I'm just going to come out and say it:

RCA looks bush league with this whole can't-decide-on-a-single thing. Seriously, David and Co. came through BIG with a killer album, chock-full of potential hits... and RCA doesn't seem to know what to do with it. Even releasing Light On was a big to-do. Release a single already, it's not that hard. Why? To build anticipation? From where I'm standing they look indecisive.... these are things they should have mapped out before the album release.

BTW, my preference would be Breathe Tonight because it is much more rocking and upbeat than the two current singles... and they didn't even include that one on the actual album.

Also, what's up with the tour dates? We're less than 6 weeks away from mid-February and some of us have to request vacation in order to go to the show... these things require some advance notice if we're going to keep our jobs in order to afford our Cook habit.

--
o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o
watching... waiting...

Popping in to say that I'm excited that LO (and TOML) are now available through iTunes PLUS! DRM-free baby, woo! (Am not an iPod user, so this is VERY good news to me!)

--
Pinoy fans represent!

I have a question in regards to LO and it may be a bit obvious. Do some songwriters offer their work to artists with the condition that it must be released as a single? I'm guessing this was the case with Cornell & Howes. I truly don't dislike the song for I think it is a very solid rock ballad. I consider it a throwback to the power ballads which have been MIA since the late 80's, early 90's.

As for Declaration being the first single, it just seemed so right in terms of style and the message. It's simply apropos of DC's coming out party. Many in here seem pretty adamant about which songs best represent Mr. Cook's talent and vision, so I'm guessing Declaration fits that mold. The problem I have now is that it seems a bit out of place and could be too similar to LO....in terms of performance on the charts...to follow it up. If LO helped carry DCTR to over 800K in sales in only 6 weeks, then I'm pretty sure that Declaration could have had equal success. Plus, I love Lie coming off the heels of it a lot more. It would have been a great one-two punch.

Yet, I will not deny LO is a good transitional song from Idol to his new material. I think it is also a bit more symbolic of the album, which isn't as edgy or hard that some thought it may be. And for the record, that's not a criticism. DCTR is extremely entertaining to listen to and there isn't one bad track on the album. Considering he had so little time to make this record and had to bring in a variety of names, it is quite understandable. I do have no doubts that the next record will be a lot more up-tempo and edgy...in terms of instrumentation and lyrical content...though DCTR is quite good in its own right. I can't wait until DC and the band have a full year to construct and polish each little gem.

Self Conscious To A Fault....I'm Not Wearing Any Underwear - Life On The Moon 2.0

QueenJaclyn - I chose "pop" as my preferred music (I think, if that doesn't work, try rock, but I'm pretty sure I picked pop) and then I chose the group of artists that included Evanescence. Absolutely nothing Evanescence like to the music I've come across so far, but anyway. Had to sit through some band I never heard of but might possibly be the worst music ever, got a reprieve with a preview of almost the entire new Pink cd, then moved into DC.

QueenJ, the Promosquad info I got was from an Archie fan. Yes, I spied. This is also where I got the early info on the RTM survey yesterday. So I have no idea what format they were on or what music they preferred, but they definitely said all 3 DC songs were on it.

--
IFN √2

Just to clarify, Scott, we have HDD estimates for DCTR of 31K+, but don't have any numbers for LO or Magic Rainbow yet.

--
FolkFan: Numbers rock, ∴, I read the DCO Charts James Thread.

Scott loved your post here and in twop : )

--
I believe that you can save me
And you'll never let me fall.......Heroes
sky1234

OK, I have more to say! (before DP takes the laptop away!).
It's about LO and Seether. I know why I love Seether's album. The same reason I LOVED LO the second I heard it. The songs are in minor keys/chords. LO could so easily be a Seether song. Except that on many of the songs, Seether's lyrics are better - more on a par with David's AH and Axium lyrics, or the best DCTR lyrics. But the minor key thing is very cool and captivating.

LO sold what 31k? That's a really nice pattern to be settling into, and it will likely go gold in several weeks if it keeps selling at that pace. I definitely see a correlation between these nice, stable mid-30s itunes rankings and the robust LO spins on the radio.

I always understood why LO was released as the 1st DCTR single. Then I was in Xavier's camp that Declaration might have been the better choice. Now I'm back to LO being the best choice. I think the slow burn, rock cred, minor key thing is great. I'm happy LO is now doing well and while it may never be a mega-hit, it certainly is as big a hit (sales and radio play) as most top rock songs on alternative rock stations. Even though it's mostly on HAC & Top40.

ETA: Tinawina, the songs are all that good on "Coming to Terms," yet there's great variety and diversity. Chad Wolf sings high tenor and some false, and low tenor on several songs. My other faves on that album are "Simple Life," "Done Stealing," "When You are Near," and the big hit, "I'm Not Over" and the title track, but they're all good. Go for the bonus album version with the extra tunes!
--
Today’s not the same as everyday
It’s far from ordinary

Oh Scott you have made my day.

I am head-over-heels with Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. It's nice to see another Seether fan. Once I listen to Seether enough times to finally OD I will have to pay some attention to CL.

Of course that won't be until I finish rewatching AI7 on Daily Motion because I only have one brain and two ears.

Dang it! There is not enough time for all this, two jobs and a marriage. I already don't do any of the cooking or dishes (mr spaceytracey does the cooking, son does the dishes for now). Something' else has gotta give. Sleep!

Scott, "Show Me What I'm Looking For" is the one I heard, I think. Loved the song, and the lead singer's voice. It reminded me of something that Dave and the Doctor might have come up with on their own if Dave hadn't tried out for idol. If the rest of the album is anything like that, I'm there!

Folk: LO's steady rise in sales has been pleasing me lately. Any more countdown action besides Z-100? I think the song is shaping up into the moderate hit I thought it would be all along.

The post-ho'ing continues: Itunes update: DCTR at #29 overall and #9 on pop. LO is at #34 overall and #14 on pop. Bouncy!Dave! bounces back up to #81. Seriously, the boy has gotten himself a trampoline. Magic Rainbow slips to #58 on pop.

Setting aside the Rainbow's bitterness at this development, I'd like to discuss LO. [Ducks.] There was a point in time when LO had sort of settled into a pattern where it cycled around #60. Then it settled into a pattern where it cycled between 40 and 50. Now it has sort of settled into a pattern where it cycles right around the mid-30s. So, I think that we can say that LO's airplay is likely improving LO's sales. No, it's still not a huge, smash seller. But it is showing signs that if people hear it, a chunk of them end up liking it enough to buy the single. (Setting aside the possibility that some number of the record sales are coming from folks who hear LO and end up checking out and buying the whole CD.)

--
FolkFan: Numbers rock, ∴, I read the DCO Charts James Thread.

Tinawina, I am so hot on Carolina Liar and Seether right now, I can't tell you!! CL's latest hit... the 2nd from Coming To Terms is a great song called "Show Me What I'm Looking For." It's similar to my favorite song on the album, but one that you just can't make a clean radio version out of: "All That S**t is Gone." I love every song on CL's album, and right now I'm having a new love affair with Seether. But David is still my main music squeeze! In the airport, on the airplane, any way I can get him!

--
Today’s not the same as everyday
It’s far from ordinary

Sandy: LadyM is always great about taking suggestions for stuff to add to the top post. The thing is that changing the top post has become a bit of a trial, because of Captcha. So there probably won't be instantaneous editing even where LadyM agrees with a suggested change. It's just easier to do multiple changes at the same time. Until then, when one of us sees a callout survey, we hunt down the callout thread and moves it to the top. We also move up the request threads pretty frequently. Yes, this site is a pain in terms of finding stuff, but we all try to do our best to move up the threads that we think are important.

Re: to whom DCTR has been selling: I tend to think that DCTR has been past the core Idol fans for a while now. Since week three, its sales patterns have just been too "real world" to be just Idol.

Re: releasing to different formats at different times: It may just be that Jive thinks that Crush has legs left on HAC and is waiting for adds there. HAC can still add it, if it wants to do so, before the adds date. Now, with LO, it probably made sense to release to Top 40 and HAC at the same time, in light of Magic Rainbow's life cycle and, perhaps, in light of LO's anticipated growth rate on the two formats.

--
FolkFan: Numbers rock, ∴, I read the DCO Charts James Thread.

Scott, great David recon! BTW, I have to tell you something... on my recent vacation, which involved a pretty long car trip, I spent some time listening to the Alternative Nation station on Sirius Radio in our rental. We don't have satellite radio, so this was a new thing for me. I was enjoying a lot of the music (and listening for new acts I might want to check into further) when a song came on I had never heard. Cool, melodic, midtempo rock song. I loved it! I clicked the button to see who it was... it was Carolina Lair! LOL! I thought of you immediately. I think I'm gonna buy that album.

 Oh Holy Mary Mother of Marketing, did you see this?

Best Buy's retailer exclusive with Interscope landed them with 1.3 million non-returnable copies of Chinese Democracy, which are selling like cold cod cakes in wintertime.  Uggh.  Now they're moving some by cutting the price to 4 bucks.  Good thing we don't have that samurai ritual suicide code thing here or there would be blood all over the Powerpoints for these poor dudes.

Axl Rose has been turning down interviews with NYTimes and such, couldn't be arsed to make a video, and helpfully remarks "it very well could be true" when a questioner suggested his detachment was hurting sales. But, he added, "What I have to say a lot of people have no desire to hear." Aiiiiieee!!

Hug your hard-working journeyman rockstar, RCA. Hug him and his jaunty little hat so hard!

-- kaydeecee Totally Accurate Fan Reports at davidcookofficial.com/user/kaydeecee | Totally Irrational Fan Number One Gross

I posted this on TWoP 2.0 but they're busy live blogging. So I'm posting my "David really IS big outside our bubble" comments here too.

I have to share my experience of today's trip to Philadelphia. My partner & I get to Terminal 1 at LAX and what starts playing as we go to the newstand? TOML. I kind of anticiapted it. We go into the newstand and what's playing? Daughtry, WAN. Terminal was louder. David won!

Then came a reality check, of the great variety. Something that let me know that David is big OUTSIDE the AI bubble and our little world. I decided to check out the in-flight entertainment, and there it was, in the US Airways magazine listings: Under the "Lite AC" channel, 2/3 way through the 26 songs, is TOML. Ok, not surprised. Just happy. So I scan over to the "New & Now" Channel (basically top 40), and there it is, halfway through the 26 songs: LO. So among just 52 songs chosen for the two channels (excluding country) that have contemporary music, are TWO David Cook songs. Out of literally 300+ songs over the past year that could be there. Two are David's, and he's one of very few artists to have 2 songs.

Of course our stupid flight didn't have inflight entertainment, but it was nice to see in the magazine for the lucky passengers on Europe & Hawaii flights! I did have my ipod, and then another thing dawned on me. I started playing by albums and then by artists. I have 62 songs under David Cook and 24 under Axium. That's a total of 86 songs by David. Eliminate my LO tribble copies and some duplicates (AI performances & studio, and MP3's of recent performances) and there are at least 75 different songs, either recorded or performed live by David solo or as lead singer. 75! And that doesn't include the first Axium album! It really struck me how prolific David is, and how experienced he is in the recording studio. He has a catalogue equal to someone in the industry for 10 years - oh wait, he HAS been! Sometimes I just forget how seasoned he really is.

Finally, I listened to David non-stop 4 out of the 5 hours. No other artist can hold me that long. The final hour I listened to the latest Seether album (I "completed my album" on itunes after buying the two singles previously). I LOVE this album. It's great, I highly recommend you all check it out. Jethro Tull meets Axium meets Nickelback. "Rise Above It" is the big hit. All the songs are great.

--
Today’s not the same as everyday
It’s far from ordinary

I'm not having any luck with promosquad. those of you who did can you tell me some of the other songs you rated. I'm suffering though a song named Honking Antelope right now, I'm about at my wits end here, I need to know if I'm on the right track.

Thanks for clearing that up Queenjacyln. I have bookmarks now for those web sites. I did not know about the callout site. It seems like it would be easier just to put those links on this site at the top. that way, people like me who aren't familiar with every thread on here would be able to find them without going nuts with frustration. But now I can get on those sites and do what needs to be done.

I'm not making a YES report today, but I thought I'd do a little digging into what chart position means in terms of amount of play on Top 40 Radio. I did Top 40 because they usually have a smaller playlist so a good chart position often means repeated plays. However, even among Top 40 stations the number of times they repeat a song may vary depending on the size of their playlist and whether they play songs during all time periods. Some stations do not play much music during morning drive times and have mostly talk instead.

I hope this puts into focus the meaning of the YES ranking that I have been posting. Songs are given 1 point each time it is played in the course of a week and 1 point for each YES vote. 1 point is deducted for each NO vote. A person can only vote once per play. Then the song is ranked against every other song that the station has played in the week. The ranking can change every 24 hours. YES and NO votes have no effect on whether a station chooses to play the song more or less often. Votes only effect the YES ranking.

So here is a report of the plays of LO on Monday, Jan 5.

WNCI Columbus OH
2 YES Rank 13 LO plays

KMXV Kansas City MO
4 YES Rank 15 LO plays

WHBQ Memphis TN
7 YES Rank 6 LO plays

KRBE Houston TX
11 YES Rank 6 LO plays

WHTZ NYC NY
20 YES Rank 5 LO plays

--
Jai_S .....It's not rock if it's not Red Bull and throaty passion.

Awesome chart, MsCRC. Really, really interesting data there.

I think that it is hard to find perfect comparators to try to gauge how DCTR is doing. You can look at rock acts, but when records have been out a lot more or less time than DCTR, it skews things. Plus, some of those records are from huge acts (like Nickelback), while others are from lesser known acts. You can compare to other Idol records, but if they are different genres or came out in a completely different timeframe, that skews things. You can compare to other records that came out around the same time, but each of those may have unique features that make them not good comparators. The most extreme example of that is Taylor Swift, whose record has just performed ridiculously well. Nickelback is, well, Nickelback. Etc., etc. For me, I think that we should exclude certain examples that are just too extreme---Taylor Swift and Daughtry. We should look at the other data points but keep in mind the things that skew the data. I want to see DCTR having increases and decreases that, overall, mirror the records that were released at or around the same time as DCTR. But if it doesn't keep up with Nickelback, that doesn't necessarily mean that DCTR is doing poorly. Nickelback is the best-selling pop-rock act of recent memory. Britney is Britney (much as it pains me to say that). Etc. So, I want to see DCTR keeping up with the pack, but as long as it stays in the range, I don't think that there's too much reason to angst.

Tue, 01/06/2009 - 21:04 — leastlikely

ETA: Where is FolkFan? Maybe she really does have a job.....

Oh, yeah. She does. And someone has to pay her mortgage, so....

And now I'm done referencing myself in third person. [grin]

--
FolkFan: Numbers rock, ∴, I read the DCO Charts James Thread.

I'm just going to post ho it up right now, apologies in advance.

I've been perusing the all access future release add dates and noticed 2 things. First that while Archie's new single went for adds today on Top 40 the song isn't going for adds on Hot AC until mid February while LO was released to both at the same time. Thoughts? is this because Jive doesn't think Hot AC will pick up the new song right away or what?

And....bear with me here....but you all know my other musical obsession is Ryan Star...his first single goes for adds March 2nd!!! Ok, had to squee, sorry. I'll pay attention to my hockey game now.

I am really excited about getting out the 2nd/3rd? single from DCTR - not because of lack of affection for LO, but I really think 3 likeable songs from one artist on one album is enough to kick the lazy music buyer into gear to get up and purchase the album. Now of course, like the dutiful student of CJT that I strive to be, I realize I should go back and see if there was a sales spike at the 2nd/3rd single for past Idols to backup my theory, yes?

Well queen and likethis, I think you both are right. In my head, the first couple of weeks of idol album sales are indeed mainly to the hardcore idol fans. After that, you have to start picking up new people. For most acts, buyers come from people who have heard your song (through radio, video, televised performance) and have a favorable impression of you (from hearing multiple songs, reading reviews, hearing positive word of mouth). For Idol people, those folks come from the same things, but the "positive impression of you" part may come from your association with idol. Whether they've watched the show or not, they know your name, maybe have some idea who you are, and maybe even an impression of your level of talent. They may be more open to remembering your song or checking out your album on youtube or something because of it. But you can't know how many of those are people who actually watched idol, or who never did but who only know your name because idol is part of pop culture, or because a friend couldn't stop talking about you. Does that make sense? Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it. Ha.

It is all speculation since we can't survey every single person who bought the album and ask them why they bought it but my take on the sales is that DCTR was past the Idol bubble weeks ago or at very least got past the people who are big fans of his and those who generally buy Idol music. David is still mostly known for Idol and probably will for a long time since he is the winner. But selling almost 850k copies of a record is way beyond the bubble. AI can get you 300-500k and probably the upper limits if you are the winner but if you look at the Idol records anything over 700k total lifetime is the next tier up. LO does have good audience recognition and I'm sure TOML is selling some as well. I've never bought into the theory that a winner will sell a ton of records just because they are the winner. To sell more than 500k in this economic and musical environment means you are appealing outside of the souvenir purchases and big fans.

The reason I used that term 'Idol drop' is that I think the first recording that Idols put out is very much tied to Idol watchers. Sure, the hardcore fans already purchased (hopefully) the CD. Then there's the next tier of casual fans and then the next tier of AI watchers and people who've heard about the show and recognize the name. As we know, that Idol connection only goes so far and that's when big radio play, touring, and promotions need to kick in. Yes, David's getting decent radio play but as a new kid on the national big-time musical scene, it takes alot to stay at the top of the charts. I would guess that David's name recognition is still primarily associated with the show and not the music on the radio. Even TOML has that strong AI connection. Obviously, it will take time and an accumulation of factors including a couple of big radio hits and maybe a tie-in or two to build DC's rep more as a recording artist than an AI alum. And I understand YMMV.

k thanks for clarifying my confusion! 16 is fine with me!
--
Don't worry David! I'll sing your song at the top of my lungs!!!

westernduckies - Billboard is a week behind. It's confusing how the dates work.
 
ETA: Where is FolkFan? Maybe she really does have a job.....
--
AI Season 8 Thread Naming Contest

I guess you can say I am semi-confused... haha. This was what billboard.com had listed. Is this from a past week or is this a new list? The issue date says 2009-1-10...?
TW LW
10 13 David Cook
David Cook Peak 3 Wks On 6 19/RCA | 33463 | RMG

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=The+B...

--
Don't worry David! I'll sing your song at the top of my lungs!!!

So it is quite curious why they decided to add now.

They were auto adds. I believe Mediabase just adds them when they play a song a certain amount of times.

--
Gingerly ~ Illegitimi non carborundum ~

Assuming these numbers hold, it looks like DCTR is slipping down, albeit it slowly. I think its a combination of being new on the scene without a huge hit on radio and the inevitable AI drop. The upcoming tour and a new radio release in the next couple of weeks should help. Hopefully he can stay near the top 20 in January. Still, close to a 70% drop is greater than many of the rest of the chart-toppers (short of the new releases) and a big hit. Ouch. Yeah, #13-16 are very close to each other, so there is a possibility that the final numbers could shift there.

I agree with Sasha for the most part but I'd just like to state something else here.

It is pointless to compare David's drop with huge acts like Sasha, Britney, and Nickelback who have been around for years, have huge and dedicated followings, and have greater radio presence. Of course he is not going to sell as well as them -- he never has.

It is also useless to compare him with Namesake. Cook is winning the sales battle here by a longshot. Namesake's career is likely going to look just like Jordin's. (But we will all still do it anyway).

I think Cook falls into the same pop/rock zone as Pink, All-American Rejects, The Killers, and Fall-Out Boy. To this point he has been outselling them by a significant margin but now the numbers are getting closer. A good number of these acts have singles on radio that are stronger than LO and haveestablished fanbases as well as strong album sales and radio hits to their credit. That Cook is able to outdraw them so far is a good sign.

But why are we still talking about an "Idol drop"? The album has been out for almost two months.
The hardcore fanbase bought their copies a long time ago. His inability to match Nickelback's numbers is not proof that only Idol fans are buying his records.

Just got home and got on here to check HDD numbers.UGH! Glad you all had warned us about January numbers. But I guess he is pretty much in line with other artists. I thought I would report that I saw DCTR listed as one of Barnes and Noble's Picks of the week. I really don't know if that helps sales any , but it was just nice to see.

Thanks for that MsCRC, I know those numbers are not easy to get, I've kind of looked for them a little in the past too.

I did a little recon on the Honolulu station that added LO and TOML today on Alternative. It looks like they have been playing both songs and playing them a lot, so it is quite curious why they decided to add now but I'm not complaining. Looking at their playlist they look like a cross between Hot AC and Alternative, they definitely delve more into the poppier side of music and have Katy Perry's Hot N Cold as their top song, a song my Alternative stations would never play. Ordinarily I'd chalk this up as a rogue special case station however it is a Clear Channel station and from my understanding they all tend to follow a similar path. So we'll see if this means Alternative is warming up to David's music.

Thanks, MsCRC for doing that comparative research. As long as we no longer use as a benchmark keeping pace with DC's release partners of Beyonce and Nickelback or for that matter the Top 10 who ranged this week from crazy Taylor Swift's 90k through to 40k, DC is doing ok. Yeah, Nickelback is certainly living up to their reputation of being huge sellers - they're right up there at 64K this week with Britney Spears.

Is there any easy way you can get to the total record sales for those artists you listed?

QJ, there haven't been any exact numbers leaked on Pulse in the last two weeks. I'm hoping we'll get them tomorrow for all top 200 and then it'll be easier to tell.

Hinder was at 208,666 (total sales) two weeks ago, Saving Abel was at 277,890, OAR and Lifehouse were off the charts. We also know that the Killers, FOB and AAR are all behind DCTR in sales, but they came out later.

Sandy, I understand your frustration but we try the best we can! The "callout" thread that was started is still floating around, we've been bumping it to keep it on the front page, it is where all the links to surveys are. Here are the 2 things that we've been taking about lately:

http://www.promosquad.com/
http://www.ratethemusic.com/

With promosquad, I've been signed up there for a few years now and it is from what I understand a very influential survey. It is going to be the survey that gives the score for their "hit predictor" and apparently a lot of radio stations use it, as I'm sure a lot of other data points. There is no David Cook specific survey, you just have to start rating and hope his songs pop up. It is not like rate the music where the same songs are on the survey each week, they do new music only and it is kind of a mystery how they pop up. The original person who found it can you tell us what format you registered under and what musical groups you picked so we know how best to increase our changes to get the songs? I think the reason why they chop the song up is to give you the hook several times, apparently that gives you a better opinion on the song, who knows.

I somehow lost my original post. But I am glad David is in the top 20. Hope to see him move up as the weeks go on. Last week some expected him to drop more and be in the high 80,000 range and he didn't this week we expected him to not drop so much and he dropped more so if you use my convoluted thinking he is right where we expected him to be! HEHE

--
I believe that you can save me
And you'll never let me fall.......Heroes
sky1234

I went to promosquad and signed up, but didn't find any survey for DC.

--
Self Conscious To A Fault....I'm Not Wearing Any Underwear - Life On The Moon 2.0

I signed up for the promosquad survey, and noticed that they break the song up into little clips. Didn't notice until it got to David that they play the song out of order though. It starts out with a portion of the hook, then slight pause, the beginning of the song straight into the final hook, then slight pause and repeats a small clip of the hook again. At least for Declaration.

Any guesses as to what playing it out of order would accomplish?

I see references to surveys, etc., but have no idea where those are. Not all of us have time to read through pages and pages of posts to find links. If there are links to things that we need to be participating in, how about putting those at the top with all the other links. It's frustrating to read posts that refer to those things and have no idea where to find them.

MsCRC, thanks for those numbers, very interesting. Is there any easy way you can get to the total record sales for those artists you listed? that would definitely paint an excellent picture of where DCTR stands amongst similar artists.