what's more important? Sales or Chart Success

[PaNdeM0niuM!]

choose
???

[KikiMets]

Again, I don't think it's an either/or proposition or anywhere near as simple as you're trying to make it. The two things usually go hand-in-hand. When you have hit songs that do well on the charts and connect with the public, sales will happen.

[WhySoSerious?]

Sales. Airplay means nothing without album sales.

[PaNdeM0niuM!]

KikiMets said:

Again, I don't think it's an either/or proposition or anywhere near as simple as you're trying to make it. The two things usually go hand-in-hand. When you have hit songs that do well on the charts and connect with the public, sales will happen.

well put and very succinct

[GiggaWho]

Ultimately sales. But as Kiki pointed out, airplay is often an important driver of sales. People need to know about your music to buy it. And airplay is still one of the best ways to expose people to your music, which means it's rarely an either or choice. There are very few albums that sell extrememly well with little or no radio exposure and there are very few albums that have tons of airplay and chart success that have little or no sales.

[PaNdeM0niuM!]

question: artists like 'The Supremes' had 12 #1 singles.

They are not known for their sales.
So would chart success be more important for them?

[automyskin89]

TCorey said:

Sales.  Airplay means nothing without album sales. 

[ayoPiT0]

KikiMets said:

Again, I don't think it's an either/or proposition or anywhere near as simple as you're trying to make it. The two things usually go hand-in-hand. When you have hit songs that do well on the charts and connect with the public, sales will happen.

How does that explain Norah Jones?

[britrocks16]

Sales.

[punkydoodle]

Sales, absolutely.

[Tyler46]

Both sales and chart success is important. But i chose chart success" because artist's need SOME chart success to manage to sell their albums. Look at Norah Jones. She can sell millions of albums, but hardly anyone knows her. Even though she sold a lot of albums, she won't be remembered for her music or chart success, because people barely know her music. I know sales are more important, but all i'm saying is that that chart success usuallyl eads to sales.

[Ironically Ironic]

tyler46 said:

Both sales and chart success is important. But i chose chart success" because artist's need SOME chart success to manage to sell their albums. Look at Norah Jones. She can sell millions of albums, but hardly anyone knows her. Even though she sold a lot of albums, she won't be remembered for her music or chart success, because people barely know her music. I know sales are more important, but all i'm saying is that that chart success usuallyl eads to sales.

I DISAGREE WHOLY on that.

[Love Plastic Love]

Byron72689 said:

I DISAGREE on that. 

Me too. No one knows Norah Jones? That person has to be joking...right?

[irice22]

Sales are more important, but I think chart performance shows recognition. If an album sells and the songs don't do well on the radio, it probably means that it is well-known artist with fans who will eat up their terrible music.

[Bob]

Well I think this topic is really missing something, which is that REAL success is longevity, and what people feel about you, and how many care about you. And that's not really determined by chart success or sales, rather those are consequences of the former. That being said, I actually think chart success is more important--- obviously if you're selling tons of albums, you're high on the chart. But like someone said about Norah Jones, she sold tons of albums but how many songs can people name by her? I'd say only a very small number of people can really name more than one or two (mostly just one)...

It's better to have lots of singles, because people identify with songs not with albums most of the time.

[britrocks16]

Bob said:

Well I think this topic is really missing something, which is that REAL success is longevity, and what people feel about you, and how many care about you. And that's not really determined by chart success or sales, rather those are consequences of the former. That being said, I actually think chart success is more important--- obviously if you're selling tons of albums, you're high on the chart. But like someone said about Norah Jones, she sold tons of albums but how many songs can people name by her? I'd say only a very small number of people can really name more than one or two (mostly just one)...

It's better to have lots of singles, because people identify with songs not with albums most of the time.

I think that real success is the impact you have made on the industy.

[Me. I Am Justin...]

TCorey said:

Sales.  Airplay means nothing without album sales. 

[Purple Dreams]

TCorey said:

Sales.  Airplay means nothing without album sales. 

I agree. And some people need lots of airplay to generate sales whereas others such as Norah Jones don't.

[Tyler46]

Bob said:

Well I think this topic is really missing something, which is that REAL success is longevity, and what people feel about you, and how many care about you. And that's not really determined by chart success or sales, rather those are consequences of the former. That being said, I actually think chart success is more important--- obviously if you're selling tons of albums, you're high on the chart. But like someone said about Norah Jones, she sold tons of albums but how many songs can people name by her? I'd say only a very small number of people can really name more than one or two (mostly just one)...

It's better to have lots of singles, because people identify with songs not with albums most of the time.

I agree. The only reason why Norah Jones' albums is selling so much is because the Grammy's love her and keep kissing her a** every year and that generates hype for the artist and people go out to buy her albums for that. And, as Bob said, it is better to have lots of singles because it is true that people identify with songs most of the time.

[jmason]

Sales, with no sales the artist can make no more music.