Who may be the first artist to surpass the 500,000 sales mark since Eminem?
Is it Rihanna, Adam Lambert or Susan Boyle?
Susan Boyle performs on The Today Show.
Credit: AP Photo/Richard Drew
Have you heard the one about the dowdy looking, middle-aged British singer who, with virtually no airplay and armed only with a great voice, rides not only to the top of the charts, but could possibly experience one of the highest sales weeks of the year?
If not, you will. As you may know, Susan Boyle’s “I Dreamed a Dream” set a record for pre-orders at Amazon.com, but Hits Daily Double reports that following one day after its release Nov. 23, Boyle’s collection is selling at three times the estimated pre-release tally. The tip sheet predicts that “I Dreamed a Dream” could sell more than 500,000 copies in its opening frame. In May, Eminem's "Relapse" sold more than 600,000.
Let’s look at this a little further. Boyle’s competing this week against new releases from Rihanna’s “Rated R” and Adam Lambert’s “For Your Entertainment,” among many other titles. Music industry pundits would have you believe that every advantage should go to Rihanna and Lambert: they get more radio play and, most importantly, they’re younger—young enough to be Boyle’s children. Even though Boyle is on a major label, Columbia (only because Simon Cowell’s label goes through Columbia), no major label would normally come near someone like Boyle because major labels have utterly convinced themselves that artists over 40 don’t sell records, despite the RIAA stats that show that people 35 and up buy more albums than those 35 and under (this is a stat that held true even before rampant piracy started).
Rihanna, rightly or wrongly, has seen her stardom zoom into the stratosphere on the back of a tragic event. Lambert’s popularity has been propelled, in part, by his outsized personality and willingness to discuss his sex life...and simulate fellatio on national TV. I don't think we have to worry about Boyle doing that.
Another factor seemingly going against Boyle is although she was a fixture on U.K. television via being a contestant on “Britain’s Got Talent,” her main exposure in the U.S. has come through YouTube. You can count her U.S. television appearances on two hands. She hasn’t graced the cover of any major magazines yet.
Here’s what Boyle has that few artists today have: she has heart. And she wore her heart on her sleeve from the moment she walked out onto that ‘Britain’s Got Talent” stage and, amid snickers and rolled eyes because she didn’t fit the perfect picture (read: young, thin and conventionally pretty), she sang her heart out. She laid herself bare to ridicule because she had a dream and somewhere, somehow, her need to be heard outweighed her fear. Regardless of whether you appreciate her voice, you have to admire her pluck: every message in society tells someone like Boyle that dreams are for younger, prettier people and she said no they aren’t. And if they her dream can come true, maybe yours can too.
That’s why people are buying “I Dreamed a Dream.” There’s no telling what kind of career Boyle will have, but there’s a lesson to be learned simply from what’s happening this week, if only the industry will listen.
News From Our Partners
-
'Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2': Edward, Bella And Jacob Character Posters (PHOTOS)
Russell Crowe, Elvis Costello, Sing Elvis Presley And Johnny Cash In London
'Men In Black 3' Unscripted: Josh Brolin Doesn't Know Will Smith's Song 'Summertime'
-
Critics Consensus: Men in Black III Is Solid Fun
Five Favorite Films with Director-Producer Oren Peli
Cannes 2012: Critics Scorecard
-
Brandi Glanville Claims She Hooked Up With Gerard Butler
Charlie Sheen Talks Ladies – Onscreen & Off
Jonah Hill ‘Overwhelmed’ By ‘Moneyball’ Supporting Actor Nomination
-
The Telefile - Today's TWoP News: Thursday, May 24, 2012
The Telefile - Modern Family: Best Lines of the Season 3 Finale
The Telefile - Today's TWoP News: Wednesday, May 23, 2012
-
Catherine McKenzie: The Bachelorette Games
'Idol' Continues Downward Ratings Spiral
'Idol' Winner Inspires Nation After Enduring 8 Surgeries During Season
-
The Dandy Warhols Celebrate 18 Years Together
Lady Gaga Turns Yellow For The Simpsons
Dance Music Vocalist Susana Releasing New Album
-
Gateways To Geekery: There’s more to Russ Meyer’s films than breasts, though those are pretty important
Interview: Men In Black 3 director Barry Sonnenfeld on creating character and managing 3-D
The Walkthrough: 30 Rock showrunner Robert Carlock walks us through some recent series highlights
-
'Dark Knight Rises' TV Spots: A Lighter Side Of Batman
Emma Stone Nabs First 'MTV Trailblazer Award'
One Direction Hit 'MIB 3' Premiere Armed With Toy Guns
About This Blog
Melinda Newman is the former West Coast Bureau Chief for Billboard Magazine with more than 15 years of experience in the music industry. She covers music and entertainment for the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Associated Press, MSN, AOL and other outlets. Recent interviews include Taylor Swift, Pink, Brad Paisley, Foo Fighters, Jonas Bros. and Snow Patrol.
Get Instant Alerts on The Beat Goes On
Latest Posts
-
What happens when we show our true selves?Thursday, May 24, 2012
-
Stark depiction matches song's messageThursday, May 24, 2012
-
Listen to new single, 'Legendary Child'Thursday, May 24, 2012
-
Static chart sees little to no movement from last weekWednesday, May 23, 2012
Comments
Option 1
Comment instantly as a guest GuestOption 2
Option 3
Login or create a HitFix account Login Signupkatie, a princess
November 24, 2009 at 2:05PM EST Reply to CommentI am personally still unconvinced that Susan Boyle is a great singer.
dave
November 26, 2009 at 5:00AM EST Reply to CommentI want her to succeed. I think she will.