Five major artists release albums on the 19th August!

 

Aitch - 'Close to Home'

Demi Lovato - 'Holy Fvck'

Madonna - 'Finally Enough Love' [Remix Album]

Panic! At the Disco - 'Viva Las Vengeance'

Steps - 'Platinum Collection' [Greatest Hits Album]

 

Only Aitch has had recent hit singles (including the #2 peaking 'Baby'), however all of these artists have very dedicated fanbases.

 

Who do you think will win this battle, and will their album reach #1?

 

In a response to the thread you can also predict the positions/first week sales of each album, if you like! You can also make a list of which formats you've pre-ordered or intend to purchase :cool:

 

For some context, below I've listed the number of formats each album will have on sale + their first week positions/sales from the 2010s/2020s.

 

 

 

 

 

FORMATS:

(With so many different formats there's a chance I missed something out somewhere!)

 

Aitch - Close to Home:

1. CD

2. Cassette - Black (Official store exclusive)

3. Cassette - White (Official store exclusive)

4. Cassette - Blue (Official store exclusive)

5. Vinyl - Clear/Translucent (HMV/Indies exclusive)

6. Vinyl - Semi Transparent Brown

7. Vinyl - Opaque (Official store exclusive)

8. Vinyl - Alternative Charity Art (Official store exclusive)

(Various bundles featuring the above formats include signed artcard or signed print or t-shirt)

Note: Two HMV signings will be taking place.

 

Demi Lovato - Holy Fvck:

1. CD - Standard

2. CD - with spray painted o-card (Official store exclusive) [i'm unsure if this is just the standard CD with the inclusion of the card, or if the CD differs in some way otherwise]

3. CD - International Cover #1 (Official store exclusive)

4. CD - International Cover #2 (Official store exclusive)

5. CD - International Cover #3 (Official store exclusive)

6. Cassette (Official store exclusive)

7. Vinyl - Black

(Various official store bundles featuring the above formats include a signed art card, one bundle includes a t-shirt)

 

Madonna - Finally Enough Love:

1. CD

2. 3xCD - Deluxe

3. Vinyl - Black

4. Vinyl - Silver (Amazon exclusive)

5. Vinyl - Clear (HMV exclusive)

6. Vinyl - Red (Indies exclusive)

7. Vinyl - 6LP (Official store exclusive)

 

Panic! At the Disco - Viva Las Vengeance:

1. CD

2. Cassette (Official store exclusive)

3. Vinyl - Black

4. Vinyl - Tangerine/White (Official store exclusive)

5. Vinyl - Baby Blue Splatter (Official store exclusive)

6. Vinyl - Canary Yellow Splatter (Official store exclusive)

7. Vinyl - Milky Clear (Official store exclusive)

8. Vinyl - Neon Orange (HMV/Indies exclusive)

9. Vinyl - Coke Bottle Green (Amazon exclusive)

(Various official store bundles featuring the above formats include hoodies or t-shirts)

Note: Official store competition to win signed guitar

 

Steps - Platinum Collection:

1. CD - Standard

2. 2xCD - Deluxe (Unsigned - general release / Signed - official store exclusive, included in a bundle)

3. CD - Claire cover (Signed - official store exclusive)

4. CD - Faye cover (Signed - official store exclusive)

5. CD - H cover (Signed - official store exclusive)

6. CD - Lee cover (Signed - official store exclusive)

7. CD - Lisa cover (Signed - official store exclusive)

8. Cassette (Official store exclusive)

9. Vinyl - Black (Unsigned - general release / Signed - official store exclusive)

10. Vinyl - Silver Splash (HMV/Indies exclusive)

11. Vinyl - Picture Disc (Amazon exclusive)

(Various official store bundles featuring the above formats include a t-shirt and/or tote bag)

Note: 4 HMV signings will be taking place.

 

 

FIRST WEEK SALES:

(since 2010)

 

Aitch:

#03: 11,937 - AitcH2O [september 2019 - EP] *highest*

#07: 4,548 - Polaris [June 2020 - EP]

 

Demi Lovato:

#45: 3,833 - Unbroken [April 2012]

#10: 10,658 - Demi [May 2013]

#06: 9,444 - Confident [October 2015]

#05: 11,596 - Tell Me You Love Me [October 2017]

#02: 20,183 - Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over [April 2021] *highest*

 

Madonna:

#17: 12,405 - Sticky & Sweet Tour [April 2010 - Live]

#01: 56,335 - MDNA [April 2012] *highest*

#55: 1,759 - MDNA World Tour [september 2013 - Live]

#02: 37,245 - Rebel Heart [March 2015]

#42: 1,993 - Rebel Heart Tour [september 2017 - Live]

#02: 27,227 - Madame X [June 2019]

 

Panic! At the Disco:

#29: 8,998 - Vices & Virtues [April 2011]

#10: 7,884 - Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! [October 2013]

#04: 26,392 - Death of a Bachelor [January 2016] *highest*

#02: 24,720 - Pray for the Wicked [June 2018]

 

Steps:

#01: 34,200 - The Ultimate Collection [October 2011 - Greatest Hits]

#32: 7,365 - Light Up the World [November 2012 - Christmas album]

#02: 37,624 - Tears on the Dancefloor [April 2017] *highest*

#02: 37,394 - What the Future Holds [November 2020]

#02: 25,285 - What the Future Holds Pt. 2 [september 2021]

It'll be between PATD and Steps, I think.

This is a difficult one...

 

It doesn't feel like there's much precedent with Aitch, given that his previous two releases were EPs and this is his debut album. He'll surely have better streaming than anyone else, but would that be significant enough to outdo the other artists potentially having strong physical sales? Is he the sort of artist to get a fanbase buying lots of physicals?

 

Madonna should do better with this than live albums, but a remix album is still fairly niche so I'm not sure I see #1 being on the cards, even though there's quite a few vinyl formats.

 

I feel like the hype with Demi is quite a bit lower than it was for her last album. Therefore I would be pretty surprised if she managed to achieve her best weekly sales figure with this new album in order to securely achieve a #1 album. Although unlike last time, this album has a vinyl ready for release week.

 

Panic! sales for the past two albums were consistent, and that is a lot of vinyl variants... but only one CD and no signed options could hold it back?

 

Steps - it is a third Greatest Hits, although their first one in 11 years and it includes newer material released since the last one. Steps are who I would most like to be #1, so I'll vote for them to manifest it. :kink: Hopefully 25k+. They have the most formats out of all of these releases, and they're doing four HMV signings... it could give them the edge? In theory it is them and Aitch who'll have the strongest UK based promo.

 

(Note that Demi has recently updated her pronouns to include her/she)

I would love to see Demi get the #1 but I think it might go to Aitch, I feel like streaming will help him, especially since Baby was a hit and I think the Ed collab will be pushed too.

Hopefully Steps! But they always stall at No.2 and there's not a huge amount to entice the fans who have all the material elsewhere.

 

The vinyl is certainly attractive though, as their previous hits collections have not been issued on that format.

 

I can see them selling around 20-22k. Especially if they have any special formats or promotions saved for next week as they often do.

 

Aitch is a bit of a wildcard, could do anything between 15-25k and I reckon he'll fight for it if it's close, with reductions and promo etc. So he could deny Steps.

 

Panic hasn't had quite the hype of the last album imo? But 17-20k is certainly possible.

 

I don't seee Madonna or Demi contending, the former just because it's a remix album, and Demi because the hype feels lower than last time.

 

I will be buying the Steps 2xCD and vinyl, and the Madonna 3xCD.

Edited August 16, 20222 yr by gooddelta

I pre-ordered all of these Steps formats:

 

2. 2xCD - Deluxe (Unsigned - general release / Signed - official store exclusive, included in a bundle)

3. CD - Claire cover (Signed - official store exclusive)

4. CD - Faye cover (Signed - official store exclusive)

5. CD - H cover (Signed - official store exclusive)

6. CD - Lee cover (Signed - official store exclusive)

7. CD - Lisa cover (Signed - official store exclusive)

8. Cassette (Official store exclusive)

9. Vinyl - Black (Unsigned - general release / Signed - official store exclusive)

11. Vinyl - Picture Disc (Amazon exclusive)

 

It's excessive for sure, but I am a big fan and enjoy collecting their formats. I'm sure I'll eventually be swayed into getting the standard CD and the splash vinyl too, particularly if it's looking close in the midweeks.

 

I'll definitely buy Madonna's 3xCD Deluxe but I don't feel like I need it on vinyl.

 

Demi - with her last album I bought a CD and a cassette. I hadn't intended to, but they were reduced to £5 and £3.99 respectively so I thought I'd try and help her out in that chart battle. As for this era - I quite like 'Substance' but I'm not yet feeling enthused to order anything. I'll definitely give the album a listen on Spotify and see what I think... maybe I'll have a change of heart re: purchasing it.

 

Aitch and Panic! - I occasionally like some of their songs but not enough to listen to the albums, far less buy them.

I think/hope Steps will do it with close to 30k sales, id love them to get that number 1 to have a number 1 in 4 different decades.

I'd really prefer Madonna but cannot really see it

the only ones I can see doing 20K are Steps, the rest I cannot really, so I'd say Steps for #1 with just 20K, the rest close behind but <20K

 

Demi did 20K last time cos there was that infamous chart battle with Snuts, very close and switching thru the week, both going crazy with price drops and cassettes and shenanigans, Demi lost by very little I think, like 200 copies, but at least the battle got her to do 20K, which she would have never done otherwise... but there seems to be zero buzz this time, same for Panic at the Disco, so I'd say they'll be >10K but not >20K

 

Is Aitch that popular? He always relies on samples, if he uses a famous sample like Ashanti, he gets a hit, othewise, no one cares. The album has Baby + some big collabs (Ed, AJ Tracey) so sure he'll get at least 15K streams, but cannot see him reaching over 20K.

 

Kinda worried Madonna could end up at #5, the album is already out on Spotify but nobody seems to care :/

Oasis' 'Be Here Now' is also getting a 25th anniversary release, just on vinyl I think but should be comfortably Top 10. The 25th anniversary edition of '(What's the Story) Morning Glory' debuted with just under 10k vinyl.

 

I predicted a while back that Steps would be #1 but hadn't realised Panic! at the Disco were also releasing a new studio album. I can't see their sales dropping off that much so could easily see them (or rather just him now) challenging for #1 too.

 

There's a limit to what Madonna's going to achieve with a remix album but it appears to have been doing the best on pre-orders (currently #3 on the overall chart) so I could see it achieving better sales than I previously would have thought (under 10k still but 5k+ seems achievable).

Aitch VS H of steps, Glory Days. I think Aitch will sell over 20K with all the Vinyls, cds and signed stuff. Record store have sold quite a few of Close to home on vinyl. Steps wont be far off, probably no.1 in the update but they have been releasing too much stuff of late. Panic at the disco have a loyal fanbase so will sell over 10k but no succsessful Single to push the sales up. Same for Demi nowhere near the promo for the last + no Ariana Grande Collab. Madonna will lose out on the chance of downloads and streams also sadly.

Got Aitch - 'Close to Home' Cd on order got feeling steps drop price next week wait that one

I think (and hope) Steps will get it. I don't really know Aitch but his last two releases are not worrying my based on those sales. Also don't see Madonna being a threat with a remix collection if it were a new studio album then I think she would be a big contender. Did not realise Panic were releasing I feel like they are the biggest threat now.

 

I went for 20-25k sales for Steps although I would love them to achieve over 30k like TOTDF and WTFH

Think and believe Steps can do this, and probably just south of 30k.

I think and hope Steps will do it!

I went for Panic but I think it will be close between them and Steps. Can't see Aitch being a threat and the Madonna album is only a remix album. I feel like there's not much hype about the Demi album.

It will also depend on how close sales are starting the week off,if panic at the disco and steps for example are close in sales they will each go for it with reductions, etc to get the extra sales. Could be a top 5 full of new entries next week but hopefully Steps come out on top.

My gut says Aitch but it really depends on if he's able to tap into the surprisingly large pure sales that artists like Central Cee have managed - I don't think he's going to do that well on streaming, his singles are very inconsistent. Madonna is probably the only one of the 5 that I'd completely rule out (is a remix album really going to sell that well?) given the pretty strong sales for the last studio albums by Demi and Panic! + Steps seeming to sell quite consistently with whatever they release. I'd be surprised if either Demi or Panic! actually beat the sales of their respective previous albums though. But then again I'd never have predicted Demi's last album at the time to do as well as it did.

 

Going to make a wild guess at it going Aitch > Steps > Panic! > Demi >>> Madonna. But if Aitch bombs on pure sales I could easily see him ending up 4th, it's hard to gauge without any previous full length albums to compare to.

 

Plumping at it being 20-25k for #1 whoever it ends up being (although Central Cee managed over 30k so I don't think it is out of the question that Aitch could do similarly), and as for who I want to be #1... I'm not planning to listen to any of these albums so I'll say none of the above lol, Hot Chip and Röyksopp are the names catching my eye from the release schedule x Idk who I'd even be rooting for even just between the 5, maybe Panic! just because it'd be cool to see them with a #1 to their name even if I haven't cared that much for their recent releases.

 

It will also depend on how close sales are starting the week off,if panic at the disco and steps for example are close in sales they will each go for it with reductions, etc to get the extra sales. Could be a top 5 full of new entries next week but hopefully Steps come out on top.

 

This kind of thing happens more or less every week and I really don't think it ever makes much of a difference

Hoping its Steps but I'm really not sure who will get it.

Demi’s sales were inflated quite a bit by the chart battle with The Snuts, which probably won’t happen again unless she’s close to the top on Monday.

Hoping for Madonna and think it has a good shot, especially the deluxe version which seems pretty comprehensive of her career. With Steps I guess it will come down to how devoted the fanbase is, but is there the same demand for a new greatest hits. I don’t know.

 

Not expecting much for Demi. Panic and Aitch are the two I think could go either way.