ONE-DAY SALES: LUDACRIS
OUT FRONT, ELVIS RIGHT BEHIND
Take rapper Ludacris’ new album, Chicken & Beer (Def Jam South/IDJ), released yesterday. According to early reports from national accounts, it will sell over 400k for the week, and could go as high as 425k.
Chicken N Beer, of course, is the first official title from UMVD to be sold under the new JumpSTART program (see story, 9/4), and according to reports from our crack (using) retail staff, the album has been priced aggressively to consumers across the board because of it.
The numbers would seem to indicate there’s a there there. First-week sales for Ludacris’ last album, Word of Mouf (released 11/01) were 280k.
Also doing big business after one day on sale is the new Elvis Presley hits compilation, 2nd to None (BMG Heritage). Early reports indicate it will sell on the order of 200k for the week.
Next week is American Idol finalist Clay Aiken’s RCA debut, Measure of a Man. Will his first-week sales measure up to this week’s action? God knows we don’t.
