NR--Billboard Chart Placement?

[Ypsilanti]

I haven't heard anything about this. Does anyone know? Is it still to soon?

[Jeremy Dylan]

Check back a week after release.

[jardine]

latest chart is name "for the week of nov. 8" , so yep, next tuesday perhaps??

[pophead2k]

#3 on Amazon mp3 album sales overall and #1 for rock mp3 album sales. Probably the fact that it was offered for $3.99 all day yesterday contributed to this!

[Emotional Toothpaste]

I went to try and purchase NR at 2 different Borders locations over the last 2 days. Neither of them had it, but many copies of the latest Josh Groban butchering some Christmas songs. And I'll be damned if I have to buy NR in mp3 format or have to wait a week for it to be shipped to me from some retailer. Guess its off to the mall I go. Holding my breath before I go in. I hate malls about as much as I hate mp3. What has become of the music industry?

[jardine]

don't get emotional, toothpaste! actually, do. it really is a mess, isn't it, all in the name of freedom and choice but actually violating both. there used to be a lovely gathering on release dates, treks where you had to go somewhere to get the new release and knew the people working in the local shop and knew they'd have it.

actually, if you order from his site, you get (eventually) send the CD but also immediately can get FLAC files which are like 30 megabytes per song+, so not Mp3 quality but much much better, full gorgeous sound, plus you get nantional ransack the same way right away, then you can wait, like i still am, for the "actual" CD to arrive. there are lots of free "translation" applications available to change flac files into wav files that are really nice sounding, and you get the cd anyway

[Emotional Toothpaste]

I guess I'm an old fogey. I don't know FLAC from wav or mp3. Digital cameras are another thing that makes me crazy. This isn't progress folks. Its more hassle and it sucks. Digital food is next.

In a sense, digital food is already here. I dined out last night, 3 out of 4 people in the whole restaurant were texting and not actually conversing with whoever was at the table with them. Even saw entire families seated at the table and junior all the way up to mum and dad were texting. Talked to a friends teenage son a couple days ago. He sends 6-10,000 texts PER MONTH.

[Top balcony]

.

actually, if you order from his site, you get (eventually) send the CD

This statement has yet to be proven.

I would refer my learned friend to this tread :

http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB3 ... f=2&t=8543

primary witnesses for the UK Prosecution being John and yours truly.

Colin Top Balcony

[Jack of All Parades]

ET share with you that feeling of fogginess. Find it most disconcerting that I am walking and all eyes around me seem to be glued to a digital screen whether the person is ambulatory or proceeding down the street, road or highway behind the wheel of a vehicle. Work in an industry where I see too much of the damage caused by such inattention to the world around oneself except for the blue screen. I had more success than you on Tuesday in purchasing a physical copy of "National Ransom" at my local Borders. However did have to ask the sales clerk to go in the back in the late afternoon of the release date as there was not a single copy in the racks or in a display stand. Not that there had been a run on the album. No one cared enough to place it out for sale that day. I was the first one to ask for it and perhaps the only one as I was also the only one browsing in the CD section. On the plus side it cost me all of $4.99 plus tax as I had a decent coupon and $5 in Borders Rewards to spend. Physical album is quite flimsy just thin cardboard with little substantial texture and given a faux sepia look to appear old. That said have been enjoying it since the purchase.

[the_platypus]

I guess I'm an old fogey. I don't know FLAC from wav or mp3. Digital cameras are another thing that makes me crazy. This isn't progress folks. Its more hassle and it sucks. Digital food is next.

In a sense, digital food is already here. I dined out last night, 3 out of 4 people in the whole restaurant were texting and not actually conversing with whoever was at the table with them. Even saw entire families seated at the table and junior all the way up to mum and dad were texting. Talked to a friends teenage son a couple days ago. He sends 6-10,000 texts PER MONTH.

[jardine]

still no billboard placement in top 200 for week ending November 13. oh oh. this can't be right

[John]

I think the US charts run for sales Tuesday to Monday. It will be Wednesday or Thursday before we know the first week postion for NR. Going by the Amazon charts it will not appear as high as SP&S.

[Emotional Toothpaste]

I guess I'm an old fogey. I don't know FLAC from wav or mp3. Digital cameras are another thing that makes me crazy. This isn't progress folks. Its more hassle and it sucks. Digital food is next.

In a sense, digital food is already here. I dined out last night, 3 out of 4 people in the whole restaurant were texting and not actually conversing with whoever was at the table with them. Even saw entire families seated at the table and junior all the way up to mum and dad were texting. Talked to a friends teenage son a couple days ago. He sends 6-10,000 texts PER MONTH.

Thats me. Angry at the clouds.

Still don't have NR. 3rd attempt came up empty (again). Best Buy store this time. Elvis Costello bin was completely empty of ANY CDs. The title track was even playing over their house system, making it all the more infuriating. True enough, I was angry at the clouds within Best Buy. I couldn't even reply to the greeters "thank you for shopping" as I stormed out.

[cwr]

Has anyone seen the CD for sale at Starbucks? I think that was the secret weapon behind SP&SC's strong sales. If people aren't seeing Tony Millionaire's awesome cover art while they pay for their coffees, EC is missing out on a lot of sales, because a lot of those people are NOT going to nationalransom.com or whatever stores in their area still sell CDs to seek out a copy.

The CD still says it's licensed to Hear Music, but if you go to the hearmusic website, NR doesn't even come up if you SEARCH for it. As a matter of fact, even SP&SC no longer comes up.

Whatever deal Elvis had for SP&SC, he should look into getting it back. It would be a shame if NR failed to sell just because he didn't repeat the successful approach he had for the previous album.

[migdd]

Didn't Hear Music and Starbucks sever their relationship earlier this year?

[cwr]

It's still listed on the copyright info on the CD as a part of Starbucks, although it seems like Hear Music is now somehow also Concord Music Group. There is still some sort of connection between Hear Music and Starbucks, but it does seem as if SOMETHING has changed if National Ransom isn't getting the in-store attention that SP&SC received...

[sweetest punch]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hear_Music

http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/labels/Hear-Music/

http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums ... al-Ransom/

[migdd]

No mention of NR or even SP&S in the music section of the Starbucks website:

http://www.starbucksstore.com/products/ ... assNo=0351

[cwr]

The wikipedia page for Hear Music feels like it's missing the latest information-- you'd think it would mention Concord Music Group or the current status of the label.

Ominously, it mentions that Carly Simon released an album on the label only to sue them for poor promotion and handling of the CD hurting sales. It may well be that they've let things slide recently. If this is the case, I hope NR isn't hurt by it...

[migdd]

Billboard has posted its chart listings for the week of 11/13 and NR is nowhere to be found. Something seems amiss with that!

[And No Coffee Table]

The Hits Daily Double chart has National Ransom at #39 with sales of 12,100 — way down from Secret, Profane & Sugarcane's first week sales of 28,000 (as reported by Billboard, which seems to have a different methodology).

But does the National Ransom count include sales through nationalransom.com?

[John]

The Hits Daily Double chart has National Ransom at #39 with sales of 12,100 — way down from Secret, Profane & Sugarcane's first week sales of 28,000 (as reported by Billboard, which seems to have a different methodology).

But does the National Ransom count include sales through nationalransom.com?

Very disappointing after all that promotion. King of America also only reached number 39 in the US.

[jardine]

it is still saying Week of Nov. 13, it has been for several days, so i expect that the billboard issue won't be clear until they post the NEXT chart????

[cwr]

Very disappointing after all that promotion. King of America also only reached number 39 in the US.

And weren't KOA's sales so disappointing that Costello declared the CD reissue the first real release of that album?

I really hope that these sales don't factor in the nationalransom.com figures. Ideally, he sold more through his website, since that would encourage him to keep doing stuff directly and put out more records without having to deal with being on a label...

[Jack of All Parades]

A non too scientific study of my own as to sales since the 11/2 issue date at local stores that still sell albums in my area. Best Buy had no copies to sell and when I asked a clerk if there were any a quick search of the computer showed none available. Walmart not a single cd to be found not even a section for him- though tons of Taylor Swift cds. Barnes & Noble, none to be had even though the chain ran an ad in this past Sunday's NYTimes that they were selling it. When the clerk was asked if they were available, he could find none, and perhaps more telling, I was the only one that asked for it in a week's time. Record World had none to be sold. Only Borders had one at least which I purchased on 11/2 when I had to ask a clerk to check in the back room to see if one was available to purchase and I had been the only person to ask the entire day for the record. It was not even stocked on the new release shelves. Target had nothing, not even a section for him. Local Starbucks do not feature the album as the distribution is now through Concord Records. Hear is out of the picture. Quite discouraging if you are looking for physical product to purchase. I know EC has been frenetically running around over the past few weeks aggressively promoting, and there has been the reasonably sophisticated usage of his website to promote, but there is a noticeable lack of product in stores to purchase.

Can one hear off in the faint distance the 'lonely sound of jingling spurs, the 'toodle-oos' and 'oh, my dears' down at "The Argyle"?