When you’re not an industry insider it’s a little hard to come by Soundscan numbers but based on what I was able to find, FM’s major label debut effort Free Wired sold approximately 17K, landing it the number 24 spot for the week. To put it in perspective, Jin’s major label debut back in 2004 reportedly reeled in just under 20K in sales giving him the #54 spot for that week. But back then Jin didn’t have a top 10 hit or several high profile nation wide tours to help but all in all it shows record sales aren’t what it used to be. The number one spot for the past week went to Lil Wayne, whose I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING, sold nearly 119K.
So long story short, the fellas of FM did OK in the context of today’s album sales trends, and especially for a brand new group who only recently started building up a nationwide buzz, but their first week certainly wasn’t a runaway success story. It’s still an uphill battle for the guys, and all Asian-American artists in general.
a-Tunes 