Kanye Well Ahead Of 50 Cent In First-Day Sales Race

Billboard.com

September 12, 2007, 2:55 PM ET

Geoff Mayfield, L.A.

 

Kanye West looks to top next week's The Billboard 200 chart, according to results that will be posted later today (Sept. 12) on Nielsen SoundScan's new Building Charts feature.

 

All eyes are on the Sept. 11 album schedule, with anticipated new releases by West, 50 Cent and Kenny Chesney. SoundScan's recently launched Building Charts post unweighted tracking-week sales from eight leading accounts through close of Tuesday each Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET, and sales through Thursday each Friday afternoon.

 

Billboard has learned that today's SoundScan Building Chart indicates first-day sales of 437,000 for West's "Graduation," 310,000 for 50 Cent's "Curtis" and 107,000 for Chesney's "Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates." The Building Charts offer an indication of how races shape up each week for SoundScan's final charts, which post projected national sales each Wednesday morning, extrapolated from a panel of merchants that represents more than 90% of the U.S. music market.

 

Retailers now contributing data to the Building Charts include Trans World Entertainment, Best Buy, Borders, Circuit City, iTunes, Target, Anderson Merchandisers and Handleman Co. The last two mentioned are rackjobbers that place music into mass merchants, including WalMart's stores. More retailers will be added to that panel in the near future.

 

Some pundits project West will surpass 750,000. His own August 2005 release, "Late Registration," was the last album to start above that mark. It bowed at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with opening sales of 860,000 copies and led the chart for two weeks. The largest sales week this year belongs to Linkin Park's "Minutes to Midnight" with 623,000, while Rascal Flatts' "Me and My Gang" had the biggest frame of 2006 when it started at 722,000.

 

Any Comments on these huge sales figures?

didn't Jay-Z's 'Kingdom Come' open with 850K?

 

either way :yahoo: for Kanye! Amazing sales as well, should mean he is #1 on WW chart as well.

Edited September 12, 200717 yr by Exodus

Thank god! Kanye is obnviously the talented one of the two. 50 Cent = ABSOLUTE SCUM. ^_^

Very good sales! Kanye's total by the end of the week should be huge.

Seems to resembled the three way battle in the UK this week with KT Tunstall taking the 3rd spot. :lol:

 

I'd pick Kanye over 50 anyday but can you imagine how big the guy's ego is gonna get now? :rolleyes:

I figured it would happen that way.

didn't Jay-Z's 'Kingdom Come' open with 850K?

 

either way :yahoo: for Kanye! Amazing sales as well, should mean he is #1 on WW chart as well.

 

it was around 600k

Kanye is much better! He's going to have a huge lead in the worldwide charts!

50 pence better retire like he said he would if kanye outsells him

Kanye Well Ahead Of 50 Cent In First-Day Sales Race

 

Billboard has learned that today's SoundScan Building Chart indicates first-day sales of 437,000 for West's "Graduation," 310,000 for 50 Cent's "Curtis"

Any Comments on these huge sales figures?

 

None that I haven't made before, like the appeal of rap still totally escapes me...

 

Yay for Kanye! I want him to win so badly, just because it'll be 'interesting' to see how Fiddy responds - I can't see him going into retirement just yet somehow, god help us.

 

Anyway, these are the best sales in absolutely ages.

YAY for Kanye.

 

Hopefully 50 c**t will retire now :wub:

YAY for Kanye.

 

Hopefully 50 c**t will retire now :wub:

 

+1!

50 Cent Still Confident In Sales Battle With Kanye

Billboard.com

September 14, 2007, 12:50 PM ET

Hillary Crosley, N.Y.

 

After weeks of public rivalry between 50 Cent and Kanye West about whose Sept. 11 album release would sell more copies, West's "Graduation" (Def Jam) has pulled into a six-figure lead over 50's "Curtis" (G-Unit/Interscope), based on projections from representatives at the four major labels. That data indicates "Graduation" leads with 781,000 units, followed by "Curtis" with 603,000.

 

50 Cent had claimed he would retire from making solo albums if West won the sales battle, but in an interview with Billboard, he maintains the race is still early and there is no concrete winner just yet.

 

"[The sales] can't be considered [any one way] anyway because it's just a few days out," he says. "I guess [the music industry] would consider me to be a hip-hop favorite because of my sales history, and people like to root for the underdog."

 

50 Cent also changed his tune yesterday (Sept. 13) about his threat to stop rapping. On New York's Hot 97 radio station, 50 said if West outsells him he would instead go round for round, matching G-Unit releases with Def Jam's.

 

"The [fans that aren't supporting me now] are the same people that supported me in the past," says 50 Cent. "The impression I gave them was so strong that they have different standards for me. When my music comes out, if it was someone else's record, it would be a hit because it spun 3,500 times. But they're looking for the hottest music out at the time from 50 Cent, so if it's not that, then they show me resistance until I deliver. I've only been in the music business for four years and I'm already receiving some backlash. That's amazing, isn't it?"

 

 

50 Cent admits he is miffed with his treatment by BET's "106 & Park" and organizers of the MTV Video Music Awards. On the former, he was upstaged by Jay-Z during an intended showdown with West, and on the latter, he says he received considerably less screen time than Kanye.

 

At BET on Tuesday, 50 says he could have countered the Jay-Z moment had he been informed ahead of time. "Every time I do a show, the plans change," he offers. "Now, either I'm going to know exactly what I'm doing on the show or I'm not going to go. Usually if you have a TV show and you do two songs, it's not optional for you to do two records, and another one off your album. If I knew I could've brought a special guest, I would've brought Eminem ... but that [show] is not what I needed."

 

"As far as the VMAs were concerned, Kanye received the upper hand. I ain't going to front," he continues. "He had four looks -- his song "Stronger," his new record "Good Life," he had a performance with Soulja Boy, "Crank Dat," and then he came out with me. So I feel like Def Jam is doing a better job of promoting the CD than Interscope. Interscope is just relying on my base and the actual music. I was on the VMAs for one minute and 20 seconds. I should've just stayed home."

 

Any Comments about 50 Cent's change of tune?

I hope those are the last albums for both of them.

Haha same, everyone is saying how glad they are that Kanye is in the lead but tbh i hate both.

TBH, I was hoping Kenny Chesney to top the chart...would have been right for the both...thou Kanye seems to have much more common sense than 50 Cent... I certainly don't wanna hear In da Club in the club when it is my bday...even thou it is his best effort IMO.

It's funny because Curtis was sold out at my local store and they had tons of Kanye CD's left..it didn't look like anyone bought any.

I think they both suck, its sickening how much they are going to sell, epsecially when there so many other good quality acts that deserve those sales. 10 cents will never retire...unless he means retire the same way Jay-Z meant retire...as in go away for a few months and then come back.

50 Cent had claimed he would retire from making solo albums if West won the sales battle, but in an interview with Billboard, he maintains the race is still early and there is no concrete winner just yet.

 

"[The sales] can't be considered [any one way] anyway because it's just a few days out," he says "I guess [the music industry] would consider me to be a hip-hop favorite because of my sales history, and people like to root for the underdog."

 

50 Cent also changed his tune yesterday (Sept. 13) about his threat to stop rapping. On New York's Hot 97 radio station, 50 said if West outsells him he would instead go round for round, matching G-Unit releases with Def Jam's.

 

 

Firstly, that's a stupid comment because 127,000 units is a pretty substantial lead :lol: It was so obvious he was gonna change his tune when the sales figures came out. He's like a rap version of Lisa Scott Lee.