Billboard Hot 100: 10/14/2023

[Choco]

Sept 30, 2023 23:14:35 GMT -5 clsvltn said:

He hasn't lost the general public though - who do think is going to his concerts? 

The fans lol. And a good chunk of those are there for the older material. No one denied his success - he just peaked and declined. Lots of acts like Madonna, Bon Jovi and Metallica still draw huge crowds of fans because of their past impact. Hardly anyone is on the concert solely to hear their new stuff.

Sept 30, 2023 23:14:35 GMT -5 clsvltn said:

Additionally, his last 2 albums - regardless of what you or anyone think - are indeed for his fans and more so a cathartic release for himself.  Especially this latest release.  I mean it literally has NO single, NO video, NO promotion.

Sure. Or maybe they just know there's no point in promoting. The album will do about 75% of what his previous did with little expense. That's smart. It might even end up turning a bigger profit that = on the strength of them just not using much of a budget for it.

Sept 30, 2023 23:14:35 GMT -5 clsvltn said:

Do you REALLY think Ed Sheeran in 2023, if he wanted, could not work with A List producers and A list guest artists to make a mega hit?  He himself is CHOOSING to NOT have the hits.

Maybe? His last Taylor Swift collab was such a misfire that it even missed #1 on his strongest market. And his J Balvin songs made zero noise in Latin America.

Anyways not sure what the argument here is. Are you trying to argue he's still a huge commercial force? Look at the numbers for his current and recent stuff. The decline is there.

Are you trying to argue he has had huge success for several projects and will never struggle for money or streams or any of the sort? Well nobody said the opposite.

[Rhythm Nation]

He may not be focusing on hit singles but let’s not pretend like he suddenly doesn’t care about success. I’m sure they were hoping for more of a folklore type reception to these dessner records…

[dremolus - solarpunk]

I don't understand how it's even debatable Ed hasn't been on a decline. Like it's nothing to be ashamed of and the fact he's even as successful as he is more than a decade later, I mean that's at least a silver lining to be had. Using concert attendance as proof though is funny, especially since most if not all of the top selling concert artists right now have been in the industry for more than a decade at point.

[Darkest Hour]

Some songs, including Doja Cat's songs, are finally merged on Apple Music charts.
4 +8 Doja Cat - Paint The Town Red
19 +85 Doja Cat - Agora Hills
64 NEW USHER, Summer Walker & 21 Savage - Good Good

United States Apple Music Top Songs - Saturday
38 +8 Rick Ross & Meek Mill - SHAQ & KOBE
76 +23 Lil Wayne & Cool & Dre - To The Bank
77 +49 Lil Yachty & J. Cole - The Secret Recipe
100 +8 Lil Wayne & Jon Batiste - Act Up
159 NEW Thomas Rhett - Mamaw's House (feat. Morgan Wallen)

United States Apple Music Top Albums - Saturday
2 +1 Lil Wayne - Tha Fix Before Tha VI
8 +1 Feid - MOR, No Le Temas a La Oscuridad
15 -3 Ed Sheeran - Autumn Variations

[Deleted]

Ed said his next album will be pop. I think that will give a better idea of how serious the decline is

[neel]

He already had a good 4 album run, earning more than 10 million records sold, best selling concerts and etc. So even if his commercial success is finally over, he can just keep touring.

[Enigma.]

Sept 30, 2023 16:11:24 GMT -5 clsvltn said:

Didn't you know? An artist is now considered a flop if they don't sell 10 mill albums and get 6 #1 singles per album. It's the pulse way LOL

Ed hasn't flopped at all, the albums released were not even promoted for the charts. His latest, was just for fans released independently. There is no single, no video, and almost 0 promotion besides his "tour"

Why you put "'s around tour?

[spiritboy]

Sept 30, 2023 20:15:13 GMT -5 Choco said:

Their phrasing was poor but the truth is Ed Sheeran has been on the decline for a few albums now, to the point where he's now claiming this album is strictly for the fans which... duh. He lost the general public with his previous album, and most audiences have slowly moved on since the Collabs album.

In b4 someone says "he's fine he'll tour forever and make moneyyyy". Not the point.

That's exactly the point. GP is going to his concerts. I mean nobody buys a new Madonna album these days but when she tours, people are buying tickets for the hits. Same goes for Ed and many artists who have huge hits. He already had two gigantic eras, he'll be fine.

[Deleted]

I think the point is that his ability to sustain album sales/hit songs has dramatically declined from his peak. Even acknowledging that he is a touring force. Idk what’s so hard to understand about that - that decline happens to everyone, eventually. And it looks like it’s come for Ed regardless of the “for the fans” spin.

[lazer]

Okay, maybe I worded it wrong but Ed’s days of chart success might be over. He may do well with touring.

[Deleted]

side note but I actually think it's pretty impressive that Ed has 75m monthly listeners on Spotify with no songs inside the Top 100

[clsvltn]

I'm not saying his chart days are not over - I'm not saying they are over either though.

My point that I was trying to get across is Ed himself is choosing this. It's not like he put out an album with music videos, singles, tons of promotion and everyone shunned it. This release is not something that can be judged on him declining or not because it is independently released with no fan fare behind it.

I also think that if he really wanted a big hit, he would get it. Of course that is my opinion and that cannot actually be proven and I understand that.

I also understand that Ed is experiencing a natural decline because yeah, no one can keep going like that forever (besides maybe Taylor Swift? lol) but there are some people in here just saying he is completely over, he sucks, he is washed up - through out threads on Pulse - but the case is while he ultimately may be slowing down, a lot of it is because of his own choosing. That's just my point I want to say. It's not because the public does not care about him anymore. They just don't want to hear an album maybe about his wife almost dying from cancer, his best friend dying, etc.

[Choco]

Oct 1, 2023 12:25:56 GMT -5 spiritboy said:

Sept 30, 2023 20:15:13 GMT -5 Choco said:

Their phrasing was poor but the truth is Ed Sheeran has been on the decline for a few albums now, to the point where he's now claiming this album is strictly for the fans which... duh. He lost the general public with his previous album, and most audiences have slowly moved on since the Collabs album.

In b4 someone says "he's fine he'll tour forever and make moneyyyy". Not the point.

That's exactly the point. GP is going to his concerts. I mean nobody buys a new Madonna album these days but when she tours, people are buying tickets for the hits. Same goes for Ed and many artists who have huge hits. He already had two gigantic eras, he'll be fine.

Exactly why the touring argument is not the point when discussing CURRENT hits. Nobody said he'll not be fine. We're saying the same thing.

People have made a living out of far lesser careers. One hit wonders still milk the one song and are fine. He is still moving as many albums as Doja Cat did last week with 1/100th of the effort. Does that mean his last couple projects were hits? Nah. He has probably moved into the legacy act status that is normal for everyone. Yes even Taylor Swift and Beyoncé and Drake will be there eventually.

[jdanton2]

unless i missed it NSYNC seems to have fallen of the US Spotify chart in it's second day after debuting at #66.it is holding at #1 on itunes.

[badrobot]

I kind of feel like Ed Sheeran has always been an unusual success story, particularly post-90s. There are virtually no solo male performers in the past few decades that have had sustained success with pop/rock music without also being some kind of heartthrob/sexy type. He harkens back to artists like Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, and Tom Petty. (This is not meant to imply that there aren’t people who find him attractive, merely that his persona is not at all tied to that type of personality — in contrast to people like Harry Styles or Justin Timberlake.)

If anything I think it’s more surprising just how long he was a consistent hitmaker, rather than being surprised that he’s not at the commercial peak anymore.

[iHype.]

Oct 1, 2023 20:07:59 GMT -5 badrobot said:

I kind of feel like Ed Sheeran has always been an unusual success story, particularly post-90s. There are virtually no solo male performers in the past few decades that have had sustained success with pop/rock music without also being some kind of heartthrob/sexy type. He harkens back to artists like Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, and Tom Petty. (This is not meant to imply that there aren’t people who find him attractive, merely that his persona is not at all tied to that type of personality — in contrast to people like Harry Styles or Justin Timberlake.)

If anything I think it’s more surprising just how long he was a consistent hitmaker, rather than being surprised that he’s not at the commercial peak anymore.

White guys with guitars have always been successful, and he came out post-Adele when the Pop industry transitioned normal/relatable images instead of sexual/unattainable images. (Sam Smith, Meghan Trainor, etc)

The post-Adele transition never really stopped and I would say today looks and sex appeal matter way less in the industry than in decades. Billie, Olivia, etc don't rely on sex and don't market it anywhere as much as a Britney/Rihanna/Madonna/etc did. Same with men considering Morgan Wallen, Post Malone, Bad Bunny, etc are recent top selling male artists and don't walk around with 6 packs and abs in music videos. 

[Darkest Hour]

Expected 3D remixes EP drop:

[jdanton2]

i just noticed Rod Wave has been #1 awhile on Apple but not charting on Spotify.

[Deleted]

Oct 1, 2023 13:08:14 GMT -5 clsvltn said:

I'm not saying his chart days are not over - I'm not saying they are over either though.

My point that I was trying to get across is Ed himself is choosing this. It's not like he put out an album with music videos, singles, tons of promotion and everyone shunned it. This release is not something that can be judged on him declining or not because it is independently released with no fan fare behind it.

I also think that if he really wanted a big hit, he would get it. Of course that is my opinion and that cannot actually be proven and I understand that.

I also understand that Ed is experiencing a natural decline because yeah, no one can keep going like that forever (besides maybe Taylor Swift? lol) but there are some people in here just saying he is completely over, he sucks, he is washed up - through out threads on Pulse - but the case is while he ultimately may be slowing down, a lot of it is because of his own choosing. That's just my point I want to say. It's not because the public does not care about him anymore. They just don't want to hear an album maybe about his wife almost dying from cancer, his best friend dying, etc.

I wouldn't expect anyone here to consider context lol

[thegreatdivine]

I'm not surprised at the direction the Ed Sheeran discourse has leaned into. Of course Pulse will insist his career his over. If he was a female singer, anyone who said his career was done or anywhere close to that would get attacked and would get replies upon replies about how "not many other female artists are still putting up these numbers" and how "she isn't even promoting these songs and they're still performing this well." All that context will be applied when a Pulse fave is being discussed but I've never seen a male artist get the same grace when their career is being discussed.

I mean, this is the same forum that's been trying to announce Drake's commercial end and jumps to insist he's in decline/will soon be over despite all the chart and radio hits he keeps scoring till this day — something he's done consistently since 2009. If they can do that with the most successful Hot 100 artist of the last 20 years, how much more Ed Sheeran?

It's just funny to see the same people who could understand why folklore and evermore didn't score massive chart hits, all of a sudden lose that sense when it comes to understanding why Subtract and Autumn Variations won't score any.

[dremolus - solarpunk]

US Spotify - 09/30/23

1(=) Doja Cat - Paint the Town Red 1,648,295 (-115,841)
2(=) Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves - I Remember Everything 1,325,130 (-212,489)
3(=) Gunna - fukumean 1,235,681 (-85,705)
4(=) Taylor Swift - Cruel Summer 1,128,969 (-77,343)
5(=) Morgan Wallen - Last Night 1,069,186 (-48,749)
6(=) Tate McRae - greedy 1,004,763 (-105,795)
7(=) Olivia Rodrigo - vampire 949,474 (-80,864)
8(=) Olivia Rodrigo - bad idea right? 890,670 (-89,616)
9(+5) Zach Bryan - Something in the Orange 800,379 (-62,061)
10(=) Doja Cat - Agora Hills 793,619 (-115,563) (-13%)

Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS [10/12]
17(+1) get him back! 676,551 (-73,922)
32(+1) all-american bitch 572,511 (-68,073)
59(-11) the grudge 450,963 (-79,384)
89(-19) lacy 390,694 (-71,526)
97(-12) love is embarrassing 381,638 (-55,595)
109(-12) ballad of a homeschooled girl 371,283 (-52,264)
110(-27) making the bed 371,229 (-67,728)
126(-24) logical 349,148 (-64,385)
Total Twenty-second Day Streams: 5,404,161 (-17%)

Other:
11(+1) Travis Scott - I KNOW ? 766,126 (-114,986)
12(-3) Jung Kook, Jack Harlow - 3D 762,951 (-168,585) (-18%)
13(+3) Peso Pluma, Gabito Ballesteros, Junior H - LADY GAGA 752,402 (-17,582)
14(-3) Bad Bunny - UN PREVIEW 725,752 (-163,225) (-18%)
15(+2) SZA - Snooze 712,526 (-53,708)
16(+4) KAROL G, Peso Pluma - QLONA 700,566 (-37,240)
18(-3) Drake, SZA - Slime You Out 670,048 (-101,484)
20(-1) Mitski - My Love Mine All Mine 650,222 (-88,210)
22(+5) Luke Combs - Fast Car 633,918 (-44,159)
23(-1) Zach Bryan, The War and Treaty - Hey Driver 629,918 (-77,311)
24(-1) Kenya Grace - Strangers 622,050 (-82,128)
28(+7) Dua Lipa - Dance the Night 604,062 (+7,132)
29(+2) Oliver Anthony Music - Rich Men North of Richmond 602,155 (-43,251)
30(-6) Jung Kook, Latto - Seven 600,936 (-82,132) (-12%)
31(-3) Billie Eilish - What Was I Made For? 575,826 (-88,236)
33(+1) Bailey Zimmerman - Religiously 567,924 (-66,588)
34(+9) Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice - Barbie World 567,489 (+6,264)
36(+3) Lil Tecca - 500lbs 540,516 (-49,619)
38(-9) Zach Bryan, Noah Kahan - Sarah's Place 535,261 (-125,425) (-19%)
40(-2) Travis Scott, Drake - MELTDOWN 530,969 (-72,434)
41(-4) Travis Scott, SZA, Future - TELEKINESIS 517,110 (-90,026)
44(+1) Zach Bryan - Heading South 500,276 (-43,259)
46(+8) Taylor Swift - Style 493,554 (-17,706)
47(-34) Thomas Rhett, Morgan Wallen - Mawmaw's House 491,856 (-384,252) (-44%)
48(+5) Morgan Wallen - Thinkin' Bout Me 484,985 (-29,447)
49(-5) Zach Bryan - Tourniquet 483,469 (-74,095)
51(-5) Noah Kahan - Stick Season 475,987 (-61,073)
52(+13) Taylor Swift - Blank Space 472,725 (-4,143)
56(-6) Brent Faiyaz - Clouded 454,821 (-68,636)
57(+11) Myke Towers - LALA 454,117 (-16,592)
66(+20) Ice Spice - Deli 434,378 (-668)
67(-3) David Kushner - Daylight 431,961 (-45,451)
68(-5) Travis Scott, Playboi Carti - FE!N 424,907 (-54,582)
70(+11) Taylor Swift - Don't Blame Me 421,018 (-22,299)
76(+12) Fuerza Regida - SABOR FRESA 415,311 (-17,075)
77(+14) Calle 24, Chino Pacas, Fuerza Regida - Que Onda 414,168 (-15,994)
78(-31) Zach Bryan, Bon Iver - Boys of Faith 413,683 (-120,536) (-23%)
79(-10) TV Girl - Lovers Rock 409,922 (-56,918)
81(-6) Zach Bryan - Sun to Me 407,495 (-45,982)
82(-2) Taylor Swift - august 403,782 (-45,982)
84(+25) Peso Pluma, Grupo Frontera - TULUM 402,358 (-5,705)
86(-9) Taylor Swift - cardigan 400,323 (-50,591)
88(-1) Peso Pluma, Jasiel Nuñez - LAGUNAS 398,988 (-35,875)
94(-2) Noah Kahan, Post Malone - Dial Drunk Remix 385,474 (-44,558)
95(-13) PARTYNEXTDOOR - Break from Toronto 385,096 (-57,661)
98(+22) Rema, Selena Gomez - Calm Down 380,390 (-15,379)

102(+9) Zach Bryan - Oklahoma Smokeshow 375,082 (-30,121)
104(-15) Zach Bryan, The Lumineers - Spotless 374,779 (-57,546)
107(+8) Laufey - From the Start 373,290 (-29,335)
112(+18) Malum, Carin Leon - Según Quién 367,335 (-10,868)
121(-3) Steve Lacy - Infrunami 355,847 (-44,965)
123(+62) Sexyy Redd - SkeeYee 354,309 (+15,590)
130(+19) Tyler Childers - Feathered Indians 347,193 (-16,530)
136(-4) The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, Madonna - Popular 344,266 (-32,560)
138(+13) Carin Leon - Primera Cita 343,672 (-18,828)
139(+1) That Mexican OT, Paul Wall, DRODi - Johnny Dang 343,414 (-27,358)
141(+4) Tyler Childers - All Your'n 341,557 (-22,904)
145(+21) Tyla - Water 337,241 (-13,479) *new peak*
147(-13) Rod Wave - Boyz Don't Cry 335,781 (-39,057)
148(-26) Zach Bryan - East Side of Sorrow 334,489 (-60,146)
152(-2) Zach Bryan - Revival 328,342 (-34,657)
157(+15) Troye Sivan - Got Me Started 324,758 (-20,931)
159(+9) Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion - Bongos 324,522 (-23,136)
160(-13) Young Nudy, 21 Savage - Peaches & Eggplants 324,484 (-39,739)
163(+19) KAROL G - MI EX TENÍA RAZÓN 323,320 (-16,244)
169(-2) Bryan Martin - We Ride 320,294 (-28,843)
171(+19) Charlie XCX - Speed Drive 319,899 (-15,662)
172(+11) HARDY - TRUCK BED 319,540 (-19,749)
176(re-entry) Peso Pluma - RUBICON 318,470
183(-4) Peso Pluma, Jasiel Nuñez, Junior H - BIPOLAR 313,108 (-26,977)
187(-13) Rod Wave, 21 Savage - Turks & Caicos 310,086 (-33,965)
189(-37) Lil Tecca, Kodak Black - HVN ON EARTH 309,897-361,594 (-51,697) (-14%)
198(re-entry) Peso Pluma Junior H - LUNA 301,848
200(DEBUT) Lil Yachty, J. Cole - The Secret Recipe 300,919

[Groovy]

I love how this started on a mildly bad take of mine.

[Enigma.]

Mitski #12 on Spotify - A HIT

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

Oct 2, 2023 2:27:01 GMT -5 thegreatdivine said:

It's just funny to see the same people who could understand why folklore and evermore didn't score massive chart hits, all of a sudden lose that sense when it comes to understanding why Subtract and Autumn Variations won't score any.

basically this. Yes, you can clearly see the decline in his success, I don't think anyone denies this, but people act like he's now on Bryan Adam's level or something.

Ed has some nice songs in Subtract and Autumn Variations, but yeah, nobody can make those songs big hits. He went through a difficult period and that was definitely reflected in his music this year.

[Taylor.]

folklore (and evermore to a lesser extent) still streamed and sold really well, despite not having radio hits, though.

Sheeran will be absolutely fine but people aren't checking for his new music anymore.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

Woe is Drake.

Anyway, I think the claim that Ed’s career as a hitmaker is over just because he’s not racing to the top 5 anymore. As has already been said, his career trajectory is moving as expected. The part about him choosing not to have hits is funny too. I’d say his recent output is more of a response to the decline in hits by taking a page out of Taylor’s playbook. There probably wasn’t a full-on expectation that he’d have the same type of resurgence with his career but maybe the hope was there that it could be possible. As some have said, he’ll be fine and whether he has another hit or not ever, he’s set for life as a touring act. But I also wouldn’t call it a day on him as a hitmaker just yet. He probably won’t have another “Perfect” but “Eyes Closed” was a decent hit, even if it doesn’t have legs after this year.

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

Oct 2, 2023 8:56:45 GMT -5 Taylor. said:

folklore (and evermore to a lesser extent) still streamed and sold really well, despite not having radio hits, though.

Sheeran will be absolutely fine but people aren't checking for his new music anymore.

Yes, but Taylor and her fanbase are on another level, she can release whatever she wants and it'll be the best-selling album of the year - but it's a fact that these two are her least successful albums in terms of hits since her debut.
On the other hand, Divide was the last time people truly cared about Ed's album as a whole, now he's basically a singles artist. 

Agree with the last sentence, people aren't excited for his new music anymore, but I believe he can still score hits like Shivers and Bad Habits (if he wants to) because of TikTok, radio or whatever reason.

[dremolus - solarpunk]

Two pages of discussion over an album that will probably be forgotten by next week meanwhile Subtract which came out only a few months ago didn't give us this much to say.

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

^And in spite of all that. The "+–=÷× Tour" rolls on and continues to fill out the stadiums where concerts are held.

[badrobot]

Oct 1, 2023 21:38:57 GMT -5 iHype. said:

Oct 1, 2023 20:07:59 GMT -5 badrobot said:

I kind of feel like Ed Sheeran has always been an unusual success story, particularly post-90s. There are virtually no solo male performers in the past few decades that have had sustained success with pop/rock music without also being some kind of heartthrob/sexy type. He harkens back to artists like Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, and Tom Petty. (This is not meant to imply that there aren’t people who find him attractive, merely that his persona is not at all tied to that type of personality — in contrast to people like Harry Styles or Justin Timberlake.)

If anything I think it’s more surprising just how long he was a consistent hitmaker, rather than being surprised that he’s not at the commercial peak anymore.

White guys with guitars have always been successful, and he came out post-Adele when the Pop industry transitioned normal/relatable images instead of sexual/unattainable images. (Sam Smith, Meghan Trainor, etc)

The post-Adele transition never really stopped and I would say today looks and sex appeal matter way less in the industry than in decades. Billie, Olivia, etc don't rely on sex and don't market it anywhere as much as a Britney/Rihanna/Madonna/etc did. Same with men considering Morgan Wallen, Post Malone, Bad Bunny, etc are recent top selling male artists and don't walk around with 6 packs and abs in music videos. 

The names you mention for men aren't "pop" performers, they're respectively country, hip-hop, and reggaeton (or "Latin" if you wanna be broad for Bad Bunny -- who definitely is a sex symbol btw!), and there are definitely "white guys with guitars" who are successful without leaning into sexy, but they're usually in bands and/or have very brief moments of pop success. Ed had nearly a decade's worth of consistent top ten hits including some massive smashes. The closest I could really think of to Ed was Coldplay in that regard, but even then they've only had 5 top tens, 2 of which were collaborations with hot artists at the time (Chainsmokers and BTS), and again -- a band, not a solo artist.

I'm not like some Ed Sheeran stan btw, I just have always found his success impressive given that it seems to be entirely music-driven rather than personality-driven.