in , ,

Report: 1D’s “Made In The AM” iTunes Pre-Orders Top 170K; Justin Bieber’s “Purpose” Crosses 110K

One Direction [ABC]

The release date for One Direction’s “Made In The AM” and Justin Bieber’s “Purpose,” November 13 marks the beginning of the fall’s most exciting album sales showdown.

Powered by recognizable tracks, aggressive promotional campaigns, immense media coverage, and significant fan passion, the two albums enter the market with lofty expectations.

They also enter the market with only one realistic chance at a #1 position on the Top Album Sales and Billboard 200 charts. Adele’s “25” debuts the following week, and it will easily seize the album sales and consumption thrones — very likely with record-breaking numbers.

If an album does manage to dethrone “25” in the weeks following the big debut, it will almost certainly be a high-profile new release rather than one of the aforementioned November 13 launches.

To handicap the 1D vs. Bieber showdown, industry analysts are considering all possible data points. One such barometer is the iTunes pre-order race.

A recent Billboard report says “Made In The AM” has amassed about 170,000 in US iTunes pre-order sales. Bieber’s “Purpose” has secured roughly 110,000. Since interest is heating up — the pre-orders are in the Top 5 on the store’s sales chart — the real-time numbers should be greater in both cases.

On the surface, the metric clearly favors the One Direction album. A deeper dive reveals a more complex situation.

For starters, the “Made In The AM” pre-order campaign launched nearly a month before that of “Purpose.” The “Purpose” pre-order has recently been outpacing “Made In The AM” — and thus been closing the initial gap.

Billboard, further, notes that digital purchases have historically made up a considerably greater share of aggregate One Direction album sales than aggregate Bieber album sales (34.8% vs. 15.5%). The pre-order advantage is not, therefore, confirmation of greater overall interest.

Worth noting: One Direction’s previous album releases have, on the whole, entered the market more recently than Bieber’s prior releases. Since digital consumption has been growing over time, marketplace conditions — rather than inherent differences in fanbase — likely account for at least part of the digital sales disparity.

Beginning late Thursday, Headline Planet will actively cover the 1D vs. Bieber showdown. Keep checking in for sales forecasts, confirmed sales data, and details on the initiatives the two acts will use in their battle for #1.

Written by Brian Cantor

Brian Cantor is the editor-in-chief for Headline Planet. He has been a leading reporter in the music, movie, television and sporting spaces since 2002.

Brian's reporting has been cited by major websites like BuzzFeed, Billboard, the New Yorker and The Fader -- and shared by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj.

Contact Brian at brian.cantor[at]headlineplanet.com.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Loading…

Ratings: “iZombie,” “The Flash” Hold Steady in A18-49, Slip in Viewership

Undertaker Tombstones A Turkey On Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” (Watch Now)