"USA Chart Position" (#7 Billboard Albums, #3 Vinyl Albums) - Morrissey Central; #95 Billboard 200

UPDATE June 4:

Actual charts are out now:
https://www.billboard.com/charts

Posted by BookishBoy:

Billboard 200 albums: number 95
Billboard album sales: number 7
Billboard vinyl albums: number 3
Billboard independent albums: number 4
Billboard tastemaker albums: number 3
Billboard digital albums: number 9
Billboard artist 100: number 58

The comparison quoted on Morrissey Central does not appear completely accurate. Link posted by Thewlis:
https://www.billboard.com/music/morrissey/chart-history/billboard-200

Data seems to be shared between the two charts in history, up to Dec. 13, 2014 - Wikipedia):
https://www.billboard.com/music/morrissey/chart-history/top-album-sales

Also, link posted by Morrissey_Sucks:

BUILDING ALBUM SALES CHART - Hits Daily Double
UPDATED DAILY TUESDAY-FRIDAY
Chart Date: 05/31/2019 (WEEK ENDING: 05/30/2019)
Status: Final

#14 MORRISSEY - CALIFORNIA SON - BMG 5,172

---

USA Chart Position. - Morrissey Central
June 3, 2019

"Morrissey's California Son album has charted at number 7 in the USA Official Billboard Chart.
The vinyl version of the album is number 3 on the LP chart.

This is Morrissey's most successful U.S. chart position to date, following :

Low In High School (10)
Years of Refusal (11)
You Are The Quarry (11)
World Peace Is None of Your Business (14)
Vauxhall and I (18)
Your Arsenal (21)
and so on."

Regards,
FWD.

 

[Surface]

Yes agree, would of made sense, but we’re talking about Morrissey here.

But at least BMG got some posters up
in the train stations.

But in America? zero promotion by BMG surely did not help chart placement at all.

Is it BMG or his advisors. The posters weren't just in train stations, there were huge billboards in Manchester advertising it. However, it would have made more sense to advertise in the US where his brand isn't tarnished by his out of touch comments?

 

[Surface]

But, but, IT IS NUMBER 7 OFFICIAL !
WHAT DO YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND ?

https://www.billboard.com/music/morrissey/chart-history/top-album-sales

Oh do f*** off you tit, even his most loyal followers have acknowledged its not. Go and troll a bus - with your head.

 

[Morrissey_Sucks]

Nevertheless, Morrissey is currently number 4 in the UK albums chart!

True that. Bet let’s be honest here, there were few new releases and he sold 7.000 to get there. It’s pretty pathetic any way you slice it.

Especially when you consider Take That sells 175.000 in the first week. Honestly, the chart number is irrelevant. It’s number of albums sold. And if these current sales number are any indication (both USA and UK) of Morrissey’s popularity, it is dismal at best.

 

[Morrissey_Sucks]

It's certainly strange how Morrissey got a lot of radio support in the UK for this album of American covers, but next to no radio airplay in the States.

And the radio support translated into 7.000 albums sold. Just shows that while Radio 2 support is good for airplay, it doesn’t necessarily translate into album sales.

 

[Thewlis]

BMG did a great job in the UK. Moz cannot complain about this, and it certainly shows that the relationship is stable.
But Stateside they decided to do absolutely nothing, which I find odd since it is essentially an 'American' album.
There's a big tour coming up in September, but what will it promote exactly?

 

[Surface]

BMG did a great job in the UK. Moz cannot complain about this, and it certainly shows that the relationship is stable.
But Stateside they decided to do absolutely nothing, which I find odd since it is essentially an 'American' album.
There's a big tour coming up in September, but what will it promote exactly?

Possibly some tracks from the new album he mentions? Some of those venues are way too big for his current popularity though. Rather than cancel, he needs to think about changing the venues now.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Is it BMG or his advisors. The posters weren't just in train stations, there were huge billboards in Manchester advertising it. However, it would have made more sense to advertise in the US where his brand isn't tarnished by his out of touch comments?

Yes, he had a publicity campaign by BMG in Britain. And regardless of good vs bad publicity.. with media talk (thank you Guardian,Spillers,etc) about Morrissey’s views at least informed folks that he does have a new album coming out.

Where as in America, there’s been little publicity outside of some NY dates and one mere tv appearance..

and the fact that BMG did no promotion of CS in America did nothing to help chart placement.

 

[Thewlis]

Possibly some tracks from the new album he mentions? Some of those venues are way too big for his current popularity though. Rather than cancel, he needs to think about changing the venues now.

I think they expect Interpol to attract a lot of folk as well, and maybe introduce a new generation to Moz that way.
Interpol's last album entered the US charts at 23 by the way.

 

[A Man Escaped]

I'm not stirring the pot, but maybe BMG think that a guy who recently started his seventh decade on this spinning rock is as famous as he's going to be and social media/fan sites can do most of the heavy lifting.

 

[Surface]

I think they expect Interpol to attract a lot of folk as well, and maybe introduce a new generation to Moz that way.
Interpol's last album entered the US charts at 23 by the way.

Doesn't seem to be happening with a number of the dates though?

 

[Anonymous]

I think they expect Interpol to attract a lot of folk as well, and maybe introduce a new generation to Moz that way.
Interpol's last album entered the US charts at 23 by the way.

It would be funny if Interpol canceled. Their fans are not happy that they are touring with Morrissey.

 

[BookishBoy]

I'm not stirring the pot, but maybe BMG think that a guy who recently started his seventh decade on this spinning rock is as famous as he's going to be and social media/fan sites can do most of the heavy lifting.

Yes, especially fan sites as packed with beaming positivity as this one is

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Or maybe Morrissey should send them an apology for visually promoting a ghastly, bigoted, toxic political party, whose policies are totally at odds with most of the people who were ever drawn into his or the Smiths' world, thus reducing album sales by 50 - 60%.

What?!

Think BMG is emailing Morrissey right now to start ‘supporting’ Trump
so the ‘bad’ publicity he receives will help sales! Hey, it worked in Britain.

Especially when it’s obvious BMG have not promoted CS in America.

 

[FatGayVegan]

Yes, he had a publicity campaign by BMG in Britain. And regardless of good vs bad publicity.. with media talk (thank you Guardian,Spillers,etc) about Morrissey’s views at least informed folks that he does have a new album coming out.

Where as in America, there’s been little publicity outside of some NY dates and one mere tv appearance..

and the fact that BMG did no promotion of CS in America did nothing to help chart placement.

To be fair, I don't think many record companies could have done much more for this release given all of the factors involved. Whether you think his controversial statements are racially charged and problematic or not, it has become clear that a large number of his historical fans have now opted out of buying this release due to his statements and actions. In addition, physical records just don't sell as much as they used to and radio in the USA is unlikely to support an 'indie' artist of Morrissey's age. When you combine the number fans turned off by recent statements (Nigel Farage being a liberal educator, Sadiq Khan not talking properly, Germany/rape capital, Kevin Spacey's 14 year old victim shouldering some of the blame, Harvey Weinstein's victims being happy to go along with things until they went bad, Hitler being left wing, Tommy Robinson being treated unfairly) with historically low record sales for everyone, a lack of support at radio, a dependency on streaming to make the charts, and the fact California Son is not 'new' material, it is not that surprising how badly it crashed out in the overall US charts.

 

[Anonymous]

in Canada it didnt enter the top 100. Oh, Canada!

this weeks album charts: https://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-albums

Guess boycotts can work both ways.

 

[Anonymous]

And the radio support translated into 7.000 albums sold. Just shoes that while Radio 2 support is good for airplay, it doesn’t necessarily translate into album sales.

Believe me, it does. Without the R2 support he wouldn't have even managed 5,000.

 

[Thewlis]

To be fair, I don't think many record companies could have done much more for this release given all of the factors involved. Whether you think his controversial statements are racially charged and problematic or not, it has become clear that a large number of his historical fans have now opted out of buying this release due to his statements and actions. In addition, physical records just don't sell as much as they used to and radio in the USA is unlikely to support an 'indie' artist of Morrissey's age. When you combine the number fans turned off by recent statements (Nigel Farage being a liberal educator, Sadiq Khan not talking properly, Germany/rape capital, Kevin Spacey's 14 year old victim shouldering some of the blame, Harvey Weinstein's victims being happy to go along with things until they went bad, Hitler being left wing, Tommy Robinson being treated unfairly) with historically low record sales for everyone, a lack of support at radio, a dependency on streaming to make the charts, and the fact California Son is not 'new' material, it is not that surprising how badly it crashed out in the overall US charts.

I think it is even more surprising how well it has done in the UK, given those circumstances you mention.
It shows that a record company can do something as they are the ones who pushed it on Radio 2 so much.

But maybe you are right, that there really are no US music stations where they could have aimed this release at, I don't know enough about American radio.
I think lack of a radio airplay is certainly the biggest factor for the poor chart placing here.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

To be fair, I don't think many record companies could have done much more for this release given all of the factors involved. Whether you think his controversial statements are racially charged and problematic or not, it has become clear that a large number of his historical fans have now opted out of buying this release due to his statements and actions. In addition, physical records just don't sell as much as they used to and radio in the USA is unlikely to support an 'indie' artist of Morrissey's age. When you combine the number fans turned off by recent statements (Nigel Farage being a liberal educator, Sadiq Khan not talking properly, Germany/rape capital, Kevin Spacey's 14 year old victim shouldering some of the blame, Harvey Weinstein's victims being happy to go along with things until they went bad, Hitler being left wing, Tommy Robinson being treated unfairly) with historically low record sales for everyone, a lack of support at radio, a dependency on streaming to make the charts, and the fact California Son is not 'new' material, it is not that surprising how badly it crashed out in the overall US charts.

Yes I agree in this day and age the way music is sold seems to have impacted sales, which explains why lots of artists tour as much as they do, including Morrissey.

Yeah as usual when taken out of context
most of his statements are easily misunderstood and of course can be seen as detrimental to sales.

But consider this...

Bad publicity due to his political views about Britain, ‘loss of sales and fans’.

BMG promotion of CS in Britain.

compared with ...

No good or bad publicity due to his recent political views about America.

and BMG zero promotion of CS in America.


Obviously have had a hand in chart placement in America and Britain.

 

[Surface]

Yes I agree in this day and age the way music is sold seems to have impacted sales, which explains why lots of artists tour as much as they do, including Morrissey.

Yeah as usual when taken out of context
most of his statements are easily misunderstood and of course can be seen as detrimental to sales.

But consider this...

Bad publicity due to his political views about Britain, ‘loss of sales and fans’.

BMG promotion of CS in Britain.

compared with ...

No good or bad publicity due to his recent political views about America.

and BMG zero promotion of CS in America.


Obviously have had a hand in chart placement in America and Britain.

I actually think he could repair his relationship with fans in the UK, with a statement around now I better understand xyz etc

 

[Try Anything Twice]

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