HITS 9/4: Taylor Swift vs. Pop Smoke for #1, Katy 50-60k

[TroublemakerOlly]

Katy Perry's Smile (Capitol) and Metallica's S&M2 (Blackened) will land the top debuts on next week's HITS Top 50. Internet Money and Lil Wayne enter as well.

With none of the new releases competing for #1, it looks like the top spot will once again go to Republic, in another tight race between Taylor Swift and Pop Smoke.

New Release projections:
Katy Perry (Capitol) 50-60k total activity, 40-45k albums
Metallica (Blackened) 50-55k, 45-50k
Internet Money (Internet Money/10K Projects) 27-32k, <1k
Lil Wayne (Cash Money/Republic) 24-27k, 2-3k

[Enigma.]

60k would be decent for Katy. Luke Bryan just opened around the same and he actually has a hit.

[Eloqueen™]

Holy s**t. I truly thought Katy would break 100k, even if only slightly over, especially with that 40% off promo and such. :/

[m450n]

Let's go Taylor. 6 weeks at #1.

[Envoirment]

I hope Katy ends up increasing on her initial projection. The album is really solid and would love to see it get to #1!

[shayonce]

Taylor will be #1, she has new limited bundles.

[#LisaRinna]

Oh, Katy...

[rosalina4812]

Damn. Why has Katy fallen so hard. Witness was bad but not THAT bad

[fridayteenage]

We need Taylor to pull through. I wonder what strategies She has up Her sleeve now?

VMA unannounced performance? Exile music video?

[m450n]

Aug 29, 2020 15:19:03 GMT -5 fridayteenage said:

We need Taylor to pull through. I wonder what strategies She has up Her sleeve now?

VMA unannounced performance? Exile music video?

Don't the signed CD's ship this week?

[shayonce]

her signed cd had "+digital album" tho. there's no reason to add that if it wasn't for 5 wks at #1. (last week)

[Choco]

Sad for Katy but it's to be expected. There's no current hit to drive up those streams.

[starlord]

Katy Perry doesn't care about no 1 debut week but taylor does on her 6th week. Hate to say particularly with taylor. Stan Culture is Curse.

[nak]

^^ What Beatles record is that stan account talking about?

[NeRD]

Expected numbers for Katy.

Let's go for a sixth week Taylor!

[Wave.]

Katy👏🏾already👏🏾said👏🏾shes👏🏾not👏🏾worried👏🏾bout👏🏾hits👏🏾or👏🏾sales.

[chartfreak]

Not surprised by Katy's numbers, considering the performance of the singles released.

[ificanthaveyou]

Aug 29, 2020 17:25:21 GMT -5 Wave. said:

Katy👏🏾already👏🏾said👏🏾shes👏🏾not👏🏾worried👏🏾bout👏🏾hits👏🏾or👏🏾sales.

I feel like that was a half-truth by her. I think it’s easier to say when you’ve also had a few flops and it doesn’t sting as bad. It’s like self-preservation at this point. She would love hits, but she’s probably enjoying just making and releasing music.

[Wave.]

Aug 29, 2020 18:40:32 GMT -5 ificanthaveyou said:

Aug 29, 2020 17:25:21 GMT -5 Wave. said:

Katy👏🏾already👏🏾said👏🏾shes👏🏾not👏🏾worried👏🏾bout👏🏾hits👏🏾or👏🏾sales.

I feel like that was a half-truth by her. I think it’s easier to say when you’ve also had a few flops and it doesn’t sting as bad. It’s like self-preservation at this point. She would love hits, but she’s probably enjoying just making and releasing music.

The expectations, criticism(not just for music) and depression took a toll on her during Witness, which made her take a break and refocus. You're possibly right.

[ificanthaveyou]

Aug 29, 2020 18:43:27 GMT -5 Wave. said:

Aug 29, 2020 18:40:32 GMT -5 ificanthaveyou said:

I feel like that was a half-truth by her. I think it’s easier to say when you’ve also had a few flops and it doesn’t sting as bad. It’s like self-preservation at this point. She would love hits, but she’s probably enjoying just making and releasing music.

The expectations, criticism(not just for music) and depression took a toll on her during Witness, which made her take a break and refocus. You're possibly right.

She’ll be fine, I think she’s finding her footing again and she has been great at promoting so far. Her label used to be so good at promoting and marketing her material, I think they need to just step it up again.

I need an event single though. Give me a Taylor and Katy, or Katy and Kesha Max Martin smash next era to force CHR to listen and stop being so ageist.

[Wave.]

Aug 29, 2020 18:46:43 GMT -5 ificanthaveyou said:

Aug 29, 2020 18:43:27 GMT -5 Wave. said:

The expectations, criticism(not just for music) and depression took a toll on her during Witness, which made her take a break and refocus. You're possibly right.

She’ll be fine, I think she’s finding her footing again and she has been great at promoting so far. Her label used to be so good at promoting and marketing her material, I think they need to just step it up again.

I need an event single though. Give me a Taylor and Katy, or Katy and Kesha Max Martin smash next era to force CHR to listen and stop being so ageist.

I honestly thought something more was to come other than an appearance in Taylor's video!!!

[Eloqueen™]

I definitely think Katy cares about sales on some level. I mean in a recent Apple interview she said she is competitive/wants to succeed and cares about her art and she hopes it reaches (which the more sales/streams, the bigger the reach). I don't think she cares about being better or bigger than this or that artist, but I definitely believe she still has that measure of success she personally seeks to reach for herself. It's also not as if she adapted a non-radio friendly approach with this album or didn't work with hitmakers. With that said I don't think she cares as much now as she did with Witness, but I am sure success and relevance is still a goal.

Regardless of it all, hopefully she is happy. She has a new baby to celebrate regardless of Smile's performance.

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

This will be the 3rd time with Katy and Taylor in the top 10

January 15, 2011

#1 Speak Now
#9 Teenage Dream

February 5, 2011

#7 Teenage Dream
#8 Speak Now

[leoapp]

Katy was never a first week album seller, right?
Even Teenage Dream opened with less than 200k 10 years ago with a huge lead single.
To expect 100k with no hit is too confident

[ificanthaveyou]

Aug 29, 2020 20:52:18 GMT -5 leoapp said:

Katy was never a first week album seller, right?
Even Teenage Dream opened with less than 200k 10 years ago with a huge lead single.
To expect 100k with no hit is too confident

Prism opened up with 286k but that was coming off of a massive era and Roar smashing. I at least expected 100k. Is Katy’s fan base really less than 50k loyal fans?

[forg]

Katy Perry said this in an article
www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-08-12/katy-perry-smile-orlando-bloom-pregnant-child

Perry won’t go as far as to say she doesn’t hope “Smile” performs well. She doesn’t need to project that energy, she says. But she knows that music has undergone a seismic shift since she scored her first No. 1 with “I Kissed a Girl” in 2008. Hip-hop now dominates the streaming charts, fans create TikTok hits out of bedroom dance routines and, as Perry notes, “There’s 30,000 songs that come out a day, pre-COVID, on Spotify.”

Her career, she says, used to be her life. But that had to shift so that she could welcome in something more “expansive.”

Of course she still wants the project to do well, she did very good promo in a pandemic while being pregnant! But she is managing her expectations because she knows what the current music landscape is right now and her commerical viability at this point.

And she just gave birth so whatever Smile will sell, is not something in her mind right now.

[shayonce]

kart has bunch of bundles since MAY and did 5 cover version CD and Vinyl (like taylor).
also did 40% off for lenticular version Friday to Saturday. it just.. they're not selling well.

those numbers are in line with her recent popularity tho.
remember Witness(2017) only did 162k pure sales with massive 45 date Arena Tour.

[Push The Button]

The biggest Pop stars of the early 2010s have all released albums in 2020 (sans Rihanna). Gaga seems to be the only one to truly keep her career on the burner.

[Eloqueen™]

Aug 30, 2020 9:07:40 GMT -5 Push The Button said:

The biggest Pop stars of the early 2010s have all released albums in 2020 (sans Rihanna). Gaga seems to be the only one to truly keep her career on the burner.

Taylor is still red hot as well (scoring pop hits since 2006 and really diving into pop star status in 2012). Still hard to believe she has been nearly 15 years without a true "flop" era.

[HolidayGuy]

Swift is certainly *the* hot act among the more modern female acts, in terms of album sales and streaming. I mena, to pull the kind of numbers she did with an out-of-the-blue release, not tied to a tour, etc.- crazy. None of her peers even come close. Well, we'll see how Ms. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins MBE fares whenever she releases her next album.