PAUL McCARTNEY- USA Album Sales Posted October 13, 2012

God it's so simple.

Band on The Run sold 3.7 million USA copies at around $3.98 per copy retail circa 1973-4

ATMP sold around 3.2 million at around $7.98 per copy retail. Nearly double in gross dollar amount. It was a triple album, but the 3rd jam album was a giveaway. Every copy counts as 2, so 3.2 million copies x2 = 6.4 million copies or $3.98 x by 6.4 million.

The twisting of facts bugs me. ATMP counts double because there are 2 studio albums in the package, you pay double, it counts as two

How does anybody count McCartneys 3.7 million copies of a single album as more than 3.2 million, of a double. Actually it's a triple, but I won't even get into that.

Furthermore these are USA only stats, which leave out half the worldwide sales or more. Not even getting into the Mafia, accuracy, corruption or politics of the RIAA or any of that.

 

John and George didn't do bad at all, considering they didn't really care about their solo careers.

And for guys who never really toured (George toured what, 1.5 times? John, never.)

I would have thought Cloud Nine would have sold more.

 

Because selling 3.7 million of one thing is more than selling 3.2 million copies of another thing.

ATMP isn't sold separately as 3 separate albums. It's sold as one unit. Just like Wings Over America -- a triple album -- is sold as 1 unit. By your math, Wings Over America sold 4.2 million copies. Except it didn't. It sold 1.4 million. Just like ATMP sold 3.2 million and BOTR sold 3.7 million.

 

I'm confused on Concert for Bangladesh. It says "gold", yet shows 1.5 million units sold. Says eligible for 2 disc multiplier.

On ATMP, the units are doubled to reach 6 times platinum.

On CfB, the units are divided by two to attain gold status.

Logically, wouldn't that make CfB PLAT x 3? If the same math was applied?

Here's the copy of both ATMP and CfB:

1970....001....2001....All Things Must Pass.................................PLAT x 6......3,325,000.....561k-SScanAug12, 2-disc multiplier for cert
1971....002....1972....Concert For Bangladesh............................Gold.............1,500,000.....cert in '72 on high $ value, eligible for 2-disc multiplier

 

That's not how you calculate album sales. If it's a double it counts x2. 3.2 million on a double counts as 6.4 million, just like the white album does. Look it up, don't take my word for it.

It's about the money $$$$. ATMP grossed double at the cash register period. DOUBLE

 

From the notes: Album titles that are underlined are those that are nearing or awaiting an RIAA award, or an award upgrade.

Concert For Bangledesh and Living In The Material World are both underlined, could be official by now, lists are from 4 years ago.

 

Ah! (Again. ) Good eye.

 

Depends on who is doing the counting. In 2009 when the Beatles mono and stereo box sets were released, each set counted as 1 unit. Not as 11 albums sold (mono set) or 14 albums sold (stereo). Just 1 unit sold. And sure, the $$$$ mattered to Apple but total sales aren't determined by the pricetag of the set, but by the number of each set sold.

Ultimately ATMP didn't sell 6.4 million copies. It sold 3.2 million copies. And BOTR sold 3.7 million. It's silly to suggest Wings over America sold 4.2 million just because there were 3 albums in the set, when it only sold 1.4 million.

 

Wings Over America is another one that's underlined so I assume something is going to happen soon. Real people sales are 1.4 million so for RIAA certification purposes a x3 multiplier should be used to make it 4 x platinum.

Yet...it says "1 disc multiplier". I await @Chuckee 's explanation.

 

I think they f.....d up with the 1 disc multiplier. Professional opinion.

 

I notice some of the totals go thru 2014, altho I think the bulk of the figures are from the date listed in the thread.

 

So it's all about the numbers. As always, the art is a distant 2nd.

Who cares. This means nothing.

 

Question:
Are the SScan figures included in the album sales figures?
My first thought was that you can add SScan figures. For example, the total sales of Band on the Run is 3,700,000 + 406,000 = 4,106,000.
Or the SScan figures are already included in 3,700,000?
Somebody please explain.

 

Good question. I assumed the SScan were NOT included but, in that case, I would think it would be 4x platinum instead of the 3x. So I don't know.

The totals show 31.8 million US album sales with an additional 7.2 million SScan (I haven't double checked the math) so it looks like like the two sets of numbers are being kept separate.

 

I heard "Ram" for the first time in the summer of 1992, and it became my playlist for 2 months. I fell in love with it.

 

As to surprises: I didn't expect to see Double Fantasy at anywhere close to those numbers. I thought it would be platinum, but not triple platinum.

 

Unfortunately, death is great for sales.

 

At the moment, I'm more jealous of you than I am of Paul McCartney.

 

To be honest, Paul leaves me in the dust when it comes to having one's tree shaken ...

 

Gotta stick to my guns s on this one. What I'm saying about ATMP goes for the White album also. 3.2 million copies of a double, that retails for twice the price of a single album, is 6.4 million imo.

But really these numbers don't include The UK, Europe, Japan, Latin America etc. The Beatles as I recall won a $50 million judgement or settlement from Capitol some years ago, for under reporting sales & royalty payments...

Then there are various policy changes, reversals, of double A sides, double lps & how they are counted or summarized by Billboard & other companies. Someone mentioned theft by pressing copies out the back door & sold as phantom copies, the RIAA & whether they were paid fees by a label or artist, inflated breakage numbers. Then there is the reverse, the ago old " Brian Epstein's " buy 5-10,000 copies out of your own pocket scenario, to boost chart placement, sales figures, or hype.

Band on the run was huge. Particularly because. It rose slowly, getting bigger & bigger, higher on the charts for months, it was huge. But if you were around then, at least in USA, ATMP was bigger still, saturation sales & radio play. & Hype, & followed closely by the huge Concert for Bangladesh. Harrison's early success was enormous.

These partial USA numbers, tell us something. But the actual numbers, & worldwide numbers, & actual impact is missing from these very incomplete stats.

Some company or agency like RIAA arbitrarily says ATMP sold less than BOTR in the USA. Thats not how it appears to fans that experienced these albums at the time. My belief is that generally a double LP selling at double price, is x2. Everybody doesn't agree, but many do. It can be parsed many different ways, but people spent twice as much money buying ATMP as they did BOTR.

Some time in New York City was a double, but the 2nd disc was just live concert bonus material, & it retailed for the price of a single LP. So that wouldn't count imo.

 

The RIAA counts it (ATMP) the same way you do, as a x2er. That's why the RIAA considers it 6x platinum. (If they added the SScan totals it would be 7x platinum). So they aren't arbitrarily saying anything. They're calculating based on their own established methodology. Which is that ATMP sales exceed BOTR.

It's probably your average record buyer who comes home saying, "I bought an album today. ATMP." And counts it as a single title purchase.
Edit: i.e. don't consider it to be a purchase of two (or three) albums.

But maybe not! (But RIAA is in your court.)

 

Not sure, but I think the soundscan figures are included in the big totals. It seems the newer titles have higher soundscan figures, much closer to the full totals. It started 25 years ago. Some of the soundscan figures are 10 years old though.

 

SScan #'s aren't included in the 31.8 million. Yes, I did the album math! (Didn't tally the Scan #'s, though).

Edit: yes, some of these figures are very old but that could just mean that they were very popular upon release and that's when the sales were made. I looked at Wings Over America : gold on Dec 13, 1976. Platinum on Dec 20, 1976. A week later!

 

That's because Starbuck's carried it.

They did and they are listed there as gold. red Rose Speedway sold 850,000 + and Wild Life 600000

 

Yeah the numbers back then weren't as accurate and often times it was based on how many SHIPPED not sold and also doesn't include returns as well. The accounting practices while Klein was in charge were also dubious.