50 Cent hasn't given up on a "Curtis" win
So it's looking like Kanye West's "Graduation" will win the sales week showdown with 50 Cent's "Curtis," with a lead of an estimated 120,000 copies from the first day of sales (435k to 310k). (For those rooting for country singer Kenny Chesney, he sold 107,000 on the first day, according to Billboard's new Building Sales Chart.)
However, at last night's 50 Cent show at Hammerstein Ballroom -- the opening night of his 5 Borough Tour -- a bit of 50 strategy suddenly became clear. Best Buy had a booth set up selling the CD for $10 ("Including tax!" one salesman cheerfully exclaimed.) All those CDs definitely count toward 50's SoundScan tally since Best Buy is selling them. And most expect West's lead to narrow over the weekend, as 50's teenage fans and Chesney's young parent fanbase make their weekly trip to Wal-Mart. (Of course, West's appearance on the Emmys on Sunday could help him as well.)
And is 50 above a little gamesmanship like making Interscope buy a huge chunk of CDs at retail and then reselling them through mom-and-pop shops to inflate sales, as so many artists have over the years? Yeah, I didn't think so either.
As far as The Bet, Fitty has a pretty big loophole -- aside from blaming Interscope, which he has already started trotting out there. When all the international sales are totaled, he will end up with far more than West, though 'Ye is ahead in the United Kingdom and Canada on iTunes.
PHOTO: Wayne Herrschaft for Newsday
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