by David Jenison
Apr 7, 2004, 1:30 PM PT
http://www.eonline.com/Ne...58,00.html


Janet Jackson might say there's been a "sales malfunction" on the charts.

Despite all her publicity good and bad, Janet Jackson's string of chart-topping studio albums finally came undone. Damita Jo, the singer's first album since the so-called "Boobgate" Super Bowl fiasco, came in a good 100,000-copies shy of dethroning the red-hot Usher.


For the week ended March 4, Usher's Confessions held the top spot selling 485,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan numbers released today. Jackson's Damita Jo came in runner's up with 381,000 copies.

Not to be outdone by brother Michael, Janet stirred up a controversial tempest earlier this year with her revealing Super Bowl halftime performance with Justin Timberlake. The event sparked a national debate on television decency standards, and Janet's involvement as a 2004 Grammy Awards presenter was scratched. Making a move for the positive, the singer hit the television circuit promoting Damita Jo on Good Morning America, On Air with Ryan Seacrest, and the Late Show with David Letterman, among others.

Janet first climbed to number one with 1986's Control and 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814 and then opened at number one with 1993's Janet, 1997's The Velvet Rope, and 2001's All For You, the last of which sold a Janet-best 605,000 first week copies. Strangely enough, Miss Jackson's hits collection Design of a Decade: 1986-1996 had been her only chart blight debuting at four back in 1995.

As Janet reclined to the second best spot, chart-topper Usher moved his 2-week sales tally past the 1.5 million mark as Confessions remained the big seller. The disc benefits from the smash single "Yeah!" featuring Ludacris and Lil' Jon.

Speaking of lil' southern rappers, Lil' Flip landed the week's second best bow as his third album, U Gotta Feel Me, sold 198,000 copies at number four. Another rapper, St. Louis' J-Kwon, landed his "Tipsy" rhymes at seven selling 125,000 copies of Hood Hop.

A pair of classic rockers also cracked the Top 10 with new blues inspired albums. Areosmith's Honkin' on Bobo sold 160,000 copies for a number five debut, while Eric Clapton's Me & Mr. Johnson sold 127,000 copies to enter in the six spot.

The rest of the Top 10, all holdovers, included Now That's What I Call Music! 15 at three, Norah Jones' Feels Like Home at eight, Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits at nine, and Kanye West's College Dropout at ten.

Outside the Top 10, country singer Tracy Lawrence landed the best bow at 17 with Strong selling 54,000 discs. NYC radio host DJ Kay Slay opened equally strong at 27 spot with his second official mixtape, The Streetsweeper Vol. 2: The Pain From the Game, featuring cuts by Eminem, Fat Joe, and Lil' Jon. Slay just barely edged out Bob Dylan, whose Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Concert at Philharmonic Hall debuted at 28.

Other notable debuts included Shakira's CD/DVD combo Live & Off the Record at 45, Music From the O.C.: Mix 1 television soundtrack at 52, The Who's Then and Now at 57, Dead Prez' RBG: Revolutionary But Gangsta at 60, Soulfly's Prophecy at 82, and Clutch's Blast Tyrant at 147.

Here's a recap of last week's Top 10 albums:

1. Confessions, Usher
2. Damita Jo, Janet Jackson
3. Now That's What I Call Music! 15, various
4. U Gotta Feel Me, Lil' Flip
5. Honkin' on Bobo, Areosmith
6. Me & Mr. Johnson, Eric Clapton
7. Hood Hop, J-Kwon
8. Feels Like Home, Norah Jones
9. Greatest Hits, Guns N' Roses
10. College Dropout, Kanye West

Well...I'm gonna puke!

VinnyM27 said:

1. Confessions, Usher - CRAP. ONE OR TWO REASONABLE TRACKS AND A LOT OF FILLER. "YEAH" = ANNOYING
2. Damita Jo, Janet Jackson MERELY 'OK', DEFINITELY NOT HER BEST
3. Now That's What I Call Music! 15, various NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL SHITTY MUSIC!
4. U Gotta Feel Me, Lil' Flip NO COMMENT
5. Honkin' on Bobo, Areosmith QUITE GOOD
6. Me & Mr. Johnson, Eric Clapton HAVEN'T HEARD IT YET
7. Hood Hop, J-Kwon CRAP
8. Feels Like Home, Norah Jones ZZZZZ...NORAH'S THE ULTIMATE CURE FOR INSOMNIA.
9. Greatest Hits, Guns N' Roses SHODDY REMASTER, QUESTIONABLE TRACK LISTING
10. College Dropout, Kanye West NEWEST UBER PRODUCER MAKES GOOD

Just a question, is No Limit back up and running or are the major labels just doing shoddy photoshopped covers for ALL the major releases now?


[This message was edited Wed Apr 7 15:26:03 2004 by VoicesCarry]

Janets trying to strip Usher now?? You would have thought she had learned her lesson when Justin stripped her..those damn Jacksons..will they ever learn??

well, considering that usher's sales went down by 57%, it is more than possible that janet could have a number one record next week. if she sells the same amount of records this week and he loses another 50% (from this week's totals), she can get that number one. not to speak ill of usher but that is the problem with debuting so high...the fall is quick, usually. we'll wait and see what virgin does for this promotional storm. they need to kick it up a notch or two.

what are the new releases for next week? anyone big?

SassierBritches said:

You know she ain't gonna sell the same amount of albums next week! This was the week! I don't doubt that she still might have a number one album with DJ, even next week. It's just going to have to be a matter of Usher dropping a lot (which is very possible) and Janet not droppig so much (not sure how possible this is but here's hoping).

Thankfully, nothing big is coming out this week or for quite a while. Then again. I seriously can't tell half the rap artists apart anymore so maybe...who is this guy...Gansta William Hung? Unless she has to face the warth of...Manilow! Hey, they are are lot of blue haired ladies out there buying records and I think his last greatest hits/best of debuted at #1 or at least in the Top 10. Strangers things have happened.

Doesn't look like there is anything big out until April 20th....that skinny motherfucker with the high voice....Prince, of course....and those skinny little ayrian kids with the pop melodies...Hason!
[This message was edited Wed Apr 7 18:54:33 2004 by VinnyM27]

SassierBritches said:

That just doesn't happen with today's sales trends. Sorry I know of basically no megastar who is immune to the > 40% drop after 1st-week totals. The turnover rate in the top 10 is just astounding considering how stable sales once were. But then, 20 or 30 years ago they just didn't have the distribution capabilities (or the massive chain stores) to sell more than a million units in a single week.

That this album has been poorly-received and has no proper single are also factors working against it. The die-hards came out this week, now there's not much to prop it up. I'm going to go out on a limb here, but expect a 60%+ drop next week like the one experienced by Madonna's last April (67%).

I know many Janet fans who bought multiple copies of the album simply to help Janet on the charts, so that also inflated this week's number.
[This message was edited Wed Apr 7 19:17:14 2004 by VoicesCarry]

VoicesCarry said:

i don't know...she is doing saturday night live this weekend and still working the press...anything is possible. and i know a lot of janet fans who SAID they were gonna buy 2 copies, but i don't know any who actually did. maybe the ones who didn't will go out and buy again this week.

you're right though, it is highly unlikely that she will maintain those sales this week. die hards make or break your ass these days. i just don't want damita jo to be her 2nd non number one.

VinnyM27 said:

i know...i know...

SassierBritches said:

From a Yahoo article on this week's chart:

Retailers said the Super Bowl incident did not seem to influence the sale of "Damita Jo" one way or another, noting interest in the album was dropping in its second week.

"I think first week sales came from her fan base and it's already forgotten. I haven't sold any hardly this week. It's getting some radio airplay but not as much as Usher," said Brent Caley, manager of Manifest Discs music store in South Carolina.

Matt Serletic, chairman and chief executive of Virgin, a unit of EMI Group Plc (news - web sites), said the label was pleased with Jackson's first week, calling the album a "long-term project."

"We expect to be very involved in this and will be promoting more singles to radio," he said.

I think this album will NOT go well for her. Best to move on to the next project and leave the titty-baring festivities to Madonna.

to be fair i think the state of Virgin has to be factored in..


but then, if this album was half good the word of mouth would have helped sales a lil bit...

VoicesCarry said:

nah, it ain't over yet. now, i'm not saying she'll get a number one (though, it would be great!) but there are easily 4 or 5 singles on that cd! all nite, rnb junkie, slolove, spending time with you, thinkin' 'bout my ex...they all have strong possible single potential. virgin just needs to give 'the man' his cash to get that shit aired. you can rest assured usher's peeps took care of any monetary responsibilities.

i think it is waaaaay to premature to bury the album after 1 1/2 weeks, lol. her promo tour isn't even done yet. not too mention her world tour hasn't begun. considering her next cd won't be for another 3 years, they can milk daita jo for a looooong time!

SassierBritches said:

I thought Madonna's "Love Profusion", "Nothing Fails" and "Nobody Knows Me" would have made great singles, too. Unfortunately, a bomb album usually gets you blacklisted on the radio (and she's already feeling the effects of ClearChannel's blacklist). "All Nite (Don't Stop)" probably won't catch on, despite its calibre, simply because of these preconditons (not to mention Virgin's shitty marketing). I know I sound like I've given up but it will be interesting to see if I'm right.

Let's hope she still releases the maxis though

Remember when sales actually mattered on the chart? I miss those days. Now basically all hits are bought and paid for (how else to explain Usher?).
[This message was edited Wed Apr 7 20:37:36 2004 by VoicesCarry]

VoicesCarry said:

yeah, it is a really shitty state of affairs. it used to work out so that what people actually liked was played on the radio. now, its kind of the reverse. people end up liking what's on radio because that's all they've got.

and then the labels wonder why record sales aren't what they used to be. shit, let a motherfucker decide what he or she wants to listen to and you'll see sales increase.

I can't believe that some fans would actually buy multiple copies of an album just to make sure it does well on the chart! That is ridiculous.Some fans are too obsessed with seeing their favorite artists succeed.If YOU like the CD,that's all that matters!

I'm sure that,even if this new CD flops,Janet will rebound when she tours.Just a few months ago,critics were writing Madonna off,saying that she's over because of the less-than-spectacular sales of 'American Life'.But now she's getting ready to go on a successful,sold-out tour that's expected to gross over $100 million this summer.Just goes to show that the occasional flop album does NOT end a career.

But still,Janet would be wise to try something completely different next time around.The response to this new CD should be a wake-up call for her.Another sex-themed album from her just won't fly.The public has heard it all before.

DavidEye said:

I think if anyone is buying multiple copies, it's probably people buying import verisons with more tracks and that really wouldn't help US sales anyway.

While I'm pretty sure a tour will be a hit, they tend not to help record sales very much. I don't think that AFY or TVR shot up during the tour. Also, they didn't help Madonna's "Music" at the time either.

I still don't doubt the power of "All Nite". Remember, Janet didn't get much love for TVR (which was bashed on All Music and probably by quite a lot of people) until "Together Again". They would be very wise to ship it out like yesterday!

VinnyM27 said:

Oh,I know that a tour wouldn't necessarily improve record sales,but it would still be a good idea.It would be Janet's way of saying "Fuck you" to all the critics who are gonna inevitably write her off in the coming months,insisting that she is over.A successful,sold-out world tour has a way of silencing the naysayers (just ask Madonna).

Btw,the total worldwide sales for Madonna's 'Music' CD is around 14 million copies,so I wouldn't say that touring can't help record sales.And in a few countries,'American Life' has re-entered the charts since Maddy announced her new tour.But interestingly enough,Madonna rarely tours to promote a new album.Most of her tours take place a year or more AFTER the album has already come out and peaked on the charts (the lone exception being 'Blond Ambition' which took place around the time 'I'm Breathless' came out,but that tour was devoted more to 'LAP' than the new album).
[This message was edited Thu Apr 8 5:54:25 2004 by DavidEye]

DavidEye said:

No, I meant multiple copies of the US version. Just visit any Janet forum to find out what I mean. Most people then give them away to friends who don't really want them, lol. BTW, this also inflated first-week numbers for Madonna's American Life.

VoicesCarry said:

some fans are total idiots...lol...what they fail to realize is that,flop album or not,these artists are STILL multi-millionaires.They don't necessarily need for EVERY album to be a huge success.Sometimes,I think fans care more about sales and charts than the artists themselves.

DavidEye said:

Maybe if you look at the bigger picture tough. If the album is a hit there is the possiblty of a tour, more music videos, singles, remixes. I don't think I've ever bought two verisons of the same exact CD but I can understand it. If the album totally tanked, do you think Janet could tour? It would be almost too embrassing.

VinnyM27 said:

Why would it be embarassing? Are you saying that you wouldn't wanna see your favorite artist in concert UNLESS they had a hit album? Prince's 'Lovesexy' album was a commercial flop in 1988,but he delivered the best tour of his career with that record.
[This message was edited Thu Apr 8 6:53:52 2004 by DavidEye]

DavidEye said:

DavidEye said:

No, it's not to give her more $$$, it's to help ensure a high chart placing. The knew Usher was competition, so they tried to get her to No. 1. Didn't work.

DavidEye said:

Absolutely not. It might be hard for them to go out on tour and there is always the chance that they might not be able to get sponsors (obiviously I'm talking about a very drastic case here).

And look at Donna Summer. She hasn't released a real album in forever and I'm sure her "recent" (if you could seriously call "Mistaken Identity" recent) track record is a part of that (although her last few projects have been at least semi-successful so I don't understand why she hasn't signed to a major label yet). I think it's not just a tour but also those other things. Then again, AFY had pretty good legs, until they were cut off after SOAG, which didn't do that badly as a radio only single.

Check out MTV News online and see the hacket job they did on Janet's album "being a bridesmaid". Looks like the ban on Janet is over in just enough time for this. The news articles on Janet from the last few months are only tidbits here and there and of course "Super Boob" apologies and drama! No big write up on the album, positive or negative! Guess this was all a scam by Janet and Viacom still, huh? THe worst part of the story is that big pumpkin head of Usher's smiling in a picture and the part of the story where they nearly go down on him. Screw you MTV!

sosgemini said:

no clay?

Janet Jackson's new song is about as fun as the shit on my shoe.

I just bought Damita Jo today and i like "dance all nite" she should have released that as her single its hot!

Er'rybody buying Kwon muss be Tip-sy