Grammy show boosts sales for OutKast and others

The spotlight of the 46th annual Grammy Awards last Sunday has given considerable heat to the record sales of OutKast, Beyonce, the White Stripes and other performers and winners from the show, retailers say.

The big winner at the Grammys and at the cash register appears to be OutKast, the hip-hop tandem that took home the trophy for best album of 2003 for “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.” The two-CD album appears on pace to sell more than 200,000 copies this week, doubling its previous seven-day total and giving the duo its best week of sales since the holiday shopping season. The album has sold 3.7 million copies since its release in September.

Even more valuable for OutKast than the award was the fact that members Andre 3000 and Big Boi each got a performance slot on the show. In past years, getting the microphone has been as good or better than getting an award in terms of sales, said Geoff Mayfield, director of charts for Billboard magazine.

“Any performance on a widely seen music show is a catalyst for music sales, especially the Grammys -- it’s the granddaddy of them all,” Mayfield said.

The White Stripes sold 14,000 copies of their album “Elephant” in the week before the Grammys, and after their raucous performance they could see that total quadruple when the new Nielsen SoundScan charts are released Wednesday. Beyonce, who won five Grammys, performed one of her own hits and joined a Prince medley, is expected to see her “Dangerously in Love” back in the Top 20.

Evanescence, best new artist with the disc “Fallen,” is also expected to see a doubling of sales, and retail reports showed increased attention to the music of Luther Vandross, the ailing R&B; singer, and Warren Zevon, the late singer-songwriter, both of whom were subjects of tributes during the show. Alicia Keys, who performed a Vandross song, is also enjoying a surge with her own albums.

The CBS broadcast from Staples Center drew an audience of 26.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The Grammy push should combine with some notable new releases (Norah Jones, Kanye West ) and Valentine’s Day shopping to easily set the young year’s mark for best overall sales.