X Factor dominates Christmas charts

Monday December 24, 2007

 

By Alan Jones

 

For the third year in a row, the coveted Christmas number one single is the debut release by the winner of The X Factor, and the all-conquering TV show also enjoys its first number one Christmas album.

 

This year’s singles champion, 18-year-old Scot Leon Jackson, sold 275,742 copies of his debut release When You Believe, last week. That total includes sales of 60,949 downloads and 214,793 CDs. The download was made available last Sunday (16th), while the CD hit the shops officially on Wednesday (19th), though some copies did get sold on Tuesday (18th).

 

A cover of duelling divas Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s 1998 number four hit, recorded for The Prince Of Egypt soundtrack, Jackson’s single is the fastest-seller of the year, beating third X Factor champion Leona Lewis’ current single, Bleeding Love, which sold 218,805 copies on its first week in the shops eight weeks ago.

 

However, it sold fewer than half the 571,253 copies that Lewis’ debut single A Moment Like This sold when it debuted at number one exactly a year ago, following her X Factor victory, and little more than a third as many as the 742,180 copies that That’s My Goal sold for Shayne Ward to debut at number one following his X Factor win in 2005. First X Factor winner Steve Brookstein missed the Christmas week with his initial hit Against All Odds, and consequently recorded a lower first week tally of 127,701 sales in 2004. The big sales generated by The X Factor lead to very high expectations but it’s worth noting that aside from the Lewis and Ward singles, When You Believe had the highest Christmas week sale since Bob The Builder’s Can You Fix It? sold 359,639 copies in 2000.

 

Although it sold nearly 40,000 copies more than the rest of the Top 10 last week, When You Believe accounted for only 12.68% of all singles sold, whereas A Moment Like This cornered a 28.85% share of sales, That’s My Goal scored a 34.25% share, and Against All Odds managed 17.58%, even though it was number two behind Band Aid 20’s remake of Do They Know It’s Christmas, which had a 32.01% market segment.

 

Jackson’s success helped single sales to climb 22.4% week-on-week to 2,174,612 last week – the first time they have topped the 2m mark for exactly two years, when the aforementioned Shayne Ward single helped them to reach 2,166,929.

 

While Leon debuts atop the singles chart, his predecessor as X Factor champion, and the woman whose name is a female version of his own, sizzles to another week at the top of the album chart – all of which can only mean that Leona Lewis’ debut album, Spirit, is number one for the sixth straight week.

 

Spirit increased sales by 25.4% to 268,437 copies last week, to raise its 41 day tally to a very impressive 1,433,477. It helped album sales to increase for the ninth week in a row, climbing 31.2% to 8,324,707. That’s the eighth highest weekly sale in the history of the British record industry – sadly all of the seven bigger weeks have come in the comparable week of the last eight years. 10,176,752 albums were sold in the same week last year – 22.25% more than last week – while an all-time record of 10,581,571 albums – 27.11% more – were sold in the comparable week in 2005. In 2004, 8,884,280 albums were sold, in 2003 it was 8,868,697, in 2002 it was 9,232,167 and in 2001 it was 9,768,027. The first of only three 10m plus weeks came in the comparable week in 2000, when 10,298,132 were sold. In 1999, sales were just a little below 2007 at 8,304,011. All weeks shown are week 51, except for 2004 (a 53 week year), when it was week 52 than provided the big sale.

 

13 albums sold more than 100,000 copies last week, two of them compilations. That compares to 18 in the same week last year, when Take That’s Beautiful World scorched to 443,070 sales; and 17 in 2005, when Eminem’s Curtain Call: The Hits led the way with 314,553 sales. That week saw 40 albums record sales of more than 50,000; and 131 albums with more than 10,000 sales. Last week, 35 albums sold more than 50,000 and 113 topped the 10,000 mark.

 

Aside from Spirit, the albums to sell upwards of 100,000 last week were Westlife’s Back Home (219,852), Now! That’s What I Call Music 68 (200,452), Michael Buble’s Call Me Irresponsible – Special Edition (155,899), Vivere – The Best Of Andre Bocelli (132,376), Long Road Out Of Eden by The Eagles (119,040), Led Zeppelin’s Mothership (116,042), Shayne Ward’s Breathless (111,434), Beautiful World by Take That (108,971), Ministry Of Sound Anthems 1991-2008 (106,738), Back To Black – Deluxe Edition (106,212) and original edition (103,587) by Amy Winehouse, and The Ultimate Collection by Whitney Houston (101,076).

 

 

Some highlights from the above: Westlife’s TV special, screened by ITV immediately before the X Factor final, helped their Back Home album to increase sales 85.9% week-on-week to reach by far the highest tally of its seven week career although it fell short of the 236,558 copies its predecessor The Love Album sold when it was number two a year ago; Now! 68 increased sales 10% week-on-week to become the first and only compilation to sell a million copies in 2007, with a to date tally of 1,038,079; Take That’s Beautiful World completes the rare feat of selling more than a million copies for two years in a row, lifting its 2007 tally to 1,018,767 and its lifetime tally to 2,142,951; The deluxe edition of Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black enters the Top 10 for the first time on its seventh week in the chart, and also eclipses the original Back To Black for the first time. Combined sales of both versions of the album would have placed it third on the chart, of combined. The original Back To Black album’s once massive lead over Leona Lewis’ Spirit has dwindled to little more than 100,000. Spirit may still end up topping the annual best-sellers list on a technicality, though adding the 226,535 copies that the deluxe edition of Back To Black has sold to the 1,535,557 copies the original has sold in 2007 would secure the title for Winehouse.

 

The 163.5% increase in sales of the deluxe edition of Back To Black was the second highest in the Top 75 artist album chart, beaten only by the 239.3% spurt in sales which earn Josh Groban’s Noel a belated chart debut. In at number 58 with sales of 16,062, Noel has been number one for four weeks in America, where its sales are approaching 3m, making it the biggest seller of the year. It is Groban’s third chart album here. His last regular release, Awake, reached number 12 just seven months ago. The album that Noel leapfrogs to become the top seasonal title – All Angels’ Into Paradise – is one of only four albums in the chart to suffer a decline in sales week-on-week, alongside the current Fron Male Voice Choir and Teatro albums, and The Traveling Wilburys’ compilation.

 

Back on the singles chart, The Pogues & the late Kirsty MacColl sprint 8-4 with The Fairytale Of New York this week. Undoubtedly helped by the publicity generated by the debate about whether radio stations should play the original uncensored or a politically correct edit of the song, it increased sales by 58.4% last week to 28,419. Originally a number two hit in 1987, it reached number three at Christmas 2005 and number six last Christmas, and becomes the first single ever to feature in the Top 10 on three consecutive Christmases.

 

Although relegated to runners-up slot by Leon Jackson, the Tesco exclusive, What A Wonderful World by Eva Cassidy and Katie Melua enjoys a 6.4% increase in sales to 59,680. Leona Lewis’ Bleeding Love, which has nothing to fear from Leon Jackson in the annual best-sellers’ list, also enjoys a resurgence, increasing sales by 11.4% to 30,897. Its overall sales thus exceed ¾ of a million, though only just, at 750,482. It must now stand a good chance of beating the 811,276 copies that Lewis’ debut single A Moment Like This has sold to date.

 

Rihanna has passed a milestone this week too, with Umbrella – the year’s second biggest hit single – selling its 500,000th copy on Saturday. Overall sales of 5,414 in the week take its cume to 500,552. The song has spent 29 weeks in the Top 40, where it is one of three Rihanna songs at present.

 

Likely to reach the 250,000 sales mark tomorrow (24th), Apologize by Timbaland feat. OneRepublic is in the Top 10 for the 10th week in a row, and already the 20th biggest seller of the year. It falls 6-10 this week with sales of 17,253 taking its current cume to 248,500.

 

A performance on the series finale of The X Factor helps Kylie Minogue’s new single Wow to make its debut at number 32, on sales of 6,250. The second single from 39 year old Minogue’s current album X, following the recent number four hit 2 Hearts, it increases her haul of Top 75 hits to 42, and is her 40th Top 40 entry. It will doubtless eventually become her 30th Top 10 hit. It also helps X, which moves 19-18 with sales up 53.9% week-on-week to 73,655. X has sold 267,551 copies to date.

 

Aiming for their third number one single of the year, The Sugababes fall somewhat short with Change, which was given a physical release last Monday but only moves 26-13, on sales of 11,912 – a 99.3% increase. It’s safe to say it won’t be the band’s seventh number one single in all, but with few new releases around at this time of the year, and Christmas songs set to drop like stones, it may still claw its way a little higher and provide them with their 15th Top 10 hit.

 

Some of those Christmas songs are already on the wane but although the number in the Top 40 drops to 10, there are 22 seasonal selections in the Top 75 – a new record. Among those returning this week are The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) by Nat ‘King’ Cole (number 51, 3,763 sales), Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town by Bruce Springsteen (number 60, 3,371), Mistletoe & Wine by Cliff Richard (number 68, 3,070), Walking In The Air by Aled Jones (number 72, 2,908) and Peace On Earth – Little Drummer Boy by Bing Crosby and David Bowie (number 73, 2,853). Nat ‘King’ Cole’s hit – penned by Mel ‘The Velvet Fog’ Torme – extend his span of hits to 55 years and six weeks, the entire life oof the UK chart. He thus equals the record of Bing Crosby, who also appeared in the very first chart and has two Christmas-related hits at present.

 

Top 10 singles not mentioned elsewhere: Soulja Boy Tell’em’s Crank That (Soulja Boy) dips 3-5 on sales of 26,785; All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey falls 4-6 on sales of 21,447; Take That’s Rule The World holds at number seven on its ninth week in the Top 10 with 18,990 new sales taking its overall total to 332,325; Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse’s Valerie returns to the top tier, climbing 11-8 on sales of 18,261; Girls Aloud’s Call The Shots dips 5-9 on sales of 17,637 despite dethroning Leona Lewis at the top of the airplay chart, where it is their first number one. The only singles in the Top 10 to suffer a decline in sales are Call The Shots and Apologize.

Edited December 24, 200717 yr by Cartouche

Cheers for posting

 

Jackson’s success helped single sales to climb 22.4% week-on-week to 2,174,612 last week – the first time they have topped the 2m mark for exactly two years, when the aforementioned Shayne Ward single helped them to reach 2,166,929.

 

Can i ask does anyone know when single sales were this high? It is the first time sales have passed 2m, but this time its higher than 2005 and does anyone know when it was last higher than 2.174m?

 

Thats really good sales, espescially at the bottom of the chart. Years ago sales were higher but that was all coming from the top end of the chart, now the chart is a bit more.... "flat", with higher sales at position #30 and below i think than the huge sales of 1998/1999. I think promotion is a lot less nessessary to generate a fairly successful album as the internet and word of mouth seems to help more.

 

 

 

 

 

Singles

 

1 Leon Jackson 275.742

2 Eva & Cassidy 59.680

3 Leona Lewis 30.897

4 Pogues 28.419

5 Soulja Boy 26.785

6 Mariah Carey 21.447

7 Take That 18.990

8 Mark Ronson 18.261

9 Girls Aloud 17.637

10 Timbaland 17.253

 

13 Sugababes 11,912

32 Kylie Minogue - Wow 6,250

38 Rihanna 5,414

51 Nat King Cole 3,763

60 Bruce Springsteen 3,371

68 Cliff Richard 3,070

72 Aled Jones 2,908

73 Bing Crosby & David Bowie 2,853

 

 

===================

 

Albums

 

01 Leona Lewis 286,437

02 Westlife 219,852

03 Michael Buble 155,899

04 Andre Bocelli 132,376

05 The Eagles 119,040

06 Led Zeppelin 116,042

07 Shayne Ward 111,434

08 Take That 108,971

09 Amy Winehouse - Deluxe Edition 106,212

10 Amy Winehouse 103,587

11 Whitney Houston 101,076

 

18 Kylie Minogue 73,655

58 Josh Groban 16,062

Albums

 

18 Kylie Minogue 73,655

 

Thanks for the report!

 

Can we estimate that GA album has sold approx 60,000 albums this week, being 5 places lower than Miss Minogue?

Music Week must be taken over by the spirit of Christmas - it's been ages since they've given us the full top 10 sales! :cheer: Thanks for posting. ^_^

Bit disappointing album sales. Didn't the top 20 do 100k+ last year?

Bit disappointing album sales. Didn't the top 20 do 100k+ last year?

 

Last year there was lots of big albums out... there isn't really any this year

Fantastic sales for Girls Aloud - i reckon its safe to say Call the Shots has passed 100,000 and Tangled Up is over 200,000!

Can anyone have the total sales figure for 2 hearts?? Thanks. :)

Bit disappointing album sales. Didn't the top 20 do 100k+ last year?

 

we're a day behind this year so whereas only xmas eve sales counted towards the post-xmas chart last year, this year 23rd and 24th December's sales (2 biggest days of the year) didn't even count towards the xmas chart therefore sales are considerably lower (even if you take into account the low album sales trend of this year)

Can anyone have the total sales figure for 2 hearts?? Thanks. :)

approximately 92-93k

approximately 92-93k

 

Thats really good - for a surposedly flop single