Easily one of the year’s most anticipated releases, Usher’s seventh studio album ‘Looking For Myself’ has been backed by a global promotional campaign. Alas, sales expectations in most territories are high.
Find out what the record is on-course to sell on his home soil after the jump….
According to Hits Daily Double, early estimates see the ‘Climax’ led LP set to sell 120,000-130,000 in its debut week – putting the 33 year old in firm contention for the #1 spot on next week’s Billboard 200.
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While shifting enough units to garner yet another chart topper, the figures will no doubt come as a blow to the megastar. His last effort, ‘Raymond Vs. Raymond’ premiered with blockbuster sales of 329,000 back in Easter week 2010, while the project preceding that ‘Here I Stand’ opened with 433,000 in 2008.
Not only is the collective 300,000 drop unfortunate, it’s strange. Yes, the industry has changed, sales aren’t the same, so on and so forth. However, Usher has remained an unshakable force on the Singles front, with each of the aforementioned albums (including the current) generating chart smashing singles. And yet here we are with sales contrate to his seeming high level of popularity. Puzzling.
Perhaps the power of the internet, which was used to broadcast the LP’s launch concert, was over-estimated. For, while Mr Raymond caters to his his vast International audience, these sales have us wondering if his US fans even know the album is out there?
Whatever the case, the project is set to be bolstered by high profile Stateside showings including a performance on the BET Awards. Here’s hoping his return to the US later this week does the trick. For, the album is multiple flavours of amazing.
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the promotional campaign has been pretty weak to be honest..
Sure “new times” for a big name as Usher anything below 200 000 sales is pretty weak
So dissapointed 🙁
🙁
Bring back full 8701, Confessions Usher!
Usher is a KING
But sorry I don’t see it for this album
FLOP!
I see this album flopping harder than Bionic
Only Climax is a good track from all the singles he’s released/ performed
lol its gonna pretty hard to outflop bionic tho lmao
IF people acually listen to the album… like they didnt do Bionic they may discover that it is a great album. but because you hear and maybe not like 2 or 3 songs that means the entire album is bad. Bionic was that way as well. There was no need to shade Christina in this post as it had nothing to do with her.
He didnt promote well at all. With the exception of the Billboard Awards he basically did no promo. Plus this album doesnt have a major hit lead single like his previous albums. Who knows, this album might have legs. 1st week sales arent all that important
what “hit” single did Raymond vs Raymond have?
Um… OMG went #1 dumb ass.
OMG, DJ Got Us Fallin In Love and There Goes My Baby
he did SNL
Usher just doesn’t know who he is as an artist which is why Looking for Myself seems to suit the album and him. He sold out for the sake of a lousy hit wiith all those dance POP songs simultaneously losing most of his urban fanbase now he’s reaping what he sewd
Ya yap yap is all u do, how much is Xtina selling? There your ass goes again with the dance records b*******. When Nicki sold 253,00 u all said it was a flop, now ya doing the same to Usher. When are u all gonna realize that first week sales don’t predict whether an album goes plat or not?
You’re so stupid. MLJ is still in the itunes top 100 even after a year of its release and she hasn’t had an solo album out since Bionic and Burlesque. Last time I check a few months back Bionic reentered the itunes top 10 and stayed there for a week. Christinas comeback is going to crush all your faves sweetheart. And nickis latest piece of s*** is flopping so hard right now.
First week’s sales can be a pretty good indication. Sales usually decline significantly from that point (some faster than others). It usually takes a huge hit to get a big boost after that. Haven’t listened to the whole album so I have no opinion as to whether Usher has that type of hit awaiting release.
I dont know about this album Usher. He nots selling like he used too. He used to be on top of the game. Now hes just sitting on the bottom waiting to come up. Man im hoping he does good cause im really fans ever since hes debut My way. So idk will just have to wait and see.
i think he did damage to musicianship by going dance route purely for the benefit of a billboard hit.
I dont know about this album Usher. Hes not selling like he used too. He used to be on top of the game. Now hes just sitting on the bottom waiting to come up. Man im hoping he does good cause im really fans ever since hes debut My way. So idk will just have to wait and see.
“My Way” wasn’t his debut, it was his 2nd album. His first album was actually released in 1994. But he was the kind of an artist that releases albums yearly, that’s why this is only his 7th
Well not a lot of people even know he has an album coming out plus his album was available for download over two weeks ago. Is he even promoting this album? I know he is a big star but albums only sell if people know they are available for sale.
Usher NEEDS to return to his roots! R&B!!!!! This pop stuff ain’t workong!!!!!!!
His promo campaign honestly hasn’t been the best with this album even the oh so dependable Tameka drama didn’t get the media coverage the label was prolly banking on…
And honestly all these urban artist that take the dance/pop route as fr as singles don’t sell albums like that I.e . Rihanna… The fans who love those in moment club songs don’t buy albums….
Usher does a great job of catering to both audiences but his urban promo has been really weak…. Where’s the video to Lemme See?
Names and legacies alone do not sell albums anymore ask Mariah Carey…
At least he is over the 100k tho…
this happens when there is ANY hype around your Album!seriously no one was talking (or care)about “Looking by myself” even with 2 hit singles (pop and r&b)! Chris Brown has had just 1 hit this era with already 4 singles out, but surely has three time more attention than Usher and his album will be released and the end of June!!!!!!
chris will flop even harder
mmmm i doubt…. even if i prefer Usher in my opinion Chris Brown will do much better…
“Climax” wasn’t reaLly r&b, it just wasn’t “dance pop”
usher is jut not interesting anymore for the teens
he had good promo but too early…..snl, gma(or today) and billboard
but that was like a month and more ago
he didnt release the video for let me see and just now for scream
there is no promo this week in AMERICA…..no jay leno, no regis and kelly and not even 106
A lot of people hate Scream and that’s what’s been performed the most on US TV and that’s what his label pushed so hard on Pop radio…Scream killed the momentum…he has better dance-pop songs on L4M than Scream…I personally dislike Scream and am baffled as to why this was chosen as the Pop single????
I still thought he’d pull at least 250k on name alone…Beyonce did 300k with no Pop radio play at all….wonder what the new promo plan will be??? next week is all Justin Bieber…
damn waiting for chris sales?
While I did buy the album I’ll say that I dont like the direction he is on. Only songs I like on the album r “lemme c” “lesson for lovers” something like that, “I care” and “dive” which ironically r the only r&b sounding cuts off the album. I agree with eveyone else when i say bring back the 8701 and Confessions Usher. This seems like such a step back for him as an artist.
U’re right. “Climax” wasn’t really r&b-sounding, even tho it’s a slow jam
Those are the songs I play over and over. “Say the Word’ has grown on me, too. He really could’ve left off the dance tracks. They throw off the vibe of the album so that you can’t just let the entire thing play.
He’s gonna do well but we never know, the industry sucks these days, someone is happy somewhere.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhngi5dS3P1qhxr17o1_500.gif
Usher did it to himself. His hardcore fans are not dance/pop enthusiasts and don’t want them from him. Most of the reaction I’ve read from professed fans of Usher have dismissed this album and think he fell off. And those gaywads who like dance/pop are too shallow to buy albums, they’d rather just go to iTunes and download individual tracks.
I hope selling out was worth it, Usher. He let the success of “OMG” and “DJ” totally throw him off of the lane he’s known for. Confessions sold over a million copies in its first week. Now less than a decade later he’s barely opening up w/100+k. You snubbed your hardcore, long time fans for the sake of chasing another audience that wasn’t there.
Let this a lesson for ALL black artists who are pondering selling out their urban music roots and looking to fish turds out of Katy and Gaga’s toilet, hoping that it’ll open them up to a new crop of fans. It just doesn’t happen. Ask Kelly Rowland, everybody thought she finally found her niche with David Guetta and electropop…nope. The most dangerous thing an artist can do is snub their core base with a new sound that is designed to hopefully attract trendier music fans, while foolishly expecting that the long time fans will go along for the ride. You just don’t do that. Trendy fans are fickle and can’t be depended upon to respond with enthusiasm, and in the meantime your long time fans will look for someone else to give them what they used to get from you. Then what’s left? Nothing.
I hate to say it, but bravo to Beyonce for not going the europop route with 4, and staying true to R&B. Yeah, it may have caused her to struggle on the singles charts, but her fan base is still there. I hope she doesn’t give into peer pressure and go there on her next album, and I hope Usher returns to what he’s known for (it ain’t s*** like “Scream.”)
I don’t agree with everything you said, but I see ur point…I think Usher can do dance pop but it needs to be good dance pop…Scream is not Good Dance Pop, it’s Usher’s worst song to me…I really can’t believe they followed Climax with this….I know they wanted a pop hit, but Scream is just really awful…still can’t believe Max Martin wrote this crap???
When I first previewed the album I first thought that the album sounded pretty boring besides climax and scream. I really was waiting to be blown away musically but that didn’t happen. Hell I didn’t know that it was even out until like Wednesday.
Flop, but he really needed to do MORE INTERVIEWS, i would of bought it if I knew that it was coming out, I thought it was in like a month LOL!
Usher went from making music that blasted out of jeeps and cookouts in the hood to making skater boy pop music that no one likes. Even his look, with the mohawk and tight pants, looks like he’s trying to be something other than what he is. Usher has completely lost himself. And I’m shocked, because I never thought Usher would be the one to lose his musical identity. I think he’s trying to appeal to Justin Bieber’s silly little fan base of white tween girls.
LMAO!!! What?! he cant do even do 200 000 first week? mmm…. I am worried about Chris now LOL! if Usher is flopping I hope he doesnt, RCA put him ahead of chris brown and the delusional people ^^^^^ making excuses about no promo pfft please! he has the label’s finances and then he has bieber( I wish he would flop hard as well), but honestly if Usher is projected to 120k smh… I think Nielsen will probably have the final figures around 180k – 220k .
I doubt it. HDD are normally pretty accurate. It’s rare for them to be significantly off. The final sales will most likely fall in their range or very slightly outside of it.
The album is a HUGE FLOP.
It wil not go Platinum and will STRUGGLE to go GOLD.
he will still be able to tour and other things, but as far as releasing blockbuster albums…. THAT IS OVER.
I have said it once and I will say it again NO ONE IS SELLING LIKE THEY USED TOO. The only exception to that law is Adele.
Usher has been everywhere doing everything. Multiple singles, multiple performances, videos, interviews. He’s been everywhere so DON’T EVEN TRY TO SAY he hasn’t been promoting. Those sales figures are EMBARRASSING especially since there’s no competition out right now, everyone should be flocking t buy his album. And yal got the nerve to come for Rihanna’s sales. Usher is supposed to be a superstar
child don’t bring rihanna in that. She has had a history of album flops and tours and in the future her decline is awaiting as it is for most artist.
Since you want to be bringing Rihanna up, it might interest you to know that no Usher tour has ever outgrossed Rihanna’s LOUD tour
And it might interest you to know that no Rihanna album has come anywhere near the sales of Usher’s Confessions. Usher’s past his peak, but his peak avalanched Rihanna’s and even now he’s still a bigger star than she is.
That’s because Usher can actually sing. This regurgitated 80’s crap they call techno is made for artists who really can’t sing, like rihanna and britney. Think about it; they made it popular. They had no choice. Usher does.
It will undoubtably be somewhat larger than Hits Daily Double is predicting. They do come up short using first day predictions quite often. I think it will do 199,000. Just my prediction, but I have got to say I’m shocked! These are not Usher numbers at all. I’m still holding out for the official numbers. But even if it is a low-seller, it could still end up being one of the best-selling albums of 2012, considering there aren’t many other albums out right now selling much more other than Adele and by some miracle Lionel Richie.
4/18 tracks were dance. i enjoyed the r&b songs
Absolutely. The R&B songs are slammin!
OMG. And to think Chris Brown and even Trey Songz might do better…
When he released “Raymond vs Raymond” back in 2008, Usher was divorcing Tameka.
Now he releases “Looking for myself” while he’s still battling Tameka for the custody of their sons. We saw him crying in the court room not so long ago.
Usher is still very well appeciated and loved but – I HATE me for saying this – he kinda lost his momentum.
He needs to get his private life together and his enthousiasm back. Come on, Usher.
@Mishka… u cannot say Trey and Chris are better than Usher. Trey himself is using the same formula Usher originated back then. In terms of vocal power Chris and Trey don’t hold a candle to Usher’s voice so please I’d like you to have a seat
Take it easy, he didn’t say Trey and Chris are “better” than Usher, he said “might do better” as in first week sales
Plus Raymond vs Raymond was in 2010, not 2008
Hmm hell the music industry is truly f***** up. Except for Adele nobody can sell anymore? Hell Gaga´s Born This Way first week sales last year (around May-June too) were truly outsanding then
Usher was one of the few people you could think they were going to do always good, and now not even him
Hell at this rate, Alicia Keys and Beyonce will do only 100,000 copies first week with their next albums too (being the two of them among the biggest forces when it comes to first week sales these last years)
half of the mil gaga sold was sold for 99cent and it was her yecond album.
check in 18 how much she sells
Sorry her sales were impressive for being in 2011 whether u like it or not. She sold 700,000 copies at full price! That´s enough to be impressive. Can´t u see most people are doing a little more of 100,000? Even the big acts? And if that 99cent deal would have not existed some people who bought it for that, would have bought it for the full price too, so probably she would have sold at least 800,000 copies. I think that´s great and impressive, even if it isn´t the 1,100,000 copies she did with the 99cent deal
Ok? It´s not difficult to understand
Gaga needed a 99cent discount to sale. Don’t try to twist it. You know it, I know it, she knows it and Jesus knows it.
Are u f****** retarded? 700,000 copies at full price. If you´re biased for some reason it´s not my problem
I agree with everyone that said Usher abandon his urban roots. I was just saying the other day if his album dont sell that well, its because of his urban/hip hop fans think he has gone the dance pop techno route. Most bought HIS and RVR but I think most are saying they wont b buying this one because of his change n music. I was thinking u should sell somewhere between 180k – 250k, seeing how he has no major promo n the US. But I wasnt guessing this! Usher still is a major force! Him, Beyonce, Britney, Christina and Justin Timberlake all had huge mega fanbases n the early 2000s. All of them really should b there n the selling off name alone zone. I was shocked when Bionic did 100k. Beyonce doing over 300k was great, considering she had no smash hit with 4. Britney’s meltdowns ruined her sales. Still dont know what happen to Bionic. It would b interesting to see if JT could do over 200k. But Usher did this to himself.
JT can and will do at least 450k in his first week in the US, if he ever cares to release another album again. Obviously he won’t have many albums in his future, since he prefers acting in recent years
I think Usher has the power to bring back the “male artist” and ima get his album 4 sho
FLOP!
As a Usher fan, I feel like he dissed his core fanbase because he is desperately trying to be the next MJ. I expect to hear good RnB from Usher and get my Pop fix from Chris Brown. I keep seeing Miguel everytime I look at Usher’s pictures these days. Hopefully he will find himself in the next album I am not gonna give up on him just yet.
Usher ABANDONED his core fans!!!!! The black people especially women. No one BLACK, BROWN or most ethnic decents are checking for this techno sound. We let it slide with the last album Raymond vs Raymond and that was only because of Hey Daddy and the title! No one is here for that crank head, zombie music. We do not like it. He needs to GO BACK to his R & B roots and style. He even looks like a pseudo white boy now. Thats NOT Usher Raymond and he needs to quit before all of his fan check OUT.
That weirdo girlfriend/manager needs to go too, where is his mother at????? This is a mess and his REAL FANS are outraged. This new move sucks balls, Usher is conforming to the techno white fans and the black fans are who MADE him Usher.
I totally agree.
Oh Lord…
He had 3 hit singles. ‘Climax’ is still No.1 at urban radio, ‘Lemme See’ is rising and ‘Scream’ is getting POP airplay, more than ‘OMG’ did in its first weeks. ‘Raymond Vs. Raymond’ sold well with no hit singles. ‘OMG’ and ‘There Goes My Baby’ were the album’s only hits and they were released AFTER the 1st week of the album’s chart run. And don’t even talk about his promo, because he did ‘SNL’, ‘The Today Show’ and Billboard Awards.
Conclusion is that there was no interest. Period
F*** Adele…
That is all.
The main problem with the music industry is the hype surrounding “first week album sales.” If an album sells well in the first week, that keeps getting promoted. If it doesn’t, the label moves onto the next artist. Fans call people flop based off of first week sells without giving an artist the chance to build momentum.
I didnt even know the album came out, he’s not even promoting it.
If you have listened to ushers new cd looking for myself, what songs are your favorites? For me the songs looking for myself, care for U and what happen to U really stand out for me
R&B as a genre has lost followers over the past 10 years. Beyonce and Alicia Keys felt the sting with their last releases and former heavy hitters like Mario, Omarion, Keyshia Cole etc are nowhere to be found.
You look at Monica and Mary J’s albums from this year and they were both slept on.
I freakin love the new album. “Looking For Myself” is one of Usher’s most interesting records to date. “Lemme See” on repeat.