"Just Breathe" DID IT

wnh1977 wrote:

CitizenRick wrote:

#43 this week. 48 spots up the board. So...ummm....Yeah it did. Congrats boys! Just Breathe is Rudolph!

You're referring to Backspacer's jump on the Billboard charts. I think it's pretty obvious that the jump up the charts this week is due to Target putting the price at $6.50 on two huge shopping days, Black Friday and Saturday.

When I made the original post that "Just Breathe" didn't do it, my thoughts were that the song had seemed to peak on the charts. It's been #22, #23 & #22 the last three weeks on the Billboard Rock charts. Many people thought "Just Breathe" would be the equivalent of "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon or Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - a song that blew up on multiple radio formats and pushed Backspacer toward platinum status. People have argued that this process could take a while. I just don't see it happening.

I think "Just Breathe" has pretty much peaked. And Backspacer, still sitting at less than 400,000 copies sold, crawled back to #43 with it priced at $6.50 for a couple days after Thanksgiving... it's not like it reappeared in the Top 20. What will it slip down to next week when the price is back to normal for the full week?

I don't think you can pinpoint it on the price change. Holiday shopping yes. Let' see where JB is on the charts this week. I'm hearing it more and the video (Austin City Limits) is getting airplay. JB could be a slow burning single that has staying power. Don't write it off just yet...

bootlegger10 wrote:

Just Breathe is alright, but the chorus is kinda lame and I don't think flows well with the rest of the song. I think it is too soft and the lyrics too girly to be a big hit.

bootlegger10 wrote:

Just Breathe is alright, but the chorus is kinda lame and I don't think flows well with the rest of the song. I think it is too soft and the lyrics too girly to be a big hit.

"Oh where, oh where can my baby be?/The Lord took her away from me/She's gone to heaven so I've got to be good/So I can see my baby when I leave this world" - The manly lyrics to Pearl Jam's #2 U.S. hit, "Last Kiss"

WhiteMaleRat wrote:

wnh1977 wrote:

CitizenRick wrote:

#43 this week. 48 spots up the board. So...ummm....Yeah it did. Congrats boys! Just Breathe is Rudolph!

You're referring to Backspacer's jump on the Billboard charts. I think it's pretty obvious that the jump up the charts this week is due to Target putting the price at $6.50 on two huge shopping days, Black Friday and Saturday.

When I made the original post that "Just Breathe" didn't do it, my thoughts were that the song had seemed to peak on the charts. It's been #22, #23 & #22 the last three weeks on the Billboard Rock charts. Many people thought "Just Breathe" would be the equivalent of "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon or Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - a song that blew up on multiple radio formats and pushed Backspacer toward platinum status. People have argued that this process could take a while. I just don't see it happening.

I think "Just Breathe" has pretty much peaked. And Backspacer, still sitting at less than 400,000 copies sold, crawled back to #43 with it priced at $6.50 for a couple days after Thanksgiving... it's not like it reappeared in the Top 20. What will it slip down to next week when the price is back to normal for the full week?

I don't think you can pinpoint it on the price change. Holiday shopping yes. Let' see where JB is on the charts this week. I'm hearing it more and the video (Austin City Limits) is getting airplay. JB could be a slow burning single that has staying power. Don't write it off just yet...

It is absolutely attributable to the price drop. You're right that holiday shopping tends to boost sales, but those boosts occur across the board for every album in the market (and they tend to spike in the two weeks before Christmas, not at Thanksgiving). There is no other explanation for a 50-notch rise on the chart this week.

Sales will increase as Christmas approaches for the reasons you describe. 24,000 in sales was good enough for #43 this week, but it might take 60,000 in sales to be #43 in two or three weeks.

what's "radio"? satellite folks, now that's the way to go!! Plus I don't think I want to be in the coffee shop hearing every soccer mom next to me singing Just Breathe..... it might spoil my mocha latte..

wnh1977 wrote:

CitizenRick wrote:

#43 this week. 48 spots up the board. So...ummm....Yeah it did. Congrats boys! Just Breathe is Rudolph!

You're referring to Backspacer's jump on the Billboard charts. I think it's pretty obvious that the jump up the charts this week is due to Target putting the price at $6.50 on two huge shopping days, Black Friday and Saturday.

When I made the original post that "Just Breathe" didn't do it, my thoughts were that the song had seemed to peak on the charts. It's been #22, #23 & #22 the last three weeks on the Billboard Rock charts. Many people thought "Just Breathe" would be the equivalent of "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon or Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - a song that blew up on multiple radio formats and pushed Backspacer toward platinum status. People have argued that this process could take a while. I just don't see it happening.

I think "Just Breathe" has pretty much peaked. And Backspacer, still sitting at less than 400,000 copies sold, crawled back to #43 with it priced at $6.50 for a couple days after Thanksgiving... it's not like it reappeared in the Top 20. What will it slip down to next week when the price is back to normal for the full week?

Here's why I disagree with you.... Demand for music is not terribly elastic, in the sense that lower/higher prices are going to have enormous affect on whether one buys it or not. I won't for one second not acknowledge that price drops (or more people in a store due to holidays) do increase demand (or quantity demanded), but the demand needs to be there to begin with. To provide an example, if I see a Whitney Houston (spelling?) CD at $1, I'm not going to buy it. I hate her....

I think that's the point you are missing. Plus, the "more people in the store because of holiday shopping" rationale is somewhat faulty because Backspacer moved up the charts against all other CDs.... if people continued buying other CDs at the same rate, that wouldn't happen. It's relative.

Something is making people want this CD. Most likely it's either The Fixer or Just Breathe. IMHO, the jump is attributable to (in this order)....

1. Just Breathe bringing in a new audience (increase in demand)
2. Shopping Season (increase in demand) and Targets marketing
3. Lower Prices (increase in quantity demanded)
4. The Fixer still capturing people's attention (increase in demand)
5. People who wanted it, but haven't had an opportunity to get the CD yet
6. Positive Reviews

To act like Just Breathe didn't do anything at all to increase sales is ridiculously naive, especially after PJ had it's largest jump in the charts since Ten. It's clear that that song's target market is not the typical PJ fan. It has broader appeal and I'd say you are 100% wrong thus far in saying that "just breathe didn't do it" especially so early in the game.... when all signs are pointing it, at the very least, helping sales.

mr.igby wrote:

Backspacer went up to #45 because of one reason:
The lower price at Target.
Everyone who doubts this should wait for next weeks charts. Backspacer will be back to around 10.000 copies sold.

Where will it be on the charts Nostradamus?

soulsinging wrote:

inlet13 wrote:

Plus, the "more people in the store because of holiday shopping" rationale is somewhat faulty because Backspacer moved up the charts against all other CDs.... if people continued buying other CDs at the same rate, that wouldn't happen. It's relative.

no, it's not faulty becos last week BS was half the price of almost every other cd on that chart. just breathe doesn't have the soaring, epic qualities of the KoL and Green Day songs you're all comparing it to. it's not going to cross over like they did on the pop charts becos it's too boring for mainstream radio.

Right on!

soulsinging wrote:

inlet13 wrote:

Plus, the "more people in the store because of holiday shopping" rationale is somewhat faulty because Backspacer moved up the charts against all other CDs.... if people continued buying other CDs at the same rate, that wouldn't happen. It's relative.

no, it's not faulty becos last week BS was half the price of almost every other cd on that chart. just breathe doesn't have the soaring, epic qualities of the KoL and Green Day songs you're all comparing it to. it's not going to cross over like they did on the pop charts becos it's too boring for mainstream radio.

It's faulty in the sense that different musicians CDs are not easily replaceable. If a Jay Z CD is on sale, somebody who doesn't like rap isn't going to buy it. If a Pearl Jam CD is on sale, someone who doesn't like songs they've heard from the CD so far, are not going to buy it. That was my point. It's not like a Pepsi vs. a Coke and there's a deal on one of the two. CDs aren't like that.

The people who bought the CD wanted it. The price probably influenced the 'amount' purchased, but people still wanted it. The drop in price was not the "entire" reason for the increase in sales. It was most likely the songs the people heard, the deal and the fact that they were at the store (Target). But, once again, they wouldn't have bought it at all if they didn't like the songs they heard. I'm betting Just Breathe contributed to that.

Finally, we are all just speculating. Great music to you, may not be to me. Boring music to you, may be fantastic to the majority. In this case, I disagree with you and would assert that JB is not too boring for mainstream radio and will do well, given time. That said, I don't think it's going to top those KoL or Green Day songs. But, IMHO it will probably be a leading single (relative to all other singles) the band has released, especially as a second single. It was a very good choice in my opinion and I think the jump in sales supports that.