That Old Mid-January Sales Malaise: It’s Back

From Hits: “[Next] week’s chart will probably be topped by Rhino’s soundtrack to the universally adored^* Juno, with a projected 70-75k. It should be followed by a still-robust Alicia Keys (J/RMG), who’s headed toward 60-65k, with Radiohead (TBD/ATO/RED) and Mary J. Blige (Geffen) both looking 55-60k-ish. After that comes a big drop, with nine–count ’em–nine releases all trending toward 25-30k; Yup, a piddly 25k will get you in the Top 10 next week. ” And if you thought that was bad, wait, it looks even worse when you compare it to the numbers from this time last year!

The charts released last Jan. 17 had the Dreamgirls soundtrack in the top spot, and it reached No. 1 by selling only 60,000 copies. So at the top, the numbers seem more healthy–but if you look further down the top 10, the numbers get more comparatively grim; the No. 10 album from that week, Nickelback’s All The Right Reasons, sold 35,000 copies, more than any of the albums that aren’t in the top three.

Rumor Mill [Hits Daily Double]

^* FYI: Juno was not universally adored, especially in the section of the universe currently occupied by this writer. Jennifer Garner was quite good, as were pretty much all the adults in the film. But Ellen Page’s character annoyed the crap out of me, although I do wonder if I’d have been as irked if the movie’s opening scene–and anything involving cutesy references to that hamburger phone she had–had been cut out entirely. (Sorry, Rainn Wilson.)