xykes
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Post by xykes on Apr 3, 2016 21:13:32 GMT -5
The song wasn't really pop-friendly to begin with. It got as far as it did because of the artists involved. If "pop" radio refuses to play "popular" music, it kinda brings the whole practice into question, doesn't it? This song did everything that smash #1 hits do, except become an official #1 hit. That's...weird. And, how is this not "pop friendly"? It's a basic dance hall track. Very danceable, very catchy, basic verse/chorus/rap structure. You better believe that if Taylor Swift made a dance hall inspired song like this that no one would be saying "this isn't really pop".
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$uperb@tDuDe
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Post by $uperb@tDuDe on Apr 3, 2016 21:39:11 GMT -5
The song wasn't really pop-friendly to begin with. It got as far as it did because of the artists involved. If "pop" radio refuses to play "popular" music, it kinda brings the whole practice into question, doesn't it? This song did everything that smash #1 hits do, except become an official #1 hit. That's...weird. And, how is this not "pop friendly"? It's a basic dance hall track. Very danceable, very catchy, basic verse/chorus/rap structure. You better believe that if Taylor Swift made a dance hall inspired song like this that no one would be saying "this isn't really pop". Spot on!
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skizzo
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Post by skizzo on Apr 4, 2016 7:49:49 GMT -5
Pop is also a genre, and pop radio has never been afraid to shy away from "popular" hits that didn't fit too well within their mould. It's a very polarizing song, a lot of people hate it and don't wanna hear it constantly on the radio. A huge part of the audience doesn't understand wth she's saying, so the connection isn't there other than it being a novelty hit.
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Mr. Thonk Eyes
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Post by Mr. Thonk Eyes on Apr 4, 2016 7:53:45 GMT -5
The reason this underperformed on pop was because the callout scores were awful, simple as that. I think "Work" would have had no problem going AT LEAST Top 3, if not #1 on Pop if it had better callout scores. It was still huge, though, and I definitely agree with Glove Slap in seeing "Work" being remmebred as one of the biggest hits of 2016, even if doesn't get strong recurrent play down the line.
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jjose712
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Post by jjose712 on Apr 4, 2016 8:08:00 GMT -5
Still doing well but seems like Rihanna's dominance at top 40 radio (in which anything she releases goes top 3) is over for the time being until she goes back to releasing super catchy bops. I don't think so, it's a simple question of the material. Work is not a song for listening at the radio at least not pop radio. The dominance on the hot 100 is basically due to streaming (and a very lucky timing). The day Rihanna release a pop friendly good song she will smash like she used to. It's the same with Beyonce fans complaining about radio not playing her songs. And let's be honest in this case we can't even say that radio is rejecting a great song for being risky, Work is average (and that being generous) but catchy. I don't know if Kiss it better will do better, but it's a way better song for sure
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Apr 4, 2016 9:22:28 GMT -5
What's spot on is the comment that it's a polarizing song. People who love it really love it and are keeping it on top of the hot 100. People who don't like it would change the station if it came on, something radio stations don't want to risk. It's getting decent airplay but it's not the type of song that can be played as often as many other major pop hits because it sticks out much more than those.
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Apr 4, 2016 13:23:14 GMT -5
Spends a 7th consecutive week atop the Hot100! It matches the number of weeks Umbrella and LTWYL spent at #1.
- #5 on Digital Songs with ~89,000 copies sold (+4 %) (~1,217,000 to date);
- #2 on Radio Songs with 120 million audience impressions (-1 %);
- #1 on Streaming Songs for a 7th consecutive week with 28.8 million streams (-9 %);
- #1 on On-Demand Songs for an 8th consecutive week with 13.4 million streams (-7 %);
- #1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for an 9th non-consecutive week.
- Rihanna becomes the 2nd artist ever, after Mariah, to have 4 songs which have spent at least 7 weeks at #1.
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$uperb@tDuDe
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Post by $uperb@tDuDe on Apr 4, 2016 13:34:56 GMT -5
I think calling Work polarizing is a bit of a stretch. For something to be truly polarizing it has to be hated just as much as it's loved. The reaction from the general population outside of message boards etc is extremely positive. It's also trending, so many parodies etc;
Anyhoo, I digress. The song is a world wide smash, and has performed much better than the people who continue to trash it could've ever imagined.
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$uperb@tDuDe
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Post by $uperb@tDuDe on Apr 4, 2016 13:51:09 GMT -5
Spends a 7th consecutive week atop the Hot100! It matches the number of weeks Umbrella and LTWYL spent at #1. - #5 on Digital Songs with ~89,000 copies sold (+4 %) (~1,217,000 to date); - #2 on Radio Songs with 120 million audience impressions (-1 %); - #1 on Streaming Songs for a 7th consecutive week with 28.8 million streams (-9 %); - #1 on On-Demand Songs for an 8th consecutive week with 13.4 million streams (-7 %); - #1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for an 9th non-consecutive week. - Rihanna becomes the 2nd artist ever, after Mariah, to have 4 songs which have spent at least 7 weeks at #1.Impressive for such a "polarizing" song. . LMAO at all the haters
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nick64
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Post by nick64 on Apr 4, 2016 14:27:27 GMT -5
I think what a lot of people don't understand is that radio doesn't care about what songs people like. They aren't trying to give you a fresh playlist of your favorite songs. They are first and foremost a business, and because of that, they care a lot more about what songs you don't like. Why? Because be honest, have you ever thought "I wanna listen to _____" so you turn on the radio looking for it? Maybe, but chances are, probably not. You probably would just buy or stream a song instead. Most people only listen to the radio these days for simple background music, maybe for a car ride, and as long as you don't dislike a song, you're probably just gonna keep whatever they're playing on. If you don't like it though, you'll change it, and if you change it, they lose money because that's less audience impressions.
That's why negative feedback is so crucial for radio programmers. "Work" is a polarizing song. There really is no denying that. Yes, a lot of people clearly like it as evidenced by the stats posted above, but there are tons of people who can't stand it. Honestly, just read this thread for proof. And all of those people that hate it are why its stalling out at #9. Meanwhile, "Hands To Myself" and "Cake By The Ocean" are pretty inoffensive songs that haven't sparked much hate, so they're climbing high on the charts despite worse figures in the other departments.
tl;dr Radio wants money. People listening to their stations brings them money. Polarizing songs make people change the station. Changing the station stops them from getting money. Radio avoids polarizing songs to avoid losing money.
I'm pretty sure I did a post like this in the "FourFiveSeconds" thread too lol, Rihanna the Polarizing Queen :kii:
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Apr 4, 2016 15:35:09 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure I did a post like this in the "FourFiveSeconds" thread too lol, Rihanna the Polarizing Queen :kii: If we look at the SPS numbers, and accounting for possible panel changes and/or AI recalibrations, do you know if Work did better or worse than FourFiveSeconds?
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NeRD
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Post by NeRD on Apr 4, 2016 17:32:43 GMT -5
I do agree that Work is a polarizing song. I have friends who absolutely love it and I have friends who think its annoying as hell and wants the song to change wherever they are.
Honestly, I feel like every song on ANTI is polarizing to some extent with the exception of possibly Close To You; when you take into account a comparison of what an objectively liked song these days would sound like.
Anyway, pop has always had a particular sound that they want from Rihanna. Straight up pop music with an amazing hook. It's funny since there is really no song like that on ANTI.
I have a feeling she will once again return to "form" after this era, at least making songs which are more "accessible."
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Apr 4, 2016 17:35:52 GMT -5
Spends a 7th consecutive week atop the Hot100! It matches the number of weeks Umbrella and LTWYL spent at #1. - #5 on Digital Songs with ~89,000 copies sold (+4 %) (~1,217,000 to date); - #2 on Radio Songs with 120 million audience impressions (-1 %); - #1 on Streaming Songs for a 7th consecutive week with 28.8 million streams (-9 %); - #1 on On-Demand Songs for an 8th consecutive week with 13.4 million streams (-7 %); - #1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for an 9th non-consecutive week. - Rihanna becomes the 2nd artist ever, after Mariah, to have 4 songs which have spent at least 7 weeks at #1.Impressive for such a "polarizing" song. . LMAO at all the haters Calling a song polarizing doesn't make someone a hater. LMAO
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nick64
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Post by nick64 on Apr 4, 2016 17:51:33 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure I did a post like this in the "FourFiveSeconds" thread too lol, Rihanna the Polarizing Queen :kii: If we look at the SPS numbers, and accounting for possible panel changes and/or AI recalibrations, do you know if Work did better or worse than FourFiveSeconds? I don't pay much attention to audience impressions and recalibrations so I'm not the best person to go to for that, sorry In terms of SPS and panel changes though, "FourFiveSeconds" peaked with 11235 spins on 186 stations, an SPS peak of 60.403. "Work" peaked with 11562 spins of 188 stations, an SPS peak of 61.5. "FFS" peaked in its 8th week, while "Work" peaked in its 9th (however, "Work"'s first week was just four days, while "FFS" had 8 full weeks). Despite "Work" winning in the SPS department, "FFS" peaked at #6 and "Work" peaked at #9 (the result of a significantly more crowded chart). One thing to note is that SPS has actually trended upwards from year to year (stations play their top songs more and more than before), so that may alter things, although the effect would not have been drastic since they were only a year apart. But overall, "FourFiveSeconds" and "Work" have performed pretty identically, with the latter getting a slight edge.
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skizzo
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Post by skizzo on Apr 4, 2016 17:59:46 GMT -5
Impressive for such a "polarizing" song. . LMAO at all the haters Harlem Shake, Soulja Boy, and many others, spent multiple weeks at #1 on the Hot 100. But I guess everyone loved those too right? I guess if we don't praise every Rihanna track, suddenly we're all haters
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Apr 4, 2016 18:02:22 GMT -5
If we look at the SPS numbers, and accounting for possible panel changes and/or AI recalibrations, do you know if Work did better or worse than FourFiveSeconds? I don't pay much attention to audience impressions and recalibrations so I'm not the best person to go to for that, sorry In terms of SPS and panel changes though, "FourFiveSeconds" peaked with 11235 spins on 186 stations, an SPS peak of 60.403. "Work" peaked with 11562 spins of 188 stations, an SPS peak of 61.5. "FFS" peaked in its 8th week, while "Work" peaked in its 9th (however, "Work"'s first week was just four days, while "FFS" had 8 full weeks). Despite "Work" winning in the SPS department, "FFS" peaked at #6 and "Work" peaked at #9 (the result of a significantly more crowded chart). One thing to note is that SPS has actually trended upwards from year to year (stations play their top songs more and more than before), so that may alter things, although the effect would not have been drastic since they were only a year apart. But overall, "FourFiveSeconds" and "Work" have performed pretty identically, with the latter getting a slight edge. Thank you so much for the all the interesting info, Nick! I was under the impression that Work had a slight advantage over FFS even if it peaked lower, so I'm glad to see your data confirmed my suspicion. The difference may not be big, but it just goes to show that peaks sometimes don't mean everything.
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Apr 8, 2016 3:43:42 GMT -5
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nikkominaj
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Post by nikkominaj on Apr 8, 2016 9:28:06 GMT -5
Still slaying the haters I see!
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NeRD
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Post by NeRD on Apr 8, 2016 13:51:01 GMT -5
8th week at #1 coming too :)
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$uperb@tDuDe
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Post by $uperb@tDuDe on Apr 8, 2016 15:17:45 GMT -5
This is falling hard on top 40
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Choco
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Post by Choco on Apr 8, 2016 15:27:50 GMT -5
I don't get that. I understand why it wouldn't fly up to #1 on CHR, but it's easily the biggest hit of the year so far and it's plummeting down the chart already. Hopefully it means they're going to send Kiss It Better to #1.
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Apr 8, 2016 15:42:01 GMT -5
Pop couldn't wait to drop this I expected a fast fall for this on the formaf, though. So far, it seems to be following that trend.
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SPRΞΞ
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Post by SPRΞΞ on Apr 9, 2016 9:51:22 GMT -5
I don't get that. I understand why it wouldn't fly up to #1 on CHR, but it's easily the biggest hit of the year so far and it's plummeting down the chart already. Hopefully it means they're going to send Kiss It Better to #1. Streaming-wise yes, but it's not the biggest seller or the biggest airplay hit of the year.
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Apr 11, 2016 13:42:35 GMT -5
Spends an 8th consecutive week atop the Hot100!
- #12 on Digital Songs with ~63,000 copies sold (-29 %) (~1,280,000 to date);
- #3 on Radio Songs with 112 million audience impressions (-7 %);
- #1 on Streaming Songs for an 8th consecutive week with 27 million streams (-6 %);
- #1 on On-Demand Songs for a 9th consecutive week with 12.4 million streams (-7 %);
- #1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a 10th non-consecutive week.
- With this week at #1, Rihanna now ties the Beatles for the second-most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot100 (59 weeks). Only Mariah has more (79 weeks).
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Choco
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Post by Choco on Apr 12, 2016 11:36:07 GMT -5
Good run, but it's likely going to drop from #1 next week. Hopefully Needed Me or Kiss It Better break that tie with the Beatles.
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Apr 18, 2016 14:18:19 GMT -5
Spends a 9th consecutive week atop the Hot100!
- #13 on Digital Songs with ~52,000 copies sold (-18 %) (~1,332,000 to date);
- #6 on Radio Songs with 97 million audience impressions (-13 %);
- #2 on Streaming Songs with 26 million streams (-4 %);
- #1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for an 11th non-consecutive week.
- With this week at #1, Rihanna now passes the Beatles for the second-most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot100 (60 weeks). Only Mariah has more (79 weeks).
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Caviar
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Post by Caviar on Apr 18, 2016 17:12:30 GMT -5
Legend.
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Eloqueen™
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Post by Eloqueen™ on Apr 18, 2016 17:23:57 GMT -5
A 9 week #1 Billboard hit and only at 1.3 million. Digital sales are awful.
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missgenericnickname
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Post by missgenericnickname on Apr 18, 2016 18:29:43 GMT -5
I've got to give this song major props for making it this far with losing overall points for the last month
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SPRΞΞ
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Post by SPRΞΞ on Apr 18, 2016 22:13:28 GMT -5
I've got to give this song major props for making it this far with losing overall points for the last month Those Facebook memes/vids, especially that little piggy one I'm sure are helping this a ton.
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