FIFTY SHADES OF GREEN

Republic’s soundtrack set for Fifty Shades of Grey, streeting this week, looks set for a debut in the neighborhood of 175-200k, with its assorted happening singles adding another 15-20k on the SPS (Singles Plus Streaming) Chart.

The album, which will no doubt be go-to booty music for throngs of moviegoers once they catch the flick’s Valentine’s Day opening, is now #1 at iTunes; several singles, notably Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do,” The Weeknd’s “Earned It” and AWOLNATION’s “I’m on Fire,” having blown up at the digital store.

Meanwhile, Goulding’s track moved #32-26 at Pop radio this week, while “Earned It” is set to chart soon at Rhythm.

As Republic’s renowned vinyl fetishist Tom Mackay informed us a while back, music is deeply integrated into the story, with songs having been created expressly for the film and working organically (and, one presumes, orgasmically) with the visuals. This includes the first song Producer of the Year Max Martin has ever penned for a motion picture.

Expect the movie’s relentless marketing and multiple tie-ins to drive much more attention for the album, and for songs from the set to continue disrupting iTunes and other avenues.

(TEA numbers geek digression: If a song on a soundtrack also appears on an artist’s album—as is the case with Fifty Shades’ Annie Lennox, Rolling Stones and Frank Sinatra tracks, among others—single sales accrue to the artist’s album TEA, not the soundtrack.)