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I've got SHA on, fantastic.
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HUR and jimmypages59, very interesting debate going on here. I think one of the main reasons for Queen's catalogue studio albums sales to appear to be less then other 'catalog' bands like Floyd, is that they never really had what is considered a 'classic' album. In the states especially, no Queen album is revered like say Led Zep 4 or DSOTM. Even though A Night At The Opera is now thought to be a 'classic' and soundscan sales do kind of indicate this to some degree, Queen never had a 8-9 million selling studio album in the US - unlike virtually every other band with the same or more album sales then them.
Their best known hits have probably done their studio album sales no favours. Because they are so well known compared to the studio tracks, the majority of the public will always go for the Queen compilations rather then studio albums, which I think is a mistake as alot of the catalog tracks on their albums are better then their well-known more 'commercial' stuff.
BTW jimmypages5, thanks for all the shipment data for Queen you have supplied in the past. Do you have any other figures for Queen?
It would be nice to know what kind of shipment level, Universal/Island Records will be creating for the upcoming studio albums, as from 31/12/10 any old EMI Queen albums in the shops were the last and now unless Universal get their reissues out there, there won't be any Queen studio albums in the shops!Comment
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Just to confirm that at the moment the re-issued Queen Greatest Hits 1 is currently at number 10 on the UK top 10 Rock Albums Itunes chart...
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Jimmy, I checked this out carefully and, to our surprise, it looks like Queen are in a better position than we thought.Originally posted by jimmypages59
During the three years (2007, 2008, and 2009), Queen are the only act that made the annual Top 50. They sold the following: in 2007 (408,357 copies), 2008 (363,830), and 2009 (661,468). A combined 1,433,667 copies, which is very likely to exclude the sales of "The Cosmos Rocks", all of which would push that figure to over 1,500,000 copies during the time frame (plus a couple of thousands of "Return Of The Champions").
The Beatles charted in 2007 (494,422 copies) and in 2009 (704,450). A total of 1,198,872 copies with one year missing (2008), where they had to have sold less than 350,795 copies. That was a quiet year for the band, with nothing interesting in relation to the group so they are likely to have sold way less than 350,000 (I would say 250,000 to 300,000). That would mean they are slightly below Queen for the three years, or maybe at the same level.
Oasis sold 786,179 copies in 2008, and they failed to make the annual chart in either 2007 or 2009. With their back catalogue sales for those two years (which weren't particularly big for them), they will have sold 1,300,000 copies during the three years that were mentioned, or maybe more.
U2 sold 694,028 in 2009, and failed to make the annual Top 50 in 2007 and 2008. With those two years added in, they probably sold more than 1,300,000 copies too.
In conclussion, the four groups are very close to each other but Queen appear to have been the bigger ones in terms of albums sales during 2007, 2008 and 2009.
In 2010, Oasis and the Beatles enjoyed a bigger profile than Queen and will probably make the Musicweek's annual Top 50 for 2010 while Queen won't (as previously spotted by Irishguy28), and may outsell the band if we start counting their sales from 2007 to now. But they remain close to each other.
Anyway, Queen sold far more DVDs and digital downloads; so, on the whole, Queen sold more records altogether than the three other bands. But that will change soon, as the Beatles' back catalogue is now available to be digitally downloaded.Comment
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Below is a message from Brian May and Roger Taylor about the future plan they have for Queen - it sounds like there will be some new studio work - don't know if this will be new songs or for reworking/adding parts to unreleased songs for an Anthology type project like 'The Beatles' in 1995. Anyway, the end of 2012 is when the Freddie Mercury biopic with Sacha Baron Cohen is released so expect alot of activity not just this year but also in 2012 and probably 2013, if the film version of We Will Rock You is filmed!
Queen-related activity in 2011
"QOL is entering a new phase in an important year for Queen, in our 40th Anniversary year. To launch our new record deal with Island Records, there will be a lot of activity. A huge amount of work has already been put in behind the scenes, to unleash a completely newly mastered set of the original Queen LP's and CD's. I know our fans will appreciate the attention to detail, bringing the early albums closer than ever to the magic of the Vinyl originals, but with the benefit of up-to-the-minute quality technology. Preparations are also well under way for the "Stormtroopers in Stilettoes" exhibition in London in the Spring, which will highlight in some innovative ways the growth of the 'Early Queen'. Work is now fully under way for the much-vaunted feature film on the life of Freddie. Peter Morgan has delivered a first draft of the movie, which everyone is very excited about, and Sacha Baron Cohen is chomping at the bit to get into the role, in a way which certainly would delight Freddie ! The whole team now working on preparing for a shoot later this year, and a release in the late Autumn of 2012. We are also laying the foundations for WWRY THE MOVIE, and again, we already have a great script for it from Ben."
"Roger and I will be working together on new WWRY theatre projects, too, beginning with the imminent launch of the show in Norway next month. And we have a couple of interesting new buns in the studio oven, about which more soon. I will be doing some selected UK dates bringing 'Anthems' to life with Kerry Ellis in concert halls, including the Albert Hall in May. But Roger and I keep an ever-open door for ideas for Queen, the band which, somehow, refuses to lie down!"
Cheers and a Happy New Year!
Brian
"WOW!!! 40 years of Queen. Who'd have thought it? As Brian's given you all the info on our 40th year, i'll keep it short. I can't believe it's been that long and that we are still around in such a big way. Amazed and grateful !!!"
Roger TaylorComment
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We couldn't start the year worst than this: only Greatest Hits is in the Top-200 (#148).
The only consolation is that the album is increasing in I-Tunes. Now it's #61.Comment
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Queen have the highest new/re entry on this week's UK Top 200 Albums Chart
148 GREATEST HITS - QUEEN (ISLAND)Comment
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:x Where is the promotion Universal/Island Records??!!Originally posted by loris39We couldn't start the year worst than this: only Greatest Hits is in the Top-200 (#148).
The only consolation is that the album is increasing in I-Tunes. Now it's #61.
Well, theres always next week
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Small piece of information, but in the press release of "Innuendo", it was mentioned that "Another Ones Bites The Dust" was #1 in 27 different countries.
"Unusually for live albums, the next release, Live Killers, was met with acclaim; one entire side was devoted to Brian May's now famous concert guitar
solo. The following album, The Game, became one of the most successful albums of all time (achieving platinum status five times over in Canada alone).
The Game boasted the immensely popular singles, Crazy Little Thing Called Love which inspired the Crazy Little Tour of 1979 and became QUEEN's first
US No. 1 single and Another One Bites the Dust, which topped the charts in 27 countries and earned QUEEN the Billboard award for "Top Cross Over
Single."
Interesting. Does anybody have the press release for other Queen albums of the 80's or 90's? I'm trying to know the peak position for some of Queen old VHS titles.Comment
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Originally posted by Music WeekComment
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I think that the reason why the 2 Queen 'Hits'
Albums are not doing well (UK) - on Universal - is
simply because anyone who wants them already has
them, & only a tiny minority of Queen Fans will
buy them again, just because they are 'Remastered'.
After all, the Songs on them have sold time & time
again - Singles, Downloads, Studio Albums, & Hits
Album after Hits Album. (The latest being 'Absolute
Greatest', (2009), which was a UK No.3 Album,
& sold over 600,000 in the UK alone).
The fact that the 1981 & 1991 'Hits' Albums are
Re-Mastered is - obviously - of no interest to most
Queen Fans. (At least UK Queen Fans - we will see
if Global Queen Fans are more interested).
Queen are in the same situation as ABBA - everyone
who wants their biggest Hits already has them. The
recent 2010 Edition of 'ABBA Gold' only reached
No.31, in the UK - and that has a 'Free' 19 Track
DVD with it! (And the 2010 Edition still has only
done this, (so far), in the UK - 31 - 42 - 42 - 66 - 68).
NOTE - If Queen Fans do want to see those 2 Queen
'Hits' Albums do better, then ask Universal to
do what they did with ABBA - put a 'Free' DVD of
the 17 Songs, (on each of them), in with the CD -
then advertise them on TV. It only worked modestly
for ABBA, (this time), but in 2004 - when it was also
done - 'Gold' became a Re-Entry, at No.4.....
Zeus555Comment
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Thank you, guys.
The Musicweek's annual rankings (for albums and singles) are now out. I think that Queen didn't make them. Any idea what the #50 sold, so that we can know the maximum possible sales for them?
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No. 50 Pendulum 296,429Comment
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Thank you, Brian. Queen were in the doldrums last year, as far as their albums sales are concerned.
South Korea sales information.
2002. June
GREATEST HITS 1992-01-28
CD 4,483
MC 1,169
CD+MC 5,652
Total 487,758
2002 Mid year (January to June)
GREATEST HITS 1992-01-28
CD 10,213
MC 5,218
CD+MC 15,431
2002. July
GREATEST HITS 92.01.28
CD 12,442
MC 1,271
CD+MC 13,713
Total 501,471
2002. August
GREATEST HITS 92.01.28
CD 12,050
MC 969
CD+MC 13,019
Total 514,490
2002. September
GREATEST HITS 1992-01-28
CD 10,613
MC 960
CD+MC 11,573
Total 526,063
2002. October
GREATEST HITS 1992-01-28
CD 9,981
MC 502
CD+MC 10,483
Total 536,546
2002 Year End
10 GREATEST HITS 92-01-28
CD 69,896
MC 11,015
CD+MC 80,911
So "Greatest Hits" was on 536,546 copies by October 2002. It also sold 80,911 during the whole year, including 65,480 copies from July to December 2002. This leaves 16,692 copies for the last two months of the year (November and December, not counted above).
So combine the 536,546 copies sold by October with these 16,692 during the following two months, and you will get 553,238 copies.
Note that it belongs to an issue released in January 1992. This means that Queen's "Greatest Hits" sold 553,238 copies in South Korea in just 11 years (more than 18 years missing, including its first 10 years). Total sales should be at least 600,000 copies but they could be far more depending on how big the band was in the 80’s.
Speaking of which:
"Foreign artists and groups who are currently popular among Korea's youth basically reflect the tastes of their counterparts abroad. They include Bee Gees, Olivia Newton-John, Shaun Cassidy, Linda Rostadt, Donna Summer, Village People, Leif Garret, Billy Joel, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, the Beatles, Queen, Dire Straits, Elvis Presley, Bonnie Tyler, John Denver, among others" (Billboard, June 1979).
In 1982, the most popular local radio ran a poll to know the audience's favourite songs for the year and Queen made the list 4 times:
#10 Bohemian Rhapsody
#13 Body Language
#27 Love Of My Life
#90 Play The Game
They mentioned how Queen had more songs in the Top 100 than any other acts and the fact that they had surpassed Smokie as the most popular act.
About "Made In Heaven", I also found the following.
From Billboard:
QUEEN, "MADE IN HEVEN" (PARLOPHONE)
Worldwide sales: 5 million (excluding North America, where Queen has a separate deal with Hollywood Records)
Top markets:
Germany
Italy
France
Spain
South Korea
They listed the Top 5 markets of the album outside of UK. South Korea was interestingly listed, which means that it had possibly reached sales of 200,000 copies. The album went platinum immediately after it was released, for sales of 100,000. By then, the album had gone triple platinum in Switzerland (150,000 copies) and had already sold close to 200,000 in Holland. For South Korea to have been listed above those countries, the sales of "Made In Heaven" need to have been 200,000.
In addition, I also have a figure for "Greatest Hits I & II".
1999. January
GREATEST HITS I &II QUEEN 94-12-23
CD 7,028
MC 2,999
CD+MC 10,027
It sold 10,027 copies in just a month of 1999. For an album that was originally released in 1994 and again in 1996, its combined total is probably more than 100,000 copies.Comment
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Hi everyone - does anyone know how Queen is doing this week in the UK mid-week charts? ThanksComment
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Its probably easier to ask how they aren't doing; they've got no releases inside of the top 40, zilch.Originally posted by EdWoodComment
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What about the top 200 04wayne?Originally posted by 04wayneComment
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Music Week haven't released the top 200 midweeks this week. I can't see it on my report anyway.Comment
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Thank you, Wayne.
More South Korean sales information
Platinum Collection
2000. December
The Platinum Collection 2000.12.18
CD 10,521
MC 0
Cd+MC 10,521
2003. February
THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2003.2.25
19,000 CD, total 19,000
2003 Mid year
THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2003.2.25
19,851 CD total 19,851
2003. July
THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2003.2.25
23,771 CD, total 43,622
2003.December
THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2003.2.25
4,934 Total 49,473
2003 year end chart
29 THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2003.2.25
CD 49,473
MC 0
CD+MC 49,473
2004. October
8 THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2003.2.25
CD 3,971
MC 0
CD+MC 3,971
Total 53,429
2006. October
6 THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2003.2.25
CD 2,328
Total 56,683
2006. November
10 THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2003.2.25
CD2,672
Total 37,241 (a mistake here)
2007 Mid Year
26 THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2003-02-25
CD 5,175
CD+MC 5,175
2008. February
5 THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2008-02-04
CD 5,823
MC 0
CD+MC 5,823
Total 5,823
2008 Mid year
23 THE PLATINUM COLLECTION 2008-02-04
CD 5,828
MC 0
CD+MC 5,828
Minimum total: 78,207
Its total sales should be nearly 100,000 copies there.
Based on my previous message, this is what Queen are likely to have sold with some of their titles in South Korea:
Greatest Hits: 600,000 to 700,000
Greatest Hits I & II: 100,000
Made In Heaven: 200,000
Platinum Collection: 100,000
Impressive sales for Queen in South Korea.Comment
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Thanks Hur,
they were huge everywhere
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