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Experts answer your questions. For May 02, 2008,

Ask Billboard is updated every Friday. Submit your burning music questions to Keith Caulfield at askbb@billboard.com.

'DEAD' LIVE

Keith,

I heard on the radio that My Chemical Romance was coming out with a new CD. When is it coming out?

Sincerely,
Chris Wolf

Hi Chris,

Indeed, My Chemical Romance will release "The Black Parade Is Dead!" on June 24 as a CD/DVD. The live set captures highlights from two shows the band played at the Palacio de los Deportes sports arena in Mexico City on Oct. 7, 2007 and at Maxwell's club in Hoboken, New Jersey on Oct. 24 of the same year.

Make sure to visit the album's official Web site, theblackparadeisdead.com to find out more information about purchasing the set. The album will also be available in a limited edition version, which will boast the CD/DVD, along with a mask designed by one of the band members, in a pine box coffin. The special edition is only available through the Web site.

My Chemical Romance's last album, "The Black Parade," debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in 2006 and has sold 1.3 million in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan. It spawned three Billboard Hot 100 hit singles, including the No. 9 "Welcome to the Black Parade."

'LOVE' DOESN'T LAST FOREVER

Hi Keith,

I'm a huge Sade fan and her "Lovers Rock" album is still in heavy rotation in my CD player. But I'll be honest, I'm desperate for some new material.

Please tell me something new is on the horizon. Can you also give me the sale figures for "Lovers Rock" and "Lovers Live?"

Ryan Barrowman
Toronto

Hello Ryan,

Sade certainly takes her time between albums, doesn't she? It's been seven years since she released "Lovers Rock" in late 2000. In early 2002, she released "Lovers Live," a concert album capturing the tour that ensued after "Rock's" release.

Her label, Epic Records, affirms that there is no news about the singer to report. Don't give up hope, however. They did indicate a new album will eventually materialize, but there is no timeline in place. (In other words, don't hold your breath.)

"Lovers Rock" has shifted 3.9 million in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan, while "Lovers Live" has moved 619,000.

'TRASH' FOR SALE

Hi Keith,

Being a fan of Duran Duran for quite some time now, I was curious about why 2000's "Pop Trash" hasn't moved from the 44,000 copies it sold in the U.S.
since 2004.

I know that this album is kind of lost into oblivion but I thought that with the band's reunion (in 2001) and the success of (2004's) "Astronaut," previous albums in the band's catalog would at least go up a few thousand copies in sales.

With this particular one, (it hasn't) even (gone up) a thousand. What do you think about that? Is there any album of the band that had a notable increase in sales since the reunion?

Thanks for your time,
Reynaldo Gonzalez

Hi Reynaldo,

The "Pop Trash" mystery isn't all that big of a mystery, actually.

The album was released by Hollywood Records in 2000 and was distributed through Universal. However, the album went out of print in May of 2001. That means that it was no longer being manufactured or distributed in the U.S. from that point forward. It is also not available digitally in America.

So, essentially, it hasn't sold much of anything since 2001, when no further copies of the album were available in the marketplace.

The album has sold a meager 44,000 in the U.S.

Why isn't the album available? Good question!

While I would have loved to have rang up Duran Duran directly, I did the next best thing: searched the "Ask Katy" archives on the band's official Web site. (She authors a regular column for the site where she answers questions about the group and traffics answers to specific questions from the band members themselves.)

Back on Feb. 20, 2002, a fan wrote in about "Pop Trash," asking if the album was ever going to be re-released. Katy responded, "All rights to the 'Pop Trash' album have reverted to Simon (LeBon), Nick (Rhodes) and Warren (Cuccurullo). The band still think it is one that 'got away' so they are hoping to make it available sometime in the future."

So, there you have it. Sort of.

OK, switching back to the present. The band's latest album, "Red Carpet Massacre," has sold 88,000 since it was released last November.

The most consistent seller in the band's catalog is its hits package "Greatest." Released in 1998, the album never sold less than 1,000 copies a week up through the fall of 2006. Since then, its weekly sales have hovered in the 500-2,000 range. To date, the album has moved a mighty 1.3 million copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan.

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