Let’s Do The Numbers
Soundscan numbers are in. Taylor Hicks debut album dropped last Tuesday, and his first week numbers came in just shy of 300, 000 at 298, 199. Taylor’s number came in under Season 5 4th place finisher Chris Daughtry, whose debut album DAUGHTRY sold 303K first week out.
Meanwhile, DAUGHTRY had another solid week of sales, charting at #7 and selling another 180, 903. His total after 4 weeks on the charts is an impressive 795, 234.
Taylor’s self-titled CD will debut at #2 on the Billboard 200 behind hip-hop artist Young Jeezy–his album debuted at #1, selling 352, 392.
While Taylor’s debut may not have broken any Idol sales records, I believe he will likely create and enhance his reputation as a musician and a performer when he hits the road. Begining in February, Taylor will be headlining a tour of small clubs and venues. Despite releasing a CD that’s somewhat on the poppy side, I suspect his live act will have a few more rough edges. And He continues to drop in on gigs to jam with like-minded performers. For instance, he made a surprise appearance Friday night at the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, playing harmonica with John Popper and jamming with the likes of Dave Matthews and Branford Marsalis. He’ll sell records, but I predict he’ll do very well as a concert attraction.
Fantasia’s sophomore album also debuted at #19 this week, and despite buzz and mostly good reviews, she sold 132, 964–under expectation. Again, not to worry. She’s a critics darling. If the good buzz around this latest CD continues, her sales could continue at a steady pace.
While I’m at it, more Idol sales numbers:
- Carrie Underwood, Some Hearts -199, 114-This Week 4, 294, 504-Total. She charts at #6 this week. After a year, “Some Hearts” is still going strong.
- Kellie Pickler, Small Town Girl – #6, 45, 357-This Week 273, 582-Total
- Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways – #124, 19, 145-This Week 460, 184-Total
- Ruben Studdard, The Return – #197, 9, 708-This Week 166, 478-Total
- Elliott Yamin has sold 5, 357 copies of his digital Christmas tune, “This Christmas”
For more on Idol sales numbers, check out Ken Barnes at USA Today’s Idol Chatter blog. He has access to Soundscan numbers, lucky guy. I’ve got commenters who scan the Pulse Music Board… thanks cathy, nevadask2 and kirsten
*numbers corrected to exclude street violations
