Rap-Up.com || ‘Watch the Throne’ First-Week Sales Predictions Are In…

Jay-Z and Kanye West are on their way to conquering the charts. The rap kings’ monumental album Watch the Throne is shaping up to have a blockbuster week.

The album only hit iTunes today, but early estimates are already in. In less than 24 hours, Throne has hit No. 1 on iTunes in over 20 countries. The album, which avoided leaking in advance, is on track to sell at least 400,000 to 500,000 copies in its first week in the U.S., according to Billboard.

Based on these figures, that would give Jay and Kanye the second-largest sales week of the year, behind Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, which opened with 1.1 million units.

Watch the Throne is available exclusively at iTunes until Friday, when it expands to other digital retailers and physical stores. Best Buy will carry the deluxe version exclusively from August 12-22.

Official first-week sales will be released on Wednesday, August 17.

Posted in Jay-Z, Kanye West | Permalink

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61 Comments

TRINA
August 8th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
MARK OF THE BEAST 666

[Reply]
sofie Reply:
August 8th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
@TRINA, STFU!!

[Reply]
WatchTheThrone Reply:
August 8th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
@TRINA, why do haters and mentally retarded conspiracy theorists always get the first post?

[Reply]
KrAzyChe3To Reply:
August 9th, 2011 at 4:24 am
@WatchTheThrone, Because they are die hard fans, so much that they know the inside-outs and everything deeper about music.

[Reply]
Cheers
August 8th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
really? K.

[Reply]
Cheers
August 8th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
those are probably shipments and pre-orders added to it but whatever

[Reply]
Hugh Reply:
August 9th, 2011 at 6:31 am
@Cheers, its not shipments, only sales

SoundScan measures sales
RIAA measures shipments

[Reply]
MRBIG
August 8th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Album is soo good!

[Reply]
MeloRockstarr
August 8th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Have to see it to believe it…and 20 countries WOW Jay and Ye doin it

[Reply]
J
August 8th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
This album is amazing. Jay is on another level.

[Reply]
JHP
August 8th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Kanye & Hov are 2 of my favorite rappers in the game. Now imagine if they had did 106, Jimmy Kimmel, places like that and released a crossover single in the vein of Run This Town, they would prolly do 700k-800k at least, if not A Milli. I haven’t bought the album yet, I downloaded it, but I’m copping in on Friday when it comes out physically, so my purchase will add to the first-week sale count.

[Reply]
Abdullah
August 8th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
should do more than a milli tho

[Reply]
uhuh Reply:
August 8th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
@Abdullah, yeah i explained why it didnt. below your comment

[Reply]
uhuh
August 8th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
what if they just sold WTT at every store? the sales wouldve been like… usually the sales are split in 50% digital and 50% in physical copies. so if itunes only sold 500k first week and stores sold the cds the same day. it wouldve sold a milli first week. but i think ye/jay are all about making history with first album not leaking not leaking in this modern age. so they accomplished theyre goal.

[Reply]
tom
August 8th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
1.000.000

[Reply]
Infamous_R_
August 8th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
No Way. Its Going Plat Easily. Its Already Common Knowledge That IN PRESALES ALONE Its Gone Platinum. Thank You Billboard For Being Modest (Not)

[Reply]
dreincharacter
August 8th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
It will definitely go platinum. No doubt about that.

But unfortunately it wont do a mil in the first week. I’d say 7-800.000 is more realistic.

If any record deserved to do a mil in a week, it’s this one.

WTT is a masterpiece.

[Reply]
Name here
August 8th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
i shouldnt like the album but I do o.o

[Reply]
flawda
August 8th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Those numbers are rediculous for digital release only, the cd/hardcopy sales haven’t even come into play yet. They will probably have a big second week and then follow up with another big week when the deluxe copy drops at Best Buy.

Very smart marketing

[Reply]
illuminati
August 8th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Repent while you can

[Reply]
DEADDDDDD Reply:
August 8th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
@illuminati, Look at your name . You should be thee first to .

[Reply]
blk•ink
August 8th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
If these are projections for digital sales only then GaGa doesn’t stand a chance come friday! Not to mention the tour should be gross a ridiculous amount as well.

[Reply]
uhuh Reply:
August 8th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
@blk•ink, did u just mention lady at a RAP POST???? what the fk wrong wit u???? this is luxury rap

[Reply]
sscott5236
August 8th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
So wait. If you want the physical cd, we have to wait until Friday to buy it in stores? Damn yo. WTF?

[Reply]
Alejandro Reply:
August 8th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
@sscott5236, If it had been in stores today it would have leaked last week. It’s smart business.

[Reply]
uhuh Reply:
August 8th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
@Alejandro, but now only 50% of customers will be satisfied. i’d rather let it leak. Carter 3 leaked 3 weeks earlier u know and it did a milli first week.

[Reply]
hiiipower
August 8th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Why is yall talkin bout history but nobody mentionin kendrick MF lamar

[Reply]
uhuh Reply:
August 8th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
@hiiipower, go back to nahright.com

[Reply]
Truth=freedom
August 8th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
What kind of release is this? I know they wanted to stop the album from leaking but after today it’ll be up on the internet for FREE download, so why waste spending on iTunes or wait to buy a hard copy when all the music and artwork has been released? They should have just released all at once. Who would buy on iTunes today when the real fans want a hard copy anyway?

[Reply]
Derrick Reply:
August 9th, 2011 at 4:37 am
@Truth=freedom, you just made their point for them.

real fans are going to buy the hard copy no matter what, it means they will still sell.

releasing it online means more people actually buy it since they cant pirate it.

they just had the biggest first week in itunes history.

[Reply]
D-Bad
August 8th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
the album should’ve been available in retail first week but at the same time it was a smart idea of theirs to prevent leaking it would’ve sold a million if it was available on both iTunes and in retail stores ! but I Pre-Ordered on iTunes and I couldn’t be more satisfied ! album is amazing !

[Reply]
curtis
August 8th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
wait so is the 500k projection off of digital or digital AND PHYSICAL…im guessing just digital but that would mean that it could easily go plat in a week

[Reply]
Phoenix_Wright
August 8th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
lol @ the people who thought it was gonna go platinum the 1st week, I expected around 700,000.

You would think an album with two big artist that usually pull over 400,000 the 1st week would DOUBLE in sales. For some reason that is never the case

Eh the album is getting a lot of backlash too.

[Reply]
DJ Reply:
August 8th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
@Phoenix_Wright, They already sold a million off of pre-orders(physical), so the album is already platinum!

[Reply]
Jfenty
August 8th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
500k is Gold and 1 million is platinum, i say give them 2 weeks and they got it!! #goodalbum

[Reply]
brisporta
August 8th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
thats a prediction before the physical even comes out, there are people who are just hearing about it today.

[Reply]
bknyhustle
August 8th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
agree anywho, Ye has some great lines on WTT. JAy isnt bad by any means, but I feel like Ye had more memorable/”ooh” lines…

[Reply]
Jackie
August 8th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
I think they will sell 500-700 thousand in the first week, that album is so much Greatness, for sure it will sell a lot.

[Reply]
KingB
August 8th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
the illuminati boys.

[Reply]
Kyle
August 8th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
I will be buying it August 12th at Best Buy, I’m getting really excited for it.

[Reply]
Shanice
August 8th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
THIS ALBUM IS CRAZY!!! “N*ggas In Paris” is my SONG! Kanye and Jay TOGETHER = LEGENDARY. #Classic

[Reply]
3MinutesOfSilence
August 8th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
I bet Kanye nor Jay-Z can give a sensible reason for the 3 minutes of FU*&%*ing silence. That is pure ego. Otherwise, the album is a classic.

[Reply]
KimIsTheQueen Reply:
August 9th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
@3MinutesOfSilence, I thought it was just my copy! I contacted iTunes and everything. I was like, what the fuck is going on? Why is the song 5 minutes but it has about 2-3 minutes of silence!!!

[Reply]
Natalia
August 9th, 2011 at 4:23 am
They didn’t sell their album for $0.99 like Gaga did.

[Reply]
GOLFWANG
August 9th, 2011 at 5:02 am
ITS OUT ON CD FRIDAY BECAUSE IF IT WAS OUT ON MONDAY IT WOULD OF BEEN LEAKED. INSTEAD ITS OUT ON ITUNES.

[Reply]
pat
August 9th, 2011 at 9:07 am
that’s respectable…but kanye moves more units than that alone, i expected higher numbers

[Reply]
"Watch The Throne" Sales Predictions Are In | TheBoxHouston - KBXX 97.9 Houston's Home for the Hip-Hop Community
August 9th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
[...] they swore by it like it was the new Blueprint. WTT is number one in 20 counties and according to Rap-Up.com projected to sell 400,000 to 500,000 copies in its first week in the [...]
“Watch The Throne” Sales Predictions Are In | Best Businesses in Baltimore City
August 9th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
[...] they swore by it like it was the new Blueprint. WTT is number one in 20 counties and according to Rap-Up.com projected to sell 400,000 to 500,000 copies in its first week in the [...]
“Watch The Throne” Sales Predictions Are In | Best Baltimore Businesses
August 9th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
[...] they swore by it like it was the new Blueprint. WTT is number one in 20 counties and according to Rap-Up.com projected to sell 400,000 to 500,000 copies in its first week in the [...]
Man...
August 9th, 2011 at 6:16 pm
so these sales figures are predicted before the album even comes out in stores, that’s crazy.

[Reply]
"Watch The Throne" Sales Predictions Are In | iPowerRichmond - Power 92.1
August 9th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
[...] they swore by it like it was the new Blueprint. WTT is number one in 20 counties and according to Rap-Up.com projected to sell 400,000 to 500,000 copies in its first week in the [...]
Jay-Z Tops Forbes’ Hip-Hop Cash Kings List | Flymindstate.com
August 9th, 2011 at 8:04 pm
[...] is having the best week ever. With Watch the Throne set to debut at No. 1 on the charts, the rap titan also reigns atop Forbes’ annual Cash Kings [...]
Ian
August 10th, 2011 at 5:52 am
wonder how it would do in Europe

[Reply]
phucku
August 10th, 2011 at 6:08 am
A joint kanye/jay album that didn’t leak and still didn’t outsell T.Swift! She’s winning, lmao! Country-pop bitchez!!

[Reply]
maya
August 10th, 2011 at 9:29 am
do anyone know where I can hear the album w|o buying it? I don’t want to hear snippets…

[Reply]
DEADDDDDD Reply:
August 10th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
@maya, hypebeast.com

[Reply]
Candace
August 10th, 2011 at 9:34 am
Not sure why I’m not hyped about this project. Kanye is my favorite rapper …idk

[Reply]
X-Rated
August 14th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
These two rappers are way over rated. Thier names sells music more than tallent, lyrics, and hits. Get off thier dicks. These rappers suck. Buy a real MC album like Eminem. Eminem would destroy these two in a battle.

[Reply]
Omega
August 15th, 2011 at 4:25 am
Lmao @x-rated you crazy out ya mind I love Eminem also but jay and ye are certified monsters lyrically get ya mind right

[Reply]
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