Friday, November 23, 2012

News: Rihanna Aiming for First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart

Rihanna Aiming for First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart

Although Rihanna has piled up a mountain of No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart -- 12 of them to be exact -- a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 still eludes her.

That may change next week, as her seventh studio release, "Unapologetic," has a very good chance at debuting at No. 1. Industry sources say the SRP/Def Jam album (released on Monday, Nov. 19) should sell between 225,000 and 250,000 by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, Nov. 25.

With the Thanksgiving holiday (Thursday, Nov. 22) and Black Friday promotions impacting the week, it's especially difficult to forecast music sales. While no other new release seems likely to sell more than "Unapologetic," anything is possible.

No matter where Rihanna finishes the week with "Unapologetic," it seems certain that it will earn the singer her best sales week ever. So far, her best frame came when 2010's "Loud" launched at No. 3 with 207,000.

A year ago next week, Michael Buble's "Christmas" rose to No. 1 for the first time, selling 227,000 (up from 165,000 the week previous, according to Nielsen SoundScan) after the turkey holiday. While Buble isn't in the picture this year, there's another Christmas album that has an outside chance at blocking Rihanna from the top: Rod Stewart's "Merry Christmas, Baby." It's unlikely that Stewart will jump to No. 1, but the busy shopping weekend could produce many surprises, so stay tuned. "Merry Christmas, Baby" is currently at No. 6 on the chart, having sold 80,000 last week.
Read More: http://www.billboard.com/news#/news/rihanna-aiming-for-first-no-1-album-on-billboard-1008026172.story

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