Eminem #2 on Gracenote... Before Release

asavage writes "According to this article on news.com last week, Eminem's "The Eminem Show," which was yet to be released, cracked the chart at No. 2. This is the first time an unreleased CD has been number 2 on this list of CD's played in computers." I've pre-ordered my copy and am looking forward to hearing it. But its pretty amazing that Gracenote registers a pirated CD #2 without the benefit of it being for sale yet. Thank god they shut down napster and stopped piracy.

Comments

A good test case for the 'Marketability' of piracy

[Bonker]

Just like Spidey and Star Wars, The Eminem Show can be taken as a good test case for how piracy *really* affects sales.

In Spider-Man's and Star Wars's cases, it appears that the piracy either had no effect on the incredible revenue both movies generated, or actually had a marketing effect. People who downloaded the pirate version were *more* likely to go see the in-threater version.

I suspect that The Eminem Show will do the same thing. Just like a label pays a radio station to play a promo-only single before an album's release, the pirate copies of The Eminem Show will encourage people who hear them to go get the album.

Pay close attention to the figures, and when someone tries to tell you that 'piracy hurt the artist', recite them verbatim!

Re:Gracenote ---- Bah!

[alphaseven]

I don't blame them, information like billboard charts and soundscan sales are worth a lot of money to record companies, gracenotes information would be even more valuable, as it shows what people are actually listening to, as opposed to just buying. I miss gracenotes top 100, the chart would largely similar to the billboard charts, but with older albums mixed in. It's amazing how many classic albums, such as Pink Floyd, Nirvana, old Metallica, sit there next to Eminem and Linkin Park. And why is Celine Dion in the top ten?

Re:Mass-produced CDs

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a fairly major player in the MP3 "scene" if you will. The proper releases (this stuff rarely hits the P2P networks in all it's glory) are done by people who know what they're doing and rip things with good software. If all the tracks are from a proper release, and burned using DAO, they will almost always be recognized by CDDB services as the original CD. People ripping for P2P nets though generally use low bitrates and bad encoders (Realjuke, AudioCatalyst and the like). Not to mention that most people using P2P networks don't bother to ensure that all tracks are complete, from the same source rip, and of reasonable quality. Thus small differences in encoders/rippers (are track delays recorded in the preceding track, or the subsequent one?) result in different final CDs. Rest assured, however, that the people who know what they're doing (and there are thousands of us) get proper copies, distribute them to our friends, and burn copies for anyone who asks. Hence the numbers on Gracenote. Don't think the mp3 scene is as disorganized as it appears from the P2P crap, the real underground scene is very organized, well structured, and produces good releases.

Sorry for the AC, I dunno how much crap I could get in if some copyright nazi read this and investigated what I do.

Re:Tired Argument Alert

[KaiserSoze]

I won't agree that he writes his own songs. Were you with him when he wrote them? I think most people would be amazed at how little most pop musicians contribute to the actual music on an album. Madonna doesn't write any of her music, and never has. As for performing his songs, I wasn't aware he played any instruments. I thought he just held a microphone on stage, and occasionally performed goofy antics like dressing up as Jason Vorhees. Just look at the credits for his last album [barnesandnoble.com] Doesn't appear he played any instruments. "primary artist" is a very vague term, one I would be willing to bet was invented by a studio exec.

His command of the English language is a very subjective thing, and at that point we're getting more into the content of his songs, not the actual music talent involved.

It is very easy to see if he writes his own songs. Look at the liner notes, and see if M. Mathers appears under the written by credit. I believe it does. If you don't wish to believe that credit, then you are too cynical to be swayed by any argument of mine, so stop reading now.

As to your second point, many musicians have, as you so callously put it, "just held a microphone on stage". Are opera singers musicians? Are gospel singers musicans? I believe that your argument just insulted hundreds of artists, perhaps even some that you hold in a high regard (though I admit you don't stipulate what makes one a musucian, thus your entire musical worldview could consist of Celtic drum beats, and I would have to admit defeat based on your subjective point of view).

One more thing, I can't see a reason why what Eminem wears has anything to do with his value as a musician. Christ, John Lennon was running around naked on camera, with a naked woman no less. [Flamers please note my sarcasm].

Finally, if you would like to dismiss Eminem out-of-hand for the content of his songs, then pass Go and collect $200. It's very easy to dismiss artists that put society's collective taboos and psychoses on display. Personally, I believe that one can experience a sort of catharsis from albums such as this one, if only when you realize that your life is so much better than the nightmarish hell that Slim Shady/Eminem/Marshall Mathers seems to inhabit.