14 DAY TRIAL // This week, the ultimate battle of the demographics will go down in Billboard charts, with Susan Boyle’s “I Dreamed a Dream” and Ke$ha’s recently released “Animal” going neck and neck. Boyle’s album is currently in its sixth consecutive week atop Billboard, but things might change by the time this week ends, Billboard says.
According to the music magazine, the album of the Scottish sensation might lose its footing in the charts as Ke$ha is gaining popularity with younger audiences. Estimates would certainly seem to indicate so, it says. Not that this wasn’t a grand period for Susan Boyle, though, whose debut album became the second biggest selling release of 2009, having already moved no less than 3.1 million copies in total.
“The first sales week of 2010 could be another battle for No. 1, as Britain’s Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle and ‘TiK ToK’ singer Ke$ha compete for the top spot on the Billboard 200. Early prognostications from label sources suggest that both Boyle’s ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ or Ke$ha's just-released debut album, ‘Animal,’ may sell around 100,000 copies by week’s end on Jan. 10. With Ke$ha’s very youthful audience going up against Boyle’s more mature demographic, however, it’s a tough call on who may come out on top,” Billboard says.
However, there are other things that might turn the scales in Ke$ha’s favor as well. “Ke$ha’s album has an attractive developing artist list price of $9.98, but it’s on sale for less than that at the big physical retailers. Additionally, both the Amazon MP3 and iTunes Stores are offering it for only $6.99. Sources suggest that the album will have an overwhelming amount of its first-week sales powered by digital downloads of the set. The 22-year-old pop newcomer has already made a lot of chart noise, as ‘Animal’s’ lead single, ‘TiK ToK,’ has sold 2.44 million total downloads – including 394,000 this past week. It retains the No. 1 slot on the Hot Digital Songs chart for a third straight week as well,” Billboard goes on to say.
If estimates prove to be accurate and Ke$ha does end up as the reigning queen of the charts with her album, dethroning Susan Boyle, 2010 could turn out to be her year, other music insiders say. This bold artist who is not afraid of shaking things up, if that’s what’s needed, might actually become what Lady Gaga was for 2009, meaning the hottest pop artist on the scene.