Backstreet Boys Set Record

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: May 27, 2099 Source: Associated Press Submitted By: Thursday May 27 4:34 AM ET By DAVID BAUDER Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Thanks largely to teen-aged girls - and maybe their moms - the Backstreet Boys have set a new standard in music sales. The cute quintet sold 1.13 million copies of their new album last week, shattering a record for one-week sales set less than six months ago by country star Garth Brooks, according to Soundscan. ``We expected a great first week,'' said Tom Carrabba, general manager of Jive Records, which marketed the release. ``We just didn't know it could be this great.'' The album, ``Millennium,'' is the successor to the band's 10 million-selling, self-entitled debut, which came out almost two years ago, and contains the hit song, ``I Want it That Way.'' The new album went on sale May 18. The Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin, TLC and Britney Spears are leading a resurgence in music sales among teen-agers. After a few years when the industry worried it was losing teens to computers and video games, young listeners are flooding music stores again. While young girls make up the Backstreet Boys' prime audience, Jive has carefully marketed the group's ballads to an adult market as well. ``I don't think this is just girls,'' said Tom Calderone, MTV's senior vice president of music programming. ``The moms are out there and the girls are with their boyfriends, who are singing along sheepishly. I think it's bigger than that.'' MTV drew thousands of fans to its Time Square studio for a Backstreet Boys appearance last weekend, and estimated more than nine million people watched related specials about the band. Earlier this month, Latin sensation Martin sold 660,000 copies of his new album during its first week of release. Soundscan has been measuring album sales in the United States since 1991; precise sales figures before then are considered somewhat unreliable. Brooks' ``Double Live'' album sold 1.08 million in its first week of release in November. Comment on this item. Next Item: Jive Press Release Concerning Millennium Prev Item: Backstreet Boys Lead The Way As U.S. Goes Ga-Ga For Pop