MADONNA’S MATERIAL GAINS

Madge’s Interscope debut, MDNA, her 12th studio album and first under a recently inked deal with Live Nation, is her first new collection in four years, since 2008’s Hard Candy. It’s a lock for #1 on next week’s HITS Album sales chart, with between 325-350k, beating that album’s 280k opening.

Those figures are based on one-day sales figures which our crack retail staff arrived at by throwing darts at a board. Take that, Soundscan!

Lionel Richie’s Mercury Nashville bow, Tuskegee, a collection of his greatest hits performed with country stars such as Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Shania Twain, Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett, is the big surprise, with a robust first-week estimate in the 140-160k range. The album has even hit the #1 slot at iTunes over Madonna.

Veteran Atlantic Florida rockers Shinedown’s fourth studio album, Amaryllis, their first since 2008’s The Sound of Madness, is on track for first-week sales of 80-90k, easily topping that album’s 50k.

Hopeless’ The Used release Vulnerable, the Orem, UT, thrash-rockers’ fifth studio album and first since leaving their longtime label Warner Bros./Reprise, which looks to be in the 20-25k range.

Interscope’s veteran Oklahoma post-punks All-American Rejects’ fourth album, Kids in the Street, is slated to do between 17-20k, a striking comedown from their last, 2008’s When the World Comes Down, which did 112k its first week..

Prog-rocking Texas band The Mars Volta’s Noctourniquet, their sixth full-length album, and second from Warner Bros., is also in the 17-20k range.

Mercury/IDJ Canadian rock group My Darkest Days’ sophomore album, Sick and Twisted Affair, fueled by the hit single, “Porn Star Dancing,” should do between 12-15k

Album sales were down 3% vs. last week, down 16% vs. same week last year and up 1% year to date.

Track sales were up 2% vs. last week, up 3% vs. same week last year and up 6% year to date.

TEA sales were down 2% vs. last week, down 11% vs. same week last year and up 2% year to date.