Backstreet Boys Poised to Top 2 Million in First Week Sales
Source: inside.com
By Alex Pappademas
Wednesday, November 22 02:41 p.m.
Backstreet Boys boosters who've been on pins and needles waiting for the early returns on the Boys' album Black and Blue can breathe a (qualified) sigh of relief.
Mega-chains Musicland and Target report that the disc flew out of stores in near-record quantities on Tuesday; Best Buy, which has been selling the disc for $9.98 (in a repeat of its successful Limp Bizkit price break) led the charge on Day One, moving approximately 80,000 copies. Based on first-day figures from these retailers, Inside projects that Black and Blue should clear the 2-million-copy mark before the sales week is over, but may fall short (if selling upwards of 2 million copies can be described as ''falling short'') of the record set by Backstreet nemeses 'N Sync, whose No Strings Attached sold 2.4 million copies during its first week.
Still, the Boys should probably hold off on making that concession phone call to 'N Sync headquarters. Rack jobbers Anderson Merchandisers and the Handleman Company, which supply music to Wal-Mart's 2,500 stores, have yet to report their first-day numbers on Black and Blue, and since Wal-Mart has been selling the disc with an exclusive bonus track, those numbers are expected to boost the Boys' sales stats significantly.
More importantly, when it comes to breaking 'N Sync's record, the calendar is in Backstreet's favor. Black and Blue dropped just before the start of a long holiday weekend, one that happens to include the busiest shopping day of the year. School's out, and if Backstreet fans (or their parents) put Black and Blue on their holiday shopping lists, they could still hand the Boys the win.
Either way, much like the natty leather ensembles the Boys have been sporting at public appearances lately, Black and Blue will undoubtedly have major coattails, bringing big crowds into stores and making a traditionally big weekend at retail even bigger. Teen pop: Good for the record business, good for America.
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