Understanding: Music Clubs #2 – The Eagles, Mariah Carey
Hotel California & Greatest Hits Volume II
Two more albums, both of them Diamond albums too, both of which sold mostly on the back of Hotel California single.
HOTEL CALIFORNIA 12/13/76 G
HOTEL CALIFORNIA 12/15/76 P
HOTEL CALIFORNIA 08/14/90 M (9)
HOTEL CALIFORNIA 08/12/94 M (10)
HOTEL CALIFORNIA 06/05/95 M (14)
HOTEL CALIFORNIA 01/08/99 M (15)
HOTEL CALIFORNIA 03/20/01 M (16)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME II 01/07/83 G
GREATEST HITS VOLUME II 08/17/94 P
GREATEST HITS VOLUME II 08/17/94 M (3)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME II 06/05/95 M (7)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME II 03/12/97 M (9)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME II 03/20/01 M (10)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME II 11/07/02 M (11)
As you can guess, Hotel California album was a huge #1 back in 1976. On its side, Greatest Hits Volume II, covering barely two studio albums that each sold bucket loads on their own, peaked at a low #52 position. Hotel California single is so strong though that it led both, the studio album and the compilation, to incredible sales in the end.
What must be noted on their respective certifications is that both albums followed the same audits as Greatest Hits 1971-1975. In fact, despite being certified in August 1994, after the rules change, Club sales were added only on June 1995 audit for those albums too. In 2016 this does still happen as after Sales Plus Streaming were made eligible various albums were certified as in the old days, based on their own sales alone.
So, what can we say about those two albums Club sales? Unlike Greatest Hits 1971-1975, both were Columbia exclusives, not selling copies at BMG end. Starting with Hotel California, the three relevant certifications are listed below.
HOTEL CALIFORNIA 08/12/94 M (10)
HOTEL CALIFORNIA 06/05/95 M (14)
HOTEL CALIFORNIA 03/20/01 M (16)
Using the same method as previously, we will assume 10,9 million eligible sales by August 1994 to deduce the minimum Club sales it managed. By June 1995, it added 250,000 copies at Soundscan retailers. To reach over 14 million by that date, from the starting 11,15 million, it implies at least 2,85 million Club sales. By March 2001, the album had climbed to 16 million. Since its last certification the record had sold a bit more than 600,000 units. This puts Clubs estimate at 4,25 million units by that date, let round it at 4,3 million up to now as they went downhill just after. The record sold an additional 800,000 units since its last award.
Using the same logic for Greatest Hits Volume II thanks to below certifications gives us at least 5,75 million Club sales along with 900,000 copies sold since the last award.
GREATEST HITS VOLUME II 08/17/94 M (3)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME II 06/05/95 M (7)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME II 11/07/02 M (11)