HITS 5/24: Taylor #1 350k ; Billie #2 300k+

[avamaxstan]

hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=341301&title=

HARD LAUNCH: EILISH GOES BIG AGAIN

Darkroom/Interscope's Billie Eilish will have the top debut with HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. The 10-track set is punching above its weight in streams, scoring careers highs in global (73m) and U.S. (24m) Spotify streams for Eilish in its first day.



Projecting to log 130-150m streams in its opening week, we have Billie's third LP opening in the range of 240-260k, which puts HARD in line to surpass HAPPIER THAN EVER's first week total.



Other noteworthy stats from HARD's first day include "LUNCH" posting 10.8m streams—Spot's top global debut, as well as HARD doubling HAPPIER THAN EVER's first-day global stream count.



Stay tuned for more updates on Monday. Now if you'll excuse us, we're suddenly in the mood for soft serve.

[clsvltn]

should be close for Taylor then

[avamaxstan]

Their careful wording "top debut" implies they think Taylor has a decent chance at holding #1. I think Billie's projected total will improve throughout the tracking week, 300k could be within reach.

[Mike]

Are they usually off by 40-60k?

Great numbers regardless. Happy to see all these great pop albums succeed.

[musiclife]

Let's go Taylor ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[joshtheking]

Hope Billie can get the #1. It's very petty of Taylor to try and block her, as a swiftie.

[musiclife]

May 18, 2024 15:56:21 GMT -5 joshtheking said:

Hope Billie can get the #1. It's very petty of Taylor to try and block her, as a swiftie.

Oh yeah, Billie's backhanded comments totally didn't deserve to be challenged...

[rnb]

May 18, 2024 16:03:10 GMT -5 musiclife said:

May 18, 2024 15:56:21 GMT -5 joshtheking said:

Hope Billie can get the #1. It's very petty of Taylor to try and block her, as a swiftie.

Oh yeah, Billie's backhanded comments totally didn't deserve to be challenged...

the fact that swifties think that everything that every celebrity has ever said is about taylor is crazy

[Ling-Ling]

Get a life, lol. Taylor bleeding her obsessive stans for even more money in an effort to weaponize her sales is gross and tacky. Taylor's neurotic obsession with people's perception of her will always be her lamest trait. For someone who doesn't "cater to the vipers," they certainly live in her head rent free at all times. This reeks of insecurity and regression.

[Ernesto]

Rooting for Billie to hit No.1 with this album.

[clsvltn]

Whether Billie's comments were to Taylor or not directly, it still applies to Taylor (as it also applies to Billie which she also stated in her follow up) - and Taylor decided to run with it and release additional variants but this time as DIGITAL only , not physical variants so there is no environmental concerns. It's petty and it's beautiful. The real issue are Taylor's fans who keep buying the endless (pointless?) variants... Taylor is capitalizing on it, as any smart business person would do. Why would she literally let money sit on the table? Because she has enough? Who says that to someone? You don't tell someone in any other job to stop making money especially if there are thousands upon thousands who WANT it and will buy it. And the end of the day, who really cares? The people who want it will buy it and those who don't won't. Billie will still have her critically acclaimed album whether it is #1 or not as well. Everyone will be completely fine. ALSO let's not forget that Billie can (and still may) do similar tactics as the charting week goes on - let's not forget that Taylor's endless variants are not something that any other artist cannot partake in either. She just plays the game and it is fun to see.

[iHype.]

Taylor being a “girls girl”, pro feminist, and saying fellow pop girls are all “queens with crowns” on You Need to Calm Down only to go out of her way to block a pop girl from a generation after her is hilarious and a head scratcher. Especially when Billie praised her multiple times in the past.

This is ultimately just an odd look for Taylor because it is completely unnecessary and that comment from Billie has just been so ridiculously taken out of proportion. You’d think someone like Taylor who is in her mid 30s, has been in the industry for 20 years, and has herself been positioned negatively in press for small comments taken out of context would have some understanding and much less even be compelled to react when she is in the prime of her life with so many great things happening but eh. Her moves this week just ultimately speak on how she truly feels and sees other female artists.

[Ryan]

Taylor had her moments with TTPD and she's definitely going back to the top spot next week. Billie deserves her time to shine, especially with the masterpiece that she has.

Meanwhile...

hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=341283&title=NEAR-TRUTHS%3A-VARIANTS

TAKING BOWS: Chatter abounds about the news that Taylor Swift is doing a new D2C push expressly intended, it seems, to continue her run at #1 and prevent Billie Eilish from debuting at the top of the chart with her first album since 2021. Tay has held the top spot on the chart for four weeks now and is thought to be determined to hold onto it in the face of superstar Eilish’s big bow. Taylor’s THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT is about to mark 3.5m in U.S. activity. The Swifties appear to be insatiable when it comes to anything in the Taylor store.

Eilish has plenty of parti-hued LP offerings in her own online shop, though, in the words of one member of her camp, she doesn’t “give two shits” about her first-frame chart standing. Eilish refused to drop a single ahead of the album release, emphasizing her focus on getting fans to listen to the entire work. The industry as a whole would very much like to see her bow in the top spot as recognition of her artistry.

[HEADOFTHEPACK]

May 18, 2024 17:09:38 GMT -5 clsvltn said:

Taylor decided to run with it and release additional variants but this time as DIGITAL only , not physical variants so there is no environmental concerns.

You might think so, but that actually isn't true. Digital media (creation, downloading, uploading, storage, consumption etc) takes up huge amounts of energy and the emissions for downloads, at their peak, were shown to be huge. Streaming is still being assessed, but will likely be more so.

Just pointing that out so we don't get stuck in a benevolent Taylor narrative because of the media type. All production and consumption has a cost.

[fridayteenage]

since 2010, most 200k weeks whilst #1:
8 1989
6 25
5 Red, 21, Christmas
4 Tortured Poets, Midnights, Speak Now, Gift

Post-25, it's been Taylor's last two regular studio releases.

(250k weeks
8 1989
6 25
5 21, Gift
4 midnights, christmas, speak now, tortured poets)

[lurker2]

I'm torn. On one hand, Taylor is kind of chart obsessed so I'd be surprised if the variants were a response to Billie rather than something she'd have done anyways. And it's hard for me to diss on someone for trying to make their money and for trying to do well on the charts. On the other hand, the variant thing feels tacky whether they're environmentally sound or not. They feel like they prey on stans with parasocial relationships with their faves - people without either the maturity level (I assume/hope many are teenagers who grow out of it) or the sanity to not buy these versions. Like, I'm sure some normal adults are buying these, but I worry that it's taking advantage of vulnerable people who feel alone in life and thus make a popstar a major part of their personality. While I do like Taylor a lot as a musician, her (and the many, MANY other artists who do this!) variant tactics will never sit well with me. Personally rooting for Billie, since her album was amazing, but either way, it is what it is, I guess.

[musiclife]

Billie could always drop another variant, shes already released multiple. How badly does she wanna go #1? It shouldn't be a problem if she wants to be "environmental"... right?

[GW]

May 18, 2024 17:19:51 GMT -5 iHype. said:

Taylor being a “girls girl”, pro feminist, and saying fellow pop girls are all “queens with crowns” on You Need to Calm Down only to go out of her way to block a pop girl from a generation after her is hilarious and a head scratcher. Especially when Billie praised her multiple times in the past.

This is ultimately just an odd look for Taylor because it is completely unnecessary and that comment from Billie has just been so ridiculously taken out of proportion. You’d think someone like Taylor who is in her mid 30s, has been in the industry for 20 years, and has herself been positioned negatively in press for small comments taken out of context would have some understanding and much less even be compelled to react when she is in the prime of her life with so many great things happening but eh. Her moves this week just ultimately speak on how she truly feels and sees other female artists.

It's probably impossible to convince you or anyone otherwise, as none of us know what reallygoes one behind closed doors, but imo, this move wasn't about Billie. It was a strategy to keep the album on top.  This is what labels do.  To make it about Taylor herself trying to keep Billie, specifically, from #1 is just furthering this narrative that girls are going at each other for the sport of it.  

It's not cool, nor fair, and it just puts you in the same category as the media who is always trying to keep the drama going... making Taylor out as some kind of relentless monster on the hill.

[clsvltn]

It is mind boggling to me where people are saying to "let" someone have a week at #1. That is so bizarre in such a competitive arena. If you have a sports team winning the super bowl, you don't "Let" the other team win just because you may have won 3 in a row. If you want to win, you play hard, you practice, you do what it takes. If you lose, you try again next year. Billie can play the game as well. She can drop remixes, variants, do promo, the list goes on and on.

[iHype.]

May 18, 2024 18:48:04 GMT -5 GW said:

May 18, 2024 17:19:51 GMT -5 iHype. said:

Taylor being a “girls girl”, pro feminist, and saying fellow pop girls are all “queens with crowns” on You Need to Calm Down only to go out of her way to block a pop girl from a generation after her is hilarious and a head scratcher. Especially when Billie praised her multiple times in the past.

This is ultimately just an odd look for Taylor because it is completely unnecessary and that comment from Billie has just been so ridiculously taken out of proportion. You’d think someone like Taylor who is in her mid 30s, has been in the industry for 20 years, and has herself been positioned negatively in press for small comments taken out of context would have some understanding and much less even be compelled to react when she is in the prime of her life with so many great things happening but eh. Her moves this week just ultimately speak on how she truly feels and sees other female artists.

It's probably impossible to convince you or anyone otherwise, as none of us know what reallygoes one behind closed doors, but imo, this move wasn't about Billie. It was a strategy to keep the album on top.  This is what labels do.  To make it about Taylor herself trying to keep Billie, specifically, from #1 is just furthering this narrative that girls are going at each other for the sport of it.  

It's not cool, nor fair, and it just puts you in the same category as the media who is always trying to keep the drama going... making Taylor out as some kind of relentless monster on the hill.

No label with any other artists released 3+ different versions in a FIFTH week for an album.

This isn’t standard label competition. Maybe if it was Hot 100 we were discussing, but the different versions in a fifth week for an album is unheard of for any artist outside Taylor really.

Doing unheard stuff like this makes it undersrandable why it leaves a sour taste in people’s mouths and questions what her actual motives are. It’s not really hard to get.

[fridayteenage]

May 18, 2024 18:04:44 GMT -5 lurker2 said:

I'm torn. On one hand, Taylor is kind of chart obsessed so I'd be surprised if the variants were a response to Billie rather than something she'd have done anyways. And it's hard for me to diss on someone for trying to make their money and for trying to do well on the charts. On the other hand, the variant thing feels tacky whether they're environmentally sound or not. They feel like they prey on stans with parasocial relationships with their faves - people without either the maturity level (I assume/hope many are teenagers who grow out of it) or the sanity to not buy these versions. Like, I'm sure some normal adults are buying these, but I worry that it's taking advantage of vulnerable people who feel alone in life and thus make a popstar a major part of their personality. While I do like Taylor a lot as a musician, her (and the many, MANY other artists who do this!) variant tactics will never sit well with me. Personally rooting for Billie, since her album was amazing, but either way, it is what it is, I guess.

So billie having 7 vinyl options is tacky and predatory too then?

I personally think people can do what they want with their lives/$ and don't find multiple options offensive.
I stick with 1 purchase for an album but it's other people's business if they don't, and I don't judge them and imply they're immature and insane.

[ificanthaveyou]

May 18, 2024 19:18:04 GMT -5 clsvltn said:

It is mind boggling to me where people are saying to "let" someone have a week at #1. That is so bizarre in such a competitive arena. If you have a sports team winning the super bowl, you don't "Let" the other team win just because you may have won 3 in a row. If you want to win, you play hard, you practice, you do what it takes. If you lose, you try again next year. Billie can play the game as well. She can drop remixes, variants, do promo, the list goes on and on.

Agreed! No one “deserves” a #1 album just because it’s artistic or some of their “best work”. Timing, promotion, and luck all come into play when trying to secure a #1 debut.

Taylor doesn’t owe ANYONE a single thing. You can blame the Swifties for buying into the variants or going hard for Taylor, but can you blame us? She has FED her fans for almost 5 years straight now, and worked her butt off to release and re-release music. She isn’t phoning this in, she’s actively working to be the biggest and the best.

Some of y’all need to take all this energy and direct it to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos for being greedy capitalists if you want something to cry about… it always reeks of misogyny when people want to shame Taylor for literally running a billion dollar industry and fueling global economies more than their own politicians.

[jenglisbe]

May 18, 2024 19:45:33 GMT -5 fridayteenage said:

May 18, 2024 18:04:44 GMT -5 lurker2 said:

I'm torn. On one hand, Taylor is kind of chart obsessed so I'd be surprised if the variants were a response to Billie rather than something she'd have done anyways. And it's hard for me to diss on someone for trying to make their money and for trying to do well on the charts. On the other hand, the variant thing feels tacky whether they're environmentally sound or not. They feel like they prey on stans with parasocial relationships with their faves - people without either the maturity level (I assume/hope many are teenagers who grow out of it) or the sanity to not buy these versions. Like, I'm sure some normal adults are buying these, but I worry that it's taking advantage of vulnerable people who feel alone in life and thus make a popstar a major part of their personality. While I do like Taylor a lot as a musician, her (and the many, MANY other artists who do this!) variant tactics will never sit well with me. Personally rooting for Billie, since her album was amazing, but either way, it is what it is, I guess.

So billie having 7 vinyl options is tacky and predatory too then?

I personally think people can do what they want with their lives/$ and don't find multiple options offensive.
I stick with 1 purchase for an album but it's other people's business if they don't, and I don't judge them and imply they're immature and insane.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Billie's options are simply different colors so fans can essentially choose the color they like. Objectively that is very different than releasing versions that have different/new songs on them and a fan has to buy all of the various versions in order to have all of the songs. There is also a difference in releasing all options at the same time so fans can see what is available and choose, and continually adding on new options after fans have already purchased other versions.

May 18, 2024 19:18:04 GMT -5 clsvltn said:

It is mind boggling to me where people are saying to "let" someone have a week at #1. That is so bizarre in such a competitive arena. If you have a sports team winning the super bowl, you don't "Let" the other team win just because you may have won 3 in a row. If you want to win, you play hard, you practice, you do what it takes. If you lose, you try again next year. Billie can play the game as well. She can drop remixes, variants, do promo, the list goes on and on.

I don't think this comparison works. Football/sports are literally designed to be competitive; the point of training is to peak for competition. Music was not developed/designed as something competitive. Music was developed as a way to tell stories, and of course as a way to deal with life. The fact that Swift fans see music as being about competition is actually very telling. (And yes, labels/artists have made certain moves to get certain sales and positions, but Swift and her team have taken that to an extreme.)

[thegreatdivine]

Taylor's chart obsession is probably her worst and most ugly trait. Doesn't matter that she's the biggest artist in the world, she'll forever resort to these silly and unnecessary tactics. Smh.

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

Stream AOTY:

[fridayteenage]

There's no need to buy any album in the streaming era. If someone wants to collect several copies of an album, they can do so.
Plenty of ppl were melting down with previous Taylor releases because of alternate cover options already, so it's normal for them to freak out over this.

[Choco]

As a huge Taylor fan this entire era has been, imo, a carefully plotted huge test of her commercial power and fan engagement. They wanted to see if they could get away with an overblown track list and they did, they dropped arguably her weakest album ever and still got career-best numbers, they got a #1 with a song that isn't really radio fodder, etc... and so far it has proved that the vast majority of the audience is entangled enough in the phenomenon to bite into it. I feel like the industry is collectively rolling it's eyes as we speak; which is also why claims that people like Katy Perry got killed by industry insiders are just laughable - they would have ended Taylor already. Ultimately, engaging your audience in a way they enjoy is the key. The sad thing is that these numbers validate the 31 track bore she dropped, but before she was chart obsessed she was awards obsessed and I feel like this time around she's not gonna get to triumph there as well, which might be a rude awakening.

260k is too low for Billie to get #1 imo. The minute the projections show Billie at 260k and Taylor at 255k she's gonna drop some more versions. She's probably already calling Jack Antonoff to jump on Fortnight for a Bleachers remix or something. Ultimately this is all a minor issue: Billie having legs is more important than peaking at #1, and she's outselling her previous album regardless of Taylor. As for Taylor, this is something that only chart watchers seem to be in the know right now. Although I feel if a couple more articles like the HDD start popping out then who knows... but I'd bet by next week it's all forgotten.

[torpedo007]

I remember Damon Albarn from Gorillaz said in an interview that Taylor doesn't write her own songs then Billie invited him to perform on the coachella stage.

maybe Taylor took it to heart, it's not just the shady vinyl statement...

[eagle27]

People really become conspiracy theorists when it comes to Taylor. Why should anyone put their plans on hold just because other artists are releasing music? Notice how it is only her that is shamed for trying to compete in the industry. Maybe it’s because a lot of you don’t think Taylor deserves the massive success she has. Also note that she doesn’t release any more variants than other artists, there is simply just more demand for her physical albums. Every other artist is “chart obsessed” (which is not a bad thing because this is a BUSINESS) but only certain artists seem to bother people when they move.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

May 18, 2024 16:03:10 GMT -5 musiclife said:

May 18, 2024 15:56:21 GMT -5 joshtheking said:

Hope Billie can get the #1. It's very petty of Taylor to try and block her, as a swiftie.

Oh yeah, Billie's backhanded comments totally didn't deserve to be challenged...

I mean, hasn’t Taylor said before that there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women.