 The System Has Failed was released on September 14 , 2004 through Sanctuary Records . Three days previously , on September 11 , the album was made available for streaming on the VH1 website . The album debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200 , with 46 @,@ 000 units sold in its first week . By December 2005 , The System Has Failed had sold 171 @,@ 000 copies in the United States . In addition , the album had managed to chart in the top 20 in several other countries , including Canada , Finland , and Sweden . 
