GRAMMY SALES SPIKES CAN BARELY KEEP UP WITH JONES
The combination of a viewing audience that averaged 24.9 million, representing a 31% increase over 2002, and a full sales week has boosted Norah Jones’ award-winning Blue Note album Come Away With Me to sales that should top 700k, after selling 134k last week.
In addition, Norah Jones’ DVD, Live in New Orleans, will sell in the 20k range, an impressive figure considering the lack of promotion in the marketplace. Most chart-topping DVD music releases sell in the 4,000-5,000 range.
Jones, who was only the second performer since Christopher Cross in 1980 to sweep Best New Artist, Best Record and Best Album in the same year, is experiencing a Grammy sales explosion similar to those in the past by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Lauryn Hill and Santana. As of last week, Jones' album had sold 3.6 million OTC in the U.S.
Wherehouse’s Bob Bell stopped stocking the shelves with Norah albums to add: "This is a phenomenon that sometimes occurs after the Grammys, where you reach a whole different consumer who maybe only buys one record a year. But after seeing a big story like this coming out of the awards show, that’s when you’re going to get that customer. Every few years you have an artist the Grammys really gravitate to—but the sales spike we’re seeing on Norah is huge."
Wide Open/Monument/Columbia artists Dixie Chicks’ Home also benefited from the trio’s performance, with a one-week total that is headed over 200k, an almost 100% rise from last week’s 111k.
Warner Strategic Marketing’s Grammy Nominees 2003 compilation also showed upward movement, with retail reports indicating it could soar to well over 100k this week after 63k a week ago.
Aware/Columbia singer-songwriter John Mayer’s Room for Squares is also looking at 100k-plus in sales after garnering 42k last week.
After a career-making performance by Chris Martin, Capitol's Coldplay should sell in the 60-80k range, a 50-100% increase over last week's 39k.
In addition, Grammy performer Avril Lavigne’s sales are up 15%, while Eminem is also showing retail spikes, though his The Eminem Show must have reached every last fan of the hip-hop icon by now.
