Love etc. midweeks.

[Rusty]

Thanks for those figures Dazzer. That answers my question then, a top10 is completely out of the question. Love etc is light years from a top10, being 4,000 units behind the current #10!

How many physical units did recent Pet Shop Boys singles sell in their first week? Must be way more than 2,500. And even if you add 4,000 units, that's still not very much. Does anybody how many physical units tracks like I'm with stupid, Minimal and Numb sold? I remember Numb being in the Top 10 of the physical single charts, while it landed at #23 in the actual charts. So it's hard to believe that PSB sales would now be 2/3 downloads and just 1/3 physical. There must be a lot of sales potential left for physical sales.

An English friend of mine is trying to buy me some copies too, btw

I seem to recall that I'm with stupid sold about 17,000 units, Minimal about 11,000 - 12,000, and Numb I'm not sure of, probably about 9,000 I'm guessing?

[Danny C]

No matter where Love etc charts, one thing is for certain: there'll be a veritable cavalcade of shit above it in the charts.

Once upon a time chart music generally used to be good *sigh* well I guess there's been dips like this before (the 1970s, for instance) hopefully there'll come a time when it's better again.

[markus]

After reading Deschanels conspiracy theories about the industry I can't help but to get suspicious. I mean it should be so easy to cheat these days with the downloads. Surely the record companies have some software that can automatically make download purchases that counts as legal sales. I wouldn't blame anyone...having a top 10 song is great advertisment. When was the last time a Psb single moved upwards during the release week?

[Minimalizm]

After reading Deschanels conspiracy theories about the industry I can't help but to get suspicious. I mean it should be so easy to cheat these days with the downloads. Surely the record companies have some software that can automatically make download purchases that counts as legal sales. I wouldn't blame anyone...having a top 10 song is great advertisment. When was the last time a Psb single moved upwards during the release week?

1995...Paninaro '95- It moved from 18 to 15 upon its release but I guess there was some format rigging (Undertaker knows it better)

[XTZ1969]

[Ghost within this house]

If I buy digital formats on Amazon today or tomorrow, will they count towards the chart placing this Sunday?

[dVTB]

Thanks for the figures. PSB must be able to double the current physical sales. The figure of 2,500 is shockingly low; too low. They should also be able to stay inside the UK Top 20.

And for the sake of weak lead singles, I just hope that "Love etc." will do better than the #15 position of I don't know what you want but I can't give it any more in 1999.

[DazzerUKUK]

If I buy digital formats on Amazon today or tomorrow, will they count towards the chart placing this Sunday?

Yes! Buy buy buy!

[Undertaker]

If i remember correctly, the Paninaro 95 single was actually released in the 2nd week. The first cd that got it to number 18, was released first.

[Panbaams]

Yes, as I remember CD1 was the remix CD and was released first, along with the cassette single. CD2 (with the 7" mix, the edit of Arthur Baker's "In the night" remix and the live version of "Girls and boys") was released a week later. Then the two remix 12" singles were released about a month or so after that.

[lucienchardon]

I seem to recall that I'm with stupid sold about 17,000 units, Minimal about 11,000 - 12,000, and Numb I'm not sure of, probably about 9,000 I'm guessing?

You're wrong, 'Rusty'.

Official sales figures:
14,285 'I'm With Stupid' (#8)
9,336 'Minimal' (#19)
5,758 'Numb' (#23)

It's amazing they still make great videos with these sales figures, especially because after the lead single, the other singles don't seem to have improved sales of the last few albums.

[Ghost within this house]

Done done done!

[Kris]

Thanks for the figures. PSB must be able to double the current physical sales. The figure of 2,500 is shockingly low; too low. They should also be able to stay inside the UK Top 20.

That's the really frustrating thing. If the CD singles were readily available all week, there's no doubt that by now Love Etc would have sold at least double the current figure, perhaps more, in the physical format. The fact that the CD sales only moved from 2,200 to 2,500 between Monday and Wednesday epitomises the shocking distribution issue. And from what I've heard, CD1 is still unavailable in many stores.

[Minimalizm]

It is certainly NOT AVAILABLE at Amazon

[Syncratic]

When you eventually get down off your hobby horse you'll realise that I haven't even claimed half the things you suggest. The simple version of the point I made was that in attempting to defend Erasure, Stephano's posts seem to be having the opposite effect. I wouldn't want him in charge of my PR that's for sure.

You know, it's pretty sad that all you have to offer is backhanded, sly comments but you simply can't take it when people give you the same in return. I have never once attacked you, and neither has Tuff Enuff, but you issue relentless attacks, then get "perplexed" as to why we get defensive.

From what I recall Pulse tried to play the PR card in his reasoning of why Erasure weren't doing as well. I pointed out in the off topic section that PR is only as good as the rec company and the band members, and doesn't exclusively explain why a band doesn't perform well in the charts. Now you can try all sorts of things to measure this, and all kinds of targetted marking and focus groups, etc but sometimes, sometimes, the song might not be much cop and the buyers just don't like it. It can happen with Erasure or the Pet Shop Boys and doesn't always have anything to do with poor PR. I for one have not suggested that PSB poor performance is because of bad PR. As you know they're getting loads of promotion so far and so it doesn't always translate that this will equal success. So even if Erasure were on TV 24/7, I doubt they'd perform any better. So not you or anyone can go about bleating that the main reason Erasure don't do as well is because the marketing dept at Mute is rather thin and poor because this is BS frankly.

Are you actually believing what you are writing? And you are wrong, in my opinion, if Erasure had more exposure, they would *definitely" have more success. In what reality do your observations and theories hold any water? You can't simply pick and choose from what you want when you talk about a far more detailed and complex issue. Nobody ever commented that PR was the be all end all of anything, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to show there was hardly any exposure/monies for Erasure.

In all fairness one of the main reasons that stringent Erasure fans get a raw deal on here is because they can't take a joke, they come across as arrogant and defensive, they insult anyone who disagrees with them and they are unable to stare the facts in the face that Erasure don't perform as well because they don't write 'em they way they used to. I think much of the slagging off with Erasure can sometimes degenerate a bit and clouds any real, dare I say, intelligent discussion. If the likes of Stephano, Pulse and yourself, were able to occasionally let your hair down a bit, you might not get the reactions you do.

Are you for real? Here you are not able to let something go, and you are saying Erasure fans can't take a joke? I think Erasure fans on here are simply sick of unwarranted, indiscriminate, and *constant* attacks. It's *you* who can't stop attacking. If there was no offensive, there would be no need for defensive. If you want us to let our hair down, I think you need to untie your tightly-wound hairbun first, and drop the constant jabs.

Oh and if you want to talk about hypocrisy, just pop over to Erasure's 'official' forum and witness the spineless and childish assualts PSB get in a sub-forum supposedly dedicated to the boys and you'll see that hypocrisy is a two way street, dear.

Listen, dear. Don't patronise me. There are at least 30 attacks toward Erasure on this forum for every one attack there. Not to mention, here they are scrambled all over the forum, when you get the odd one every few months on the other forum against PSB - and the attacks PSB get are due to the likes of Undertaker, PB, and a handful of others who have different names on that forum and are there to only goad and instigate.

Get real. That final comment you made provided me the realisation that you are full of hot air. I know you love the sound of your own voice, but I'd take it down a few notches as it's nothing but delusional ranting.

Face it Stephano, you've been owned. Deal with it and move on.