12.5.00 I recieved an e-mail from some girl...this is what it said! (Legitimacy has not been proven nor denied) **The Boys sold 3.6 copies of Black and Blue here in the U.S. it's first week.** But don't hold your breath waiting for Soundscan or Jive to announce it because it isn't going to happen. Here is how I came about this information. I was waiting in line for concert tix this morning when I struck up a conversation with another woman who was getting tix for another venue. But she also thinks the Boys are pretty good, even though she admitted she wasn't a "die-hard fan". She actually likes 'NSync better, not because of the vocals (she said the BSB are far superior), but because she just likes the up-tempos more and likes the dancing emphasis in the 'NSync shows. This lady has a very wide taste in music, believe me! From Nine Inch Nails to Limp to 98 Degrees. We started talking about Black and Blue and she said she really liked it. She had also heard of the MFC, and she said she would look us up on the Internet because she liked the idea about all the charity work that we do. :) Anyways, we got to talking about first week sales, and she told me that she grew up in the Orlando area, and she has a good friend who is directly affiliated with Jive. Her friend's family owns Kingworld productions, and she mentioned several names that I know for a fact are associated with the Boys and Jive. (No, she has never met them, nor does she claim to know them personally). **Anybody remember that little post from the BOOST club that ended up on the MFC message board and other boards that stated the Boys had sold 3.6 million so far? And then it suddenly "disappeared" just like that?** Well, this was the EXACT number this lady quoted to me! I asked her how she came up with this information, and she said it all started back with the sale of NSA when she went to buy a copy for her daughter the first week it came out, and she noticed a #2 by the "quantity" line. But yet she only paid for one. She said she asked the store manager about it, and he said that was how Jive had instructed all of them to be keyed in. She wasn't happy with that answer, so she called her friend in Florida because she knew she was associated with Jive, but she claimed ignorance about the whole thing. But then after Black and Blue came out, her friend gave her the whole scoop and told her that NSA did NOT sell 2.4 million that first week. It only sold 1.2 million, just barely beating out the Boys' record. The inflated figures came from carefully-placed marks on the bar codes that automatically registerd a single purchase of NSA as being 2 copies, although most consumers never saw the discrepancy or were aware of the marks. I was still a little skeptical here, so I asked her why Jive would intentionally do this, and she quoted the "boy band" feud thing... trying to keep the fires of competition going between the fans. So why would Jive deliberately LOWER the numbers for Black and Blue if it really sold 3.6 million copies? She said her friend told her that this will actually BOOST sales for both albums, and that they (Jive) are centering a lot of attention on NSync right now and trying to keep them "on top" because they figure they can get one more album out of them before they lose their very young teen and pre-teen fanbase. And then it will be all over. NO multi-album deals have been offered to NSync, and we all know that the Boys have a 5-album deal, which will probably take them at least 6-8 years or so to fill, depending on whether or not double-album or single-album releases are planned for the future. **In other words, Jive knows that the Boys are here to stay, and they're milking the NSync cash cow for everything they can right now!** If the Boys leave Jive, which they have hinted at recently in the press, Jive will plummet rapidly. They will have Britney and NSync, both of which have a very "iffy" chance at longevity. So do the Boys know about this? That I can't tell you, but her friend told her that she thought they did, and that they're okay with it because they're trying to get away from the "boy band" competition between them and NSync. Beating their record would have just fueled the fire even more. They're distancing themselves from this whole mess and trying to re-invent themselves both musically and personally. Do I believe this person? Well, I can't imagine why she would make something like this up. And she admitted to liking NSync more. And if you look at some of the "rumors" that were flying around when NSA first came out about messed-up receipts and such, it makes sense. And did anyone notice how tight-lipped sources were with giving the public any info about Black and Blue's sales at first? The media was broadcasting NSA's sales tallies almost on a daily basis earlier this year! And nowhere have I seen WalMart's actual first-week sales posted. Very interesting to think about. But I have to say this... if this is true, I have just gained a huge amount of respect for the Boys. To know what is going on and NOT say anything says volumes to me. And on the opposite hand, for Nsync to be equally knowledgeable about all of this literally makes me ill. Again, I have NO WAY of proving this, but I have a feeling that time will eventually weed this little scandal out. And guess who will come out smelling like a rose, STILL playing to packed-out audiences, and STILL selling a ton of records?? 11.30.2000 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop idols the Backstreet Boys sold five million copies of their new album in its first week of worldwide release, setting a new international record, the group's publicist said Tuesday. In the United States alone, "Black & Blue" (Jive) sold 1.6 million units in the six days from its Nov. 21 street date, enough to replace the Beatles at the top of the charts. However the U.S. tally paled next to the first-week record of 2.4 million units set in March this year by their boy band rivals, 'N Sync, or Eminem's 1.8 million bow in May. The Backstreet Boys can lay claim as the first act to achieve million-plus first-week U.S. sales with back-to-back albums, said publicity firm Mitch Schneider Organization (MSO). Their last album, "Millennium," debuted with a then-record 1.1 million copies in May 1999. Its worldwide sales stand at more than 30 million, MSO said. Details of the previous international record for an album's first week sales were not given in the statement. "Black & Blue" is already multi-platinum in Canada (5 times), Japan, Korea, Mexico and Venezuela; platinum in Arabia (Gulf), Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States; and gold in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K. Different countries have different definitions of gold and platinum. 11.28.00 Tour Dates for USA 2001 January 22 Fort Lauderdale FL, National Car Rental Center January 26 Charlotte NC, Charlotte Coliseum January 27 Atlanta GA, Georgia Dome January 30 Philadelphia PA, First Union Center February 2 Washington DC, MCI Center February 3 East Rutherford NJ, Continental Arena February 4 Uniondale NY, Nassau Coliseum February 7 Toronto Canada, Skydome (Last I checked, Canada was not part of the US, but okay...) February 8 Pittsburgh PA, Mellon Arena February 12 Chicago IL, Allstate Arena February 15 Pontiac MI, Pontiac Silverdome (I'll be there!) February 17 Minneapolis MN, Target Center February 18 Grand Forks ND, Alerus Center February 20 Denver CO, Pepsi Center Arena (Happy Birthday, Brian!) February 23 Vancouver BC, General Motors Place (Again in Canada) February 25 Tacoma WA, Tacoma Dome February 27 Portland OR, Rose Garden March 2 Oakland CA, Oakland Arena March 8 Las Vegas NV, MGM Grand Hotel March 12 Pheonix AZ, America West March 14 San Diego CA, Sports Arena 10.16.00 With a little more than a month standing between fans and the next Backstreet Boys album, the Boys are putting the finishing touches on the effort and are also looking to their sizable fan base for help in marketing it. Jive Records confirms that the heartthrobs have lined up the track listing for "Black & Blue," which is due to arrive on shelves on November 21. Besides the single "Shape Of My Heart," Backstreet followers should also expect titles like "Get Another Boyfriend," "I Promise You (With Everything I Am)," "The Answer To Our Life," and "How Did I Fall In Love With You" when the CD hits stores. The group is also taking a page from the underground promotion handbook and putting together an online Backstreet Boys street team to get the word out about the new release. Fans who visit the official Jive Records Web site (at www.jiverecords.com) are extended an invitation to join what the label hopes will be a massive online street team. Backstreet devotees who enlist are promised news updates and gifts as well as additional surprises. The group recently unveiled the first video from "Black & Blue," for the ballad "Shape Of My Heart," and B-Boy A.J. McLean has said that the rest of the album will boast various influences, from rock and R&B to hip-hop and country (see "Backstreet's A.J. Dishes On New Record"). The disc will also find the Boys once again teaming with pop mastermind Max Martin, who produced the group's first two albums as well as tracks for 'NSYNC and Britney Spears. When "Black & Blue" arrives on November 21, here's what you'll find: "The Call" "Shape Of My Heart" "Get Another Boyfriend" "Shining Star" "I Promise You (With Everything I Am)" "The Answer To Our Life" "Everyone" "More Than That" "Time" "Not For Me" "Yes I Will" "It's True" "How Did I Fall In Love With You" -- Robert Mancini (taken from MTV.com) 10.6.00 This is an exciting time for the Backstreet Boys! There is so much to celebrate...Brian and Kevin's weddings, The Backstreet Project (the second webisode is available at backstreetproject.com), the Burger King promotion not to mention a brand new BSB record coming out this fall. In honor of all these great events, BSB online is having a huge sale. Nearly everything in the official Backstreet Boys online store is 20% off from Oct. 2nd- Oct. 9th! Check out all the great stuff that is available at bsbdirect.com. -Apparel -Back to School stuff -And More!
