I'm sure it must be multi plat in Ireland now.

 

I am sure some updates will be known as soon as they tour to specific countries :teresa:

So this website, which is led and writen by pop-music fans and critics, has some Billboard runs of some Spice singles. Do we know if these are true?

 

 

Goodbye: 11-11-11-37-65-58-61-79-87-95-99

 

Wannabe: 11-6-4-2-1-1-1-1-2-2-2-2-3-5-6-10-13-20-25-28-31-38-45

 

Spice Up Your Life: 32-27-19-18-20-19-20-18-19-19-24-33-28-25-37-43-51-57-65-79

 

 

They are certainly their peak chart positions.

 

I have to say I love the reviews on that site very well written and great reflections of society etc at the time too.

Edited July 2, 20223 yr by spiceboy

Coool could we add them to the original post?

 

And yeah I do like that site as well! I wish they would state their sources on the Billboard runs though

A lot of Music Week issues have been added to a website with older issues of music magazines. I have been looking through a lot of issues from 1996-1998 and came across an article from Aug 1998.

 

'Stop' was released in the U.S. in June 1998 and by August had sold 400,000 copies. :wub:

 

Finally a figure. I would love to know its total by the end of 1998 and its complete total now.

 

 

Other updates from August 1998

 

Viva Forever - 350,000 sales in Germany (Cert Gold for 250k that year)

One Hour of Girl Power - 800,000 sales in the UK

Edited August 29, 20222 yr by Spice Girls Net

Impressive for Stop! I guess it was airplay that let it down?

It is amazing how sales in the USA have changed so much, the 90's sales were ridiculously low compared to the likes of the late 2000s early 2010s sales where Gaga and Rihanna were hitting 10 million sales for a single, yet I'd say Wannabe was just as big of a hit (and continues to be) as both of those yet it was a 1 million seller at the time (think it is over 3 million now).

Impressive for Stop! I guess it was airplay that let it down?

 

Yes me too. I think considering they didn’t get much radio support in 1998 400k in 2 months is great. I hope that with sales for the rest of 98, downloads and streams it would definitely be over 500k

It is amazing how sales in the USA have changed so much, the 90's sales were ridiculously low compared to the likes of the late 2000s early 2010s sales where Gaga and Rihanna were hitting 10 million sales for a single, yet I'd say Wannabe was just as big of a hit (and continues to be) as both of those yet it was a 1 million seller at the time (think it is over 3 million now).

 

I think the download/digital era would have been amazing for the group but I still think they shifted an incredible amount of copies between 97-99 (approx 17m including albums)

Melanie C's book: Wannabe has sold 15million copies

I've had a little play about with sales based on what Melanie has provided us with and certifications for the songs and singles (plus Jays excellent UK sales) and these are the sales I have come up with (based on some approximations obs all of these will have extra sales in countries where they didn't certify too be it a few hundred or a few thousands)

 

- Spice (19 million)

- Spiceworld (14 million)

- Forever (1.3 million)

- The Greatest Hits (1.5 million)

 

36 million albums

 

- Wannabe (15 million)

- Say you'll be there (3 million)

- 2 become 1 (2.4 million)

- Mama / Who do you think you are (1.6 million)

- Spice up your life (2.1 million)

- Too much (1.6 million)

- Stop (1.4 million)

- Viva forever (1.6 million)

- Goodbye (1.9 million)

- Holler / Let love lead the way (400,000)

- Headlines (100,000) - rounded up

 

31.1 million singles

 

That works out at 67 million records so lets round that up to 70 million. I think the 80-100 million they are claiming is a bit of a stretch.

 

Then again Virgin definitely claimed Spice had sold 23 million in the 90s and of course they have been claiming 31 million sales recently so who knows. I am sure Mel B and Geri both claimed 25 million sales in their first books (I want to say Mel B said 30 million in Brutally Honest but I could be making that up). Perhaps Melanie's 19 million is pure sales and the Virgin one includes shipments and then later on downloads / streaming?

Edited September 18, 20222 yr by spiceboy

Meanwhile Melanie C has stated in her book that she has (including collaborations) sold 23 million records as a solo artist... So I had a little investigate again bearing in mind in her book she shaved a million sales off Northern Star after Virgin claimed 3.5 million (and in Blood Brothers claimed 4 million)...

 

- Northern Star (2.5 million)

- Reason (500,000) - confirmed in her book

- Beautiful Intentions (600,000) - based on her saying it outsold Reason

- This Time to Melanie C (100,000) - based on 60,000 UK sales and 20,000 Swiss sales for TT then rounded up to account for other European sales, likely to be higher.

 

3.7 million albums

 

- When you're gone (1,020,000)

- Northern star (240,000)

- Never be the same again (1,150,000)

- I turn to you (870,000)

 

The above were based on Jays Uk sales thread and then certifications from other places. The ones below are based on UK sales and rounded up to nearest 10,000 assuming they have sold / streamed enough across the world to manage that.

 

- Going down (100,000)

- If that were me (60,000)

- Here it comes again (50,000)

- On the horizon (30,000)

- Melt / Yeh, yeh, yeh (10,000)

- Next best superstar (30,000)

- Better alone (10,000)

- First day of my life (500,000)

- I want candy (20,000)

- Carolyna (10,000)

- This time / Understand (10,000)

- Rock me (10,000)

- Think about it (10,000)

- Weak / Let there be love / The night (10,000)

- I don’t know how to love him (10,000)

- I know him so well (10,000)

- Loving you (70,000)

- Anymore (10,000)

- Numb / Room for love / Hold on / Room for love (10,000)

- High heels (10,000)

- Who I am (10,000)

- Blame (10,000)

- In and out of love / Fearless / Overload / Into you (10,000)

 

4.3 million singles

 

This gives her approximately 8 million records I really struggle to see where the other 15 million records were sold! I get that songs like FDOML and ITTY are probs a fair bit higher, also probably When you're gone. Plus she has sales from songs like The moment you believe which was a small hit in a few countries and of course some of her singles were small hits in Europe so lets say about 10 million records still about 13 million out!

Now having a little play with Geri's... again EMI claimed over 2 million of Schizo and 1.5 million of Scream but lets do it based on certs and Jay's wonderful Uk sales thread (can't remember if Geri said sales for her solo albums in her books?).

 

She claimed 12 million records on X Factor and this Heart Article says 15 million (while giving Look at me 1.5 million)

 

- Schizophonic (1.4 million)

- Scream (250,000)

- Passion (11,000)

 

1.7 million albums (rounded up)

 

- Look at me (400,000)

- Mi chico latino (400,000)

- Lift me up (400,000)

- Bag it up (300,000)

- Its raining men (1.7 million)

- Scream (100,000)

- Calling (100,000)

- Ride it (60,000)

- Desire (20,000)

- Angels (10,000)

 

3.5 million singles

 

Approx 5 million records. Again there is bound to be more sales these are the minimum sales but I struggle to see where the other 10 million records are?

 

I've had a little play about with sales based on what Melanie has provided us with and certifications for the songs and singles (plus Jays excellent UK sales) and these are the sales I have come up with (based on some approximations obs all of these will have extra sales in countries where they didn't certify too be it a few hundred or a few thousands)

 

- Spice (19 million)

- Spiceworld (14 million)

- Forever (1.3 million)

- The Greatest Hits (1.5 million)

 

36 million albums

 

- Wannabe (15 million)

- Say you'll be there (3 million)

- 2 become 1 (2.4 million)

- Mama / Who do you think you are (1.6 million)

- Spice up your life (2.1 million)

- Too much (1.6 million)

- Stop (1.4 million)

- Viva forever (1.6 million)

- Goodbye (1.9 million)

- Holler / Let love lead the way (400,000)

- Headlines (100,000) - rounded up

 

31.1 million singles

 

That works out at 67 million records so lets round that up to 70 million. I think the 80-100 million they are claiming is a bit of a stretch.

 

Then again Virgin definitely claimed Spice had sold 23 million in the 90s and of course they have been claiming 31 million sales recently so who knows. I am sure Mel B and Geri both claimed 25 million sales in their first books (I want to say Mel B said 30 million in Brutally Honest but I could be making that up). Perhaps Melanie's 19 million is pure sales and the Virgin one includes shipments and then later on downloads / streaming?

 

 

The GH is minimum 3.5m these days. I'm sure it was posted in here but now including streaming it was well over 700k in the US now (the figures leaked a while ago) plus the 600k sold to VS and it now 700k+ UK sales and you have well over 2m from just 2 countries.

I was always fascinated at how much of those Victoria's Secret copies of the Greatest Hits actually sold at the time of release.

The GH is minimum 3.5m these days. I'm sure it was posted in here but now including streaming it was well over 700k in the US now (the figures leaked a while ago) plus the 600k sold to VS and it now 700k+ UK sales and you have well over 2m from just 2 countries.

 

Wasn’t the 700k including the Victoria’s Secret sales? Which is why it doesn’t have a cert in the US as they won’t have include those ones?

Wasn’t the 700k including the Victoria’s Secret sales? Which is why it doesn’t have a cert in the US as they won’t have include those ones?

 

No, it was separate from the VS sales :cheer:

 

Wasn’t the 700k including the Victoria’s Secret sales? Which is why it doesn’t have a cert in the US as they won’t have include those ones?

 

No. Its sales in the US will never include the VS sales as they sold them directly to VS and VS wasn't registered with Soundscan so the sales of which of those were sold over the counter were never registered. So the 700k+ doesn't include them.

 

They could have a US cert because the RIAA do certs off shipping not just sales so the label can report those shipped 600k sales and the 700k+ and it have a platinum cert but in the US you have to pay for a cert and the label obviously feel why bother.

 

Spice is well over 8m including streaming in the US now and still 7 times plat.

 

A heck of a lot of their singles are I would aasume heavily under certified in the US now too.

 

Also Spiceboy your single sales are hugely under estimated, Holler has over 300k sales in the UK (plus the extra 12k for LLLTW streaming sales separate) so you are estimating about 80k sales for the rest of the world for it since 2000.

 

Goodbye I believe is over 950k in the UK and diamond iirc in Canada (1m copies it was huge there) which gives you 1.95m sales from 2 countries and that plat status in Canada is from the time of release not including its download and streaming sales since.

 

Since 2005 when downloads were pretty much included everywhere we have had 17 years of downloads and now streaming sales adding up. Depending on a countries rules it can make a huge difference, like the UK the GH will outsell NS in a few years the way it is going or Wannabe which early 2024 will be 4 times plat and have doubled its sales from the 90s.

Also Spiceboy your single sales are hugely under estimated, Holler has over 300k sales in the UK (plus the extra 12k for LLLTW streaming sales separate) so you are estimating about 80k sales for the rest of the world for it since 2000.

 

Goodbye I believe is over 950k in the UK and diamond iirc in Canada (1m copies it was huge there) which gives you 1.95m sales from 2 countries and that plat status in Canada is from the time of release not including its download and streaming sales since.

 

Since 2005 when downloads were pretty much included everywhere we have had 17 years of downloads and now streaming sales adding up. Depending on a countries rules it can make a huge difference, like the UK the GH will outsell NS in a few years the way it is going or Wannabe which early 2024 will be 4 times plat and have doubled its sales from the 90s.

 

 

I went based on certifications and UK sales only.

 

Holler only had 3 worldwide certifications silver for UK with 305k, Platinum in Australia for 70k and Gold in New Zealand for 5k.

 

Goodbye has a 2x platinum cert in Canada for 200k so far away from 1 million.

 

Obviously there are lots of hidden sales for the group and the girls solo efforts across the world that we simply do not know due to not being certified which will bump up sales too but by 30 million seems extreme.