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

[lurker2]

May 18, 2024 21:22:17 GMT -5 eagle27 said:

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.

I don't think I'd go that far - plenty of people got shat on in Hot 100 threads for encouraging mass buying (BTS and Nicki Minaj are notable, as are - to a lesser extent - Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, and Harry Styles). This isn't that different at the end of the day.

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.

I'd agree that Billie's cover variants are also trashy and exploitative. I think that this is the norm is annoying as a chart watcher (sales are meaningless, and the same hundred few stans buying different versions for remixes they won't listen to or alternate covers dilutes the ability of the chart to show what people are listening to) and, as I stated to admittedly condescending effect earlier, somewhat exploitative of fans.

[Choco]

Billie doesn't have cover variants. It's just colored vinyls and they all have the exact same songs on it; Dua Lipa did the same RECENTLY. It doesn't really scream buy all the different versions like when people drop different bonus tracks like Olivia's GUTS or do elaborate cover designs like the Midnights clock that you needed 4 versions to assemble.

[clsvltn]

May 18, 2024 19:52:04 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

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

Music is absolutely a competition. Have you heard of the Billboard charts??  Music can still tell stories and deal with life but the industry itself which Billie and Taylor are part of is a competition. They are major artists signed to labels that promote  money making business and competition.

[avamaxstan]

May 18, 2024 22:34:36 GMT -5 clsvltn said:

May 18, 2024 19:52:04 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

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.)

Music is absolutely a competition. Have you heard of the Billboard charts??  Music can still tell stories and deal with life but the industry itself which Billie and Taylor are part of is a competition. They are major artists signed to labels that promote  money making business and competition.

No meaningful amount of money is being made by rush releasing some digital variants that only a few thousand stans are going to buy. The entire purpose is to keep the album at #1 for another week and prevent any new release from another artist. It’s completely within her rights, but we’re allowed to think it’s petty and lame.

[HEADOFTHEPACK]

The last vestige of tunnel vision Swifties - any criticism must be sexist and solely targeted at Taylor. We go in circles in these threads I swear ha.

[suburbandreams]

All this drama over digital memos that like twenty swifties bought.

Ariana released a new remix of we can't be friends this week and i didn't hear much chatter about how she is sabotaging billie for doing so.

music industry is a business. artists don't have to and usually don't take turns. they keep on promoting their own work and try to keep theirs on top as long as possible. taylor and billie both being women doesn't mean they have to act differently from men and take turns.

the only thing different is that taylor is the most successful at it.

billie plays the game as much as anyone with her fifteen variants and requiring people to buy 4 copies to get a signed one. she choose to release at a contested time. it's the responsibility of her team not taylor's to ensure her success. she can always rollout a new batch of paint smeared albums if it means that much to her.

[HEADOFTHEPACK]

May 19, 2024 0:01:10 GMT -5 suburbandreams said:

taylor and billie both being women doesn't mean they have to act differently from men and take turns.

the only thing different is that taylor is the most successful at it.

I can’t find any posts here where someone is implying Taylor and Billie should behave differently because of their gender. I might be missing it though, could you point it out?

Most successful at “it” - at what?

[Hefty Hanna]

My thoughts on the matter are…

- I’m doubtful *that* many Swifties caved in and purchased the new digital variants, or at least enough to significantly impact Billie. I know I didn’t and I’ve purchased WAY too many versions of TTPD at this point. But perhaps this is just naivety of the hold Taylor has on her fan base.

- I think releasing these versions of TTPD is tacky and money-gouging to fans.

- However, Billie also released like a dozen versions of her new album, so she isn’t some victim here. She too is very much playing the game.

- I’m doubtful Billie actually gives a fuck about this tbh

Note: I own both albums and as massive of a Swiftie as I am, I also love Billie to bits. I don’t think either of them are “right”

[shayonce]

the fact that even HDD wrote that article with names.. lol
litereally anyone with brain can see that it is such a shitty move that targets billie.

this is one of weirdest release ever.
5wks old album having digital album pre-order on thursday and download abailable on Friday.. what??

also billie doing multiple variants has nothing to do with this. so ???

[suburbandreams]

May 19, 2024 0:42:55 GMT -5 HEADOFTHEPACK said:

May 19, 2024 0:01:10 GMT -5 suburbandreams said:

taylor and billie both being women doesn't mean they have to act differently from men and take turns.

the only thing different is that taylor is the most successful at it.

I can’t find any posts here where someone is implying Taylor and Billie should behave differently because of their gender. I might be missing it though, could you point it out?

Most successful at “it” - at what?

you have ihype attack taylor's character over this  in the first page "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." 

for most successful, i mean she has the biggest fanbase so even normal tactics by Taylor can have outsize effect which gives them more attention. for ex, sabrina just released an ep of expresso remixes. sabrina isn't getting conversations about how she is trying to sabotage billie's chances of debuting a single in the top 10 because Taylor is so much more powerful on the charts due to her fans . 

[suburbandreams]

May 19, 2024 1:07:11 GMT -5 shayonce said:

the fact that even HDD wrote that article with names.. lol
litereally anyone with brain can see that it is such a shitty move that targets billie.

this is one of weirdest release ever.
5wks old album having digital album pre-order on thursday and download abailable on Friday.. what??

also billie doing multiple variants has nothing to do with this. so ???

An artist continuing to promote a 4 week old album and trying to get another week at one is extremely normal behavior.  artist don't gift other's free weeks at #1.

Taylor has done similar tactics against a literal dead artist when she used signed copies to get folklore extra weeks at #1 against pop smoke. she isn't special. beyonce, billie, ariana, olivia all have used various tactic to stay at #1.
 
Its not personal. Music industry is a business and all business use tactics to make their products the most successful.

[joshtheking]

correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Billie's variants are eco friendly, which was the point she was making.

[suburbandreams]

May 19, 2024 4:26:21 GMT -5 joshtheking said:

correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Billie's variants are eco friendly, which was the point she was making.

They aren't . Using a small portion of recycled material doesn't make change the amount of emissions materially. the plastic from the vinyl which is what being recycled makes up a neglible amount of the emissions. it's the the manufacturing and transportation process that is worst for the environment emission ways.

environmental consquences of vinyl are very small of the global scale but what billie is doing is classic green washing. recyling isn't magic and is often bad for the environment due to the extra miles needed to transport the recycled material.

[Ryan]

May 19, 2024 4:46:18 GMT -5 suburbandreams said:

May 19, 2024 4:26:21 GMT -5 joshtheking said:

correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Billie's variants are eco friendly, which was the point she was making.

They aren't . Using a small portion of recycled material doesn't make them eco friendly at all considering the manufacturing and transportation process. 

It's classic green washing.

I wouldn't call it "a small portion":

-The standard black vinyl: made from 100% recycled black vinyl.

-Colored vinyls: made from ECO-MIX (100% recycled compound made of leftover from any color which cannot otherwise be used / collecting all first run scraps to re-use for additional runs later) or BioVinyl (reduce carbon emissions by 90% vs. virgin vinyl using non-fossil fuel materials like used cooking oil or industrial waste gases while maintaining the same audio and optical quality as conventional vinyl

-All vinyl packaging is made from FSC® certified recycled paper/boards made 100% from post-consumer waste and recycled pre-consumer fibers. The ink used is raw plant-based and water-based dispersion varnish.

-Shrink-wrap, the sleeves are 100% recycled and re-usable.

-For shipping, all finished goods are packaged and shipped to depots in up to 93% recycled and 100% recyclable shipping boxes.

-Cassette shells will be made from recycled shell pieces that are ground down and re-used to make new cassette shells. Absolutely no plastic cassette boxes will be used; instead FSC certified eco-friendly stock to make o-cards will be used in their place.

-CD packaging will be made from softpaks, with zero plastic jewel boxes. All softpaks will be made from FSC Certified stock with 100% renewable fibers and up to 30% post-consumer recycled fibers that are 100% recyclable.

-Posters are made from 100% recycled paper.

store.billieeilish.com/pages/sustainability

[suburbandreams]

May 19, 2024 4:59:41 GMT -5 Ryan said:

May 19, 2024 4:46:18 GMT -5 suburbandreams said:

They aren't . Using a small portion of recycled material doesn't make them eco friendly at all considering the manufacturing and transportation process. 

It's classic green washing.

I wouldn't call it "a small portion":

-The standard black vinyl: made from 100% recycled black vinyl.

-Colored vinyls: made from ECO-MIX (100% recycled compound made of leftover from any color which cannot otherwise be used / collecting all first run scraps to re-use for additional runs later) or BioVinyl (reduce carbon emissions by 90% vs. virgin vinyl using non-fossil fuel materials like used cooking oil or industrial waste gases while maintaining the same audio and optical quality as conventional vinyl

-All vinyl packaging is made from FSC® certified recycled paper/boards made 100% from post-consumer waste and recycled pre-consumer fibers. The ink used is raw plant-based and water-based dispersion varnish.

-Shrink-wrap, the sleeves are 100% recycled and re-usable.

-For shipping, all finished goods are packaged and shipped to depots in up to 93% recycled and 100% recyclable shipping boxes.

-Cassette shells will be made from recycled shell pieces that are ground down and re-used to make new cassette shells. Absolutely no plastic cassette boxes will be used; instead FSC certified eco-friendly stock to make o-cards will be used in their place.

-CD packaging will be made from softpaks, with zero plastic jewel boxes. All softpaks will be made from FSC Certified stock with 100% renewable fibers and up to 30% post-consumer recycled fibers that are 100% recyclable.

-Posters are made from 100% recycled paper.

store.billieeilish.com/pages/sustainability

Reduce and reuse are much more important than recycling for environmentalism.

The focus on being green seems to focused on that while ignorning the high carbon costs of natural fibers and of the recycling process.

The vast majority  "recycling" in the USA ends being shipped to developing countries where most material ends up in a landfill.
 
15 variants do not become green just because material is recycled. It doesn't the massive apart of greenhouse gases that are used in the manfacturing process and to transport all the products millions of miles.

[jenglisbe]

May 18, 2024 22:34:36 GMT -5 clsvltn said:

May 18, 2024 19:52:04 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

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.)

Music is absolutely a competition. Have you heard of the Billboard charts??  Music can still tell stories and deal with life but the industry itself which Billie and Taylor are part of is a competition. They are major artists signed to labels that promote  money making business and competition.

Have you heard of reading comprehension? It seems like you didn't even read what I wrote. Music did not develop out of competition (if anything it developed out of collaboration). More than that, if you removed the Billboard charts, music would still continue to exist and be made. If you remove the competition aspect of sports, most sports literally would cease to exist; how do you play football or volleyball without the competitive aspect?

If Swift and her fans want to view music as a competition for sales and Album of the Year awards have at it, but you should also understand that most people are primarily into music for the sake of the art and are going to find a lot of what Swift and her fans do to be tacky. It's just how it's going to be.

[fridayteenage]

i think most people don't think of listening to music as "THE SAKE OF ART" or "competiton for sales."

they just...listen to music for fun.

[HEADOFTHEPACK]

May 19, 2024 2:22:41 GMT -5 suburbandreams said:

May 19, 2024 0:42:55 GMT -5 HEADOFTHEPACK said:

I can’t find any posts here where someone is implying Taylor and Billie should behave differently because of their gender. I might be missing it though, could you point it out?

Most successful at “it” - at what?

you have ihype attack taylor's character over this  in the first page "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." 

for most successful, i mean she has the biggest fanbase so even normal tactics by Taylor can have outsize effect which gives them more attention. for ex, sabrina just released an ep of expresso remixes. sabrina isn't getting conversations about how she is trying to sabotage billie's chances of debuting a single in the top 10 because Taylor is so much more powerful on the charts due to her fans . 

I still don’t see anything there about Taylor and Billie needing to behave differently because they’re women, not men. Generally think we all need to take a little more care with gender-based assumptions.

Her power (and Billie’s to an extent) is exactly why this is a conversation. This isn’t a hypocritical character assassination, nor is in the bubble of this forum - it’s being reported on and HDD are specifically calling it out.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

May 19, 2024 5:20:45 GMT -5 suburbandreams said:

May 19, 2024 4:59:41 GMT -5 Ryan said:

I wouldn't call it "a small portion":

-The standard black vinyl: made from 100% recycled black vinyl.

-Colored vinyls: made from ECO-MIX (100% recycled compound made of leftover from any color which cannot otherwise be used / collecting all first run scraps to re-use for additional runs later) or BioVinyl (reduce carbon emissions by 90% vs. virgin vinyl using non-fossil fuel materials like used cooking oil or industrial waste gases while maintaining the same audio and optical quality as conventional vinyl

-All vinyl packaging is made from FSC® certified recycled paper/boards made 100% from post-consumer waste and recycled pre-consumer fibers. The ink used is raw plant-based and water-based dispersion varnish.

-Shrink-wrap, the sleeves are 100% recycled and re-usable.

-For shipping, all finished goods are packaged and shipped to depots in up to 93% recycled and 100% recyclable shipping boxes.

-Cassette shells will be made from recycled shell pieces that are ground down and re-used to make new cassette shells. Absolutely no plastic cassette boxes will be used; instead FSC certified eco-friendly stock to make o-cards will be used in their place.

-CD packaging will be made from softpaks, with zero plastic jewel boxes. All softpaks will be made from FSC Certified stock with 100% renewable fibers and up to 30% post-consumer recycled fibers that are 100% recyclable.

-Posters are made from 100% recycled paper.

store.billieeilish.com/pages/sustainability

Reduce and reuse are much more important than recycling for environmentalism.

The focus on being green seems to focused on that while ignorning the high carbon costs of natural fibers and of the recycling process.

The vast majority  "recycling" in the USA ends being shipped to developing countries where most material ends up in a landfill.
 
15 variants do not become green just because material is recycled. It doesn't the massive apart of greenhouse gases that are used in the manfacturing process and to transport all the products millions of miles.

But what’s the alternative other than not making the album available on vinyl? Having multiple versions of colour vinyl vs having one regular black vinyl version can’t be much different environmentally. The multiple colours don’t encourage multiple purchases since they all have the same cover/track list so it’s not like it’s encourage waste in this sense. I suppose she could opt out of physical media altogether but that wouldn’t make sense for someone of her stature. Being a pop star unfortunately isn’t fantastic for the environment but it looks like steps have been made to minimize the impact wherever possible.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

May 19, 2024 7:57:25 GMT -5 fridayteenage said:

i think most people don't think of listening to music as "THE SAKE OF ART" or "competiton for sales."

they just...listen to music for fun.

I think that was j’s point. People listen to music for the enjoyment, whether art or fun or whatever. Stans make it a competition.

[andrebra]

May 19, 2024 8:32:17 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

May 19, 2024 5:20:45 GMT -5 suburbandreams said:

Reduce and reuse are much more important than recycling for environmentalism.

The focus on being green seems to focused on that while ignorning the high carbon costs of natural fibers and of the recycling process.

The vast majority  "recycling" in the USA ends being shipped to developing countries where most material ends up in a landfill.
 
15 variants do not become green just because material is recycled. It doesn't the massive apart of greenhouse gases that are used in the manfacturing process and to transport all the products millions of miles.

But what’s the alternative other than not making the album available on vinyl? Having multiple versions of colour vinyl vs having one regular black vinyl version can’t be much different environmentally. The multiple colours don’t encourage multiple purchases since they all have the same cover/track list so it’s not like it’s encourage waste in this sense. I suppose she could opt out of physical media altogether but that wouldn’t make sense for someone of her stature. Being a pop star unfortunately isn’t fantastic for the environment but it looks like steps have been made to minimize the impact wherever possible.

This. You really have to go through hoops to read that entire list and still think she’s being hypocritical about her stance on vinyl. The fact they were able to create different colored vinyls in that way when so many other artists don’t even try to be sustainable with there’s shows that there is care there to still give consumers the products they want in a way that isn’t as harmful. Which of course to swifties is bad because it insinuates their supreme ruler is inherently doing something wrong.

[Envoirment]

May 18, 2024 15:08:13 GMT -5 Mike said:

Are they usually off by 40-60k?

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

They have been a bit off for quite a few female debuts this year.

Dua Lipa - Initial prediction 55-65k; did ~84k.
Ariana - Initial prediction 165k-185k; did ~225k.
Beyoncé - Initial prediction 350k+; did ~418k.
Taylor - Initial prediction 1-2 million; did ~2.6 million.

So there is the possibility of Billie doing another 40-60k by the end of the week. The second day hold of the album is quite strong. All 10 tracks still over 1 million on spotify and top 22. Holding up well on Apple music as well. I do think her numbers will trend upwards with the great 2nd day hold on streaming.

[iHype.]

May 19, 2024 2:22:41 GMT -5 suburbandreams said:

May 19, 2024 0:42:55 GMT -5 HEADOFTHEPACK said:

I can’t find any posts here where someone is implying Taylor and Billie should behave differently because of their gender. I might be missing it though, could you point it out?

Most successful at “it” - at what?

you have ihype attack taylor's character over this  in the first page "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." 

for most successful, i mean she has the biggest fanbase so even normal tactics by Taylor can have outsize effect which gives them more attention. for ex, sabrina just released an ep of expresso remixes. sabrina isn't getting conversations about how she is trying to sabotage billie's chances of debuting a single in the top 10 because Taylor is so much more powerful on the charts due to her fans . 

Hmm let’s see.

Sabrina releasing an EP of remixes for a single, pretty common and standard. Has existed for decades and been done by every Pop artist.

Releasing 3+ new versions for an album casually over a month after release when said album has also already reached #1 to begin with. This has not been done by any other artist in history.

Y’all are conveniently playing dense as to why many people perceive this as odd and view it as her going above and beyond to personally prevent Billie from going #1.

[musiclife]

May 18, 2024 22:21:15 GMT -5 Choco said:

Billie doesn't have cover variants. It's just colored vinyls and they all have the exact same songs on it; Dua Lipa did the same RECENTLY. It doesn't really scream buy all the different versions like when people drop different bonus tracks like Olivia's GUTS or do elaborate cover designs like the Midnights clock that you needed 4 versions to assemble.

Doesn't she have those splatter variants?

[dremolus - solarpunk]

Um...stream LUNCH?

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

I'm always cringing at Taylor is a victim, people only care when Taylor does it stories - well...yeah? She's the biggest and most influential artist right now, of course her every move causes an action and can change things, that should be a compliment, right? Power is a double-edged sword, so don't expect only nice things to come with it.

and yes, those chart games and pettiness are totally legit, whether it's for the first week at #1 or 21st, but when you advocate for some specific things in the future, don't be surprised if people won't buy it, especially because it's not an isolated case. Really nothing against Taylor, just never liked that side of her, maybe it was appropriate when she was Olivia Rodrigo's age, not sure it's now...but her life, her choice.

[HEADOFTHEPACK]

I’m not sure we should bring age into it, but agree with the point that it’s just off. Taylor is successful beyond any other artist, her sales are massive - so why are we playing games to maximize sales that are already and continue to be huge?

May 19, 2024 9:51:26 GMT -5 musiclife said:

May 18, 2024 22:21:15 GMT -5 Choco said:

Billie doesn't have cover variants. It's just colored vinyls and they all have the exact same songs on it; Dua Lipa did the same RECENTLY. It doesn't really scream buy all the different versions like when people drop different bonus tracks like Olivia's GUTS or do elaborate cover designs like the Midnights clock that you needed 4 versions to assemble.

Doesn't she have those splatter variants?

That’s 1x CD variant, sort of the equivalent of a “signed by”. Same cover, same tracks. There is no incentive to buy multiple versions, as explained.

[GW]

May 18, 2024 19:23:52 GMT -5 iHype. said:

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

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.

I didn't say I don't "get it."  I absolutely understand why people feel the way they do.  My point was that I don't think it's about Billie, specifically, it's about maintaining Taylor's #1 position, regardless of who the competition is.

This narrative that Taylor should have to "let" others reach #1 by NOT doing things to help prolong her weeks at #1 is an interesting one. It's giving "let somebody else win for once" vibes, coming from some people who clearly look at the charts as a competition. But, whoa, Taylor's doing too much! Having a strategy to remain on top of the chart? How dare she.  Mind you, these things only work with the willingness of the consumer.  Nobody is holding a gun to their heads.

That said, maybe there should be a cap on number of variants allowed per album in terms of the Billboard 200.  Until that happens, and the consumer is willing to engage, I don't see anything wrong with playing the game, even if it's at "unheard"-of levels, or deemed "unnecessary" by naysayers.  I think the motives are clear, as I don't think Taylor/Republic are trying to hide it. If it leaves a sour taste in one's mouth, it's likely they're suffering from sour apples.  To each our own.

[iHype.]

May 19, 2024 10:23:06 GMT -5 GW said:

May 18, 2024 19:23:52 GMT -5 iHype. said:

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.

I didn't say I don't "get it."  I absolutely understand why people feel the way they do.  My point was that I don't think it's about Billie, specifically, it's about maintaining Taylor's #1 position, regardless of who the competition is.

This narrative that Taylor should have to "let" others reach #1 by NOT doing things to help prolong her weeks at #1 is an interesting one. It's giving "let somebody else win for once" vibes, coming from some people who clearly look at the charts as a competition. But, whoa, Taylor's doing too much! Having a strategy to remain on top of the chart? How dare she.  Mind you, these things only work with the willingness of the consumer.  Nobody is holding a gun to their heads.

That said, maybe there should be a cap on number of variants allowed per album in terms of the Billboard 200.  Until that happens, and the consumer is willing to engage, I don't see anything wrong with playing the game, even if it's at "unheard"-of levels, or deemed "unnecessary" by naysayers.  I think the motives are clear, as I don't think Taylor/Republic are trying to hide it. If it leaves a sour taste in one's mouth, it's likely they're suffering from sour apples.  To each our own.

The narrative isn’t Taylor should “let” other people be #1, but rather if she clearly is going to no longer be #1 then just not resort to a bunch of random tactics to falsely inflate her numbers back up and keep at her at #1?

Making the same group of fans purchase an album they already own for the 7th time isn’t popularity at that point, it’s just mass buying, exploiting, and using loopholes to maintain charting.

And yes it does become absolutely hilarious when she’s time after time shed light on her unfair treatment as a young female artist in the music business to engage in this fraudulence which at the end of the day just only hurts another young female artist (Billie) at the expense of her getting absolutely nothing ultimately. She has achieved everything 40x already with this album and all her others. Getting one extra week and blocking Billie does nothing for her numbers, her story, or the album’s legacy. It’s just ridiculous greed at this point and again it’s being done in a borderline fraudulent and fan-exploitative manner.

[GW]

May 19, 2024 10:28:12 GMT -5 iHype. said:

May 19, 2024 10:23:06 GMT -5 GW said:

I didn't say I don't "get it."  I absolutely understand why people feel the way they do.  My point was that I don't think it's about Billie, specifically, it's about maintaining Taylor's #1 position, regardless of who the competition is.

This narrative that Taylor should have to "let" others reach #1 by NOT doing things to help prolong her weeks at #1 is an interesting one. It's giving "let somebody else win for once" vibes, coming from some people who clearly look at the charts as a competition. But, whoa, Taylor's doing too much! Having a strategy to remain on top of the chart? How dare she.  Mind you, these things only work with the willingness of the consumer.  Nobody is holding a gun to their heads.

That said, maybe there should be a cap on number of variants allowed per album in terms of the Billboard 200.  Until that happens, and the consumer is willing to engage, I don't see anything wrong with playing the game, even if it's at "unheard"-of levels, or deemed "unnecessary" by naysayers.  I think the motives are clear, as I don't think Taylor/Republic are trying to hide it. If it leaves a sour taste in one's mouth, it's likely they're suffering from sour apples.  To each our own.

The narrative isn’t Taylor should “let” other people be #1, but rather if she clearly is going to no longer be #1 then just not resort to a bunch of random tactics to falsely inflate her numbers back up and keep at her at #1?

Making the same group of fans purchase an album they already own for the 7th time isn’t popularity at that point, it’s just mass buying, exploiting, and using loopholes to maintain charting.

I don't think the tactics are "random" - they require some planning.  And nobody is "making" the fans purchase anything, as I already mentioned.

I don't really have anything else to say on this, and I do think variant tactics should probably be reigned in terms of their inclusion on the Billboard 200, but until there are rules, it is what it is. We can all feel as we do about it, I just think it's too bad that so many perceive things like this as Taylor coming for another specific artist by wanting to remain at #1.  I don't think it has anything to do with Billie, specifically, and I stand by that.

I see you added a rant mentioning "fraudulence" and I guess I'd just remind you that fraud requires dishonesty and breaking the law.  Neither of those apply here.