http://www.variety.com/ar...id=16&cs=1


Posted: Wed., Apr. 28, 2004, 1:20pm PT

Prince crowns best ever SoundScan numbers
Usher holds top spot for fifth straight week

By PHIL GALLO



By counting the CDs handed out at shows on his current tour, Prince was able to post his highest-selling week in the SoundScan era, but landed at No. 3 behind Usher and the debut weeks for Mario Winans' sophomore disc.
Usher's "Confessions" (La Face) held down the top spot for the fifth straight week, selling 253,000 copies for the week ended Sunday, according to SoundScan. "Confessions" beat Winans' "Hurt No More" (Bad Boy), the first album from the R&B singer since 1997's "Story of My Heart," by 30,000.

It's Prince's "Musicology," however, that has the music industry buzzing. "Musicology" posted sales of 191,000 for the week, his highest total since 1991's "Diamonds & Pearls" (Warner Bros.) moved 172,000 copies. (His No. 1 albums, "Purple Rain," "Around the World in a Day" and the soundtrack to "Batman," predated SoundScan). "Musicology" is his first album distributed by a major since Arista released "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" in 1999.

But getting to that tally has never been done in the 13 years SoundScan has been the official meter for record sales.

Advertisements for Prince's concerts state "buy a ticket - get the new CD for free at the show," but tour organizers are saying the cost of the CD -- about $9 -- is built into the ticket price. The best seats at Prince's shows have averaged $75 or so; his Staples Center shows were priced at a reasonable $85-$49.

Between his tour opener March 27 in Reno and Sunday, Prince had played 18 shows. Conservatively estimating that 15,000 tickets are purchased per show, 270,000 copies of "Musicology" would have been given out.

For the current week, only sales from a show in Columbia, S.C., were counted because the cycle for venue sales is different than retail -- Thursday through Wednesday. The concert accounted for almost 13,000 in sales or 6.6% of the total. Prince played four shows between the album's release date, April 27, and Sunday.

Assuming the counting of the giveaway CDs -- which contain none of the packaging or booklet found in the retail version -- continues, Prince's figures should stay strong into July. He is playing six shows this week, plays three next week and then takes off until May 24 when he starts another leg at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim.

"The Pretty Toney Album," Ghostface Killah's first album for U's Def Jam -- the Wu-Tang Clan member made three discs for other labels -- sold 68,000 copies to land at No. 6. Gospel act MercyMecq had their strongest first week ever, as "Undone" (INO) hit No. 12 on sales of 56,000.

Dallas metal act Drowning Pool's "Desensitized" (Wind-Up), their first with new singer Jason Jones, sold 42,000 to debut at No. 17 and the former teen idols Hanson return at No. 25, selling 37,000 copies of "Underneath" on their 3CG label.

Other debuts included Fear Factory's "Archetype" (Liquid 8) at No. 30, selling 32,000; John Montgomery Michael on slot below on sales of 30,000 for his "Letters From Home" (Warner); Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society sold 24,000 copies of "Hangover Music, Volume 6" (Spitfire); and the Kottonmouth Kings sold 23,000 copies of "Fire It Up" (Suburban Noize).

Seven of the week's nine top 50 debuts are on independent labels. The compilation album "Rock Against Bush" on Fat Wreck Chords, just missed the top 50, selling 19,000 plus and debuting at No 54.

thanks for sharing this

Cool.

they forgot The Rainbow Children was released after rave un2 the joy fantastic

cloud9mission said:

they said distributed by a major.

Yep, by cheating his way on the charts. Way to go Prince!

classykat9620502 said:

They were his best figures even without the 13000 added.