1095 replies to this topic

[arkin]

Dave Grohl?

I'm pretty sure the chord progressions he's been playing aren't all that novel.

[Montana]

Not a surprise. The combination of the Best Buy exclusive and the worst economic downtrun since the great depression really hurt the sales. No one is shopping at Best Buy anymore. Had Axl had the album out in the open like Kanyne, it would have easily matched. Also, don't forget that Kanye was about 400,000 units off his previous mark.

[Guy]

Not a surprise. The combination of the Best Buy exclusive and the worst economic downtrun since the great depression really hurt the sales. No one is shopping at Best Buy anymore. Had Axl had the album out in the open like Kanyne, it would have easily matched. Also, don't forget that Kanye was about 400,000 units off his previous mark.

Mr Montana, I really did LOL at this statement.
I am sure this album's poor sales figures have nothing to do with the fact that the album is mediocre, at best. I would also wager more people downloaded this album for free than actually paid for it.

[Montana]

Not a surprise. The combination of the Best Buy exclusive and the worst economic downtrun since the great depression really hurt the sales. No one is shopping at Best Buy anymore. Had Axl had the album out in the open like Kanyne, it would have easily matched. Also, don't forget that Kanye was about 400,000 units off his previous mark.

Mr Montana, I really did LOL at this statement.
I am sure this album's poor sales figures have nothing to do with the fact that the album is mediocre, at best. I would also wager more people downloaded this album for free than actually paid for it.

You're right. The fact that the album was exclusively sold at a luxury store in the greatest economic downturn since the great depression that no one is shopping at had anything to do with it.

[solace]

You're right. The fact that the album was exclusively sold at a luxury store in the greatest economic downturn since the great depression that no one is shopping at had anything to do with it.

it's over, Obama won, you can drop the stump speech

[Holiday in Risk]

"Luxury store"? It's not fuckin' Saks. Lot of luxury stores on the outskirts of DeKalb and Sycamore, yeah.

[Montana]

"Luxury store"? It's not fuckin' Saks. Lot of luxury stores on the outskirts of DeKalb and Sycamore, yeah.

In this economy, it's a luxury store. Wal Mart is not (which is where Axl should have done the exclusive).

[Montana]

http://www.nytimes.c...ess/07best.html


But no retailer is immune from the drop in consumer confidence and spending, especially one that specializes in gadgets, not groceries. Sales at Best Buy stores open more than a year were down 7.8 percent in October, compared with the same month last year. The company will not release November figures until Dec. 16, but it’s already clear that November was a brutal month for electronics retailers. According to a report MasterCard Advisors released last week, sales of electronics and appliances nationwide sank 25.2 percent in November, versus the same month last year.

[solace]

just because the average price of goods at Best Buy is higher, it's not like they made you walk out with a fucking $4000 60" Pioneer Kuro if you wanted to buy Chinese Democracy, good lord. all you had to do if you wanted the record is go to Best Buy or buy it online on their website. what, is it impossible to walk into a Best Buy purchase one CD and nothing else and walk out? What's your excuse for the lack of iTunes sales this week then? not denying that store specific exclusives aren't dumb, but the whole "luxury store" is a bit silly when you can just walk in, pick it off one of the huge kiosks they have displaying it, and checkout in 5 minutes or less.

[stignasty]

It's now #5 (from it's debut at #1) in Canada. Kanye dropped #4 to #15 on the same chart.

[solace]

It's now #5 (from it's debut at #1) in Canada. Kanye dropped #4 to #15 on the same chart.

Canada hates black people

[stignasty]

It's now #5 (from it's debut at #1) in Canada. Kanye dropped #4 to #15 on the same chart.

Canada hates black people

HAHAHA!!!! LOL!!! YEAH!!!!

[Montana]

just because the average price of goods at Best Buy is higher, it's not like they made you walk out with a fucking $4000 60" Pioneer Kuro if you wanted to buy Chinese Democracy, good lord.
all you had to do if you wanted the record is go to Best Buy or buy it online on their website. what, is it impossible to walk into a Best Buy purchase one CD and nothing else and walk out?

What's your excuse for the lack of iTunes sales this week then?

not denying that store specific exclusives aren't dumb, but the whole "luxury store" is a bit silly when you can just walk in, pick it off one of the huge kiosks they have displaying it, and checkout in 5 minutes or less.

Do you go outside? I have a Best Buy literally two minutes from my house and no one shops there anymore. At this time of year it took you an hour just to get out of the place. People just aren't driving to stores where they don't need to buy stuff. Even Linens and Things is closing. The malls are mostly dead here.

Sorry, but Axl locked himself into a luxury store during a terrible economy. Bad move on his part. When I went to buy my copy( the day it came out), there were no extra displays at all. I had to grab it from the standard rock section in the CD isle.

It's now #5 (from it's debut at #1) in Canada. Kanye dropped #4 to #15 on the same chart.

Kanye is finished! hahahhhaha wow! What a drop off!

[solace]

yep. Best Buy's headquarters is less than 5 miles from my house every time i've been to the Richfield, MN store the last 3 months it's been quite busy. i went to return a game at 3pm on Black Friday and was in and out in under 20 minutes.

[Mitchell]

Fell to #11 here. Kanye fell from that spot to #40. Blaming the economy is ridiculous, it's not just Axl fans feeling the pinch. If we were in a better economic climate it probably would have sold more but so would everything else.

[nobodies]

not denying that store specific exclusives aren't dumb, but the whole "luxury store" is a bit silly when you can just walk in, pick it off one of the huge kiosks they have displaying it, and checkout in 5 minutes or less.

I actually have to agree with Montana on this one. No matter what the economy's like, people still have to go to Wal-Mart for groceries and basic items. For the most part, you're only walking into a Best Buy if you're buying something non-essential. Accordingly, CD could have been marketed at Wal-Mart as a point-of-purchase item to the casual fans who wouldn't normally go out of their way to buy it.

Also, arguing about ease of acquisition at Best Buy misses the point. GNR fans were going to buy it no matter where it was sold. To make the real money, you need to get the casual fan. The guy/girl who doesn't really collect records, but might pick up the new GNR at the counter along with a copy of US Weekly and a half-off dvd of "Caddy Shack."

Sad, but true.

[UselessRocker]

People aren't spending money on things that aren't necessary right now... and yet they would have been willing to spend an extra 10 bucks at Wal-Mart on a new Guns 'n' Roses album? I just don't think that's very plausible logic.

[r.i.p.]

Not a surprise. The combination of the Best Buy exclusive and the worst economic downtrun since the great depression really hurt the sales. No one is shopping at Best Buy anymore. Had Axl had the album out in the open like Kanyne, it would have easily matched. Also, don't forget that Kanye was about 400,000 units off his previous mark.

Mr Montana, I really did LOL at this statement.
I am sure this album's poor sales figures have nothing to do with the fact that the album is mediocre, at best. I would also wager more people downloaded this album for free than actually paid for it.

You're right. The fact that the album was exclusively sold at a luxury store in the greatest economic downturn since the great depression that no one is shopping at had anything to do with it.

Dude, every record is in the same boat. It's all relative. The fact that Axl had a (far more) precipitous drop shows that the GNR fanbase has shriveled like a dick in Lake Michigan. For it to be 18 means that it sold, what, 30,000 in week two? If that? I think an 80% drop is pretty LOL worthy.

I went into 2 Best Buys and saw the record on big cardboard displays and at the checkout counter. The fact that it's bombing in all other countries, where it's sold everywhere, shows that people just don't care anymore.

Also, it's on iTunes. Those sales count, too. So this "going into Best Buy" argument is silly. People don't impulsively pick up albums in the check-out line, anyway. Interested consumers go out with the purpose to pick up an album. In that regard, what store it's at matters little.

[nobodies]

People aren't spending money on things that aren't necessary right now... and yet they would have been willing to spend an extra 10 bucks at Wal-Mart on a new Guns 'n' Roses album? I just don't think that's very plausible logic.

Well, AC/DC put out Black Ice exclusively through Wal-Mart. I think it's sold around 2 million copies, and that Album was released in October, smack dab in the middle of the economic downturn. I'm not saying Chinese Democracy would have had the same numbers. Ultimately it comes down to quality of product, but at the end of the day I think GNR probably would have sold more units if it had done its exclusive deal through Wal-Mart.

[Brominated]

People aren't spending money on things that aren't necessary right now... and yet they would have been willing to spend an extra 10 bucks at Wal-Mart on a new Guns 'n' Roses album? I just don't think that's very plausible logic.

The guy's point, in essence, is exposure. Like someone said earlier, hardcore fans would get the album regardless. It's those casual folk who would make the difference. Wal-Mart = higher traffic = higher exposure to all sorts of crowds = higher % of "cheap" spontaneous purchases. Yes, even in troubled economic times. I'm sure there's plenty of people that appreciate GNR's earlier songs with no idea that this album was ever even made. A lot more of those types of people happen to be at a Wal-Mart than Best Buy. While it might not have made a staggering difference, sales would most definitely be up.