If the question is whether Jason Mraz will win the weekly album sales race, it is too early to definitively say “Yes!”
If, however, the question concerns whether Mraz is in contention to land atop next week’s Billboard 200, one absolutely can answer in the affirmative.
According to preliminary data from Hits Daily Double, the singer-songwriter’s new album “Yes!” is pacing for a weekly bow in the 50-60,000 range. Unfortunately for those looking to quickly declare Mraz’s album the winner, new releases from Weird Al Yankovic (“Mandatory Fun”), Kidz Bop (“Kidz Bop 26”) and Rise Against (“The Black Market”) are all on pace to debut in the same ballpark.
If the 50-60,000 mark holds for the aforementioned releases, it would represent an album-to-album decline for three of the acts.
“Love is a Four Letter Word,” Mraz’ previous release, debuted with 102,000 opening week sales. Rise Against’s predecessor “Endgame” was good for 85,000, while “Kidz Bop 25” started with 76,000 inaugural week sales.
A total of 50-60,000 would, however, mark an improvement for Weird Al Yankovic. His predecessor “Alpocalypse” net 44,000 sales in its first frame.