Scanning Soundscan - 7/21

Interscope has to be pleased with Eminem’s Recovery. The album tops the Billboard Top 200 for a fourth straight week and its cume now sits at almost 1.5 million copies. Considering that Relapse only sold 2 million total, it’s safe to say that this effort will end up doing better domestically. The album also returned to the top of the UK charts after a quick dip to #2.

Nu-metalheads Korn return with a new label and a new album that takes the #2 spot with 63k in sales for its first week. Christian rockers Newsboys and Sting’s new album also make Top 10 debuts ahead of M.I.A. oft-maligned MAYA. That record hits #9 with 28k sold (almost 12k of those were digital sales and it is #1 on the Vinyl Chart with sales of almost 900 copies). Her last effort, Kala, peaked at #18 back in 2007 but that was also with 29k in sales the first week. So, the chart number is better this time around, but the actual sales are about the same. Considering Kala went on to 500k in domestic sales, it will be interesting to see how this one does over time.

Other notable debuts on the Top 200 chart this week:
#50 Crowded House Intriguer (9k)
#53 Inception soundtrack (8400k)
#118 Sun Kil Moon Admiral Fell Promises (4100k — This is also #1 on the Heatseekers chart)
#200 School Of Seven Bells Disconnect From Desire (2800k)

Debuts on the Heatseekers chart:
The Love Language Libraries @ #38 with almost 1000 copies sold.
The Innocence Mission My Room In The Trees @ #42 with 800 copies sold.

The Vinyl Charts also tipped me off to the fact that Plain Recordings have done a 180g reissue of Spiritualized’s Ladies and Gentleman, We Are Floating In Space and that debuts at #10 with about 350 copies sold.

A few weeks ago I looked at how new indie albums are selling on vinyl. I’d still say that even the biggest records in the indie realm really aren’t going to go too far past 10,000 copies on wax. Some current totals from the Vinyl Top 50 chart:

Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago (22,400k)
Vampire Weekend Contra (11,500k)
The xx s/t (9900k)
Beach House Teen Dream (9600k)
The National High Violet (8500k) [Alligator has sold 5700k & Boxer has sold almost 11k are still on the Top 50 chart)
The Black Keys Brothers (7800k)
Sleigh Bells Treats (just released picture disc) (400 copies)