They claim it was funded by Janet's wealthy husband before it was shopped to all the majors and somewhat rejected.
Or in HDD's shadier terms; they got "nary a nibble."
And this is what supposedly enabled BMG to pick up the album, which was released under her Rhythm Nation label. I find it extremely hard to believe that not one major was interested in picking up Janet's album. She started her own label because she wanted to take "control." Also, an earlier account of events state that Janet *chose* to make BMG her home for Rhythm Nation after she was intrigued by their new model of doing business, prompting her to come in and meet with executives.
I like how they try to imply the album really only sold 86K units. What they fail to report on is that this wasn't even a bundle deal. Fans were given the opportunity to pre-order the album to gain early access to concert tickets. The 30k was still purchased as a pre-order. Madonna actually did the same thing in 2012. Would she have sold just 86K without the tour?
I believe Janet still would have sold within the six figures because those people who bought the album with the tour bundle are *fans* who would have purchased the album regardless. So the reality is... 30,000 of her fans ordered their album early, because they wanted to see Janet on tour. It just gave them more incentive to purchase the album extra early. This is an excellent strategy and I think more artists should utilise this approach in the future.