Clay On Track To Another Platinum Album

The wording on this Hits Daily Double article is awkward, but it looks like A Thousand Different Ways is set to sell 200,000 copies in the first week coming in at #2 on next week's Billboard 200. Although these estimated numbers are lower than that of MOAM and MCWL, this album has done well considering that it's a covers album and that sales in the record industry have been bad so far this year. Heavily promoted heavy weights like Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton only managed to move less than 100,000 copies of their CDs in week 1, so this 200 K prediction is awesome news!

We would like to emphasize that these sales numbers are estimates and we will not receive final Soundscan numbers until next Tuesday at the earliest.

CONGRATULATIONS CLAY!

CLAYMATES OUT IN FORCE TO CHALLENGE JUSTIN
Clay Aiken Looks Like Next Week’s Biggest Debut, While Justin Continues On Top

September 20, 2006

The Claymates are out.

Clay Aiken’s J Records album, A Thousand Different Ways, is hoping to find at least 199k more in its opening week, based on one-day sales reports from our crack-addled retail contacts around the U.S. of A.

That would place him #2 to Justin Timberlake’s Jive/ZLG chart-topper, depending on how large that album’s second week drop-off is. How’s that for hedging our bets?

A&M/Interscope Black-Eyed Peas chanteuse Fergie’s The Dutchess will go head-to-head or should we say head-to-hat with Sony BMG Nashville country superstar Kenny Chesney’s live album, with both in the 130-150k range. Atlantic reggaeton rapper Lupe Fiasco is taking advantage of a long build-up for Food and Liquor with around 100k, followed by Capitol rapper Chingy, shy of 100k, Verve’s Diana Krall and Hollywood Records’ Jesse McCartney (both in the 50k range), Interscope’s Elton John (40-50k) and Geffen’s New Found Glory (40-50k).

Thanks to Timberlake and Mayer, overall sales were up more than 5.5% vs. last week, up almost a percent vs. same week last year and now down over 5% year-to-date.

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