MADONNA'S "MUSIC" ALBUM EXPLODING AT RETAIL,
WILL DEBUT AT #1

The regular Olympics may have started last week "Down Under," but the record industry version got underway with this week's release of Madonna's "Music" album, which is the season's first "Over The Top" hit. First-day sales indicate between 350-400k, with some retailers even predicting bigger numbers if the sales pattern continues to grow over the weekend. It's a lock to bow at #1 on next week's HITS album chart. Her last album, March '98's "Ray Of Light," bowed with 375k sold and went on to sell 3.5 million OTC.

The Warner Bros. album has been the beneficiary of a top-flight setup spearheaded by President Phil Quartararo in conjunction with manager Caresse Henry, leading to the record blowing out of stores its first two days on sale. The single, "Music," promoted heavily online with a groundbreaking video (which debuted right here on hitsdailydouble.com with an exclusive interview), continues to be the #1 song in the country.

This week, Madonna celebrated the album release with an exclusive party at Catch One, an underground gay disco in an unfashionable L.A. neighborhood that drew a horde of media types and a guest list including her current companion (and father of son Rocco), British director Guy Ritchie, Macy Gray, Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Backstreet Boys' Kevin Richardson, David Spade, Hugh Hefner (looking like an extra in "Weekend At Bernie's," propped up by a trio of blonde Playmates), Ice-T, Four Non-Blondes' Linda Perry, among assorted transvestites, strippers, cowboys, cowgirls and dancers.