Update: New forecasts are out, and they offer a sobering picture of the album sales landscape.
Garth Brooks’ album, for instance, will only sell about half of what was originally expected.
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The bottom line impact of assigning digital exclusivity to his GhostTunes platform remains to be seen, but Garth Brooks still has a chance of grabbing the number one spot on next week’s Billboard 200 album sales chart.
Based on very early sales data, Brooks’ comeback album “Man Against Machine” is on track to move 250-300,000 copies in its opening week. If that forecast holds, “Man” will definitely be in the mix for a #1 debut.
Brooks’ closest competition will come from Taylor Swift’s holdover “1989” and Foo Fighters’ hotly anticipated new “Sonic Highways.”
Early data says that Swift’s “1989,” which is about to be crowned the #1 album for a second straight week, will move roughly 250,000 copies in its third frame of release. Foo Fighters’ “Sonic Highways,” meanwhile, looks like a safe best for 225-250,000 sales.
Given the margin of error associated with data derived so early into the week, all three albums must realistically be seen as contenders for #1 on next week’s Billboard 200.