felipe
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Post by felipe on Apr 1, 2014 15:40:56 GMT -5
Taylor Swift should be on that list. Remember that surprise launch of WANEGBT? Considering how many units Taylor moves, she could do it easily. I think Taylor and Big Machine are attached to, enjoy, and have faith in a more calculated rollout. Countdown singles, expensive/creative lead video, early release date announcement, Q4 in even-numbered years, Target Deluxe Edition and ads, all of it. She's gotten two 1-million+ opening weeks out of it; I don't see them switching it up while she's still at the top of her sales game. I think you're right. Taylor Swift is at the top of her game sales-wise so no reason to change it. The situation was different with Beyoncé, 4 performed below expectations and they knew it would probably happen to the new album too if they took the usual release approach. Imagine XO bombing the way it did before the album's release, it'd create such negative buzz, but when it bombed after the album was out, nobody really cared as it was all about the surprise element and how strong the parent album was performing.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2014 1:26:35 GMT -5
Imagine XO bombing the way it did before the album's release, it'd create such negative buzz, but when it bombed after the album was out, nobody really cared as it was all about the surprise element and how strong the parent album was performing. Speaking of, I had forgotten to comment on this from the article - I thought that was interesting, because if I recall correctly we assumed it was the label's own decision to switch from Blow to XO. But if it's true that pop radio essentially 'chose' the pop single (only to not even play it that much) then that adds an interesting subplot to things. I personally love XO but believe it felt more like a second or third single than a lead. Did the PDs just get it wrong on what they thought their audiences would like or was it a subtle blackball? Either scenario seems peculiar. Taylor (and Adele too) - I also agree that they're quite unlikely to do it, their names were just brought up b/c they're part of the select few who could do it with great results. Honestly, the main person who should have done it was Justin. The level of hype that would have made it work for him is more or less gone now, though.
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Post by Adonis the DemiGod! on Apr 11, 2014 12:45:19 GMT -5
Imagine XO bombing the way it did before the album's release, it'd create such negative buzz, but when it bombed after the album was out, nobody really cared as it was all about the surprise element and how strong the parent album was performing. Speaking of, I had forgotten to comment on this from the article - I thought that was interesting, because if I recall correctly we assumed it was the label's own decision to switch from Blow to XO. But if it's true that pop radio essentially 'chose' the pop single (only to not even play it that much) then that adds an interesting subplot to things. I personally love XO but believe it felt more like a second or third single than a lead. Did the PDs just get it wrong on what they thought their audiences would like or was it a subtle blackball? Either scenario seems peculiar. Taylor (and Adele too) - I also agree that they're quite unlikely to do it, their names were just brought up b/c they're part of the select few who could do it with great results. Honestly, the main person who should have done it was Justin. The level of hype that would have made it work for him is more or less gone now, though. Radio just got it wrong. No one was connecting with XO the way they were with DIL and by the time DIL got airplay on Pop radio it had already peaked at all of the other formats. OOPs! This is why radio is not a good gauge of consumer interest in records and streaming is.
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HolidayGuy
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Post by HolidayGuy on Apr 11, 2014 14:14:54 GMT -5
There often is a correlation between radio and consumer interest- but, it's not the be-all and end-all. But, for whatever reason, there are times that top 40 radio even won't touch big, consistent streaming hits- think "Let It Go." But, consumers spoke via sales.
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Post by Adonis the DemiGod! on Apr 11, 2014 16:10:29 GMT -5
There often is a correlation between radio and consumer interest- but, it's not the be-all and end-all. But, for whatever reason, there are times that top 40 radio even won't touch big, consistent streaming hits- think "Let It Go." But, consumers spoke via sales. This is why radio can safely be considered a driver of those things but they shouldn't be in a position to influence the HOT 100 directly at this point in time.
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HolidayGuy
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Post by HolidayGuy on Apr 11, 2014 18:42:49 GMT -5
Well, as airplay's been a factor in the Hot 100 for decades, it's not likely to be removed from the equation. While sales configurations and other chart factors evolve, airplay is airplay and it's not goin' anywhere.
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Post by Adonis the DemiGod! on Apr 11, 2014 19:42:11 GMT -5
Well, as airplay's been a factor in the Hot 100 for decades, it's not likely to be removed from the equation. While sales configurations and other chart factors evolve, airplay is airplay and it's not goin' anywhere. Now airplay is being bought outright with clear channel deals and what not. Should this airplay count towards the HOT 100?
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HolidayGuy
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Post by HolidayGuy on Apr 11, 2014 20:05:28 GMT -5
Those airplay promos are for such a limited amount of time, though- it's not like it's impacting the overall longevity of a track. And we don't know if these kinds of promo existed in the past, when a big-name act released a track and you heard it quite a lot in that debut week. It probably did.
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Post by Adonis the DemiGod! on Apr 11, 2014 20:16:58 GMT -5
Those airplay promos are for such a limited amount of time, though- it's not like it's impacting the overall longevity of a track. And we don't know if these kinds of promo existed in the past, when a big-name act released a track and you heard it quite a lot in that debut week. It probably did. If there was interest in the track it shouldnt need a clear channel deal I would presume.... We dont know but now we do and those plays function as ads rather than user generated. They should not be counted for the charts. We should be favoring accuracy over traditions.
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Apr 11, 2014 20:28:53 GMT -5
The difference with Beyoncé and anyone trying this again was the build-up. Yes, there was no lead single(s), no release date hints, or anything BUT she only did the following during the rest of the year:
Bow Down/I Been On on SoundCloud Superbowl halftime show Pepsi commercial w/ "Grown Woman" H&M "Standing on the Sun" ad Epic movie and song Hints of music videos throughout August and September A constant stream of interviews where an album was mentioned as in the works A year long extremely well-attended, highly visable world tour
So there's a BIG difference between dropping an album with no fanfare period and promoting yourself as a brand for an entire year and then dropping an album with no announcement. The only way I'd see something Bey's strategy working again would be if another artist, like P!nk, GaGa, T Swizzle, or Katy Perry spent several months in the public eye in a very positive light with no new music and then dropped an album.
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Apr 16, 2014 20:25:22 GMT -5
Awww, no one else has replied to this yet.
Anyway, I had a thought today that Janet could've done a visual album with no prior announcement in the prime of her career. Imagine The Velvet Rope with a video for every song and no warning it was coming...
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Post by ListenToItTwice on Apr 17, 2014 0:26:13 GMT -5
Awww, no one else has replied to this yet. Anyway, I had a thought today that Janet could've done a visual album with no prior announcement in the prime of her career. Imagine The Velvet Rope with a video for every song and no warning it was coming... No one replied because you were just so correct that there was nothing else to say. I agree about Janet, too. I'm kinda bummed that Lana isn't doing the "surprise drop," but she might still be doing a visual album!
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Jul 25, 2014 14:45:50 GMT -5
Is 'Weird Al' The First Artist to 'Pull A Beyonce' Successfully? Articles /Chart Beat |Pop-Shop By William Gruger, N.Y. | July 25, 2014 2:38 PM EDT
With "Mandatory Fun's" No. 1 debut, the veteran parody artist became essential to the Internet conversation. "Pulling a Beyonce" has become the mostoverusedtropein musicwriting ever since Queen Bey dropped her self-titled fifth album out of nowhere last December, shattering the expectations of every music consumer on the planet with her unprecedented release strategy. "Pulling a Beyonce" is now most commonly used to refer to dropping a surprise album out of mid-air, but it really means something much more.
"Weird Al" Yankovic is the first artist to (sort of) replicate what Beyonce did in an unequivocally successful way, propelling his 14th studio album "Mandatory Fun" to the top of the Billboard 200 chart this week. This is a bold claim, so let's pick apart what exactly "Weird Al" did during his album campaign, compare it to what Beyonce accomplished, and characterize how it was a success.
First, let's make one thing clear: "Weird Al" did not replicate Beyonce's feat in its exact form by any means. Beyonce's album was not announced ahead of its release, while "Mandatory Fun" had a widely announced release date. Beyonce only sold her album through iTunes, while "Weird Al" went to iTunes, Amazon, and even streaming services like Spotify. Initially, consumers could only hear "Beyonce" by purchasing the album as there were no singles available, while "Weird Al" made his individual singles available for purchase. Beyonce did not allow any of the videos that she released along with the album to be uploaded to YouTube until weeks after, while "Weird Al's" viral clips were on the platform almost immediately. And finally, "Weird Al's" album release wasn't as tactical (or effective) as Beyonce's in his effort to create a perfect window through which to funnel consumers and jack up iTunes sales, as "Beyonce" sold 617,000 copies in its first week compared to "Mandatory Fun's" 104,000 (according to Nielsen Soundscan).
So, that's a whole lot of "Beyonce" that "Weird Al" didn't pull. What "Weird Al" did do that was similar to Beyonce was to orchestrate an Internet spectacle that played out within a contained timeframe that online consumers had no choice but to be a part of. This behavior was best characterized in a piece by Grantland's Steven Hyden:
"When people rushed to purchase Beyoncé from iTunes this weekend, they weren't just (or even primarily) getting a record (or an experience). They were buying into a conversation. Beyoncé (willingly or not) was exploiting a glitch in the psychology of social media in order to strong-arm consumers into actually spending money on music. People may not be eager to buy a record, but they are eager to feel part of whatever cultural happening is dominating tweets and Facebook posts at this very second."
In a video interview with Billboard, Weird Al puts this exact notion into his own words:
"If somebody gets sent a link the day after a video premiers people are like 'Oh, that's so yesterday!' So, I know that because of the immediacy of the Internet was to just bombard them with something every single day."
'Weird Al' Yankovic's 10 Funniest Songs: 'Eat It,' 'Pretty Fly For a Rabbi' & More
Similar to Beyonce, "Weird Al" released zero music in advance of the album's release, a distinct difference from his previous album campaigns. He released lots of videos, just like Beyonce, who released 17 along with "Beyonce" (18 if you include the credits). He chose to release his music on a very quiet release week. But to really "pull a Beyonce," he had to dominate the online media world by becoming the most important topic of conversation.
Because "Weird Al" doesn't have quite the same superstar power as Beyonce to draw a massive audience, he partnered with eight different media partners (each with their own respective online fan bases) to release each video in order to maximize the impact of his #8videos8days series. The spectacle kicked off on Monday, July 14, with "Tacky," a cover of the most ubiquitous song of 2014, Pharrell's "Happy." The video for the track was not only filmed as one long single-take shot, a big trend among popular videos in 2014, but features guest appearances by notable celebrities Margaret Cho, Kristen Schaal and Jack Black. By debuting the "Tacky" song and video exclusively on Nerdist, an online video platform that Yankovic has worked with in the past, he leveraged not only the respective online audiences of the celebrities used in the video, but Nerdist's entire audience to maximize traction.
"As creators of premium digital entertainment, we always want to be included in cultural events that further audience engagement on non-linear platforms…and Al is a cultural phenomenon," says Adam Rymer, the president of Nerdist Industries, in a statement to Billboard. In its first day, the "Tacky" video got more than 5.2 million views on Nerdist.com, and reached 12.8 million views in one week. By comparison, the music video for "Perform This Way," the Lady Gaga-satirizing first single from Yankovic's 2011 album "Alpocalypse," has earned 16.8 million YouTube views in over three years.
It's also important to note that the first four of the eight videos released were parodies of songs that have reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Happy" (the inspiration for Yankovic's "Tacky") was No. 1 for 10 weeks, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" ("Word Crimes") for 12 weeks, Lorde's "Royals" ("Foil") for 9 weeks, and Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" ("Handy") for 7 weeks. This is no coincidence: by tapping into the appeal of ubiquitous hits, as he's always done, "Weird Al" ensures that his parodies will reach the ears of the broad audience each of those songs has garnered. According to data provided by Twitter, these same four songs were the most-tweeted about tracks from "Weird Al's" new album.
The first video released from "Mandatory Fun" that was not a song parody was "Sports Song," an original composition poking fun at the irrational fervor of sports fans. The video debuted with Funny or Die, another online property with its own respective fan base that "Weird Al" has worked with in the past. According to Jason Carden, Executive Producer at Funny or Die, "Weird Al" reached out as he did with every platform involved in #8videos8days with the entire rollout plan already figured out: in exchange for getting the exclusive on one of the video, each platform fronted the production cost of the video.
'Weird Al' Yankovic's Biggest Chart Hits | 'Mandatory Fun' Review
"When he came to us with the idea to do it, we were of course on board," Carden tells Billboard. "He had it all planned out in his head, so he let us know what the concept was and we moved ahead from there. He's a comedy institution, and we're a comedy institution, so it's a win-win. It's a good thing for him, good thing for us, and definitely something we were excited about doing."
"Weird Al" also reached out to fans by hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything, or in his case, an Ask Me Anything, Again) on Reddit on July 15. The website, which garners more than 713 million unique visitors a year and is the 18th most-visited site in the U.S. according to Alexa, has become a mainstay in dictating mainstream internet pop culture. Not only did this AMA reach the front page, but another post reached the front page, purely organically, encouraging the site's users to go out and buy the album to help support "Weird Al" getting the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts.
As of Tuesday (July 22), one week after the album was released and the day after the last video was released, there have been more than 477,000 mentions of #8videos8days on Twitter, and more than 309,000 mentions of "Weird Al" himself according to data provided by Twitter. According to Google, his videos have totaled more than 27 million views in their first week, which is 31 percent of the total views so far of "Weird Al's" most popular video on YouTube ever, "White & Nerdy," which debuted four years ago and has over 86 million views.
The sheer amount of online traction generated chart success for "Weird Al" outside of his No. 1 album debut. Six of the eight tracks released during #8videos8days hit No. 1 on the Billboard Twitter Trending 140 chart. "Weird Al" Yankovic also makes his first appearance at No. 44 on the Billboard Social 50, a weekly chart that ranks the top artists online incorporating data from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Wikipedia that's compiled by music analytics provider Next Big Sound. For the week, "Weird Al" receives a 1,270 percent increase of the amount of fans added across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and a 544 percent increase in reactions across those same platforms. And on Streaming Songs, "Word Crimes" is this week's top debut (thanks to the fact that it was originally released on Vevo rather than an exclusive platform) at No. 6 with more than 5.2 million U.S. streams, according to Nielsen BDS.
So then what exactly is "pulling a Beyonce?" "Weird Al" might not have shattered any sales records, but by effectively concentrating his exposure and releasing plentiful, engaging and fun videos, it became mandatory that we all paid attention. He created a moment, an event. Isn't that "pulling a Beyonce," in some regard? In the temporal online media world that's now over-saturated with parody acts parroting his craft, "Weird Al" Yankovic has re-emerged with what might be the greatest moment in his 30-year career thanks in part to this crazy rollout strategy. Queen Bey would be proud.
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onebuffalo
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Post by onebuffalo on Jul 25, 2014 14:48:56 GMT -5
I've said this before, but pulling a Beyoncé means standing there while your sister beats up your husband!
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YourFaveIsAFlop
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Post by YourFaveIsAFlop on Jul 25, 2014 23:33:33 GMT -5
So weird Al pulled a Beyoncé by being nothing like Beyoncé...except he generated a lot of social media engagement.
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mluv
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Post by mluv on Jul 26, 2014 2:03:43 GMT -5
Weird Al would not agree with this article as I listened to his NPR interview where he said he thinks Beyonce actually pulled a Weird Al. "Weird Al would also like people who compare his recent release of eight music videos in a row to the way Beyonce released her latest album that he did it first.
"Many people have brought that up and it does irk me just a little bit because on my last album, which came out three years ago, I released 12 videos for the 12 tracks from the album all at the same time," he explained. "I doubt that she got that idea from me, but the fact that people are saying I pulled a Beyoncé, that's just not accurate."
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Post by H-Town Vicious on Aug 10, 2014 1:15:11 GMT -5
Weird Al would not agree with this article as I listened to his NPR interview where he said he thinks Beyonce actually pulled a Weird Al. "Weird Al would also like people who compare his recent release of eight music videos in a row to the way Beyonce released her latest album that he did it first. "Many people have brought that up and it does irk me just a little bit because on my last album, which came out three years ago, I released 12 videos for the 12 tracks from the album all at the same time," he explained. "I doubt that she got that idea from me, but the fact that people are saying I pulled a Beyoncé, that's just not accurate." B'Day (2006) was a visual album too though. Bey is still the first.
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YourFaveIsAFlop
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Post by YourFaveIsAFlop on Aug 10, 2014 7:51:09 GMT -5
B'Day was visual after the fact though wasn't it? Like she did the videos after the album was already a success.
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Dammn Baby
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Post by Dammn Baby on Aug 10, 2014 9:25:03 GMT -5
Weird Al would not agree with this article as I listened to his NPR interview where he said he thinks Beyonce actually pulled a Weird Al. "Weird Al would also like people who compare his recent release of eight music videos in a row to the way Beyonce released her latest album that he did it first. "Many people have brought that up and it does irk me just a little bit because on my last album, which came out three years ago, I released 12 videos for the 12 tracks from the album all at the same time," he explained. "I doubt that she got that idea from me, but the fact that people are saying I pulled a Beyoncé, that's just not accurate." B'Day (2006) was a visual album too though. Bey is still the first. She was hardly the first. There has been a long history of visual albums dating back to the 70's. Blondie was one of the first to do it - they made a video for every song on "Eat to the Beat" and released it as a companion to the album.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Aug 10, 2014 9:27:36 GMT -5
Blondie released a visual album along with Eat To The Beat back in 1979. It had videos for every song on the album. And keep in mind, this was before MTV ever existed. So Beyonce is not even close to the first. *edit: Toi L'amour beat me to it, haha.
"Pulling a Beyonce" is more than just releasing a visual album. It's the fact that it was a surprise release with no promo and no single and the fact that it was paired with a visual album. Which no artist has done yet as far as I know.
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Post by H-Town Vicious on Aug 10, 2014 10:37:22 GMT -5
B'Day (2006) was a visual album too though. Bey is still the first. She was hardly the first. There has been a long history of visual albums dating back to the 70's. Blondie was one of the first to do it - they made a video for every song on "Eat to the Beat" and released it as a companion to the album. Thanks. Didn't know that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2014 19:58:30 GMT -5
Adele should pull a Beyoncé imo.
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YourFaveIsAFlop
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Post by YourFaveIsAFlop on Aug 11, 2014 9:18:48 GMT -5
Adele should pull a Beyoncé imo. Could she do it? Yes. Should she do it? I don't think so. I don't see what it would gain Adele to drop her album unannounced. Part of the calculus in Beyonce's strategy was the failure of Four's singles on pop radio. Assuming Adele isn't drastically changing her sound (which her continued work with Ryan Tedder sugggests she isn't) I don't see why pop radio would have an issue playing her.
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Post by Adonis the DemiGod! on Aug 12, 2014 15:34:51 GMT -5
Beyonce has the whole industry considering changing their release strategies across the globe. Beyonce's IMPACT!
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Aug 12, 2014 19:09:45 GMT -5
Who will be the next?
I don't think anyone has the balls to do it.
It has to be an act that already has $ and can just afford to "drop" an album.
Adele's label wants as much sales as they can for the follow up to 21.
Madonna wants to make up for the disappointing sales of MDNA.
Taylor Swift wants another 4 million seller in the USA.
U2?
Metallica?
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YourFaveIsAFlop
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Post by YourFaveIsAFlop on Aug 12, 2014 21:22:19 GMT -5
U2 could do it, I think. I don't know if Metallica could pull it off as well. Since there's a rumor if Rihanna's single dropping soon she seems an unlikely candidate. Not in the short term, but I could see Katy Perry doing it. She's never found a gimmick she didn't try.
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Aug 13, 2014 0:22:11 GMT -5
Word of mouth is something very important in this thing so an artist who does it would have to rely a lot on speedy word of mouth. That means a certain age demographic and audience who is likely to heavily use social media. Word of mouth would also have to be solid and reliable, meaning the artist would need to be someone not only capable but also someone reliably able to produce an album that people would, without a doubt, believe is worth buying on a whim. Beyoncé had all of the above. Katy has the target demographic but she doesn't have the strong album-tracks support. She's not believable as an artist the way Beyoncé is. I don't think U2 could pull it off either, least not as well, because their audience leans older so they could drop an album tomorrow without warning and it would take days or even weeks for their target audience to hear about it enough to acknowledge it.
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YourFaveIsAFlop
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Post by YourFaveIsAFlop on Aug 13, 2014 8:54:04 GMT -5
I get what you're saying about Katy not being known as putting out a strong, coherent overall body of work apart from the singles, but that hasn't seemed to hold her back from selling albums the way it has, say, Jason Derulo who has had 5 top 10 singles and never had an album even go gold.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Aug 18, 2014 11:17:42 GMT -5
www.billboard.com/articles/news/6214407/artist-surprise-album-beyonce-taylor-swift?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=biz_breakingnews&utm_campaign=Breaking%20NewsThe Top Five Artists Who Could (Successfully) Drop a Surprise AlbumBy Keith Caulfield | August 18, 2014 It's not just about popularity, but the mechanics of the modern record business. What other acts could follow Beyonce and her surprise self-titled album release last December? Well, just about anybody. But who could do it and find tremendous success — like Beyonce? (2 million sold in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.) That’s a different story. So, Billboard looked to its charts to determine the top five acts -- based on their weekly performance on the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Social 50 -- that could, effectively, pull a Beyonce. We recapped the top artists on the weekly Billboard 200 going back five years, along with the top performing artists on the Social 50 (which measures the most active artists on social media) from the chart’s launch in December of 2010. Justin Bieber is the highest-ranked act on both recaps, followed by Taylor Swift. (They are two of five acts that are among the top 10 artists on both charts, followed by Eminem, Lady Gaga and Adele.) The assumption is that the higher ranked the artist is on both chart recaps, the more likely they have a super-engaged online fan base that would purchase full albums (instead of individual tracks, or, opt for streaming songs). 1. Justin Bieber He’s the top performer on the Social 50 chart since its launch, and the third-biggest act on the Billboard 200 in the past five years. When he tweets, people listen. 2. Taylor Swift She’s been the most successful albums artist of the last five years, selling 22.8 million in total. But, would she cut physical retailers from the equation in the short term, like Beyonce? Swift’s last album, 2012's Red, sold 71 percent of its 4 million on physical CDs. (She even sold the CD through Papa John's Pizza outlets, Walgreens and Starbucks.) 3. Eminem Whatever he releases turns to gold… well, platinum. OK, double platinum. All eight of his albums have sold at least 2 million apiece. Like Beyonce, he takes the less-is-more approach when it comes to communicating through social networks. Beyonce has 13 million followers on Twitter, but she barely uses the account (she has only tweeted eight times). Eminem has 18.5 million followers on Twitter, but has Tweeted less than 400 times. The lack of social interaction from Eminem and Beyonce actually works in their favor. Fans who want to engage with them have to do it the old-fashioned way -- by listening to an album, or seeing them on tour. 4. Lady Gaga Her devoted Little Monsters fan base has helped her sell 9.7 million albums. Her most recent release, ARTPOP, has shifted 725,000. Like Beyonce, Gaga is a highly visual artist. Thus, a visual album (as Beyonce dubbed her self-titled set) with multiple music videos would be an attractive lure for album buyers. 5. Adele Her 21 album was the top seller of both 2011 and 2012, and has moved 10.97 million in total. It’s safe to say that her upcoming album is one of music’s most anticipated releases. But, like Swift, would Adele (and her parent record labels, XL and Columbia) dare leave physical retailers out in the cold? 72 percent of 21's nearly 11 million were physical CDs, with 4.9 million of those sold through mass merchants like Walmart. Honorable mentions (acts that ranked among the top 25 in both the Billboard 200 and Social 50 recaps), ranked alphabetically: Miley Cyrus, Michael Jackson, Lil Wayne, Bruno Mars, One Direction, Katy Perry and Rihanna.
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Post by KeepDeanWeird on Aug 18, 2014 11:53:25 GMT -5
^ The above explains why Taylor and Adele will NEVER do a surprise release UNLESS they somehow find a way to do it simultaneously with physical, which is pretty much impossible to do because of shipping and stocking. If 3MM of Taylor's 4MM came from physical - no way. Yes, some would opt for digital and physical become less and less important each era, BUT I bet at least 50-60% of Taylor's next disc is physical - the whole Target campaign, etc. (And Target not really recovering from the hacking mess, will definitely push ever harder as they try to get people back into their stores.)
As far as The Ga, after the tepid sales of "Applause's" surprise release, I don't see it happening. It was only after those great marketing tie-ins that it started to build in airplay and sales and had great longevity. I'd love to see her do it successfully because I don't believe her commercial potential is gone. (I see her pulling a P!nk with "IND" after "TT.")
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