Avril Lavigne's LET GO Sets Soundscan Record With Five Consecutive Sales Week Increases — LET GO Certified RIAA Platinum

Business Wire, July 17, 2002

Entertainment Editors

Strengthened by #1 Single "Complicated," Arista Dominates Youth Female

Market, as P!nk's Missundaztood Album Stays Put Inside Top 15;

MTV Plans "Making Of" Special for "Sk8er Boi" Video Shoot, Avril's

Next Single; Nickelodeon Concert Set for August 4Th; David

Letterman On October 1st

Arista recording artist Avril Lavigne surpasses an all-time Soundscan record this week as LET GO becomes the first debut album by an artist in recent memory (i.e. not a soundtrack or 'hits' compilation) to post 5 consecutive weeks of increased sales since its June 4th in-store date, it was announced today by Antonio "L.A." Reid, President and CEO, Arista Records.

Sales of LET GO have been driven by "Complicated," the #1 Top 40 mainstream single whose video clip has been a daily staple (since May 8th) on MTV's "TRL" and this week hit #1 on the countdown. Fueled by a unique marketing campaign with AOL Music, weekly sales of LET GO have gone from 62,000+ units its first week to 147,000+ units for the week ending July 14th. This is an extraordinary achievement for both artist and label during a regular (i.e. non-holiday) sales period. LET GO is certified Platinum by the RIAA.

In what is shaping up as THE best new artist story of the year, Avril has defied all trends and "connected with a lot of people," as Billboard Charts Director Geoff Mayfield told USA Today. ("Avril Lavigne Skates Straight To the Top," July 10, 2002). As fellow Arista artist P!nk maintains her top 15 album Missundaztood, with its back-to-back smash hits "Get the Party Started," "Don't Let Me Get Me," and now "Just Like A Pill." Arista can rightly claim to dominate the youth female market. Indeed, Arista is the only record label with two female artists inside the top 20.

Praised by Mr. Reid as "the best new artist of this year," the 17-year old self-styled sk8er punk Avril Lavigne earned a 3-star review in Rolling Stone for LET GO. Describing her voice as "equal parts baby girl and husky siren. . . capable of setting off car alarms several city blocks away," the magazine heaped hype on the next single, "Sk8er Boi": ". . . preppy ho disses young scofflaw, who then becomes MTV star and -- psych! -- Avril's boyfriend!" In fact, MTV is already on-board for a "Making Of" special on the "Sk8er Boi" video, which will be shot this month in Los Angeles by director Francis Lawrence. Known for previous clips with P.O.D. ("Alive"), Incubus ("Warning") and P!nk ("Just Like A Pill"), Lawrence is keeping the L.A. location under wraps until the last minute.

Currently on a whirlwind promotion and publicity tour of Europe, Avril is still reeling from the round of weekly television appearances she made here in June, starting on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, then "The Late, Late Show" with Craig Kilborn, followed by "Live with Regis & Kelly." She'll return home in time for her Nickelodeon concert broadcast on Sunday, August 4th. And it's not too early to reserve a spot for Avril on "Late Show with David Letterman," confirmed for Tuesday, October 1st.

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