A Matter Of Perception

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Dec 15, 2000 Source: Billboard's Chart Beat Chat Submitted By: Maria Sakhrani Q: Every now and then when you're answering questions, you include your personal opinions about the songs or artists you're discussing, and I have to admit that's one of the reasons I like your column so much. So I was wondering, could you could give your opinion on something I've been wondering about? The Backstreet Boys' newest album debuted with extremely impressive sales (more than 1.5 million units sold in one week), but compared to 'N Sync's first week sales for their last album, the figure isn't very inspiring. The album was extremely well-promoted, and the first week of sales included the day after Thanksgiving (traditionally the highest retail sales day of the year). So what went wrong? Personally, I think their lead-off single was extremely weak. While it is a very pretty song with a good hook, it is also pretty unremarkable. It's not the kind of slow song you'd want to hear at a wedding, nor is it the type of ballad you'd listen to if you were falling in love or a victim of a recent breakup. And it doesn't seem like the kind of song that would get you all excited about buying the album. Do you think the "disappointing" first week sales were due to the strength (or lack of strength) of the "Shape Of My Heart" single? Do you think the Backstreet Boys have hit their peak? Or are there other factors that you think played a more important part? Thanks! Tommy Marx Greensboro N.C. greensboroguy1@aol.com A: Dear Tommy, I agree that "Shape Of My Heart" was not a stand-out song. It's pleasant, but too reminiscent of previous Backstreet Boys singles for my taste. And that might have been an influence for some in choosing to buy -- or not buy -- the "Black & Blue" album in its first week of release. I do think we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that selling 1.5 million albums in the first week of release is a remarkable feat, however. True, it doesn't measure up to the first-week sales of 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached," but any record company would be thrilled to have an album sell 1.59 million units in its first week of release. And, according to Billboard's director of charts, Geoff Mayfield, it was the third-largest weekly sales figure since we started using SoundScan data. Here's what Geoff had to say on the subject in his "Between The Bullets" column in the Dec. 9 issue of Billboard: Even as Backstreet Boys establish the third-largest SoundScan week in history and become the first act to score million-plus weeks with two different albums, the group runs the risk of a "so what" reaction. That's as much a shame as it is silly. Observers may undervalue the 1.59 million units the Boys' "Black & Blue" sold in its first week because it falls shy of the astounding 2.4 million copies that the other boy band, 'N Sync, rallied earlier this year with the opener of its "No Strings Attached." Whether or not the groups see each other as rivals, there is most certainly a rivalry between their fans, as proved by countless E-mails sent to me and other Billboard staffers. 'N Sync's huge week this spring was a moment in time -- the right song at the right time, set up by the right album and aided by pent-up demand from delays due to the legal wrangling that moved the group from RCA to Jive. We should still think of a 2 million-plus week as the exception rather than the norm - more a possibility than a probability. Further motivating the shrugged shoulders is that four other albums released this year have already joined the million-a-week club. That said, the music industry backs itself into a dangerous corner if it gets to the point where a 1.6 million-unit frame is considered a ho-hum accomplishment. Only seven albums have enjoyed million-plus weeks in the nine and-a-half years that Billboard has had access to point-of-sale data. So far as we know, these seven may be the only ones to do so in the history of the business. Heck, I'm still impressed when an album starts out with 300,000 or more -- as do Tim McGraw's at No. 4 (306,5000 units) and Wu-Tang Clan's at No. 5 (302,000 units) - even if that happens during the big Thanksgiving sales week. Black & Blue's" sum is 40% bigger than "Millennium's" 1.13 million first-week sales and more than two times the sum of this issue's runner-up. Comment on this item. 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