ONE-DAY SALES:
TOBY KEITH, FOUR OTHERS LOOKING LIKE A NEW TOP FIVE
That’s right: Make no mistake, and don’t you dare fiddle around and say something stupid, because Toby Keith is back. And as he explained last time around, putting a boot in your ass is “the American way.”
Well, it’s no secret that us American folks ate up Keith’s “Courtesty of the Red, White and Blue (the Angry American)” like so much banana pudding, so it’s no surprise that his new album’s already kicking sales butt.
Indeed, the cleverly titled Shock’n Y’all (DreamWorks Nashville) is on track to sell as much as 500k for the week, according to early reports from national accounts. And that number could grow following Keith’s performance on the Country Music Association Awards broadcast tonight. Think he’ll do “The Taliban Song”?
But Keith, who's clearly headed for #1, isn't the only artist stirring things up this week. In fact, it looks like we might end up with a Top Five of all new albums on next week’s chart.
Sarah McLachlan’s Afterglow (Arista) appears to be headed for #2, with sales that should reach 300k by the end of the week. Meanwhile, the new Now 14 compilation (Columbia) could give McLachlan a challenge, as it looks like it’ll move around 250k, but it’s too early to tell whether it’ll be a fight.
Moving right along, Sheryl Crow’s Very Best of... (A&M/Interscope) should come in at around 200k, while Ja Rule’s 50 Cent-dissing Blood in My Eye (Murder Inc./IDJ) appears headed for a first-week tally of over 150k.
Also likely to bow in the Top 10 is P.O.D.’s Payable on Death (Atlantic), which shows signs of hitting 100k for the week. Capitol's Coldplay DVD/CD combo, retailing for $20, also has a shot at passing 100k.
For those interested in a little perspective, here's something to consider: Finding Nemo just came out on DVD, and is said to be well on its way to breaking the first-week DVD sales record established in Sept. 2002 by Monsters, Inc., which sold 11 million in its first seven days. Nemo sold a record 8 million DVDs and videos in its first day in North America retail stores, topping the one-day total of 5 million sold by Monsters, Inc., the previous collaboration between the Walt Disney Co. and Pixar Animation Studios Inc. Nemo shattered the previous high of 7 million sold in a day set last year by Spider-Man.
The studio shipped 25 million copies but already has ordered more, figuring some stores might run out as early as this weekend, said Disney Home Entertainment President Bob Chapek.
Yow.
