Eminem might have offered a temporary reprieve, but he did not end the era of disappointment opening week album sales numbers.
Based on Hits Daily Double’s estimates, Lady Gaga’s “ARTPOP” is pacing to move just 250-275,000 units in its opening week. If the figure holds, “ARTPOP” will join Katy Perry’s “Prism” and Arcade Fire’s “Reflektor” as the latest high-profile release to underwhelm commercially.
Significantly below the 350K+ figure that circulated earlier in the week, which itself would have been a disappointment given the size of Gaga’s fanbase and the expectations surrounding her album, the only positive about the number is that it will convincingly secure the album’s place as the week’s best debut.
If sales for Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” fall by at least 68% in week two, which is not unlikely, Gaga’s “ARTPOP” will also reign as the week’s overall best seller.
Still, given the hype surrounding the album and the artist, who is considered one of the biggest names in music, the total is an irrefutable disappointment.
Lacking the power of a $0.99 Amazon special, the “ARTPOP” debut was never going to rival the 1.1 million moved by predecessor “Born This Way” in its inaugural week. But that album still moved more than 600,000 copies across other channels, and there was no reason to believe “ARTPOP” would sell less than half of that total in its debut.
When attacking the disappointing 286K sum for Katy Perry’s “Prism,” many Gaga supporters (and general music critics) noted that Perry, unlike their preferred pop Diva, was an undeniable “singles artist.” Unclear is how such individuals will reconcile the notion of “ARTPOP” falling short of the “Prism” bow.