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U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'

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redrunningred

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U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« on: December 11, 2017, 12:57:26 AM »
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8062850/u2-songs-of-experience-billboard-200-chart

I expected this. No matter how unpopular people think U2 is, they consistently have enough clout to get to #1. Take note, the only reason SOI didn't top the charts was because of the Apple release. That gutted their ability to access an incredibly large market of music.  Im surprised SOI got as high as it did. 
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Codeguy

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2017, 01:32:01 AM »
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Codeguy

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2017, 01:32:47 AM »
I gathered a bunch of other chart positions too - some were disappointing for those of you who care about this stuff
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sashlon

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #3 on: December 11, 2017, 04:57:41 AM »
Quote from: Codeguy on December 11, 2017, 01:32:47 AM
I gathered a bunch of other chart positions too - some were disappointing for those of you who care about this stuff

I'm one of those who don't care.

But I have to ask, how are any of those chart positions disappointing? Seems good.
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b-mata

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #4 on: December 11, 2017, 08:01:15 AM »
Regardless of how people's opinions about U2 have changed over time as their overall popularity has waxed and waned, it is a really an incredibly achievement to be the first band to net a #1 album in four different decades. 
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Aviastar

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2017, 08:24:10 AM »
I don't think it means a lot, but I think there is some significance (and some sadness) that this may be the first U2 album that doesn't go RIAA platinum (not counting SOI which wasn't a traditional album release). I think is a statement - in part of how album sales are these days, but in part U2's popularity.

It scored #1 in US for week 1 but I am not sure of how much staying power it will have. 180K physical units sold plus 6k equivilent units in streams (which is 9M streams - 1500 streams per album). I don't know that it will stay atop the charts - or reach 1M sold - going forward.  The fact that it debuted at #5 in the UK against a Sam Smith album that has been out for weeks is pretty telling as well.
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seatakestheship

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2017, 08:30:00 AM »
Aren't the sales in part due to everyone receiving an album along with a concert ticket? If so, this plays a part in why it did so well in the US and debuted at #5 in the UK where tickets had not gone on sale yet. I know I've seen some people who received 6 albums in the mail (all with the case cracked) due to buying 6 concert tickets. I

They keep employing these tactics to camouflage their declining album sales, just like selling the album to Apple and giving it away "for free", then declaring it "the most downloaded album ever!"

The #1 in the U.S. is smoke and mirrors.
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The Ultra Beasts

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #7 on: December 11, 2017, 08:30:59 AM »
Great!
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Aviastar

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2017, 08:32:36 AM »
Quote from: seatakestheship on December 11, 2017, 08:30:00 AM
Aren't the sales in part due to everyone receiving an album along with a concert ticket? If so, this plays a part in why it did so well in the US and debuted at #5 in the UK where tickets had not gone on sale yet. I know I've seen some people who received 6 albums in the mail (all with the case cracked) due to buying 6 concert tickets. I

They keep employing these tactics to camouflage their declining album sales, just like selling the album to Apple and giving it away "for free", then declaring it "the most downloaded album ever!"

The #1 in the U.S. is smoke and mirrors.

An argument could be made that these are "true" sales because they bake the cost of the album into the ticket price and without knowing the intent of the concert ticket purchaser - that each purchaser is willingly "buying" an album - for themselves and all of their friends attending.

It's gimmicky for sure but it's not unheard of in the industry...

But yeah, it has implications on whether the album will STAY on the charts, or if it's just a one week thing. It also has implications for long term sales.
« Last Edit: December 11, 2017, 08:35:39 AM by Aviastar »
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guest87

Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #9 on: December 11, 2017, 09:18:46 AM »
I don't even know what it takes to make it to number one on the singles and album charts anymore, and as a youngster I used to collect Billboard number 1 45s.

I think the existing U2 fan base alone buying the album would take it to number 1 no matter what these days.

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MysteriousFly

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #10 on: December 11, 2017, 09:46:52 PM »
not surprised at all...................yeah.
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Aviastar

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U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2017, 07:53:56 PM »
Hits Daily Double shows an 81% drop on sales plus streams. They are usually pretty close to Billboard numbers. 31k equivalent album units sold in week 2, ~4K of that was in streaming.

http://hitsdailydouble.com/sales_plus_streaming


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« Last Edit: December 16, 2017, 07:55:36 PM by Aviastar »
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Codeguy

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #12 on: December 16, 2017, 09:42:23 PM »
I think U2 fans all bought it on week 1 so I wouldn't expect much additional volume in week 2
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Aviastar

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Re: U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'
« Reply #13 on: December 16, 2017, 09:45:09 PM »
Quote from: Codeguy on December 16, 2017, 09:42:23 PM
I think U2 fans all bought it on week 1 so I wouldn't expect much additional volume in week 2
I was hoping it had legs among casuals and non fans.


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