Susan Boyle Grabs Amazon’s Biggest Ever Pre-Sale
The usually press shy Amazon made a rare announcement yesterday: internet and TV sensation Susan Boyle’s upcoming album, “I Dreamed a Dream,” has become the largest global CD pre-order in the history of the online retailer. Per usual, however, the number of units Boyle sold to reach #1 prior to her November 23rd release was not part of the announcement.
Boyle proves that adults will still pay for music; and whatever the number, it was big enough to leave Amazon's head of music almost giddy. “We were excited when Susan Boyle’s album became the top CD pre-order in
the U.S. We’re absolutely ecstatic now that the album has become our
largest global CD pre-order,” said Craig Pape, senior manager of Music
at Amazon.com. “Looking at the rest of our global Top 5, you see titles
that resonated in their local markets. Susan’s album is clearly
capturing the hearts of our customers around the globe.”
Amazon also released a list of the Top 5 CD pre-orders of all time for Amazon, along with their top-selling country:
1. Susan Boyle, “I Dreamed a Dream” (2009), U.S.
2. Mr. Children, “Supermarket Fantasy” (2008), Japan
3. Ken Hirai, “Ken Hirai 10th Anniversary Complete Single Collection, ‘95-‘05” (2005), Japan
4. Norah Jones, “Not Too Late” (2007), U.S.
5. Take That, “Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection” (2008), U.K.
I’m glad to see her doing so well. I think she has a great voice for standards (really liked her recording of “Cry Me a River”) so I think she has a legitimate potential audience for show tunes and the like.
From everything I’ve heard from her CD, it’s fantastic.
I just love her voice, I think it’s stunning.
I wish her great success, she deserves it.
Thats phenomenal, it proves that people want to hear great music with actual substance. You don’t see a flash in the pan musician on that list.
I’ve gotten into discussions with people about the commercial potential of Boyle. Some have argued that as soon as the hype died down, she’d be yesterday’s news. But I’m a big fan of classic songs/ballads from the 1930s-1950s, and she’s got the voice for it. There are others like me. Just because we have a number of flash-in-the-pan pop singers, that doesn’t mean we don’t have room for someone who can interpret blues/jazz/Broadway standards. And generally these songs are more convincing when they are sung by someone who has lived life a bit. “Send in the Clowns,” for example, doesn’t make a lot of sense when sung by someone who is 20.