Idolator

I only buy music if it's at the check-out stand as I'm leaving Wal-Mart. Anything else is too much work.

Chesney wins in a walk. Maura is definitely correct on this one.

@Maura: @CKJT: Yeah, I've also been predicting this for weeks. I hope I'm wrong and that Kanye outsells 50. I'd like to see 50 weasle out of his promise/threat.

it's a fart-off. someone may win, but it all stinks of shit.

Chesney wins, big time. Country music fans REALLY support their artists.

Think any Hip-Hop heads might be saving their money for Chamillionaire's album, which comes out next week?

Definitely Chesney. I've never heard his music, but apparently he's quite popular. I dunno who all these country music fans are though, I don't know any.

But Kenny Chesney's smiling face did convince me to buy his collectible glass at the Longhorn last week. It'll probably sell albums too.

Seriously, that Kanye West album cover is fugly as all hell.

Then again, 50's cover looks like he's having a tough time taking a shit.

Let the battle of the hideous albums commence!

@KurticusMaximus: It's a shame. As far as I know, this is the first album cover that Takashi Murakami has designed.

It is not of the same standard as his other work.

Went to J&R in downtown New York this morning (also gave me a chance to breathe in the 9/11 commemoration and pay my silent respects without having to, y'know, dwell on it), and I picked up Kanye and - alert, fellow indie geeks! this is out today too! - the Go! Team.

I respectfully disagree with KurticusMaximus: the Kanye cover is a thing of beauty. It actually gets better when you look at it close-up - you can see more of the witty details of both the main cover and the gatefold.

I also disagree, but more mildly, with those who say Chesney's going to win "in a walk" or "big time." Like all of you, I'm calling for a Chesney win, but it could be a squeaker. And here's the toughie: by tomorrow HITS will post a first-day report, but that won't help us gauge the final tally, because country fans are also (sometimes) weekend buyers. Fitty or Kanye could be ahead by tomorrow, then lose it come Saturday-Sunday. Then again, if tomorrow's one-day tally shows Chesney with even a small lead, you guys are probably right and it's fully in the bag for him.

For the record, even in his best week, Chesney has never outsold either Kanye's or 50's best debuts. Then again, precedent tells us nothing this year: hip-hop sales have cratered since '05; Kanye's lead single is bigger on radio than 50's, a first for both acts; and the lead singles off Chesney's album are more massive on country radio than anything he's released before. So really, this contest is a total air ball.

So no one thinks the High School Musical 2 soundtrack could take this? Come on, those adorable kids are now posting nude photos online to keep their buzz alive.

@extracrispy: HSM2 is going to spend its fourth week at #1 this week with under 200K in sales. That's impressive and all for a month-old CD, but if you actually think all three of these new releases are going to fall so mind-blowingly short as to sell less than 200K, you're a better prognosticator than me.

The record store I occasionally work at is open until midnight. Last night I sold one person both Kanye and 50, and about eight other individual people the just the Kanye. I don't think we even got the Kenny Chesney in. I'm hoping my small, random sampling will prove to be the way this week turns out.

I'm thinking Kenny. See, a lot of (young male) country fans are also big hip-hop fans. So I could see them buying either a 50 or a Kanye to go along with the Kenny. And dennisobell is right - a lot of (older) country fans buy their music on the weekends.

It's worth keeping in mind that Kanye vs 50 isn't a zero-sum game. It's not like the two artists will necessarily cancel each other out, which some people (not here, of course) seem to be basing their predictions on.

I bought Kanye today - a lot of people at the Virgin Megastore were buying both. Among the people buying single albums were Kanye purchasers. Chesney didn't have any sort of prominent placement at all, though I imagine he'll put up big numbers. I have to agree with dennisobell, though, this is a total air ball.

Forget all this.... Just buy a Hall & Oates album.