once. They know that he's the hottest ticket in the country right now and so many people who've never given him a second thought before, are telling me that they want to buy his latest Hits compilation (which is great because Prince has given his okay to the Ultimate collection).

So he is on top in the UK right now because more people than I've ever known have been talking about him to me and wishing they were seeing him live and commenting on his new album. He's finally got a new-found respect amongst casual music listeners over here.

I can quite confidently state that he's never been quite so high profile in the UK before. It's like the media is telling everybody what a legend and genius he is and everybody's accepting it and wanting to be a part of it, rather than doing the usual British thing and getting cynical about it.
And it's about time!

at least its in the top 50- that's good- right?