First Week Sales - Why They Count More

SoundScan measures actual sales. It is a product of Nielsen, the company
that measures just about everything including TV viewing, groceries and all media.

Sales are measured by actual point-of-sale (POS) transactions (eg, electronic cash registers). In order for purchases of Taylor’s CD to count for the first week, the sale must be completed between 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 9, 2009 and 12:00 midnight on Sunday. March 15, 2009.

To qualify for first week sales, an order placed with any online vendor must ship no later than March 15, 2009. The arrival date is not a factor. Digital sales ONLY count for first week sales if the entire album is downloaded as one purchase. If you are buying more than one copy of the album, you may purchase them all at one time. They do not have to be separate sales to be counted individually toward SoundScan sales.

It is an industry standard that all new album releases are on Tuesdays. All albums released the same week as Taylor’s will “drop” on March 10, 2009. Each participating SoundScan retailer transmits sales data electronically to SoundScan weekly. Sales results are then compiled based on the UPC codes. The results are for the first actual week the CD is available for
purchase at retail outlets.

The important competition for all albums debuting the same week is placement on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. This is the most critical of all the Billboard charts. When DJs say “debuting this week at . . .” this is where it debuts – the chart an album enters into the music world on. This chart ranks the top 200 albums across all genres. While there are charts for specific genres, this one encompasses all albums sold, and is the most watched by the industry.


Why is placement on this chart so important? Obviously, it’s great to just be on top, but many radio stations use first week sales to determine which new songs on the market to stack on their playlists. They then sort them by popularity, pre-release reviews, buzz, etc. Consumers look at those charts. Weekly countdowns play from those charts. It all boils down to advertising, prestige, and buzz in the industry. If an album places in the top five, it is making a statement.

Somewhere between 225 to 275 albums will be released March 10th with Taylor’s. This is not as bad as it sounds. Some will be Sesame Street, the younger years, and All in the Family, the compilation.

The following outlets (not all inclusive) report to SoundScan :

•Amazon
•Wal-Mart
•Best Buy
•Target
•Barnes and Noble
•Borders
•K-Mart
•Meijers
•Sam Goody’s
•Fred Meyers
•Most major chain stores with music
departments.

•When in doubt. . .ask!

The following outlets don’t report sales to SoundScan:

•Most warehouse clubs (Costco, BJ’s, etc)
•Drug stores and supermarkets (except for Walgreens)
•Many independent record stores can’t report unless the have an electronic sales system
•Record clubs
•Hallmark stores


Bonus tracks are offered through various retailers as an inducement to sell more albums. Please don’t share your bonus tracks off a CD you purchased with someone who purchased their CD elsewhere. This cheats Taylor out of a sale (besides being illegal). If you know someone who does not live near a store that offers the bonus tracks, suggest that they send you the money and you can purchase Taylor’s new CD with the bonus track for them and mail it to them. In many cases online gift cards can be purchased for you to use. Just because someone doesn’t have local access to a store, it is not a reason to give away Taylor's new music.