Jason Isbell’s ‘Reunions’ Debuts Strong Despite Limited Availability

The original release date for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s new album Reunions was May 15th. But in an effort to help struggling brick and mortar independent record stores, the songwriter chose to make his new album available in physical form the week before, on May 8th, exclusively to retail record establishments.
The move was a bit of a risk for numerous reasons. Getting the record to stores a week early in the midst of a pandemic in hopes of people taking pickup and delivery options from stores that often couldn’t let patrons inside certainly put plenty of variables in play. There was also the concern of parsing your debut sales over two weeks instead of one, which could injure Isbell’s ability to chart high like he did for his last two records, Something More Than Free and The Nashville Sound—both of which went #1 in country and rock upon debut.
But so far the altruistic strategy has appeared to pay off. With only counting physical sales on the first week, Reunions still ended up charting well. The record debuts at #1 on Billboard’s Top Vinyl Albums chart, #6 on Billboard’s all-genre Top Album Sales chart which factors in physical sales only, as well as #17 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart, and #20 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart, both of which include streaming and downloads in their metrics.
Reunions sold just over 7,100 albums to achieve these rankings. But obviously, the title did not have the benefit of streams, downloads, or physical sales from online retailers such as Amazon to gauge the full breadth of public appeal. This will only be possible when combining those initial numbers with the sales, streaming, and download numbers coming up next week.
The next question is, will taking away this 7,100 in physical sales injure the official debut chart performance of Jason Isbell on his actual debut week? It possibly could. But with no other big titles releasing in country the same week, there is still a good possibility Isbell could debut at #1, with his biggest competition likely being Luke Combs, who once again came in at #1 and #2 this week with his last two records, What You See Is What You Get and This One’s For You.
With Luke Combs registering roughly 21K to 22K total consumption weekly, and Jason Isbell historically debuting with sales and streaming equivalents in the 50K range, even when factoring in the 7,100 in sales from the indie record stores, Isbell should still have a fighting chance to hit #1.
But beyond the charts, simply the 7,100 copies sifted through independent record stores feels like a victory for Jason Isbell. This generated roughly $140,000 to $150,000 in economic activity for these establishments. The record should show that Isbell’s tiered release with an altruistic aim may have dampened his official debut week numbers, but did a big service to the mom and pop stores out there struggling during the COVID-19 shutdown.
May 21, 2020 @ 9:31 am
worth noting, in my area i was unable to get one of the advance vinyl copies (orange or black) as they had sold out. i’m still waiting on a restock.
May 21, 2020 @ 10:38 am
My friend in Knoxville owns a small Independent record store ,& appreciated greatly the small help from Reunions early release .imagine if more people lent a hand to the small businesses in their struggle .Now,let’s start ripping each other apart over politics .
May 21, 2020 @ 12:06 pm
Hey, what store does your friend own? I live in Knoxville, and the closest store that jumped up on the website of stores participating in early release was in Sylva, NC.
May 22, 2020 @ 7:17 pm
Sorry for my late reply I just saw this. My friends store is lost and found records in Knoxville. Easily the coolest store in town
May 23, 2020 @ 6:08 am
Erik
Is your friend Mike Armstrong? That record he put out with John Davis is fantastic! I have gone over to that store once. It is a fun place to visit.
May 25, 2020 @ 10:25 am
Mike & Maria are both friends.and yes,the record with John Davis is excellent
May 21, 2020 @ 12:13 pm
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I threw $20 towards Isbell/Shires last week during their virtual concert to help their road crew. I’ll probably end up buying some merchandise from Reckless Kelly & John Baumann in the coming weeks to help them out. Would love to buy their albums, but streaming is just so much more convenient. At least Apple Music pays out slightly better to artists than Spotify.
I can only speak for myself, but I have basically cut off all spending to big corporations during this time period. I’m trying to only support locally-owned & operated businesses, be it retail or restaurants, even if it means I have to pay a bit more. I can only do so much since I’m as concerned as anyone about losing my job since we don’t really know what the “economic bottom” to this crisis is, but when I can spend some cash I want to go to anyone but Bezos or the Walton family. I’m fortunate enough to be able to do that, I know not everyone can/is able to!
May 26, 2020 @ 1:51 pm
Erik
I have seen John mention that a second Rectangle Shades record is in the works. I hope it happens.
May 21, 2020 @ 11:01 am
In the end a very good album for me.
May 21, 2020 @ 11:36 am
Is it at all possible that Isbell could not care less about chart position. He seems to care more about producing a good album. And that he has done. It is a cracker. It will sell well. And if it helps the record stores just a little he will have reinforced his reputation all round.
May 21, 2020 @ 12:06 pm
I like the strategy, and similar effort from American Aquarium to deliver the pre-order copies on or before the actual release date (postage delays aside). With it being a format that better directly supports artists than streaming, would like to see more artists offering the exclusive chance for interested fans.
May 21, 2020 @ 12:50 pm
Reckless Kelly seems to be taking the opposite apporach….they’ve delayed physical copies of their new double album until July choosing to release it digitally only from tomorrow until that point
May 21, 2020 @ 1:12 pm
There were stories pre-COVID about how bad Vinyl delays were getting, especially for indie labels. I can’t imagine how bad it has gotten during the pandemic as its likely those facilities were forced to be closed by Government order or are operating with a reduced capacity to safeguard staff.
May 21, 2020 @ 1:25 pm
a large pressing plant burned down earlier this year which had a huge impact on global vinyl production. paired with record store day’s increased demands, smaller acts have definitely been given less priority pre- and post-covid due to production woes.
May 21, 2020 @ 1:33 pm
Their last 2 albums have involved special artwork with the physical copies, so assuming that this double album has the same thing, it makes sense to delay until more people will be able/willing to go out and buy physical copies.
May 21, 2020 @ 1:41 pm
Yes, their 2014 album won a Grammy for the artwork, and their last one “Sunset Motel” was nominated for a Grammy. Their artwork is a big part of the project, so it makes sense they would take the time to get it right.
May 21, 2020 @ 1:53 pm
Looks like Jason asked himself, “What have I done to help?”, and helping out the mom and pop vinyl shops at the expense of his perceived success was a great way to back up his words with actual actions. Good on him.
May 21, 2020 @ 2:25 pm
It’s a fine album, far from my favorite. But I was very happy to do the local indie store pre-order thing (with curbside pickup) and ended up buying another couple albums with it to boot.
May 21, 2020 @ 3:21 pm
In 2020 does ranking even matter? Who cares who’s #1. It’s not like he’s getting played on the radio.
BTW liking this more with search spin. Adult music for adults…
May 21, 2020 @ 3:26 pm
An album going #1 in both country and rock, and debuting in the Top 10 of the Billboard 100 will definitely draw additional eyes and ears to it like Jason Isbell’s last two records did. What happens lower in the charts is probably more bragging rights or a measuring stick for the industry more than anything. But definitely the people that come out on top regularly receive additional interest as well as positive press about the accomplishment. Also, if someone dramatically under-performers, it can be a good barometer of where they’re headed. So yes, I think it does matter.
May 21, 2020 @ 3:51 pm
I think it might help him with the algorithms, etc – not to mention fawning articles about “an independent artist sticking it to the man by scoring a #1 hit on his own,” giving him extra press.
May 21, 2020 @ 4:09 pm
It was a really refreshing change to the standard pre-sales being offered to select credit cardholders, streaming subscribers, etc…
May 21, 2020 @ 4:53 pm
This is good news for independent musicians.
May 22, 2020 @ 7:50 am
Isbell is a favorite of mine, but I wasn’t planning on buying this record based on the pre-release singles (What Have I Done to Help was a terrible choice for a pre-release, what were they thinking?). When he announced the special edition vinyl through record stores, I went ahead and ordered. So that move got me to open my wallet, at least.
May 25, 2020 @ 4:33 am
He looks like the kinda guy that wears a fedora on Letterman.