Dub dot dash

Stars are blind - so is Warners.
"One of Warner Music’s biggest mistakes last year was an album released by socialite Paris Hilton. It sold just 13,000 copies, a disaster made worse by the money spent on the heiress and her entourage.

One source claims that she brought 14 people with her to the UK including three security guards, two tour managers (despite there being no tour) and three American publicists. A week’s accommodation at the exclusive Metropolitan hotel on London’s Park Lane came to around £160,000. The entourage was flown to Britain in either first or business class." Via Coolfer. Wow, didn't see that coming!

Simon Grigg runs some numbers too, looking at the current state of CD sales.

"The number one single in the US sold 1,700 physical copies last week, based on Soundscan figures [remember when the Black Seeds hit number one in NZ with their album last year, after selling only 1,500 copies in a week? Doesn't seem so bad now]...

The number one album in the US last week was the lowest selling number one, by quite a margin, since the current chart system was inaugurated, eclipsing the new low set the week before... the current NZ number one [album], yet another hits collection by ABBA has, despite television advertising sold less than 2,000 copies. That’s less than $40k in gross return, before the marketing cost, royalties and the like." More here.