Underwhelming sales for Lady Gaga‘s new album “ARTPOP” — despite a promo campaign that cost Interscope Records $25 million — is expected to force holiday layoffs at the label, according to a new report.
First-week sales of roughly 250,000 copies are projected for the rock diva’s new release, according to a story published at Examiner.com on Saturday.
TheWrap’s calls to the singer’s reps and Interscope on Sunday weren’t immediately returned.
“ARTPOP” could still debut at No. 1, but that would be a 75 percent drop from the first week sales of her hit “Born This Way” two years ago, and that one sold more than a million copies in its first week.
To put that in perspective, Miley Cyrus‘ “Bangerz” launched with first-week sales of 270,000 last month. Two weeks later, Katy Perry‘s “Prism” debuted with 286,000 first-week sales. Neither are considered breakout hits.
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The soft sales for Gaga’s latest, coupled with the massive promo spend, could cause layoffs of between 50 and 100 Interscope employees, most likely around Christmas, according to the report.
The singer’s new album could get a boost from her guest hosting stint on “Saturday Night Live.” But her last tour failed to sell out, reviews of “ARTPOP” have been mixed and its first single, ‘Applause,” peaked at No. 5 on the charts.
Interscope Records, based in Santa Monica, Calif., was founded by Jimmy Iovine in 1989 and is a part of the Universal Music Group. The label is home to more more than 100 artists, including Eminem, the Rolling Stones and Madonna.
