Backstreet Boys left black and blue
Source: Toronto Star
CD edged out of top spot by hot Beatles collection
Betsy Powell
ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER
A month after it hit store shelves, The Beatles' 1 collection of hits is selling like gangbusters in the run-up to Christmas and it has settled back into the No. 1 position on the album charts in Canada.
For the week ending Dec. 10, the CD sold 82,000 copies, after selling 57,000 the previous week, SoundScan Canada reports.
Sales of the Backstreet Boys' Black And Blue fell to 60,000 from 70,000, prompting the Florida quintet to drop back to fourth spot nationally after holding down the No. 1 position for the past two weeks.
A compilation disc, Big Shiny Tunes 5, was No. 2 and MuchDance 2001 occupied the third berth.
Now that it has been edged out by a band that split up 30 years ago, there's a natural tendency to assume the Boys may be in trouble.
But don't jump to conclusions, industry watchers warn.
``I don't think you can compare the Beatles to the Backstreet Boys,'' says Tim Baker, buyer for retail chain Sunrise Records. The Beatles CD is a phenomenon, he adds, while Black And Blue is following the normal pattern of a new release.
``Any major act, such as the Backstreet Boys, you're going to see a big drop off the second week because they have so many fans that are out the first week purchasing it.
``With the Beatles, you had an awful lot of people who are only finding out about it after it had already been out, and then they went out and picked it up, so you didn't see any real drop off in the second week.''
Indeed, while sales of 1 have increased and Black And Blue declined, the Boys' CD has sold 287,000 copies to date and the Beatles, which was out a week earlier, 252,000.
``Backstreet Boys had a phenomenal first week,'' says SoundScan's Doug Spence. Black And Blue sold 156,000 during its debut week last month.
``The Beatles is a phenomenon. The package is beautiful, it's a gift . . . but they're not going to get radio airplay,'' Spence says, noting that's a key factor in helping to drive sales over the long term.
``The Backstreet Boys, they've still got second, third, fourth, fifth singles on this album.''
And a sold-out concert date at SkyDome in February.
Baker predicts the Beatles' run at the top will come to an end once the Christmas shopping season is over.
``Come Jan. 1, you're going to see a real decline in the Beatles' sales. I doubt whether you'll see that kind of drastic decline in the Backstreet Boys.
``I'm still going to be selling the Backstreet Boys this time next year. I'm still selling their last album.''
Then again, Baker admits he has underestimated 1's popularity before.
``When EMI (the label distributing 1) approached me with it, I thought they were totally irresponsible for pressing as many as they were going to press. I'm glad I was wrong, because it means more business.''
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