Iron Maiden’s The Book Of Souls has given BMG‘s recorded music operation its best first-week album sales in the US market since the Bertelsmann-owned firm relaunched as an independent in 2008.
According to Nielsen Soundscan, the record sold more than 75,000 units in its opening week, landing at No.4 on the Billboard 200 and No.3 on the SoundScan albums chart (which excludes streaming data).
That’s the UK metal group’s best sales performance since Nielsen Soundscan began monitoring the industry in 1991.
Iron Maiden’s The Book Of Souls is the band’s 16th album and comes five years after the release of their previous album, The Final Frontier.
BMG, which announced its entry into the frontline of the US recorded music business less than 18 months ago, acquired Iron Maiden’s recording rights following its buyout of Sanctuary Records in 2013.
In Europe, Iron Maiden’s rights are looked after by Warner‘s Parlophone; the international division is a quirk of the Warner buyout of PLG from Universal in the EU two years ago.
Dave Shack, Managing Director of Iron Maiden’s management company, Phantom Music Management, said, “We are very pleased with this first week for The Book of Souls in the USA, partly the result of the very integrated grassroots campaign with Maiden’s Trooper beer which has really covered all the bases.
“The fact that iron maiden have shipped 50,000 catalogue units alongside the new album is really quite impressive.”
Dave Shack, Phantom Management
“Our working relationship with BMG has been excellent, very creative. The fact that we have shipped 50,000 catalogue units alongside the new album is really quite impressive.”
Added Michael Kachko, VP of catalogue at BMG US: “Iron Maiden’s The Book of Souls is a brilliant, critically-acclaimed album and a double one at that, an amazing accomplishment by the band for what is their 16th studio album.”
“Everything we have done with Maiden over the past 18 months was planned to build up to this point.”
Meanwhile, another BMG release, Deeply Rooted, the 12th solo album from Houston rapper and Geto Boy Scarface, entered the SoundScan albums chart at number eight on Friday, and No.11 on the Billboard 200.
Jon Cohen, Executive Vice President of Recorded Music at BMG US, said: “This is an incredible achievement for Iron Maiden, for Scarface and for BMG.
“BMG is a new company with a new approach to the recorded business which really delivers for artists.”
Scarface said, “You couldn’t have told me 28 years ago I’d be in my 40’s and still making music, relevant music at that, but here we are seven years since my last release and I get an album that not only charts but charts in the Top 10… Just goes to show that real music does not have a born date. I’d like to thank the people who supported this independent movement.”
BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “I would like to add my personal congratulations to Iron Maiden and to Scarface. They have delivered great records and we have shown that BMG has the infrastructure and commitment to deliver hit records. We believe artists want a new kind of music company.
“This is only the beginning of BMG’s mission to bring our core values of Fairness, Transparency and Service to the record business.”
BMG is now preparing to release albums from Alabama (18 September) and Janet Jackson (2 October).Music Business Worldwide
