Chinese Democracy (Album) - Charting

[TWT]

Best Buy can't be blamed. Or at least Best Buy can't be blamed here in the UK. It was released at the busiest time of the year to savage reviews. It's done well with that going against it.

But to assume the album will be a slow burner in terms of sales is optimistic. Everyone who wants to hear it has heard it now, whether through buying it, listening to it on MySpace or downloading it illegally. It will slowly slide down the chart for the rest of the year and that will be the last we see of it.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Best Buy can't be blamed. Or at least Best Buy can't be blamed here in the UK. It was released at the busiest time of the year to savage reviews. It's done well with that going against it.

But to assume the album will be a slow burner in terms of sales is optimistic. Everyone who wants to hear it has heard it now, whether through buying it, listening to it on MySpace or downloading it illegally. It will slowly slide down the chart for the rest of the year and that will be the last we see of it.

OK Nostradamus.

What looks good to you on the stock exchange?

[variant]

OK OK OK lets all get a bit of perspective here. People are talking as if CD is a failure after one week and that is just not true.

Rough figures:

US Sales - 300,000
UK Sales - 150,000
Brasil Sales - 50,000

Thats 600,000 copies sold in one week in just 3 countries! Its also number one in Canada and has sold very well in Finland, Poland and other european countries. Just because it wasn't instantly 'the biggest record in the world' people are getting all cross and its really not worth it. It will sell more over time - Better is released properly to Radio stations tomorrow and, with a bit of luck, there'll be a tour announcement before the end of the year to keep the momentum going.

People are still talking about it - there was a feature on BBC1 Breakfast News on Saturday discussing The Killers and GnR's chart battle*. I heard CD (the single) twice on Radio 1 over the weekend (Vernon Kaye said loads of people had been requesting it) and Absolute Radio included it in their promo which highlights the 'exciting new music' that they are playing.

Just chill and enjoy Chinese Democracy! This things gonna be around for a while yet.



*I didn't really hear it properly myself (babies crying etc) but they had some dick from Q magazine saying its not as big as it would have been with the original line-up (yawn) but the report also pointed out that there was no video or interviews happening. There was also a music retail expert on saying how it (and the Killers) were selling well. He also said that Chin Dem was 'a good album'

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Variant- this is only the beginning. 

[So Relaxd]

Debut @ #3 in Australia ---- cool it beat the Killers 


http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_physical_album.asp?chart=1A50

I find this absolutely amazing.  I am in WA and we have had ZERO promotion - not even a poster in the local Sanity music store when I went in to get it on its release day.  In fact I had to wander around the store to find it - thre was one copy on display on the counter adn 2 copies at the front of the shop.  A few days later though it was in pride of place on the top 20 albums - buts still not a promotional poster in sight.

Whats it been like in other parts of the world??

[Bodhi]

But to assume the album will be a slow burner in terms of sales is optimistic. Everyone who wants to hear it has heard it now, whether through buying it, listening to it on MySpace or downloading it illegally. It will slowly slide down the chart for the rest of the year and that will be the last we see of it.

unfortunately that is the trend for most albums these days...very few albums have a long shelf life.....But "Chinese Democracy" is just so damn good it is hard to see it just disappear....word of mouth should keep this thing going for a while...but for those who are saying it is a failure look at the facts...

1.There is NO tour to support this album.(yet)
2.Axl has not done 1 interview to promote this album.(yet)
3.No appearances by the band at all, like the AMA's or VMA's a few months ago.(yet)
4.No Rolling Stone cover(yet)(im guessing because of a lack of Axl interview)
5.In a move I disagreed with, they streamed the whole album on myspace for days before the release, pretty much eliminating any "curious" purchases that might have been made.  A shitload of people streamed it on myspace and that didnt really translate into record sales.  Those who were not thrilled with the album did not buy it and alot of first week sales are people who are curious.
6.Don't forget the people who hate the album right off the bat because Slash and Duff aren't on it.  There are a good amount of those "its not really GNR" people out there and no matter how good the album is they wont buy it.(those people are fucking morons)
7.It had a very limited release compared to the new Kanye West, Metallica and even Ac/Dc albums, at least here in the States.


So if you take all of the above into account, how could you possibly say that this record is a failure?  I think it is selling extremely well all things considered....and the most important thing is that this record is GREAT!!  It is the album that Axl wanted to make and it is phenomenal....This album is not going anywhere anytime soon and I am one of the ones who believes that people will still be listening to these songs years down the line...This album will have legs and as future tours and events happen it will continue to sell....I have waited just as long as anyone for this album, day after day, year after year and I am more than satisfied with the album...

    A year from now I will be willing to bet that "Chinese Democracy" will have sold more records than Kayne.

[bolton]

    A year from now I will be willing to bet that "Chinese Democracy" will have sold more records than Kayne.

agree

[kollemann]

place 2 in germany

http://www.wom.de/index.php?node=1457

[fora]

officially #3 in italy http://www.fimi.it/classifiche_artisti.php

[commissioner]

OK OK OK lets all get a bit of perspective here. People are talking as if CD is a failure after one week and that is just not true.

Rough figures:

US Sales - 300,000
UK Sales - 150,000
Brasil Sales - 50,000

Thats 600,000 copies sold in one week in just 3 countries! Its also number one in Canada and has sold very well in Finland, Poland and other european countries. Just because it wasn't instantly 'the biggest record in the world' people are getting all cross and its really not worth it. It will sell more over time - Better is released properly to Radio stations tomorrow and, with a bit of luck, there'll be a tour announcement before the end of the year to keep the momentum going.

People are still talking about it - there was a feature on BBC1 Breakfast News on Saturday discussing The Killers and GnR's chart battle*. I heard CD (the single) twice on Radio 1 over the weekend (Vernon Kaye said loads of people had been requesting it) and Absolute Radio included it in their promo which highlights the 'exciting new music' that they are playing.

Just chill and enjoy Chinese Democracy! This things gonna be around for a while yet.



*I didn't really hear it properly myself (babies crying etc) but they had some dick from Q magazine saying its not as big as it would have been with the original line-up (yawn) but the report also pointed out that there was no video or interviews happening. There was also a music retail expert on saying how it (and the Killers) were selling well. He also said that Chin Dem was 'a good album'

Canada Loves Axl!   

[Death Cube K]

We can all be smartasses and see how this should have been handled differently:

No Best Buy deal
Interviews with Axl
Band performances
Maybe another look at the track listing before release.

It's highly strange to release your comeback album and not say a word.

It's awfully hard to see. The band should have been firing now. On all cylinders. This approach just makes
it look like some kind of Axl Rose solo project.

[Jbat81]

We can all be smartasses and see how this should have been handled differently:

No Best Buy deal
Interviews with Axl
Band performances
Maybe another look at the track listing before release.

It's highly strange to release your comeback album and not say a word.

It's awfully hard to see. The band should have been firing now. On all cylinders. This approach just makes
it look like some kind of Axl Rose solo project.

Maybe Axl didnt want it to come out. Maybe the Company took over..... Theres got to b a reason for no "Band" promotion. Axl has talked more b4 the last few tours then promo 4 this album. An album he hasnt released til he tought it was perfect or til he wanted to. But still no word.... watever, i like the CD and thats all that should matter, right??
Jbat

[BKinNYC]

We can all be smartasses and see how this should have been handled differently:

No Best Buy deal
Interviews with Axl
Band performances
Maybe another look at the track listing before release.

It's highly strange to release your comeback album and not say a word.

It's awfully hard to see. The band should have been firing now. On all cylinders. This approach just makes
it look like some kind of Axl Rose solo project.

It's obvious that the Best Buy strategy was a failure in the U.S.  It's also no surprise that CD is more popular throughout most of the world, since it was more readily available.

Also, don't blame Best Buy.  They didn't stick a gun to Axl's head and say "hand over the album."  This was a strategy that management thought would work, and it backfired.  But maybe they thought this was the only way to recoup the money it cost to produce the album, and feared low album sales.

As I said a couple of days before the release, when everyone was like "Oh, don't worry, MY Best Buy is all over this," I tried telling everyone that each store runs independently, and doesn't have the corporate big-wigs looking over the employees shoulders on a day to day basis.  So of course some (many?) of the stores dropped the ball.  

And finally, sorry to say, but most people do consider this the Axl Rose solo project.  Hell, we're on these boards everyday and have no idea who's in the band.  So if someone like Fortus or Bumble would go on an interview, most people wouldn't care, because they're not the names people know.

[Mobenrad]

We can all be smartasses and see how this should have been handled differently:

No Best Buy deal
Interviews with Axl
Band performances
Maybe another look at the track listing before release.

It's highly strange to release your comeback album and not say a word.

It's awfully hard to see. The band should have been firing now. On all cylinders. This approach just makes
it look like some kind of Axl Rose solo project.

I completely agree with this statement in every form.

[dust of my dust]

Give it time people!!!   

The anticipation for the cd alone was great for initial sales, and all the promotion they needed in my mind (at least right at first)  This is easily seen from the myspace results...tons of people new about this album and were waiting to hear it. 

Now, we all should have known that even though many people were going to be interested in hearing this album, many people just weren't going to be pleased.  There are tons of people who just can't get over the fact that the original band broke up.  And tons of people also expect an album that sounds like Appetite.  So while there will be lots of old gunner fans who like this album, there is probably just as many who won't like this album.  This is going to be the initial phase people, the phase that were in right now.  This is also the phase that Axl will recieve a shit load of crap for things like the band breaking up or having a differen't sound than 20 years ago..

However, this is also the start of GNR gaining new fans!!  More and more people everyday are hearing this music....some may not like it, but I'm sure many will.  And yes, I agree that there has been very little promotion but in time, I do believe that Axl will eventually promote this album with appearances and live performances that will gain more fans and ultimately sell more records and sell out concerts.  Axl doesn't necessarly have to promote for the sake of record sales as Best Buy already took care of sales for him.  However, I think he has to promote this album for sales at future concerts, where GNR really can make money.  I also believe that during their six months that Best Buy has control of the CD, they will do everything they can to push this album out there doors.  Trust me, I don't think Best Buy wants to eat the majority of the 3 million albums they bought from GNR.   

So in time, I believe there will be plenty of promotion and in the long run, this album will sell!!!  I don't think you want to shoot your wad all in the first month!! 

Give it time people!!!   

As usual, I don't have that much time to throw my two cents, but I wanted to quote this post submitted by "damnthehaters", as I agree with a lot of the things he said...

I am not what you'd call "an insider", and I don't know what's going on in the GN'R camp. So I can't tell for sure what's their vision and strategy in order to promote the album.
But if you think about it, what's happening right now might be a part of a more global strategy...

Maybe doing all the promo stuff prior to the release of the album and focusing on the first week sales would not have been that wise: maybe it would have just helped selling more units during the first week (and not that much more, maybe...) before dropping off the charts shortly after, for all the promo tricks might have been used too early.
If what we have heard about the conditions of the Best Buy deal is true, the most important/urgent business issue (which was to secure the financial aspect of the release in regards to the supposed cost of the recording process) might have been solved regardless of the actual first weeks sales, as Best Buy probably paid substantial money to have the exclusivity. Which means that the record compagny wouldn't need to rely on the first week sales to make immediate substantial income off the release of the new album. Thus, the band would have more time to see things coming, and develop a strategy in the long run, as Chinese Democracy is an album that is meant to last.

The Myspace operation might have been a step in that direction. It has given everybody a chance to listen to the album for free, in all fairness, so that people can see things for themselves, think about it and make their own opinions. It helps promoting the album, because people will talk about it, but it might have no real effect during the first few days. In fact, it might even hurt first days sales, as even the people who liked what they have listened to might just wait a little more before actually buying what they had the chance to listen to a few times for free... But it definitely makes everybody aware of the fact that the band is back for good.

Then, considering that the album was meant to sell significantly the first week of its release anyway, wouldn't it be wiser to save the promotion tools and tricks to use the first sales as a start and not as an end, in order to maintain some promotional actuality and press coverage during weeks?

Maybe the first week sales could have been better, and maybe management was hoping that the album would be directly n?1 without that much promotion. But being n?2 in the american charts and in the first three places almost everywhere in the world (and N?1 on Itunes...) is not that far from that: it is pretty good actually, especially nowadays, and now that the wheels have been set in motion, the band has plenty of time to use other promotional tools...

In the end, fans need to stay focused regardless of that matter (as opposed to so-called journalists who will change their words and views in accordance to sales... shame on them...). Enjoy listening to the album and tell everybody that you do!

Not only this album is a grower, but it is so good that it's meant to win the test of time... Stay proud and confident!

[audjon]

We can all be smartasses and see how this should have been handled differently:

No Best Buy deal
Interviews with Axl
Band performances
Maybe another look at the track listing before release.

It's highly strange to release your comeback album and not say a word.

It's awfully hard to see. The band should have been firing now. On all cylinders. This approach just makes
it look like some kind of Axl Rose solo project.

I completely agree with this statement in every form.

Yeah, and maybe another lead single instead of CD would have been better.

[Pine Barrens]

To be honest, I never really expected anything one way or the other. I was more curious than anything. Would it sell poorly, medium or a lot? I really had no idea. I understood that there are a lot of people who have been waiting for this CD for a long time, but that's mainly in our world (the GN'R world), when it came to the outsiders who didn't follow GN'R every move, they would have to be convinced with strong singles and subsequently an even stronger album, and since our opinion is biased, we can't really expect it to reach #1 everywhere. It won't sell just because it's Axl or because it has the GN'R name on there, a lot of people do not care about that. They hear a song on the radio and go "oh, I think I'll buy that song on iTunes", and if they like it enough, they may buy the rest of the album. You gotta remember, a lot of people these days buy their music online, and that gives them the option to buy the whole album, or just individual songs. That will put a dent in record sales, whereas in the past you usually had to buy the whole thing even if it was only for a song or two that you liked.

However, having said all that, a late night appearance and some publicity sure couldn't hurt sales.

But what do I know? I'm just a fan and I've got my Chinese Democracy... and that's enough for me.  

[variant]

Just as a little sidenote - Kanye West's album only got to number 11 in the UK. Now thats really got to be disappointing...

[Howard2k]

Just as a little sidenote - Kanye West's album only got to number 11 in the UK. Now thats really got to be disappointing...

No, that's awesome! 

[mrarkadin]

Guns N Roses fans are like Jets fans--either predicting wild, unrealistic success or complaining about what a terrible failure it all is. And, of course, the truth is somewhere in between. This was never going to sell 1.5 million in the US week one, immediately displacing hip hop and pop music at the fore of every ipod and ringtone. But it looks like the record almost sold 1 million world wide the first week. That's great total sales for a lot of bands.  I think the thing is just warming up, and I'm generally a doom and gloom guy.