UPDATE: Here’s a first in the record biz. Justin Bieber and his label never submitted his current album, “Journals,” for auditing. In other words, no one will ever know how many copies it sold. Bieber sold the album through iTunes only, never gave it to Amazon or other retailers for digital sales, and unlike Beyonce, never made a physical CD. “Journals” was not submitted for sales tracking to SoundScan so it has not turned up on a chart since its release. This just never happens, it’s very rare, and done as a sneaky way to get around a perceived disaster. On the iTunes chart, “Journals” has stayed around number 12 for most of its run. Whatever it sold — or didn’t– will remain a secret.
Earlier: If fewer people went to see Justin Bieber’s “Believe” film this week, they’d really have to turn up the heat. As it is, the theaters must be cold and the remaining fans shivering in the dark. On Tuesday “Believe” took in $52,000 in 1,037 locations. That was down from Monday’s $58K. Yikes. Were there ten people sitting in each theater? Meanwhile, Bieber’s “Journals” album — available only on iTunes– hasn’t turned up yet on any actual charts other than the Apple company’s own list. Did anyone actually buy it? No radio stations played it, that’s for sure. This is all key right now, because Bieber’s zillion dollar teen pop business is taking a turn downward. The question is: what will he do to right the ship?
