The Shins Wince Their Way To The No. 2 Spot
It’s looking like the Shins’ Wincing The Night Away will debut at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week–the highest-placing first week for an album on an indie label since Thom Yorke’s The Eraser entered the chart at No. 2 in mid-July. Both were highly anticipated releases that experienced pre-release leaks; Yorke’s album scanned 90,000 copies in its first week, while some estimates have Wincing brushing the 100,000-sold mark. That number would have given the Shins an easy No. 1 on last week’s chart, which was led by the 65,000-copy moving Daughtry. Whether or not the album will stick around the top 10 for another week is up in the air, although Sub Pop is betting on continued strong sales, having shipped about 230,000 copies of Wincing to stores. If anything, there’s one important lesson for any labels with lofty ambitions: Even though sales have been soft and the teenpop trend has officially passed, ignoring the whims of sexually frustrated 15-year-old girls isn’t a solid strategy if you’re looking to have an album land at No. 1.
Building Album Sales Chart [Hits]
