Neilstein Soundscam: Was Ghost’s Big Debut Worth $750,000?

People seem to be dismissing my report that Ghost signed a $750,000 deal. It’s not rumor, it’s fact (give or take a few thousand bucks); for confidentiality reasons I can’t reveal my source, but said person was on the inside of the negotiations.

In any case, do their first week numbers justify that huge sum? Let’s find out.

Sales figures courtesy of Metal Insider.

1. ↑ Ghost / Peak: 1 / Last Week: 2 / Weeks On: 7

Albums sold: 14,440 (Infestissumam, debut)
Facebook: 10.5% Fan Activity (110,811 likes · 11,644 talking about this)
YouTube: 700,000 (“Secular Haze” official video)

Anyone with half a brain could’ve seen Ghost nabbing the #1 spot a mile away, but nearly 15k units shifted first week is huge for this band. Did their first record even sell that many albums cumulatively? 15k is peanuts for a major label record but I’d imagine that all involved with this project are pretty stoked on it. Not $750,000 stoked, but stoked nonetheless. And the record cycle has only just begun.

2. ↓ Killswitch Engage / Peak: 1 / Last Week: 1 / Weeks On: 5

Albums sold: 7,000 (Disarm the Descent, week three)
Facebook: 1.7% Fan Activity (2,066,067 likes · 36,117 talking about this)
YouTube: 853,000 (“In Due Time” official video)

Where is the Facebook fan activity? It’s been startlingly low throughout this album campaign. I genuinely wonder why. Sales and YouTube views (+140k) are still strong, though.

3. ↑ The Ocean / Peak: 3 / Last Week: 4 / Weeks On: 5

Albums sold: 0 (Pelagial, out April 30)
Facebook: 8.5% Fan Activity (28,411 likes · 2,426 talking about this)
YouTube: 38,000 (“Bathyalpelagic II” official premiere)

As stated earlier today, this record is special. Everyone freaking loves it. It’s not going to sell gangbusters first week but look for the slow build.

4. ↓ Sevendust / Peak: 3 / Last Week: 3 / Weeks On: 5

Albums sold: 2,950 (Black Out the Sun, week four)
Facebook: 2.4% Fan Activity (543,158 likes · 13,264 talking about this)
YouTube: 120,000 (“Decay” official video)

Current “co-headline” tour with Coal Chamber is keeping them in the game. They’re mopping the floor with Coal Chamber, by the way, making Dez’s old band look like the amateurs that they are.

5. ↔ Clutch / Peak: 1 / Last Week: 5 / Weeks On: 8

Albums sold: 2,600 (Earth Rocker, week five)
Facebook: 5.2% Fan Activity (199,585 likes · 10,456 talking about this)
YouTube: 125,000 (“Earth Rocker” lyric video)

I congratulate Clutch on the continued success they’re experiencing.

6. ↑ Anciients / Peak: 6 / Last Week: 10 / Weeks On: 3

Albums sold: 600 (Heart of Oak, debut)
Facebook: 20.4% Fan Activity (3,471 likes · 707 talking about this)
YouTube: nothing

Apologies for prior confusion regarding release week. This band is taking full advantage of an opening slot for Death To All (where they’re killing it, by the way) and everyone from all walks of metal seems to love the album. Stream Heart of Oak here.

7. ↓ Shining / Peak: 6 / Last Week: 6 / Weeks On: 4

Albums sold: 0 (One One One, out April 23)
Facebook: 5.1% Fan Activity (12,871 likes · 646 talking about this)
YouTube: 30,700 (“I Won’t Forget” official video)

The fact that the album came out in Norway before the U.S. — and all the hyping / track premieres etc were done in advance of that first release — really took the wind out of Shining’s sales from a U.S. perspective, but I’m still really curious to see how this sells first week here.

8. The Dillinger Escape Plan / Peak: 8 / Last Week: n/a / Weeks On: 1

Albums sold: 0 (One of Us is the Killer, May 14)
Facebook: 13.9% Fan Activity (177,185 likes · 24,790 talking about this)
YouTube: 89,000 (“When I Lost My Bet” official video)

13.9% is a phenomenal number for FB fan activity, proving how much this band’s fans care about them. 89k YouTube views in two days is fantastic too.

9. ↓ Kylesa / Peak: 7 / Last Week: 7 / Weeks On: 3

Albums sold: 0 (Ultraviolet, May 28)
Facebook: 3.1% Fan Activity (44,510 likes · 1,368 talking about this)
YouTube: 18,800 (“Unspoken” official premiere)

Band has lost some steam after coming out of the gate strong with their first single. The YouTube video barely gained any views (just 800) since last week.

10. Alice in Chains / Peak: 8 / Last Week: 8 / Weeks On: 2

Albums sold: 0 (The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, May 28)
Facebook: 2.4% Fan Activity (3,377,878 likes · 80,648 talking about this)
YouTube: 429,000 (“Stone” official video)

FB activity is rising (though I don’t expect it to ever get too high; band’s fanbase is old) and the “Stone” video is CRUSHING — +300k views in the past week.