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Post by Choco on Jun 6, 2022 9:29:12 GMT -5
This was easily one of the most disappointing campaigns of a major pop star in recent memory. She came, she collected her physical sales and she left just as quickly. Very boring to follow as a fan.
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Au$tin
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Post by Au$tin on Jun 6, 2022 9:57:48 GMT -5
So crazy how an era that was basically delivered to her in a gold platter was messed up so badly by her/her team/her label/etc. I take this to mean that in 2 years we'll finally get the Vegas residency and I'll Drink Wine video.
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Post by die Lotterie on Jun 6, 2022 10:19:23 GMT -5
Nothing regarding the lack of energy put into this campaign is surprising me like it has to a lot of posters here. Yeah, she came off of a massive album campaign...years ago, but how many people can we really count on a single hand who's been in the game as long as she has and is still putting in the same amount of hustle like it's a debut or sophomore era? I don't doubt there was potential to move more units or gain more hits, but it really does feel like times have changed. I'm not expecting Future Nostalgia or Sour length eras from solidified pop girls any more. A lot of artists of her caliber have transitioned into creating music in other genres, chosen different creative lanes, or have been more interested in settling into their lives and enjoying the fruits of their labors...Or just creating good music.
This is isn't directed at anyone in particular, but it's just a sentiment I've noticed regarding her lately. It's sad to see she's given fans great material and that's not enough for some.
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Au$tin
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Post by Au$tin on Jun 6, 2022 10:36:39 GMT -5
The problem is that it seems she doesn't care about the material she is releasing. She couldn't be bothered to promote the second single and instead would either sing something else or talk about why she thinks no one wants to hear her do music like the second single.
Then why make it? It's not like one of the biggest musicians in the world is being forced to make music they don't enjoy. No way she doesn't have creative control. Exhibit A: the fact that half the songs on the album are an unmarketable 6+ minutes in length.
And I don't think anyone is expecting her to go all out and work her ass off like Dua with FN or Olivia with Sour or whatever, but there's a sizeable gap between that and practically going into hibernation 2 months after the era even begins. Exhibit B: Billie's campaign for Happier Than Ever is not over the top but also not virtually non-existent and totally something Adele could do. Occasional performances spanning several months, multiple videos, a handful of radio singles, a few interviews, and a special. Kept the album afloat for a decent for 2020s amount of time, spawned a few hits that will live on in her discography, keeps everyone interested in the future of her career, and feeds the fans adequately. Perfect for an A-lister that doesn't want to spend all their time promoting and being in the limelight.
But, obviously, Adele is not the worst offender. Selena Gomez exists.
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Post by die Lotterie on Jun 6, 2022 11:22:12 GMT -5
I definitely see your point of view Au$tin, but I think a lot of artists are more interested in creating within the studio and crafting music that is a therapeutic outlet for them. This is the vibe I've gotten from some of my faves recently and I think also applies to Adele. Their output has decreased, and I think promoting and touring is secondary for artists like Adele who put a lot of their personal lives into their music, and at this point a high frequency of promotion is something they can get away without doing. I wouldn't necessarily say that's a reflection of her attitudes towards her output. I can't even imagine how taxing the promo cycle is for artists, especially when having to relive stuff you've written over and over.
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Jun 6, 2022 11:56:34 GMT -5
I don’t think Adele (or any artist) HAS to promote their albums/singles. In particular for Adele, whose albums sell themselves — for the most part. 30 hasn’t done as well as expected, given the publicized account of its vinyl order resulting in months-long backlogs for other artists to press theirs. But it’s the absolute lack of anything since “Oh My God” was pushed. It’s like Adele gave up, then the label did too. I get having confidence in the work to succeed on its own but it almost feels arrogant at this point, and coupled with the fact that there’s no active single and the album isn’t really out there anymore. Things clearly didn’t go according to plan and they’ve still done nothing about it.
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Choco
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Post by Choco on Jun 6, 2022 11:59:04 GMT -5
Yeah I mean, there's very little Adele herself needs to do to keep the singles on radio at least. We know there's at least one more video ready for release, and she has already performed the track live multiple times... it's weird.
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Au$tin
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Post by Au$tin on Jun 6, 2022 17:27:58 GMT -5
For sure. Much of what I listed in the post above are things she can pre-record long ahead of time (videos, specials, etc.) or things that she doesn't even need to be very involved with due to the privilege of how enormous of a name she is, so the fault here lies with her team (radio singles).
And that's where the I Drink Wine confusion lies (lays?). There is a video, we know this. So... Where is it? Where is the radio campaign for it? What are they waiting on? Adele herself barely even needs to lift a finger for this: just at least tweet/post that the video is coming/has released. Everything else can be taken care of by her social media, streaming playlisting, and radio teams. It's so damn bizarre. I could see it if Easy on Me or Oh My God were still dominating, but that's hasn't been the case in nearly 4-5 months.
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Soundcl🕤ck
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Post by Soundcl🕤ck on Jun 6, 2022 17:54:39 GMT -5
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jun 6, 2022 18:02:58 GMT -5
I share in the disappointment of others that she didn't at least try to push a third single to radio after "Oh My God" underperformed, even if it were something less radio-friendly like "I Drink Wine," and if it had sputtered out and peaked at like #27 on CHR or something I would've seen them ending the era @ radio then and there. But OMG almost went top 10 and I feel like even something not really 'made' for radio would've probably made the top 20 off her name recognition and hype alone, and 30 hadn't been out that long, so I would think they'd wanna milk it a bit more than they did.
All that said, some of y'all sound almost... angry that Adele stopped giving a f**k. 1) It's not that deep y'all, and 2) she literally disappeared completely for 5 whole years before dropping "Easy on Me," and she's already got a reputation for being minimalist when it comes to promotion, so it's not THAT surprising to me. She did several performance specials around the time the album dropped, released 2 music videos ("I Drink Wine" supposedly has one, but if/when that ever comes out it would be 1 more video than she did for either of her last album campaigns, so...), and did some high profile magazine covers and interviews, etc. The promo was very front-loaded and I wish they'd done more to extend the era out, but she doesn't owe us anything further.
I just hope she's enjoying her wine and comfy chairs somewhere and I'll be looking forward to 37.
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Zach
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Post by Zach on Jun 6, 2022 18:42:35 GMT -5
All that said, some of y'all sound almost... angry that Adele stopped giving a f**k. See, this is the weird part for me. While there has been some great debate of various aspects of the whole era, the majority of the discussion I've seen has been people who just somewhat selfishly seem to be pissed that they weren't... idk fed with some extended smash pop era with flashy visuals and extensive promo and even some controversy thrown in there to add to the shock factor. That disappointment is something that I guess I just can't relate to, no matter how much I like Adele and her music and the historicness of her career and eras.
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Post by Glove Slap on Jun 6, 2022 18:58:53 GMT -5
I would definitely not call fans selfish for wanting a third single off a hit #1 album.
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Post by Caviar on Jun 6, 2022 19:25:23 GMT -5
If not selfish then entitled. She sold millions of albums and did press and EOM was another 10+ week #1 that most posters believe was illegitimate anyway. Yes it's disappointing but Adele will do what she wants to do and sell millions without getting off her sofa.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2022 20:25:10 GMT -5
She should just release the video then. Like you can’t tease that there’s a fun campy video and then not release it.
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Dammn Baby
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Post by Dammn Baby on Jun 6, 2022 20:38:12 GMT -5
For all of the debate on this thread, they probably just did the calculus and figured it was not worth the ongoing infusion of resources to reap x amount of incremental sales (could be as simple as she gets progressively higher royalties at certain sales thresholds in her contract, which eats into the label’s profit).
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Au$tin
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Post by Au$tin on Jun 6, 2022 21:52:44 GMT -5
I would definitely not call fans selfish for wanting a third single off a hit #1 album. Right? Some of y'all are acting like fans are demanding a 2-year 7-continent tour that includes a five week residency for the penguins of Antarctica while simultaneously appearing on every promotional tour in every country imaginable singing a medley of every song she's ever sang. I just want her team to push the single that has an already shot video, damn. The cost of that is essentially nothing and Adele just has to acknowledge its existence on social media for two seconds from the comfort of her luxurious couch. Also, I love "Oh My God." So when she pretends it doesn't exist and goes on to claim that "no one wants to hear her do that" it... hurts, you know? If you don't care about the music you're creating and releasing, why should I? I could understand it if this was a smaller artist being forced to make music they're not totally into for the sake of having a more marketable track on the album (see: Avril Lavigne or Kelly Clarkson), but this is Adele. Very few musicians ever reach the caliber of stardom that she has. She literally could sing the phonebook and it would sell millions. Plus, "Oh My God" wasn't even scheduled as the second single. It flipped to that after the strong fan reaction upon the album's release. The demand was there and she was like "nah." And all of that could be forgiven if she and her team would have just continued on with the album campaign afterwards. But instead, we got a blitz for "Easy on Me," "Oh My God" got paid dust in every way imaginable, and then silence for months. I don't see how it's at all selfish for fans to feel a little betrayed by all of that. There is definitely a give and take between an entertainer and their fans. You can't expect to be an entertainer and not have to do a small amount of fan servicing much like you can't be a fan and expect the entertainer to cater to your every will. The fans are being reasonable here: we want to see that already shot video and hear that song on the airwaves. That's it. We're not asking for the moon. Sure, there are probably some reaming her and wondering where their meet-and-great VIP golden backstage pass tickets to see her perform B-sides are, but those types of stans are few and far between and exist for every artist unfortunately no matter how much work and fan servicing the entertainer puts in. But that's not how the majority are acting in this situation. I mean, she went on hiatus for 5 years. I don't get how it's wrong to want something more than just 3 months of an era and back to being in hiatus. Especially after the Vegas fiasco, effectively removing a sizeable portion of the promo/fan service that was already planned.
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rihannabiggestfan
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Post by rihannabiggestfan on Jun 7, 2022 1:06:07 GMT -5
I definitely see your point of view Au$tin , but I think a lot of artists are more interested in creating within the studio and crafting music that is a therapeutic outlet for them. The modern-day Enya teas (except Enya doesn't even try to tour, let alone have to cancel tours). In Enya's words regarding lack of touring and promo: "Mostly, my time [i.e., my effort] has been spent putting albums together"
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Post by wjr15 on Jun 7, 2022 8:56:36 GMT -5
For me, it’s a combination of things that have me annoyed with this era and it all started after the album dropped.
-‘Oh My God’ is sent to radio as the second single and Adele does the bare minimum to promote it (only a music video). She had many live performances during that single’s run and she refused to perform it because she has this weird idea that fans don’t wanna hear that music from her? Obviously many fans love the song and it probably would’ve gone top 10 on radio if she actually performed it. Instead she kept performing ‘I Drink Wine’
- Which leads me to my next point. She said she has a video for ‘I Drink Wine’ so where is it? She already used up all of her live performances on this song but she never dropped the video or sent it to radio. At this point, there’s not much hype and it’ll probably flop when (or if) it’s released.
-The one thing that seemed to kill this era and the moment when Adele went completely silent is when she cancelled her residency 24 hours before it was supposed to begin. There’s been no rescheduled dates or any word on what’s happening to everyone who bought tickets.
For an era that started off strong, it quickly went downhill shortly after the album came out and it seems like neither Adele nor her label care which sucks when the fans actually care about it. Plus, we were promised a 2 year album cycle and we got maybe 3 months of promo and 2 singles.
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Post by Ling-Ling on Jun 7, 2022 9:01:59 GMT -5
TBH, if Adele had served an amazing album, I probably wouldn't be as phased. But the album was just alright. So not only did I get an underserve with the album after a lengthy hiatus, but I've found myself barely entertained by the era itself. Almost everything about this has been underwhelming IMO.
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Au$tin
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Post by Au$tin on Jun 7, 2022 9:08:00 GMT -5
TBH, if Adele had served an amazing album, I probably wouldn't be as phased. But the album was just alright. So not only did I get an underserve with the album after a lengthy hiatus, but I've found myself barely entertained by the era itself. Almost everything about this has been underwhelming IMO. That's another good point. 30 is still good and has its gems, but there is a marked and steep drop in overall quality from 19/21/25 to 30.
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Post by wjr15 on Jun 7, 2022 9:18:06 GMT -5
I’m not surprised by the drop in quality for 30. This was Adele’s most experimental album to date and usually it leads to mixed reception to the album’s quality. Come to think of it, most pop girls’ fourth albums over the past decade are their more ‘experimental’ album and it usually leads to mixed reception.
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Choco
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Post by Choco on Jun 7, 2022 12:43:03 GMT -5
Some people will bend over backwards to defend an era that lasted like three months. No one is pissed at her or hating on her, but it's very boring to follow something so uneventful when this (an Adele era) only happens once every six years or so.
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Post by 85la on Jun 11, 2022 15:57:50 GMT -5
If not selfish then entitled. She sold millions of albums and did press and EOM was another 10+ week #1 that most posters believe was illegitimate anyway. Yes it's disappointing but Adele will do what she wants to do and sell millions without getting off her sofa. The thing is, yes, she is absolutely free to do what she wants to do, and she is lucky to be the type of artist who can sell millions without as much effort (as other artists), but she absolutely cannot expect to always be able to sell millions if she puts out the same effort, because times change and fan interest wanes.
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spiritboy
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Post by spiritboy on Jun 12, 2022 2:26:53 GMT -5
Maybe she doesn't want to sell millions? She has already been there, done that. Maybe she wants pressure off her back. At the end of the day it's her career, she can do whatever she want with it.
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Au$tin
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Post by Au$tin on Jun 12, 2022 9:54:53 GMT -5
Maybe she doesn't want to sell millions? She has already been there, done that. Maybe she wants pressure off her back. At the end of the day it's her career, she can do whatever she want with it. I mean, sure, but at the end of the day, she has a huge team surrounding her that depends on her to make them money too. Unfortunately in the entertainment industry, it's never just about you. She's not indie. Even if that weren't all true, it doesn't change the fact that fans can still feel and voice disappointment.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2022 19:03:15 GMT -5
If she didn’t want to sell millions, she wouldn’t release music, she wouldnt promote, do worldwide banners, etc. Please, girl wants to sell millions and keep her millions.
The era didn’t go off how they expected, so they’re having a tantrum and refusing to do anything else. lol Just a guess but sure sounds like it.
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spiritboy
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Post by spiritboy on Jun 13, 2022 2:09:14 GMT -5
She could've released a more commercial album if she wanted to slay. Of course she wants to be successful, no artist would like to flop.
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Post by kimberly on Jun 13, 2022 2:44:34 GMT -5
I don’t think Adele (or any artist) HAS to promote their albums/singles. In particular for Adele, whose albums sell themselves — for the most part. 30 hasn’t done as well as expected, given the publicized account of its vinyl order resulting in months-long backlogs for other artists to press theirs. But it’s the absolute lack of anything since “Oh My God” was pushed. It’s like Adele gave up, then the label did too. I get having confidence in the work to succeed on its own but it almost feels arrogant at this point, and coupled with the fact that there’s no active single and the album isn’t really out there anymore. Things clearly didn’t go according to plan and they’ve still done nothing about it. all of that for the album to be on sale at Walmart and Target for half off within a month of its release one of the WORST production decisions in music history, I think. I don't have much else to add to this conversation—I also like about half of 30, but the lack of promo or even a new single push has turned me off (especially because I had already made "I Drink Wine" the 3rd singe in my head and listened to it as if it were). Adele obviously wants to make money and sell records, let's be serious. I don't think that urge drives the creative process for her music, but I do think she feels obligated to stay in her musician lane. someone mentioned Billie Eilish — she's also on a very successful tour right now. Adele let her fans down instead. Again, she doesn't owe anyone a tour or a concert but fans are allowed to be upset at these things.
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Jun 13, 2022 6:56:57 GMT -5
If she didn’t want to sell millions, she wouldn’t release music, she wouldnt promote, do worldwide banners, etc. Please, girl wants to sell millions and keep her millions. This point always frustrates me because it’s really not true at all. It’s not like she’s the one who decides on promotion, worldwide banners, and sets goals to sell millions of albums. There’s literally people whose entire job it is to do these things and when they have a goldmine like Adele to work with, they have the flexibility to do a whole lot of stuff because the return potential is so huge. Adele might like it, or might not mind it, but she could also hate it too. Not everyone who makes music likes the promotional aspect of it (I might even suggest most musicians hate the promotional side of it), especially the interviews and public appearances and required travelling that might be involved. For some it’s a hassle or necessary evil, but for others, like possible Adele, they might have a say in how much or little they need to do. In any case, with this project, even the team of people whose entire job it is to sell this album seems to have floundered too.
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PerPlexied
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Post by PerPlexied on Jun 13, 2022 9:31:33 GMT -5
I think what's getting lost in this conversation is the fact that Adele had a full residency booked which was canceled at the very last minute, resulting in tons and tons of fans to be shafted. She did one Instagram story and then disappeared completely. That's what gets me. Sure no artist "owes" their fans anything but Adele could at least pump out another video.
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