FunkyBrotha said:

So basically this album is going to sit somewhere around 200-250k but prob the lower end of that estimate . That's largely from physical sales of a product with a high average selling point. Seems a decent result given the zero promotion. If a prince product was promoted he could easily still be selling half a million albums but the benefits of promotion go beyond the immediate release and also translate into even higher legacy sales.

Zero promotion you say?

W2A has been massively promoted everywhere!

As others has stated sales will end up around 150-200k.

However if most fans are like me and buy all formats (5 in total), then there are perhaps just 40,000 fans left who actually buy the music.

It's very sad this is such a terrible flop.

darkroman said:

Very well promoted? Is that a joke?
You saw a music video? Where?
You saw a tv performance ?
You heard a single daily on the radio?

W2A is currently one of the best selling album released that year in the US (#23 IIRC)
It still #52 on Amazon.com this day.

And Sony didn't pay 1% of the marketing promotion they usually did for the current most popular acts, that sells for a small portion of them only 3 times what W2A does.

W2A already has more than 100.000 copies with "only" 4 countries : USA, France, Japan And the UK ( and I only have the first two weeks of sales!).

Chartrun-wise, its Prince best performance since Musicology.

If you call it a flop, then every album released that year is a flop too.

RODSERLING said:

[Edited 9/17/21 7:47am]

Japan physical sales for W2A 7 th week :
#118 (-4) : 384 copies physically sold, but it's 37 more than last week.

Frankly, I expected a 100 ranks drop, but it has legs.
This album is clearly selling beyond the fans. I have friends fans of Prince, they didn't even buy the 15$ edition.

Best selling albums in the US in 2021 so far, as of week 36

19 127,000 PURPLE RAIN Prince & the Revolution 4,172,000
61 74,000 WELCOME 2 AMERICA Prince 74,000

W2A is currently the #16 best selling album released in 2021 in the US.

RODSERLING said:

W2A should reach 100,000 sold copies before the end of the year or am I just too optimistic?

NoSwan said:

With only 16 weeks left before the end of the year, and without promotion, I m afraid it might fell a bit too short.
But it will eventually reach the 100k mark for sure, if not in 2021, then in 2022.

Welcome 2 America :

Wales : #60 (6th week)
Interesting chartrun : 2-18-39-out-100-60

7th week :

Switzerland : #78 (-21)

Belgium ( Flanders) : #104(+4)
Belgium ( Wallonia) : out!

Welcome 2 America is #184 (-52) on the french album charts this week with around 650 copies sold.
Total : 10,700

RODSERLING said:

Good! Thank you.

NoSwan said:

You're welcome.
On the Schkopi forum, the guy whose the work was to make promotion of W2A in France, confirms the promotion was just mainly sending the album to the medias. Since the release, nothing more has been done.

There would be nothing more done for it. Maybe the hope it will be on some media's christmas list for the best albums of the year.

For all those saying here there was huge promotion, the guy in charge confirns there wasn't, and nothing has been done since the 30th of july.

But don't forget Sony France has to deal with what Sony US/the estate give them. It s not a criticism against Sony France at all.

Without a single music video or tv performances, and with the artist dead, it's hard to sell a project besides sending the album to the press.

It's hard to believe, but Sony didn't even do an edit radio version for W2A for instance.
So the 150,000 more copies they already sold in 6 weeks is a milking cow for them.

US Billboard, The week of September 25, 2021

TOP ALBUM SALES

TW LW 2W WOC Title Artist
29 30 42 176 Purple Rain (Soundtrack) -
67 44 32 7 Welcome 2 America - Prince

TOP CURRENT ALBUM SALES

40 25 22 7 Welcome 2 America - Prince ( 2 )

Question


How many for sure for Total physical W2A Superdeluxe box set worlwide sales until now....any idea about that ? Thanx

love2thenines2003 said:

No, since they are not separated in the charts.

When Originals was released, there was only the single edition first.
It sold like 20.000 in the US IIRC
Then 3 weeks later, the SDE was reased, and it sold 20.000 too.

On Amazon, W2A had better rank with the SDE on preorders.


So, to me, a good half of the first week sales of W2A are from the SDE.

An interesting case was the Japan.
The SDE was only released 4th week after the regular edition.
While it already sold about 9,000, it sold suddenly 1500 copies that very week.

It s a low ratio, bit you have to take into account that Japan had already its own deluxe release : CD+ blu ray at about 50$. So most of the fans didn't bother to wait for the SDE since they already have the blu ray for a cheaper price.

So in conclusion, I would say that as of now, at least 1/3 of the sales worldwide are coming from the SDE.
That's a minimum.

Japan (Oricon)

Physical Albums
271 (118) 8 Welcome 2 America (159/11,787)


So, 11,787 copies physically sold in 8 weeks.

The 1st week of sales in Japan :

Physical | Digital | Combo
#10 (6,374) | #21 (272) | #11 (6,736)

There was 272 downlooads sold the 1st week too + 88 equivalent streaming, sales.Then after it s untrackable.

So, that makes for an estimated total of 500 dl +120 streaming sales.

Total estimated : 12,400 sales in 8 weeks in Japan.

Portugal charts are very late.

6th week for W2A : #19
Chartrun : 2-6-5-19-16-19

Best selling albums in the US in 2021 so far, as of week 37

Rank Estimated 2021 Sales TITLE Artist Estimated Total Sales

20 130,000 PURPLE RAIN Prince 4,175,000
59 76,000 WELCOME 2 AMERICA Prince 76,000

??? 15,000 THE VERY BEST OF PRINCE Prince 2,954,000
??? 13,000 THE TRUTH Prince 13,000
??? ????? 4EVER Prince 245,000

Last year, as of week 37, Purple Rain sold only 63,000 copies.

8th week for W2A :

Swiss : out!
Last album to last longer there was Planet Earth, which was #1 (!) And spent 11 weeks.

Belgium ( Flanders) : #119 (-15).

Initial post of this thread updated a few days ago.

After a 7-weeks chartrun, W2A is out of the top 200 album in France.
It sold there 11,000 copies, including an initial order of 3,000 SDE.

US Billboard Charts (02/10/2021)

TOP ALBUM SALES

TW LW 2W WOC Title Artist ( Peak)
28 29 30 177 Purple Rain (Soundtrack) - Prince And The Revolution ( 2 )
82 67 44 8 Welcome 2 America - Prince ( 2 ) NPG


TOP CURRENT ALBUM SALES

TW LW 2W WOC Title Artist ( Peak)
47 40 25 8 Welcome 2 America - Prince ( 2 ) NPG

Worldwide charts and sales for Welcome 2 America :

The album is out of the top 300 charts in Japan after an exciting 8-weeks run.

The album is still charting in Australia, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and in the USA.
It is not dead yet, to paraphrase Phil Collins.

Australia : 5-37-out!
Physical album sales : 2-7-8-16-41-51-44-50

Austria : 3-17-36-58-out!
Belgium ( Flanders) : 2-3-10-21-28-108-104-119
Belgium : (Wallonia) : 2-23-25-35-99-139-out!
Canada : 26-out
Top sales : 2-19-out?

Czech : 92-out
Denmark : 12-out
Vinyl charts : 2-7-14-out?

Netherlands : 2-12-29-96-80-out !
Finland : 27-out !
France : 4 (4,900)-39 (1,500+)-68(1, 100)-83 (1, 000)-102 (850) -132 (700)-184 (650).-out!
Total : 11,000 including 3,000 SDE
Deutschland : 3-15-17-60-83-out!
Ireland : 25-out!
Italy : 26-out!
Physical : 9-9-49-out-46

Japan : 10 (6,373)-31 (1, 539)-51 (553)-84 (533) -33 (1, 540) -114 (357)-118 (384)- 271 (159)-out!
Total : 12,500, including 11,787 physical sales.

Norway : 39-out!
Poland : 42-out!
Portugal : 2-6-5-19-16-19
Scotland : 3 -17-out?
Spain : 7-out !
Vinyls charts : 2-4-16-23-33-64-83-75
Swedien : 53-out?
Switzerland : 2-4-13-31-33-57-78-out !
UK Albums : 5 (6,034)- 111 (1,081)-out. Estimated total : 10,000.
UK album physical sales : 3-14-31-73-99-out !

US Billboard 200 : 4 (57k) -113-out!
US Top sales : 2 (50k)-7 (9k)-16 (5k)-12 (5k)-32 (3k)-44 (2k)-67 (2k). Total Sales: 76,000
Total sales + streaming : 85,000

Wales : 2-18-39-out-100-60

Worlwide sales :
1st week : 107,000
2nd week : 25,000
3rd week : 15,000
4th week : 13,000
5th week : 9,000
6th week : 5,000
7th week : 4,000
8th week : 2,500

Total : 180,500.

Great info. Are there similar figures for the two Super Deluxe releases? Are these profitable enough for the estate to continue putting in the efforts they have been?

JoeyCococo said:

The two other deluxes no. I didn't put that much efforts into it because sales were too low to track like I did with W2A, and I was upset the threads were closed after only two months. S
"They" should stick this thread, IMHO

I think W2A is a success, 'cause It's been a long time sibce Prince didn't stay that long in the charts worldwide.

The top current album sales is basically what was the Billboard 200 from the 60's to 2009 : a based on sales only chart, with album only less than two years old.

When you look at that very chart, W2A is doing very great.
Musicology aside, no Prince album did that since... D&P (!).

W2A is already one of the best selling album of the year. The marketing promotion consisted only in sending the album to the press and have great exposure in stores.
They didn't even bother to make one single video gor a "single", which is a shame since it was easy to put archivals video of historical figures, demonstrattions, etc. or even a lyric video.

I m sure this was more profitable than Billie Eilush new album, with all the money they put in marketing for her.

JoeyCococo said:

Great info. Are there similar figures for the two Super Deluxe releases? Are these profitable enough for the estate to continue putting in the efforts they have been?

Since albums don't sell that much anymore and Prince albums do sell that makes Prince albums more omportant to WB. Since it's a single song sale world in the music industry. If they aren't streaming.

Best selling albums in the US in 2021 so far, as of week 38

Rank Estimated 2021 Sales TITLE Artist Estimated Total Sales
19 133,000 PURPLE RAIN Prince & the Revolution 4,178,000
57 78,000 WELCOME 2 AMERICA Prince 78,000
??? 15,000 THE VERY BEST OF PRINCE Prince 2,954,000
??? 13,000 THE TRUTH Prince 13,000
??? ????? 4EVER Prince 245,000

W2A just outsold Nevermind this year (77k). Just to say how much W2A is popular.

Welcome 2 America :

Belgium (Flanders) : #101 (+18). 9th week

Portugal : #21 (re-entry). 8th week
All time charts : #837

So good to hear
. encouraging

US Billboard Charts (09/10/2021)

TOP ALBUM SALES
TW LW 2W WOC Title Artist ( Peak )
36 28 29 178 Purple Rain (Soundtrack) - Prince And The Revolution ( 2 )

Oops, that's all? Yes, Welcome 2 America is out after a fantastic 8 weeks-run.
But that's not the end of the journey yet :

TOP CURRENT ALBUM SALES
57 47 40 9 Welcome 2 America - Prince

The top current album sales charts used to be in fact the former Billboard 200 between 1956 and 2009, when following the death of MJ, it was obvious that chart didn't reflected anymore the real trends.
So, it's really a great run for a Prince album, all things considered

Best selling albums in the US in 2021 so far, as of week 39

Rank Estimated 2021 Sales TITLE Artist Estimated Total Sales
19 136,000 PURPLE RAIN Prince 4,181,000
59 79,000 WELCOME 2 AMERICA Prince 79,000
??? 15,000 THE VERY BEST OF PRINCE Prince 2,954,000
??? 13,000 THE TRUTH Prince 13,000
??? ????? 4EVER Prince 245,000

Welcome 2 America :

Belgium ( Flanders) top 200 album: #141 (-40) - 10th week

Spain ( vinyl charts) : #74 (+1) - 9th week

Portugal : out of the top 50 album!
Chartrun : 2-6-5-19-16-19-out-21-out
#837 on the all time list of this chart.