Love etc. midweeks.

[Radiophonic]

Ladies, please...

The new single is doing miles better than their last one. And the album will do fantastic.

[Undertaker]

The bottom line is that a band with so much PR, marketing, the Brit fireworks, advertising, print/web articles, magazine covers, airplay (A-listed on the UK's biggest radio station) et al should (and will) crack the top 20. It doesn't make sense. I'd hate to be Undertaker right now, thinking this potential relative flop may result in Bob the Weatherman producing the next PSB album. Who cares where it will chart!? It's a good song and the album is better than any since the mid 90's. Chillax.

You guys are one big circus - a two-ring circus, at that. Instead of enjoying the band's new art, some of you are acting like stock traders running around the stock market like heads with their chickens cut off.

Oooh look who has appeared in a PSB thread abot charts. It's that huge fan of theirs

Thanks for the mention by the way. Just to put you straight again (this is getting a regular habit) First of all, the single is selling a similar amount to what they usually sell. The fact that single sales have gone up 300% in 3 years and PSB are mainly a fan base act, their position will be lower than normal because everyone else is selling more. Dare i say it, but Erasure found this out with Always 2009, which failed to get into the top 200. Also, whichever way you slice it, the CD1 especially, is hardly available.

Furthermore, singles are not released to make money. They seldom do. They are their to promote the album. If 'Yes' fails to make the top 20, then we should be worried and it will probably mean the next album will be produced in a wooden hut.

[skyhigh]

Pulse, S t e p h a n o, or whatever you're called. PSB are gettin shedloads of publicity. Haven't you noticed?? Theyre not on Radio 1 playlist though, are they??

[Integralist]

The bottom line is that a band with so much PR, marketing, the Brit fireworks, advertising, print/web articles, magazine covers, airplay (A-listed on the UK's biggest radio station) et al should (and will) crack the top 20. It doesn't make sense. I'd hate to be Undertaker right now, thinking this potential relative flop may result in Bob the Weatherman producing the next PSB album. Who cares where it will chart!? It's a good song and the album is better than any since the mid 90's. Chillax.

You guys are one big circus - a two-ring circus, at that. Instead of enjoying the band's new art, some of you are acting like stock traders running around the stock market like heads with their chickens cut off.

Oooh look who has appeared in a PSB thread abot charts. It's that huge fan of theirs

Thanks for the mention by the way. Just to put you straight again (this is getting a regular habit) First of all, the single is selling a similar amount to what they usually sell. The fact that single sales have gone up 300% in 3 years and PSB are mainly a fan base act, their position will be lower than normal because everyone else is selling more. Dare i say it, but Erasure found this out with Always 2009, which failed to get into the top 200. Also, whichever way you slice it, the CD1 especially, is hardly available.

Furthermore, singles are not released to make money. They seldom do. They are their to promote the album. If 'Yes' fails to make the top 20, then we should be worried and it will probably mean the next album will be produced in a wooden hut.

Well said. I agree completely. Singles aren't a money-making tool in themselves anymore. They haven't been in many, many years. They're all about exposing a song from the album in the hopes that people will buy the album. I'd love to see them in the Top 10 with the single, but I won't be worried if they don't. As you say, it's all about the performance of the *album*. Even if that doesn't do well, at least we have some wonderful music from the guys again. I really hope it's a commercial success though.

[Kris]

No, "Love, Etc" wouldn't get airplay on Radio 1, but perhaps you should ask Skyhigh to restate his comments about the incredible (shedloads) amount of publicity PSB has been getting. Resultantly, this is working itself into a massive commercial disaster.

You know, you can't have your cake and eat it. It's enough to watch you fall into apologist mode. Once again, one person says something, then another discredits him accidentally by default of defence. Something doesn't sell, and distribution problems are to blame... or it's a sales-heavy week... or it was released with too much competition... or digital sales are now too high... or Satanic anti-PSB rabbits are keeping the hardcore fanbase from shopping... etc.

The bottom line is that a band with so much PR, marketing, the Brit fireworks, advertising, print/web articles, magazine covers, airplay (A-listed on the UK's biggest radio station) et al should (and will) crack the top 20. It doesn't make sense. I'd hate to be Undertaker right now, thinking this potential relative flop may result in Bob the Weatherman producing the next PSB album. Who cares where it will chart!? It's a good song and the album is better than any since the mid 90's. Chillax.

You guys are one big circus - a two-ring circus, at that. Instead of enjoying the band's new art, some of you are acting like stock traders running around the stock market like heads with their chickens cut off.

For what it's worth, it's the performance of Yes which ultimately matters and I think we can say with confidence that it will be PSB's biggest selling studio album for some time, hopefully since Very. So from that point of view, the success - or failure - of Love Etc should prove to be irrelevant.

However, as I've highlighted in bold, there is a severe problem with the distribution of LE on this occasion and that is undoubtedly restricting sales and hampering the chart position. I visited three London HMV stores on Monday and CD1 had sold out in each one - and this was at midday! Yesterday I went back and the single was still out of stock. The remix CD had also sold out in two of the three outlets. I ended up ordering CD1, something I thought I'd never have to do, and the guy at the counter said it may not arrive until next week.

Even in this day and age it's ridiculous that HMV ordered so few copies of the single because PSB are a veteran act whose fanbase enjoy buying the physical format.

I know that we're all being a tad hysterical about the situation but it is frustrating because it looks like LE will be the lowest-charting PSB single ever but arguably not on merit.

EDIT: Love Etc is up to #17 after yesterday's sales so that's better news. Having said that, I think it's now peaked on iTunes so digital sales may dwindle from now on. Let's hope EMI and HMV can get their respective acts together and re-stock the CDs.

[Integralist]

Here are today's midweek charts:

Wednesday Update

Singles

1 Flo Rida feat. Ke$ha
2 Vanessa Jenkins & Bryn West
3 Lady GaGa
4 Saturdays
5 Taylor Swift

Top 10
Akon
Beyonce (Halo)

Top 15
James Morrison
La Roux
Take That

Top 20
Pet Shop Boys

Top 30
Franz Fedinand
Metro Station

Top 40
AR Rahman & PCD

=======================================


Albums

1 Ronan Keating
2 Annie Lennox
3 Kings Of Leon
4 Faryl
5 U2

Top 10
Pete Doherty

Top 15
Bette Midler
James Morrison

Top 20
Lionel Richie

Top 30
The Saturdays
Lionel Richie & The Commodores
Barry Manilow
Script

Top 40
Michael Jackson (KOP)
Oasis
Seal
Melody Gardot

[Kris]

Yep, as I just wrote in an edited post above, Love Etc has climbed to #17.

[Integralist]

Yep, as I just wrote in an edited post above, Love Etc has climbed to #17.

Ooh, that's encouraging! If only they had a TV performance at some point this week. Grrrr!

[kimphilby]

EDIT: Love Etc is up to #17 after yesterday's sales so that's better news. Having said that, I think it's now peaked on iTunes so digital sales may dwindle from now on. Let's hope EMI and HMV can get their respective acts together and re-stock the CDs.

Let's hope LE hasn't peaked digitally. although a good indicator, itunes is not the only download site that counts towards the final singles chart.

I also really hope you're right about Yes being their best selling album in a long while, so much more important than the singles chart.
However, what makes you so sure that Yes will be a success?

[Kris]

EDIT: Love Etc is up to #17 after yesterday's sales so that's better news. Having said that, I think it's now peaked on iTunes so digital sales may dwindle from now on. Let's hope EMI and HMV can get their respective acts together and re-stock the CDs.

Let's hope LE hasn't peaked digitally. although a good indicator, itunes is not the only download site that counts towards the final singles chart.

I also really hope you're right about Yes being their best selling album in a long while, so much more important than the singles chart.
However, what makes you so sure that Yes will be a success?

There's a level of buzz and excitement around the release that I haven't seen since the Very era. The vast majority of the fanbase who have heard the album absolutely love it and I think it will drag some of the lapsed fans out to buy it as well.

In addition, the Brits effect has given PSB's profile a much-needed leg-up and the boom in sales of PopArt suggests that they may have attracted some new fans.

Also, PSB are doing a ridiculous amount of promotion in a wide variety of media so the release of Yes will be a much bigger event than recent albums. I'll be hugely disappointed if it fails to chart in the top five and I reckon it has a chance of going top three, particularly as the sales climate isn't that strong at the moment.

[kimphilby]

I also really hope you're right about Yes being their best selling album in a long while, so much more important than the singles chart.
However, what makes you so sure that Yes will be a success?

There's a level of buzz and excitement around the release that I haven't seen since the Very era. The vast majority of the fanbase who have heard the album absolutely love it and I think it will drag some of the lapsed fans out to buy it as well.

In addition, the Brits effect has given PSB's profile a much-needed leg-up and the boom in sales of PopArt suggests that they may have attracted some new fans.

Also, PSB are doing a ridiculous amount of promotion in a wide variety of media so the release of Yes will be a much bigger event than recent albums. I'll be hugely disappointed if it fails to chart in the top five and I reckon it has a chance of going top three, particularly as the sales climate isn't that strong at the moment.[/quote][/quote]

I see your point.

How much did fundamental open with, 26-28,000 sales?
A similar amount for Yes, and it may struggle to reach the Top 5, but i also have a sneak feeling Yes will have a better opening week of sales, perhaps around 35,000? Let's hope so. Its for another thread, but i wonder if anyone has all PSB opening week sales figures for their albums, plus overall UK sales for each album?
Not seen any posters or billboards advertising Yes yet though, nor for love etc.

[pulse]

So publicity machine leads to outside top 20
No publicity machine leads to outside top 200

I can feel your pride, Stephano.

Some of you guys are so sad to listen to.

Erasure had no publicity machine, *and* didn't release a physical format single in the regular fashion.

Cheer up.

[kimphilby]

Erasure have nothing to do with any post i ever make.
Am f***ing sick of reading about them on here. Bore off.

[Firthy2002]

Erasure have nothing to do with any post i ever make.
Am f***ing sick of reading about them on here. Bore off.

I agree with kimphilby. Keep it in the dedicated Erasure-bashing thread in Off Topic.

[dVTB]

I still doubt of "Love etc." will reach the Top 20. If it's just struggling to reach that Top 20 now, it will be lower after the weekend sales.

How to kill the hit potential of song:
a) distribution problems in the UK
b) understock in several shops in the UK
c) errors and withdrawal of cd-single in Germany
d) no physical release at all in the Netherlands

It's a real pity.