The only previous Idol winners who can make that claim are first-season champ Kelly Clarkson, whose RCA debut Thankful, went straight to #1 in 2003, and Ruben Studdard's album Soulful, later that same year.

BEAM ME UP SCOTTY

Idol Winner McCreery Will Debut at #1 with 150-175k
This is one Idol winner who is living up to the hype.

Mercury Nashville/19/Interscope artist Scott McCreery’s debut studio effort, Clear as Day, will debut at #1 on next week’s HITS Album sales chart with between 150-175k.

That was based on one-day sales figures from those music retailers who aren’t otherwise occupied selling albums to the Wall Street protestors.

The only previous Idol winners who can make that claim are first-season champ Kelly Clarkson, whose RCA debut Thankful, went straight to #1 in 2003, and second season winner Ruben Studdard's album Soulful, later that same year. Carrie Underwood didn’t debut at #1 until her second album, Carnival Ride, entered at the top spot in 2007. Daughtry was an Idol runner-up whose second album, 2009’s Leave This Town, debuted at #1.

Sire group Jack’s Mannequin, fronted by ex-Something Corporate member and cancer survivor Andrew McMahon, will see its third album, People and Things, with between 35-40k in first-week sales.

Cherrytree/Interscope Canadian singer-songwriter Feist, who nabbed four Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist, for the 2007 album, The Reminder, returns with Metals, her first release since then, on target for between 30-35k.

ILG-distribbed Tallahassee, FL, rockers Mayday Parade’s self-titled third album is looking at sales estimates of 25-30k.

Veteran Curb country artist Rodney Atkins’ fourth studio album, Take a Back Road, should do in the neighborhood of 20-25k.

Longtime Epitaph emo-rockers New Found Glory are back with their seventh album, Radiosurgery, boasting a projected sales total of 15-20k.

Teleprompt/Warner Bros.New Orleans alternative rock band Mutemath, are looking at estimates of 15-18k for their third album, Odd Soul. The group received a Grammy nomination in 2008 in the Best Short Form Video category for their clip, “Typical.”

Album sales were up 5% vs. last week, up 5% vs. same week last year and up 3% year to date.

Track sales were down 2% vs. last week, up 5% vs. same week last year and up 11% year to date.

TEA (Track Equivalent Album) were are up 3% vs. last week, up 5% vs. same week last year and up 5% year to date.

C’mon, being up is better than being down.

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