Jim Farber of the NY Daily News talks about the "Best Of"
[email protected]
Tue, 24 Nov 1998 16:19:08 EST
Hay Wirelings!
On the Monday the 23rd, I stumbled upon an article in the New York Daily News
in its Entertainment Section, where music critic Jim Farber has his weekly
column of "Bullets & Bombs" (on the Billboard chart). In it, he called the
"Best Of" CD as a gimmick by Island Records *sigh*. Anyway, here's the whole
story:
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U2's a Two-Timer / Sales gimmick has LP chart seeing double/by Jim Farber
It's not every album that can appear in two spots on the same
Billboard chart. But U2's new "Best Of 1980-90" just managed that
unprecedented feat.
Last week, the Irish band's LP debuted at No. 2 on the Top 200 Album
list, moving 237,434 copies. This week, it hangs tough at No. 5 with 136,149
copies hawked. At the same time, another version of the album appears at No.
58, having moved 28,578 copies.
What gives?
The higher-placed album measures sales of a two-CD incarnation of the
release- one pairing the hits disc with a second disc devoted to obscure B-
sides. The lower-ranking version of the "Best Of" offers just the single hits
disc.
Island Records used the one-two punch as a canny gimmick to goose the
high debut. The company baited fans with a clever threat: that the two-CD
version would be available for one week only. Because that label sent out more
than 1 million copies of the two-CD version, though, any time limit couldn't
possibly be enforced. Retailers clearly couldn't clear their shelves of a
million U2 CDs in just one week- at least not at this point of the band's
career.
So, why pick up the single CD when you can nab a double? Well, the
double package has a sale price of about 19 bucks; the single's, $13. Casual
fans, or cheapskates, probably went for the latter. Meanwhile, Island got what
it wanted: to set a record. U2's set enjoyed the largest opening week for a
hits album for any group in SoundScan era. Even here, though, there's a small
cheat: U2 didn't enjoy the top hits debut for any performer- just for any
group. Garth Brooks and Michael Jackson beat U2's butt overall.
-Jim Farber, Monday, November 23.1998
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E-mail addresses for reporters and editors are not available. You may write to
specific individuals (such as Jim Farber)c/o The New York Daily News, 450 W.
33rd St., New York, N.Y. 10001.
Peace, Love, Lollipops & Poptarts
Marilyn
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on Tue Nov 24 1998 - 13:24:01 PST