This is HITS estimate:

GAGA'S AMAZING AMAZON SALE: Today’s unprecedented sale of the new Lady Gaga album, Born This Way, for 99 cents at Amazon has the disc threatening the digital download record of 288k set by Coldplay’s Viva la Vida. Label chief Steve Berman's thorough campaign has the record blowing out everywhere, with first-week sales estimates ranging from 750k to a high of a million. Meanwhile, iTunes, selling the regular version at $11.99 and $15.99 for the deluxe, had already threatened to pull down its splash page advertising for the album if it appeared on any other competing digital site, particularly its chief rival, though so far, the disc is still being promoted by Apple. Insiders are applauding Amazon for the loss-leader move, which is seen as a way of promoting its new cloud service. Will Soundscan count the 99-cent downloads in its total for Gaga? (5/23p)

Then they updated with this:

GAGA ADD: Sources report that Wal Mart has violated street date by selling the Lady Gaga album, Born This Way, over the weekend, with estimates of more than 10,000 moved, meaning the release could end up debuting on tomorrow’s HITS Top 50 sales chart. (5/23p)

musicjunky318 said:

This is HITS estimate:

GAGA'S AMAZING AMAZON SALE: Today’s unprecedented sale of the new Lady Gaga album, Born This Way, for 99 cents at Amazon has the disc threatening the digital download record of 288k set by Coldplay’s Viva la Vida. Label chief Steve Berman's thorough campaign has the record blowing out everywhere, with first-week sales estimates ranging from 750k to a high of a million. Meanwhile, iTunes, selling the regular version at $11.99 and $15.99 for the deluxe, had already threatened to pull down its splash page advertising for the album if it appeared on any other competing digital site, particularly its chief rival, though so far, the disc is still being promoted by Apple. Insiders are applauding Amazon for the loss-leader move, which is seen as a way of promoting its new cloud service. Will Soundscan count the 99-cent downloads in its total for Gaga? (5/23p)

Then they updated with this:

GAGA ADD: Sources report that Wal Mart has violated street date by selling the Lady Gaga album, Born This Way, over the weekend, with estimates of more than 10,000 moved, meaning the release could end up debuting on tomorrow’s HITS Top 50 sales chart. (5/23p)

You see its a weird thing and this question about PRICE has always been a factor, because the retailers can price fix for their own benefits, it kind of make things a little shady overall. I mean take the Video Game Industry, its one price across the board for everyone, no one can undercut the other, and thats how it should be with music because then you honestly would have held on to real music stores and never had Big Box undercutting, and making music stores look like greedy bastards when it was all on the labels and the big box stores took the hit and made the money on laptops and washing machines. So to me just like when PRINCE's 1999 new master was forced onto the "Album" chart because of its higher list price and though it was just one song and a maxi single its price dictated that it was an EP. To me selling an album for 99 cents is the same as a single, regardless if its for only one day etc...its why i dont take any form of "numbers" now to seriously, there kind of inflated like Barry Bonds Head.

A CD/Electronic store near me sell albums a week before it’s release and they was selling Gaga’s too. This is not the first time just it’s being reported.

babybugz said:

A CD/Electronic store near me sell albums a week before it’s release and they was selling Gaga’s too. This is not the first time just it’s being reported.

Isn't that illegal?

musicjunky318 said:

This is HITS estimate:

GAGA'S AMAZING AMAZON SALE: Today’s unprecedented sale of the new Lady Gaga album, Born This Way, for 99 cents at Amazon has the disc threatening the digital download record of 288k set by Coldplay’s Viva la Vida. Label chief Steve Berman's thorough campaign has the record blowing out everywhere, with first-week sales estimates ranging from 750k to a high of a million. Meanwhile, iTunes, selling the regular version at $11.99 and $15.99 for the deluxe, had already threatened to pull down its splash page advertising for the album if it appeared on any other competing digital site, particularly its chief rival, though so far, the disc is still being promoted by Apple. Insiders are applauding Amazon for the loss-leader move, which is seen as a way of promoting its new cloud service. Will Soundscan count the 99-cent downloads in its total for Gaga? (5/23p)

Then they updated with this:

GAGA ADD: Sources report that Wal Mart has violated street date by selling the Lady Gaga album, Born This Way, over the weekend, with estimates of more than 10,000 moved, meaning the release could end up debuting on tomorrow’s HITS Top 50 sales chart. (5/23p)

Wal Mart has always done this I noticed. Either way, not surprised that this is the estimate.

Spinlight said:

babybugz said:

A CD/Electronic store near me sell albums a week before it’s release and they was selling Gaga’s too. This is not the first time just it’s being reported.

Isn't that illegal?

I don't think, it's illegal, but the record companies can boycott the store as well as recall rest of ther catalogue, elimitating about 1/5 to 1/3 of their stock.

i'm not certain thogh...but I am fairly sure it's not illegal...it would only break a contract.

I've seen Wal-Mart do this all the time though so I doubt they'll do this and it's only speculation anyway. I don't even think it'll make the chart. And even that estimate prediction is suspect until it's certain what's going to sell by the END of the week. It's still too early to determine how it's going to do opening week.