mms: I'm pretty naive about how the music biz works re: how sales figures are tallied...could it be possible that free copies of a given CD are pre-registered?...(experienced folk out there are rolling their eyes just now, to be sure)...anyhoo, here's an excerpt from an article I read some time ago, with an allusion to this practice:
Party Up
Does the triumphant return of Prince say more about him or his audience?
By Jeff Chang
IS IT too early to declare 2004 Prince's year? He opened the Grammys in fine form and then turned in an even more buzz-worthy performance upon being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March. The following month, he dropped a new album, Musicology, to strong critical acclaim. The album is still in the Top 10, on its way toward double-platinum, despite, natch, controversy (some complained when free CDs given away at concerts were tallied in the sales total).
not meaning to derail this discussion, of course...