When it comes to attention for this week’s new album releases, virtually all of it has focused on Katy Perry’s “Prism.”
And with good reason. As the follow-up to an album that produced eight top three Hot 100 hits, including six number ones, “Prism” seemed poised to be one of the most significant releases of the year. That it came from Katy Perry, one of the most recognizable individuals in all of entertainment, only made the coverage more enthusiastic.
The recently released sales projections only make the story more intriguing. Projected to sell 270-290K copies in its first week, “Prism” will reign as the number one album on Billboard’s 200 but do so with a total far below what was expected. As individuals engage in the debate over whether that number should be celebrated or condemned, the week’s other albums will continue fighting for leftover media attention.
But they did release this week, and as such, there is definitely business interest in how they performed. And considering the existence of passionate support for some of the acts, there is definitely fan interest as well.
According to Hits Daily Double, season two “X Factor” finalists Fifth Harmony will deliver the week’s next-best debut. The early Hits data says the group’s “Better Together” EP is pacing for a opening week in the 30-35K range.
Despite being an EP rather than an LP, its projected sales tally will exceed the 17K achieved by “X Factor” winner Tate Stevens’ self-titled debut full-length. It will, however, fall short of the 46K moved by fellow “X Factor” group Emblem3’s LP “Nothing to Lose.”
Other debuts this week include AFI’s “Burials” (estimated total: 25-30K), DJ Khaled’s “Suffering from Success” (~19-23K) and Tori Kelly’s “Foreword” (~14-17K).