Just been out shopping for my daughters birthday pressies and went into the HMV (well you have to don't you) Anyway, on display right as you walked in are copies of Letters - they wouldn't let me buy one until monday :(

 

But they did let me have a good look at the lyrics book which is fabulous - there's even a Springsteenesque part where some of the lyrics are there in his handwriting. Anyway I was so proud to see all those songs with first writing credit to Matt Cardle - I know it's only a small thing but being a total lyrics geek I completely get off on it. :dance:

oooh :o Sounds like some nice promo. I need to go to my HMV to see if they have that too.

Do the anti Matt-ites seriously consider that if he sells 80K first week that would be a flop?! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Do these lovely people not realise the music industry has changed a lot, it's just not PRACTICAL to pluck figures from past X Factor winners and say OMG he's not selling as well as *insert previous X Factor artist* here because the industry has changed. Whilst singles sales are increasing, album sales as a general rule have been decreasing. The year Leona sold phenomenally with Spirit was a great year for album sales in general and she of course was supported by a MEGA successful single. But even going back just to last year when Joe released wouldn't be a fair comparison.

 

 

This quote from Music Week illustrates where we are with album sales:

The first week of the final quarter of the year, it’s the 16th week in a row that sales have been below 2010 levels. In the first three quarters of 2011, overall album sales – at 72,288,527 -were down 5.16% on same stage 2010 sales.

 

 

 

I've taken this week's Music Week report to illustrate the decline in sales year on year, using this week's sales and finding the corresponding sales to this week 1 year ago, 2 year ago etc. I've used this week because it's the first week of quarter 4 sales. Courtesy of our sales vault here:

 

2004 - Total albums sold - 2,867,089

2005 - Total albums sold - 2,458,073

2006 - Total albums sold - 2,342, 402

2007 - Total albums sold - 2,010,968

2008 - Total albums sold - 2,096,360

2009 - Total albums sold - 1,818,955

2010 - Total albums sold - 1,756,755

2011 - Total albums sold - 1,649,403

 

If that doesn't illustrate how sharply the albums market has declined, I don't know what else will!

 

It is NOT feasible to compare sales of previous winners, for a start Leona released on 12th November, a lot further into the lucrative quarter 4 than Matt is doing and she was in a much healthier climate.

 

To compare the total sales of that week Spirit was released, with future years:

2007 Week of Spirit released - Total albums sold - 3,175,944

2008 - Same week - Total albums sold - 2,621,648

2009 - Same week - Total albums sold - 2,915,593 (Buoyed by JLS/Robbie Williams, these were the biggest weekly sales in 45 weeks)

2010 - Same week - Total albums sold - 2,325,778 (Susan Boyle album)

 

Which demonstrates how even one of the traditionally big album weeks has dropped from over 3 million in 2007 to just 2.3 in the same week in 2010.

 

So all of that is a really long winded but evidence strewn way to say PEOPLE DON'T BUY AS MANY ALBUMS AS THEY USED TO.

 

Given these are the sales for number 1s recently in the current climate:

James Morrison 62, 181

Kasabian 94,088

Ed Sheeran 102,350

Example 56224

Red Hot Chilli Peppers 71858

Will Young 65773

Nero 30640

Amy Winehouse 43,726

 

Then all things considered I think Matt can be justifiably chuffed if he manages to sell 80k next week!!

PS Yes I really do have nothing better to do on a Friday night then surf the Buzzjack Sales Archive but I like to have evidence to back up my arguments :D and if anyone wants to use said figures for illustrative purposes to anyone, feel free, I'm done with the DS anti Mattites unless I see something that really riles me!

 

PPS - There is no excuse for the single not doing well as single sales are on the rise week on week, year on year, so I can't defend that just curse Mr Barlow :lol:

 

 

 

 

Do the anti Matt-ites seriously consider that if he sells 80K first week that would be a flop?! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Do these lovely people not realise the music industry has changed a lot, it's just not PRACTICAL to pluck figures from past X Factor winners and say OMG he's not selling as well as *insert previous X Factor artist* here because the industry has changed. Whilst singles sales are increasing, album sales as a general rule have been decreasing. The year Leona sold phenomenally with Spirit was a great year for album sales in general and she of course was supported by a MEGA successful single. But even going back just to last year when Joe released wouldn't be a fair comparison.

This quote from Music Week illustrates where we are with album sales:

[/b]

I've taken this week's Music Week report to illustrate the decline in sales year on year, using this week's sales and finding the corresponding sales to this week 1 year ago, 2 year ago etc. I've used this week because it's the first week of quarter 4 sales. Courtesy of our sales vault here:

 

2004 - Total albums sold - 2,867,089

2005 - Total albums sold - 2,458,073

2006 - Total albums sold - 2,342, 402

2007 - Total albums sold - 2,010,968

2008 - Total albums sold - 2,096,360

2009 - Total albums sold - 1,818,955

2010 - Total albums sold - 1,756,755

2011 - Total albums sold - 1,649,403

 

If that doesn't illustrate how sharply the albums market has declined, I don't know what else will!

 

It is NOT feasible to compare sales of previous winners, for a start Leona released on 12th November, a lot further into the lucrative quarter 4 than Matt is doing and she was in a much healthier climate.

 

To compare the total sales of that week Spirit was released, with future years:

2007 Week of Spirit released - Total albums sold - 3,175,944

2008 - Same week - Total albums sold - 2,621,648

2009 - Same week - Total albums sold - 2,915,593 (Buoyed by JLS/Robbie Williams, these were the biggest weekly sales in 45 weeks)

2010 - Same week - Total albums sold - 2,325,778 (Susan Boyle album)

 

Which demonstrates how even one of the traditionally big album weeks has dropped from over 3 million in 2007 to just 2.3 in the same week in 2010.

 

So all of that is a really long winded but evidence strewn way to say PEOPLE DON'T BUY AS MANY ALBUMS AS THEY USED TO.

 

Given these are the sales for number 1s recently in the current climate:

James Morrison 62, 181

Kasabian 94,088

Ed Sheeran 102,350

Example 56224

Red Hot Chilli Peppers 71858

Will Young 65773

Nero 30640

Amy Winehouse 43,726

 

Then all things considered I think Matt can be justifiably chuffed if he manages to sell 80k next week!!

PS Yes I really do have nothing better to do on a Friday night then surf the Buzzjack Sales Archive but I like to have evidence to back up my arguments :D and if anyone wants to use said figures for illustrative purposes to anyone, feel free, I'm done with the DS anti Mattites unless I see something that really riles me!

 

PPS - There is no excuse for the single not doing well as single sales are on the rise week on week, year on year, so I can't defend that just curse Mr Barlow :lol:

 

I used the same point on DS earlier today but they just ignore anything that doesn't fit their perception of reality. These people live in a constant fight over "whose the biggest XF contestant" like that is relevant at all to anything other than them.

 

Ed Sheeran is the break out artist of the year in terms of cross overs between album and singles artist and he sold £102K in his first week - after 2 hit singles had been in the charts for weeks. Will Young and James Morrison both sold £65K and their target market is Matt's so if he were to sell 80K copies in the first week that would be a brilliant performance.

 

We can all say RFYL is a poor single (and I even mean it) but it was released a week before the album and even on XF they gave the date for the album release not the single. Syco isn't even tweeting about it - it's all been done by Columbia. I could be really cynical and suggest that there is a deliberate marketing strategy here to cut ties with all things XF using RFYL and then move on straight away to the album launch, Starlight and the Columbia artist. It seems like a very high risk strategy if it is but however I look at it I cannot believe experienced record executives thought the RFYL was the best lead single

Do the anti Matt-ites seriously consider that if he sells 80K first week that would be a flop?! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Do these lovely people not realise the music industry has changed a lot, it's just not PRACTICAL to pluck figures from past X Factor winners and say OMG he's not selling as well as *insert previous X Factor artist* here because the industry has changed. Whilst singles sales are increasing, album sales as a general rule have been decreasing. The year Leona sold phenomenally with Spirit was a great year for album sales in general and she of course was supported by a MEGA successful single. But even going back just to last year when Joe released wouldn't be a fair comparison.

This quote from Music Week illustrates where we are with album sales:

[/b]

I've taken this week's Music Week report to illustrate the decline in sales year on year, using this week's sales and finding the corresponding sales to this week 1 year ago, 2 year ago etc. I've used this week because it's the first week of quarter 4 sales. Courtesy of our sales vault here:

 

2004 - Total albums sold - 2,867,089

2005 - Total albums sold - 2,458,073

2006 - Total albums sold - 2,342, 402

2007 - Total albums sold - 2,010,968

2008 - Total albums sold - 2,096,360

2009 - Total albums sold - 1,818,955

2010 - Total albums sold - 1,756,755

2011 - Total albums sold - 1,649,403

 

If that doesn't illustrate how sharply the albums market has declined, I don't know what else will!

 

It is NOT feasible to compare sales of previous winners, for a start Leona released on 12th November, a lot further into the lucrative quarter 4 than Matt is doing and she was in a much healthier climate.

 

To compare the total sales of that week Spirit was released, with future years:

2007 Week of Spirit released - Total albums sold - 3,175,944

2008 - Same week - Total albums sold - 2,621,648

2009 - Same week - Total albums sold - 2,915,593 (Buoyed by JLS/Robbie Williams, these were the biggest weekly sales in 45 weeks)

2010 - Same week - Total albums sold - 2,325,778 (Susan Boyle album)

 

Which demonstrates how even one of the traditionally big album weeks has dropped from over 3 million in 2007 to just 2.3 in the same week in 2010.

 

So all of that is a really long winded but evidence strewn way to say PEOPLE DON'T BUY AS MANY ALBUMS AS THEY USED TO.

 

Given these are the sales for number 1s recently in the current climate:

James Morrison 62, 181

Kasabian 94,088

Ed Sheeran 102,350

Example 56224

Red Hot Chilli Peppers 71858

Will Young 65773

Nero 30640

Amy Winehouse 43,726

 

Then all things considered I think Matt can be justifiably chuffed if he manages to sell 80k next week!!

PS Yes I really do have nothing better to do on a Friday night then surf the Buzzjack Sales Archive but I like to have evidence to back up my arguments :D and if anyone wants to use said figures for illustrative purposes to anyone, feel free, I'm done with the DS anti Mattites unless I see something that really riles me!

 

PPS - There is no excuse for the single not doing well as single sales are on the rise week on week, year on year, so I can't defend that just curse Mr Barlow :lol:

 

hi Purple,

 

Funny enough I've just said a similar thing on the DS forum. Spent all afternoon looking at album sales and came to the same conclusion that album sales have dropped considerably. Although yours is a masterpiece of solid research and evidence based assessments. Well done. A gold star for you.

 

It is unfair to compare Matts album sales to Leona's but that is what will happen. When you look at the average sales for pretty established bands like Kasabian, you start to realise how good even 50,000 sales would be for a debut album. Told the MCAT that the MF are not clued into the reality of album sales and will perceive Matt to be a failure, when Columbia will probably be quite satisfied. I hope it gets around the 80,000, not sure it will. Steps is likely to get to number 1 on 30,000. :o

 

As I said in an earlier post it's only when you leave the DS XFactor forum and come out of it's bitter and twisted posting that you realise that you have spent hours defending a position that doesn't need it. Yeah the single didn't do to well but I don't get the impression Matt is too bothered. And all signs point to Matt having solid album sales. In this climate for an artist who wants to produced quality albums that's not too bad.

 

Hope the video for the next single is a little less cheesey - wasn't a big fan myself.

 

Glad to hear the words are set up like that Wkd, that is one of the best things about buying a physical copy. Reading the lyrics and the smell of shiney cd booklets. :yahoo:

 

I used the same point on DS earlier today but they just ignore anything that doesn't fit their perception of reality. These people live in a constant fight over "whose the biggest XF contestant" like that is relevant at all to anything other than them.

 

Ed Sheeran is the break out artist of the year in terms of cross overs between album and singles artist and he sold £102K in his first week - after 2 hit singles had been in the charts for weeks. Will Young and James Morrison both sold £65K and their target market is Matt's so if he were to sell 80K copies in the first week that would be a brilliant performance.

 

We can all say RFYL is a poor single (and I even mean it) but it was released a week before the album and even on XF they gave the date for the album release not the single. Syco isn't even tweeting about it - it's all been done by Columbia. I could be really cynical and suggest that there is a deliberate marketing strategy here to cut ties with all things XF using RFYL and then move on straight away to the album launch, Starlight and the Columbia artist. It seems like a very high risk strategy if it is but however I look at it I cannot believe experienced record executives thought the RFYL was the best lead single

 

I could be paranoid and not cynical and decide that maybe Matt and Columbia had no choice. Syco contracts are notoriously evil and maybe a deal was done where Syco decided on the first single to be released and GB was tied into somehow because of his X Factor connection. Columbia may have been made to use it but like a rebellious child decided to handle it as badly as possible to get it over and done with and that is why Starlight has been prepared for release so quickly. I think Starlight was originally the single but with GB joining X Factor maybe a deal was done behind closed doors and Matt became the victim in the deal. Conspiracy theories all over the place. Sounds ridiculous really. Maybe Matt thought RFYL was a great song and wanted to sing it. I don't think the song is as bad as people think it is and I am surprised at how badly it did in Ireland considering how well Matt did there with WWC.

I guess there's no point trying to argue facts with them is there really, looking at their posts they seem to be once a year X Factor fans, don't post in any other music threads or seem to have any other real interest in music, so therefore their idea of success or failure in the music industry is somewhat skewed and they won't measure his sales against CURRENT sales and see how all but the biggest acts are struggling to sell in any real large numbers, they'll just whack out the sales figures of previous X Factor acts which have NO relevance to today's dire albums situation, oh well let them continue to be deluded :lol:

 

I guess there's no point trying to argue facts with them is there really, looking at their posts they seem to be once a year X Factor fans, don't post in any other music threads or seem to have any other real interest in music, so therefore their idea of success or failure in the music industry is somewhat skewed and they won't measure his sales against CURRENT sales and see how all but the biggest acts are struggling to sell in any real large numbers, they'll just whack out the sales figures of previous X Factor acts which have NO relevance to today's dire albums situation, oh well let them continue to be deluded :lol:

 

it's like the argument they use about "if he was any good he'd have been picked up before" without any understanding (or caring) at how hard it is for a band to get signed in the current climate. At the end of the day though, he doesn't fit with the XF and never did (I still don't know how he won LOL) and they know that and they hate him for it but even more bizarre they hate the fact that he admits it too.

 

It's nuts! I've said for some time that all I wanted was for him to produce the album we hoped for from him (which he has) and for it to sell enough to allow him to make another one. Suggestions at the moment are that he'll achieve this and anything else is icing - though a UK tour is important too

 

I'm also hoping he might get the chance to support one of Columbia's artists on a US tour as well (but maybe not until 2013)

Edited October 14, 201113 yr by wkdstepmother

it's like the argument they use about "if he was any good he'd have been picked up before" without any understanding (or caring) at how hard it is for a band to get signed in the current climate. At the end of the day though, he doesn't fit with the XF and never did (I still don't know how he won LOL) and they know that and they hate him for it but even more bizarre they hate the fact that he admits it too.

 

It's nuts! I've said for some time that all I wanted was for him to produce the album we hoped for from him (which he has) and for it to sell enough to allow him to make another one. Suggestions at the moment are that he'll achieve this and anything else is icing - though a UK tour is important too

 

I'm also hoping he might get the chance to support one of Columbia's artists on a US tour as well (but maybe not until 2013)

 

I love the guy who seemingly has just whipped figures out of his arse saying 'it's predicted to chart at no.3 with sales of 80k' :blink: Er? Come again? How could you possibly know that? And what on EARTH are they expecting to chart between Matt and Noel to end up at 3 on sales of 80k?! Have they seen this week's sales? Clearly someone with NO idea how the charts work. If he flops in at 2 with sales of 80K I'd be delighted. :lol: Not sure he can get that much though on the back of a poorly performing single, I've got to be honest and say if I wasn't internet aware to check out album samples, I wouldn't exactly be enthused to buy the album based on RFYL :( so think he may struggle until if/when Starlight gets some airplay and encourages some hesitant on the fencers who perhaps voted last year but are not enamored with RFYL, to go ahead and purchase the album. Sometimes 2nd singles can have a MASSIVE impact, James Morrison's last album Songs For You Truths For Me, was performing somewhat mediocrely in terms of album sales based on lead single You Make It Real. Then Broken Strings was released and the album sales took off massively. This is why singles remain important as they work as as 'ambassadors' for the album to encourage people to think, 'I like 2/3 of his songs, I think I'll like the album' or 'I LOVE this song, I need to see what the album is like' :)

I love the guy who seemingly has just whipped figures out of his arse saying 'it's predicted to chart at no.3 with sales of 80k' :blink: Er? Come again? How could you possibly know that? And what on EARTH are they expecting to chart between Matt and Noel to end up at 3 on sales of 80k?! Have they seen this week's sales? Clearly someone with NO idea how the charts work. If he flops in at 2 with sales of 80K I'd be delighted. :lol: Not sure he can get that much though on the back of a poorly performing single, I've got to be honest and say if I wasn't internet aware to check out album samples, I wouldn't exactly be enthused to buy the album based on RFYL :( so think he may struggle until if/when Starlight gets some airplay and encourages some hesitant on the fencers who perhaps voted last year but are not enamored with RFYL, to go ahead and purchase the album. Sometimes 2nd singles can have a MASSIVE impact, James Morrison's last album Songs For You Truths For Me, was performing somewhat mediocrely in terms of album sales based on lead single You Make It Real. Then Broken Strings was released and the album sales took off massively. This is why singles remain important as they work as as 'ambassadors' for the album to encourage people to think, 'I like 2/3 of his songs, I think I'll like the album' or 'I LOVE this song, I need to see what the album is like' :)

 

you're spot on with this which I think is why they are rushing ahead with Starlight even before RFYL has charted. Personally I think the album would have had a better push of with Sparks than RFYL and they gave that away free. Still it's early days and the big sales weeks are still to come. if Starlight can get some traction I still have high hopes for the sales in the lead up to xmas - I think all of my relatives will be getting it whether they want it or not LOL :lol:

Downloading the album now... I hope I like it :)

Liked Matt on X Factor. Debut single was a huge disappointment. However, I LOVE Sparks...

Downloading the album now... I hope I like it :)

Liked Matt on X Factor. Debut single was a huge disappointment. However, I LOVE Sparks...

 

 

Love Sparks too - currently my favourite. Hope you like the album, hope I like it.

 

Would love to hear what you think about the album.

I could be paranoid and not cynical and decide that maybe Matt and Columbia had no choice. Syco contracts are notoriously evil and maybe a deal was done where Syco decided on the first single to be released and GB was tied into somehow because of his X Factor connection. Columbia may have been made to use it but like a rebellious child decided to handle it as badly as possible to get it over and done with and that is why Starlight has been prepared for release so quickly. I think Starlight was originally the single but with GB joining X Factor maybe a deal was done behind closed doors and Matt became the victim in the deal. Conspiracy theories all over the place. Sounds ridiculous really. Maybe Matt thought RFYL was a great song and wanted to sing it. I don't think the song is as bad as people think it is and I am surprised at how badly it did in Ireland considering how well Matt did there with WWC.

 

That might be why the video was so simple and cheap looking :lol:

 

Gary is writing the winners song this year too :puke2: and that's why I don't want my favourite to win :P

 

Whatever happens I'm so proud of Matt and this album :wub:

Oh HMV :heart: :heart: You never let me down with pre orders!

 

Deluxe album is here :w00t: :w00t: :w00t: :w00t: Will try to take a listen before football at 12.45! I love the little album booklet :wub:

That might be why the video was so simple and cheap looking :lol:

 

Gary is writing the winners song this year too :puke2: and that's why I don't want my favourite to win :P

 

Whatever happens I'm so proud of Matt and this album :wub:

 

 

Hi Amber,

 

I thought the video was a bit silly really. I would just like to see the band for the next video, but what I gather from twitter more girl models involved. Hope no rolling around on sheepskin rug...really not ready for that :D

 

Oh HMV :heart: :heart: You never let me down with pre orders!

 

Deluxe album is here :w00t: :w00t: :w00t: :w00t: Will try to take a listen before football at 12.45! I love the little album booklet :wub:

 

 

Lucky,lucky you. I ordered mine from Amazon which means it's on a slow boat to China, via Milton Keynes! Did order the signed copy from Play but that is not the deluxe version.

 

Would love to be reading the little booklet too.

 

Let me know what you think about the tracks.

 

Enjoy it Purple.

Lucky,lucky you. I ordered mine from Amazon which means it's on a slow boat to China, via Milton Keynes! Did order the signed copy from Play but that is not the deluxe version.

 

Would love to be reading the little booklet too.

 

Let me know what you think about the tracks.

 

Enjoy it Purple.

 

I'm waiting for my postie - I have all bases covered with signed from Play and deluxe from HMV so I should get one of them!!

 

Video shoot yesterday for Starlight and the band are in the video whoop - Lorenzo (guitarist) tweeted he felt like a movie star :dance:

 

so excited - can't wait to here what everyone thinks - I know I'm gonna love it cos I've heard so much of it already but can't wait to listen to full versions of Amazing, Faithless which are my 2 faves from the previews and of course Starlight which I understand was on the radio last night and is mega

Gary is writing the winners song this year too :puke2: and that's why I don't want my favourite to win :P

 

I'm pretty sure the Gary's writing the winner's song is just a rumour. If so he'd have to have a 'one size fits all' sort of song as we don't know ( :lol: ) whether the winner will be an over, boy, girl or group. Otherwise he'll have to wait until the 11th hour and do a half-arsed rush job - a bit like RFYL.

 

Kath

I haven't pre-ordered so I shall have to wait till I can get it on Monday :drama: Or cheekily download a leak :kink:

Just on Starlight for now and I'm really sorry but WHAT THE HECK WERE THE LABEL THINKING?!?!

 

It SCREAMS single, it actually builds for a start instead of just plodding along at a pedestrian pace like RFYL. It's so uplifting and as a SINGLE, is a billion times a better effort, for one it's instant, has more anthemic qualities and whilst I wouldn't go as far as saying it would have been number 1 as I tend to think no matter what he released, he still would have lost out to the tracks that are above him but I feel it would have had a much better impact, for a start, he would have SLAYED the X factor performance as it's much more kick ass, there's not a lot he can do with the Barlow track, it's just 'nice', and it certainly would be better as an incentive for people to buy into the album than RFYL is. I'm really quite annoyed about this now.

 

All For Nothing is not a favourite, but it's a great vocal :wub: