Ariana Grande [MTV]
Upon scoring 169,000 first week sales–and a number one bow–Ariana Grande’s “My Everything” fueled discussion about the role of context when assessing album sales.
In most cases, there would be no denying that an album that launched three top ten singles prior to its release, debuted at number one and scored a six-figure opening week sales count was a very successful one.
Grande’s album, however, garnered scrutiny from critics who felt its album-to-album gain should have been considerably larger. Insofar as predecessor “Yours Truly” sold 138,000 copies in its debut week last year — before she had emerged as a pop superstar and radio sensation — critics felt “My Everything” should have been held to a significantly higher standard.
Within the context of Grande’s exponentially rising star power, an album-to-album gain of 22% is certainly not significant.
While it will not necessarily change the perspectives of the unimpressed, new forecasts show that “My Everything” will expand its lead over “Yours Truly” in week two.
Hits Daily Double anticipates that “My Everything” will move another 45-50,000 copies in its second week of release.
Not particularly impressive, the 27-30% week-over-week retention nonetheless bests that demonstrated by “Yours Truly” in its second week of release. After starting with 138,000 sales, that album retained only 22% of its sales volume in week two.
After week two, “My Everything” should be able to claim a cumulative sales count of about 217,000. If that estimate holds, it will lead the preceding album’s 169,000 two-week total by 28%.