Agreed - that was my point really too. Not that he ranks with Richie or any of the others necessarily but that it seems sort of crazy to judge someone's music by their personality. I linked to those examples because for a lot of those people we probably don't really care what they said or did, and I feel the same about James.
I also don't want to listen to artists on talk shows or see them making the rounds on tv shows promoting their stuff. I genuinely don't care what they have to say.
I agree with both you and Menk, I really do. We should be judging artists by their music and not their personality. I have literally hundreds of songs in my iTunes collection by artists who I've never heard a single word from - songs and albums I absolutely love and adore, but the singers of which could be neo-nazis for all I know!
But with James, and any other singers of his ilk who make the rounds on all available media sources to flog their wares - I do judge them by a different criteria, and so do many other music listeners, I suspect. If James just bloody got on with it and put the focus back on his music I'd be far more inclined to give him a chance. But that seems to not be the promotional strategy with James's music. And so he's on TV shows I've tuned into, papers I've flicked through, numerous internet sites that I visit, and radio stations I'm listening to (and not just his music but actual interviews from him.) He's everywhere! And most importantly, he's on my Twitter timeline every day - not because I follow him but because people I do follow are commenting on or retweeting his latest rant, just like he wants them to.
I think when you have a singer like that, it's human nature to judge them by a different criteria. When you have a singer who has come from the XF - one of the biggest personality contests in the UK - because he has failed to have any mainstream success with his own music, then that criteria by which you judge them is even more applicable. I don't begrudge anyone going on the XF, I really don't (I love the XF which is why I'm on this forum so much! ), but there are ways to come out of it without needing to constantly court press and attention. Rebecca Ferguson, for example, I would name her as an example of how to do it right. I didn't see all that much promotion from her in the run-up to the album release, I certainly didn't see any obvious PR attempts to gain column inches, and yet she easily sold double what James did in the first week of sales, proving that the music really did speak for itself in her case.
So maybe, just maybe, if James wants us to judge his music on the quality of its own merit, he needs to shut up and let the music take centre stage. Whilst he continues to occupy that space between "music artist" and "media celebrity", however, his personality is going to continue to be scrutinised and it will continue to overshadow the music itself until he learns how to manoeuvre both in a professional way.
I was probably one of many "on the fence" people who might have considered buying his album if I had some cash to spare and hadn't bought any other music for a while. But the attitude and nastiness has tipped me over the fence so now I wouldn't bother, I'd give it to some other artist.
So maybe, just maybe, if James wants us to judge his music on the quality of its own merit, he needs to shut up and let the music take centre stage. Whilst he continues to occupy that space between "music artist" and "media celebrity", however, his personality is going to continue to be scrutinised and it will continue to overshadow the music itself until he learns how to manoeuvre both in a professional way.
I have to admit that I am really wishing he would do this. It would be great if he would just be quiet for a little bit and let the music do the talking, so to speak.
We usually found out about it a good while afterwards - there was certainly not the immediacy that there is today. There were many, many housewives scratching their heads when Freddie Mercury died of AIDS because they'd always fancied him and they thought only gay people got AIDS! Can you imagine that sort of innocence today?
I think you got the wrong end of the stick with my post - my point was not that JA is controversial, or comparable to the rebels of yesteryear, but simply that I don't want to know.
We used to buy the music we liked, simple as that. If the artist was a dick, we usually didn't know, or had maybe heard some rumours, but didn't care. So it seems a strange concept to me to have your musical taste swayed by the personality of the artist, as some people have said in this thread. It seems as daft as buying music based solely on the artist being a nice person - you just wouldn't do it, would you? But the opposite is ok for some people, and that makes no sense whatsoever to me.
I liked Freddie Mercury, not because I fancied him, but owing to the sheer force of his personality and talent. His sexuality was none of my business, not that I cared. That started when I first heard Queen back in the Seventies and a 12 year old school girl. It was a time when we were well aware of what the artists got up to as I remember the tales of Keith Moon and his nights out with Oliver Reed; as Rolls Royces ended up in swimming pools. I grew up with The Who, Jimmy Hendrix and The Stones being played constantly in the house, not by me, but my brothers who were into those artists.
Funnily enough there was a rather good programme on Jimi Hendrix last week, I never appreciated him at the time, but he was seriously talented and knew his music. I never knew he played the guitar behind his neck, because that was the way the Blues artists learnt their craft way back in time. He started off as backing support for blues legends and then mixed it with progressive rock, in order to create his own style. Similarly, Freddie Mercury was a fan of Jimi Hendrix, studied him as he was starting out and Hendrix was instrumental in being the guidance behind Mercury and his his vocal genius. He understood the various genres of music, those that had gone through the ages of time, and then he added pure showmanship into the mix. One of my few regrets in life was not going to Live Aid, back in the mid-eighties and watching Queen steal the show. I stayed at home and watched it on TV. One of my favourite You Tube slips is watching Freddie Mercury, performing Bohemian Rhapsody with the English Ballet, and managing to hold a tune, whilst singing upside down. As he stated, not even Mick Jagger could do that.
NME and Melody Maker were weekend reading and there was so much creativity, wit and mischief around in the Seventies and Eighties, and a majority made its way to the red top tabloids.
There are so many albums being released and we are spoilt for choice. If I do not like the artist for whatever reason, whether they are picking on young girls via Twitter or whinging and moaning because they cannot respect another artist. Particularly those that came through the same reality programme as themselves. If I seriously do not like their voice, style, presentation or personality then I am not going to buy their album. Personal choice and personal freedom.
Ellie submitted a very good post and I completely agree with what she had to say on the subject.
I have to admit that I am really wishing he would do this. It would be great if he would just be quiet for a little bit and let the music do the talking, so to speak.
It is a shame as the reviews for his album have been really good, from what I've seen. It makes me wonder why his management have felt the need to position him in this way. To me, it comes across as a lack of faith in his ability to sell records in a normal and non-aggressive way. I genuinely don't see how the sort of media attention he's gained as a result of his outspoken personality has helped him to win over casual music buyers.
based on his single - no. I'm very selective these days in purchasing music, but largely I don't take a punt anymore unless I have an idea what the album is going to be like. I don't like his single and as others have said, I don't particularly like him. he's done himself no favours on his twitter account, as an example.
James reminds me a little of my brother in law - appears to have a big chip on his shoulder and its everybody elses fault. that said, for me the only basis for purchasing music is, is it good? My music selection is full of artists who were idiots but I liked the music at the time, so I bought it and still listen to it. I really don't like his new single, so I won't be buying
Despite there being this idea that management are all controlling, these days it is much harder for them to do that. 10 years ago, before social media was the force it is today, what artists and popstars got up to "off screen" was much easier to hide. Stories could be kept out of tabloids by bargaining with them.
These days when the artist runs their own social media and is controlling the output, it's near on impossible for managers to keep a lid on things.
Personally, I'd rather know if an artist is unpleasant, or has strong opinions on something I might disagree with (e.g. politics, religion, sexuality) so I can avoid supporting them.
Well ahead of the rest in the first of the midweek sales flashes, James Arthur's debut album was blasted aside by Eminem but still manages to make a credible number two debut on sales of 63,995 copies. Reigning X Factor champion Arthur thus fails to emulate the number one debut his runner-up Jahmene Douglas achieved 15 weeks ago with Love Never Fails, but far surpasses Douglas' first week sale of 18,904 and - at a stroke - improves on Douglas' to-date sales of 61,826.
Arthur was the ninth X Factor champion, of whom only four reached number one with their debut album. His album had a better opening week than the last winners, Little Mix, whose DNA debuted and peaked at number three on sales of 53,314 copies last November and has since gone on to sell 315,114 copies. The previous seven winners and their first albums' opening week tallies/chart placings are as follows: Steve Brookstein (Heart And Soul, 2005, 50,989 sales, number one), Shayne Ward (Shayne Ward, 2006, 201,266 sales, number one), Leona Lewis (Spirit, 2007, 375,872 sales, number one), Leon Jackson (Right Now, 2008, 37,197 sales, number four), Alexandra Burke (Overcome, 2009, 132,065 sales, number one), Joe McElderry (Wide Awake, 2010, 39,405 sales, number three) and Matt Cardle (Letters, 2011, 70,896 sales, number two).
Well ahead of the rest in the first of the midweek sales flashes, James Arthur's debut album was blasted aside by Eminem but still manages to make a credible number two debut on sales of 63,995 copies. Reigning X Factor champion Arthur thus fails to emulate the number one debut his runner-up Jahmene Douglas achieved 15 weeks ago with Love Never Fails, but far surpasses Douglas' first week sale of 18,904 and - at a stroke - improves on Douglas' to-date sales of 61,826.
Arthur was the ninth X Factor champion, of whom only four reached number one with their debut album. His album had a better opening week than the last winners, Little Mix, whose DNA debuted and peaked at number three on sales of 53,314 copies last November and has since gone on to sell 315,114 copies. The previous seven winners and their first albums' opening week tallies/chart placings are as follows: Steve Brookstein (Heart And Soul, 2005, 50,989 sales, number one), Shayne Ward (Shayne Ward, 2006, 201,266 sales, number one), Leona Lewis (Spirit, 2007, 375,872 sales, number one), Leon Jackson (Right Now, 2008, 37,197 sales, number four), Alexandra Burke (Overcome, 2009, 132,065 sales, number one), Joe McElderry (Wide Awake, 2010, 39,405 sales, number three) and Matt Cardle (Letters, 2011, 70,896 sales, number two).
So Matt actually beat him by a pretty wide margin in first week sales? I know that people will argue that album sales aren't what they were two years ago, but even if you factored in a 10% drop-off that would still mean they were on a pretty even keel so far for their debut albums. It will be interesting to see how their second week sales compare.
Great sales for the first winner who has neither promoted his single or album on the XF. I was uncomfortable with Syco taking such a big gamble with him but i think they were out to prove a point and they did.
Great sales for the first winner who has neither promoted his single or album on the XF. I was uncomfortable with Syco taking such a big gamble with him but i think they were out to prove a point and they did.
Genuine question: do you expect James's album sales to shoot up after he has appeared on XF later this series?
Well ahead of the rest in the first of the midweek sales flashes, James Arthur's debut album was blasted aside by Eminem but still manages to make a credible number two debut on sales of 63,995 copies. Reigning X Factor champion Arthur thus fails to emulate the number one debut his runner-up Jahmene Douglas achieved 15 weeks ago with Love Never Fails, but far surpasses Douglas' first week sale of 18,904 and - at a stroke - improves on Douglas' to-date sales of 61,826.
Arthur was the ninth X Factor champion, of whom only four reached number one with their debut album. His album had a better opening week than the last winners, Little Mix, whose DNA debuted and peaked at number three on sales of 53,314 copies last November and has since gone on to sell 315,114 copies. The previous seven winners and their first albums' opening week tallies/chart placings are as follows: Steve Brookstein (Heart And Soul, 2005, 50,989 sales, number one), Shayne Ward (Shayne Ward, 2006, 201,266 sales, number one), Leona Lewis (Spirit, 2007, 375,872 sales, number one), Leon Jackson (Right Now, 2008, 37,197 sales, number four), Alexandra Burke (Overcome, 2009, 132,065 sales, number one), Joe McElderry (Wide Awake, 2010, 39,405 sales, number three) and Matt Cardle (Letters, 2011, 70,896 sales, number two).
so he didn't beat matt then.
poor little babe....he'll be gutted....all that talk of people not picking it from a bargin bin......oops!:D:D:p
Great sales for the first winner who has neither promoted his single or album on the XF. I was uncomfortable with Syco taking such a big gamble with him but i think they were out to prove a point and they did.
I may be wrong, but I thought that Shayne Ward released his album in the April and did not have the benefit of an X Factor performance. Leona was the first winner to launch in the autumn on the show.
Genuine question: do you expect James's album sales to shoot up after he has appeared on XF later this series?
Yes, every artist who performs gets a surge in sales. How big or small that is, depends on the performance. You can't perform in front of millions of viewers and not see movement of an album/single on the charts.
Yes, every artist who performs gets a surge in sales. How big or small that is, depends on the performance. You can't perform in front of millions of viewers and not see movement of an album/single on the charts.
Oh. Lol, he performed on the Jonathon Ross show last week - correct me if I'm wrong. But that is PROMO. Stop making excuses for the fact that both his album and single have been dropping down the charts quickly. The truth is his disgusting, vile attitude have put people off him. What a pig. :rolleyes:
Yes, every artist who performs gets a surge in sales. How big or small that is, depends on the performance. You can't perform in front of millions of viewers and not see movement of an album/single on the charts.
Okay, fair enough. It will be interesting to see how much his album sales go up as a result of the performance; whether that will bring his overall sales more in line with where you'd expect a winner to be, with the sort of promotion (XF aside) and critical response he's had.
Great sales for the first winner who has neither promoted his single or album on the XF. I was uncomfortable with Syco taking such a big gamble with him but i think they were out to prove a point and they did.
Im curious too. Do you think the XF is the only factor that matters in sales? Massive R1 support plus Capital and Heart, numerous TV appearances including a performance on Jonathon Ross, newspaper interviews - clearly a lot of PR effort from Syco to get all those opportunities - plus Xtra factor. These don't matter - and I genuinely feel I cant turn round without hearing, seeing or reading about JA - none of that matters next to an XF appearance? If its that automatic I wonder why it didn't work for Tulisa.
Im curious too. Do you think the XF is the only factor that matters in sales? Massive R1 support plus Capital and Heart, numerous TV appearances including a performance on Jonathon Ross, newspaper interviews - clearly a lot of PR effort from Syco to get all those opportunities - plus Xtra factor. These don't matter - and I genuinely feel I cant turn round without hearing, seeing or reading about JA - none of that matters next to an XF appearance? If its that automatic I wonder why it didn't work for Tulisa.
Im curious too. Do you think the XF is the only factor that matters in sales? Massive R1 support plus Capital and Heart, numerous TV appearances including a performance on Jonathon Ross, newspaper interviews - clearly a lot of PR effort from Syco to get all those opportunities - plus Xtra factor. These don't matter - and I genuinely feel I cant turn round without hearing, seeing or reading about JA - none of that matters next to an XF appearance? If its that automatic I wonder why it didn't work for Tulisa.
well if you read a lot of the discussion on this board it would be easy to think that to some people x factor is the breadth of their musical knowledge
well if you read a lot of the discussion on this board it would be easy to think that to some people x factor is the breadth of their musical knowledge
Actually I think that the Xf may well give him a boost but I very much doubt it'll be down to him. Im guessing the Emelie Sande factor is what they're banking on and possibly why they delayed the appearance till the second single.
If we knew nothing about it then how did you know they used to do it? Surely that isn't the point at all; surely the point is that they used to do it but people turned a blind eye because the rockstars doing it were hailed as creative geniuses with tempestuous personalities.
I miss the days of rockstars acting without filters. I miss the likes of Richie Edwards carving '4real' deep into his arm with a razor as a horrified journalist sat next to him. I miss Kurt Cobain miming out of time on TOTP to protest their anti-live singing stance. I miss Morrissey, before he became bloated with his own self-importance, calling on people to destroy Margaret Thatcher. Those were the days when there were still ways to shock and offend, before everything became documented on the internet and dumbed down for the masses.
To me, it is insulting to place James Arthur in the ranks of 'controversial' musicians. He is not controversial, and he is not a rockstar. What James Arthur is, fundamentally, is a brand. He is signed to one of the most successful labels (in terms of short-term, instant sales) in the UK whose previous alumni include Robson & Jerome and Mr Blobby. He appeared on and won one of the most popular shows in the UK, a show which deliberately appeals to the masses and therefore has never offered us a niche act as a winner, and very rarely offers us a niche act in terms of any of the finalists. James Arthur might be sold as the unlikely but deserving bad boy winner of the XF, but the fact remains: he won by being uncontroversial and securing votes from the teeny 1D fangirls and the apparently musically-uneducated housewives he's now so quick to belittle.
This week, James has appeared on, to name just a few TV show, Loose Women, Day Break and Sunday Brunch. You don't have to be a TV analyst to work out the key demographic of shows like this. On all of these appearances he has interviewed politely, performed his pleasant new single in a competent way, and left the studio without any kerfuffle.
Another thing which James has done, however, and continues to do, is take to Twitter to rant against the 'fakes' and 'bullies' that apparently riddle his everyday life. He retweets endless messages from the 'haters' - usually impressionable teenage girls sticking up for 1D, or professional twitter trolls for whom James is one in a long line of celebrities they have tried to get a rise out of. He then retweets endless praise from other equally impressionable teenage girls, these ones praising everything he does and repeating his mantra that people who criticise him are 'bullies' and 'haters'. He's not adverse to sleeping with those kinds of teenage girls, either, if today's headlines are anything to go by, but that's a different matter entirely. The impression James is desperate to create through all of this is that he is a 'love him or hate him' kind of act. He is not bland, he is not safe, people either get him or they don't. There is no middle ground.
And still throughout all of this, the last thing in the world I would describe James Arthur as is controversial. There is nothing controversial about sitting at your laptop or on your phone typing out barely literate replies to people younger, more naïve and less worldly wise than you are. When Oasis and Blur clashed against one another in the 90s, people respected it because they were on an even playing field and used humour to combat the slight ridiculousness of the situation. Even Liam Gallagher would have drawn the line at being mean to thirteen year old girls on Twitter, had Twitter been around then, because that simply wouldn't have been interesting or beneficial to him.
James Arthur is not interesting or refreshing. He comes across as slightly dim and extremely hypocritical. There is nothing experimental or edgy about his NuBland type of music, to the extent that he has collaborated with the most over-exposed popstar in the UK and will no doubt appear with her on the XF for the next single, just in time to secure some much-needed Christmas sales. His album is currently ranking around the middle of previous notable XF debut album releases, and that is exactly what James Arthur is all about: a middle of the road popstar with a middle of the road voice and a middle of the road talent, pretending to be a controversial, uncut diamond. The only thing remarkable about him is his lack of self-awareness, a trait which I'm generally fascinated by in other people and the only reason I haven't lost interest in him completely.
Oh. Lol, he performed on the Jonathon Ross show last week - correct me if I'm wrong. But that is PROMO. Stop making excuses for the fact that both his album and single have been dropping down the charts quickly. The truth is his disgusting, vile attitude have put people off him. What a pig. :rolleyes:
His JR appearance was 2 weeks before his single release and he performed on the show 4 weeks ago.
His single has spent 3 weeks in the top 10 so it hasn't dropped off "quickly"....there have been major releases every week so he held up well.
Im curious too. Do you think the XF is the only factor that matters in sales? Massive R1 support plus Capital and Heart, numerous TV appearances including a performance on Jonathon Ross, newspaper interviews - clearly a lot of PR effort from Syco to get all those opportunities - plus Xtra factor. These don't matter - and I genuinely feel I cant turn round without hearing, seeing or reading about JA - none of that matters next to an XF appearance? If its that automatic I wonder why it didn't work for Tulisa.
The XF is a huge deal and is a highly coveted show to appear on amongst labels/management companies.
R2 has a bigger audience share than R1.
There's no evidence to suggest minor tv appearances or newspaper articles have the instant effect or any effect at all on records sales compared to actually performing on a highly rated music/chat show. There's a reason why labels time big promo slots around the time of release.
Tulisa's album did experience a sales surge, however...small it was. It didn't work for her because of a major backlash in the press. Female artists nned to keep the press on side more than male artists need to. They can pretty much get away with murder.
His JR appearance was 2 weeks before his single release and he performed on the show 4 weeks ago.
His single has spent 3 weeks in the top 10 so it hasn't dropped off "quickly"....there have been major releases every week so he held up well.
The XF is a huge deal and is a highly coveted show to appear on amongst labels/management companies.
R2 has a bigger audience share than R1.
There's no evidence to suggest minor tv appearances or newspaper articles have the instant effect or any effect at all on records sales compared to actually performing on a highly rated music/chat show. There's a reason why labels time big promo slots around the time of release.
Tulisa's album did experience a sales surge, however...small it was. It didn't work for her because of a major backlash in the press. Female artists nned to keep the press on side more than male artists need to. They can pretty much get away with murder.
Just a small point but the single has been played on R2. I quite often hear it when I'm round my parents' house.
Comments
I agree with both you and Menk, I really do. We should be judging artists by their music and not their personality. I have literally hundreds of songs in my iTunes collection by artists who I've never heard a single word from - songs and albums I absolutely love and adore, but the singers of which could be neo-nazis for all I know!
But with James, and any other singers of his ilk who make the rounds on all available media sources to flog their wares - I do judge them by a different criteria, and so do many other music listeners, I suspect. If James just bloody got on with it and put the focus back on his music I'd be far more inclined to give him a chance. But that seems to not be the promotional strategy with James's music. And so he's on TV shows I've tuned into, papers I've flicked through, numerous internet sites that I visit, and radio stations I'm listening to (and not just his music but actual interviews from him.) He's everywhere! And most importantly, he's on my Twitter timeline every day - not because I follow him but because people I do follow are commenting on or retweeting his latest rant, just like he wants them to.
I think when you have a singer like that, it's human nature to judge them by a different criteria. When you have a singer who has come from the XF - one of the biggest personality contests in the UK - because he has failed to have any mainstream success with his own music, then that criteria by which you judge them is even more applicable. I don't begrudge anyone going on the XF, I really don't (I love the XF which is why I'm on this forum so much!
So maybe, just maybe, if James wants us to judge his music on the quality of its own merit, he needs to shut up and let the music take centre stage. Whilst he continues to occupy that space between "music artist" and "media celebrity", however, his personality is going to continue to be scrutinised and it will continue to overshadow the music itself until he learns how to manoeuvre both in a professional way.
Both your posts seem completely spot on to me!
I wonder if his sales are really suffering from his attitude... I believe they are, but to which extend?
I have to admit that I am really wishing he would do this. It would be great if he would just be quiet for a little bit and let the music do the talking, so to speak.
I liked Freddie Mercury, not because I fancied him, but owing to the sheer force of his personality and talent. His sexuality was none of my business, not that I cared. That started when I first heard Queen back in the Seventies and a 12 year old school girl. It was a time when we were well aware of what the artists got up to as I remember the tales of Keith Moon and his nights out with Oliver Reed; as Rolls Royces ended up in swimming pools. I grew up with The Who, Jimmy Hendrix and The Stones being played constantly in the house, not by me, but my brothers who were into those artists.
Funnily enough there was a rather good programme on Jimi Hendrix last week, I never appreciated him at the time, but he was seriously talented and knew his music. I never knew he played the guitar behind his neck, because that was the way the Blues artists learnt their craft way back in time. He started off as backing support for blues legends and then mixed it with progressive rock, in order to create his own style. Similarly, Freddie Mercury was a fan of Jimi Hendrix, studied him as he was starting out and Hendrix was instrumental in being the guidance behind Mercury and his his vocal genius. He understood the various genres of music, those that had gone through the ages of time, and then he added pure showmanship into the mix. One of my few regrets in life was not going to Live Aid, back in the mid-eighties and watching Queen steal the show. I stayed at home and watched it on TV. One of my favourite You Tube slips is watching Freddie Mercury, performing Bohemian Rhapsody with the English Ballet, and managing to hold a tune, whilst singing upside down. As he stated, not even Mick Jagger could do that.
NME and Melody Maker were weekend reading and there was so much creativity, wit and mischief around in the Seventies and Eighties, and a majority made its way to the red top tabloids.
There are so many albums being released and we are spoilt for choice. If I do not like the artist for whatever reason, whether they are picking on young girls via Twitter or whinging and moaning because they cannot respect another artist. Particularly those that came through the same reality programme as themselves. If I seriously do not like their voice, style, presentation or personality then I am not going to buy their album. Personal choice and personal freedom.
Ellie submitted a very good post and I completely agree with what she had to say on the subject.
It is a shame as the reviews for his album have been really good, from what I've seen. It makes me wonder why his management have felt the need to position him in this way. To me, it comes across as a lack of faith in his ability to sell records in a normal and non-aggressive way. I genuinely don't see how the sort of media attention he's gained as a result of his outspoken personality has helped him to win over casual music buyers.
James reminds me a little of my brother in law - appears to have a big chip on his shoulder and its everybody elses fault. that said, for me the only basis for purchasing music is, is it good? My music selection is full of artists who were idiots but I liked the music at the time, so I bought it and still listen to it. I really don't like his new single, so I won't be buying
These days when the artist runs their own social media and is controlling the output, it's near on impossible for managers to keep a lid on things.
Personally, I'd rather know if an artist is unpleasant, or has strong opinions on something I might disagree with (e.g. politics, religion, sexuality) so I can avoid supporting them.
63,995
Well ahead of the rest in the first of the midweek sales flashes, James Arthur's debut album was blasted aside by Eminem but still manages to make a credible number two debut on sales of 63,995 copies. Reigning X Factor champion Arthur thus fails to emulate the number one debut his runner-up Jahmene Douglas achieved 15 weeks ago with Love Never Fails, but far surpasses Douglas' first week sale of 18,904 and - at a stroke - improves on Douglas' to-date sales of 61,826.
Arthur was the ninth X Factor champion, of whom only four reached number one with their debut album. His album had a better opening week than the last winners, Little Mix, whose DNA debuted and peaked at number three on sales of 53,314 copies last November and has since gone on to sell 315,114 copies. The previous seven winners and their first albums' opening week tallies/chart placings are as follows: Steve Brookstein (Heart And Soul, 2005, 50,989 sales, number one), Shayne Ward (Shayne Ward, 2006, 201,266 sales, number one), Leona Lewis (Spirit, 2007, 375,872 sales, number one), Leon Jackson (Right Now, 2008, 37,197 sales, number four), Alexandra Burke (Overcome, 2009, 132,065 sales, number one), Joe McElderry (Wide Awake, 2010, 39,405 sales, number three) and Matt Cardle (Letters, 2011, 70,896 sales, number two).
So Matt actually beat him by a pretty wide margin in first week sales? I know that people will argue that album sales aren't what they were two years ago, but even if you factored in a 10% drop-off that would still mean they were on a pretty even keel so far for their debut albums. It will be interesting to see how their second week sales compare.
Genuine question: do you expect James's album sales to shoot up after he has appeared on XF later this series?
so he didn't beat matt then.
poor little babe....he'll be gutted
I may be wrong, but I thought that Shayne Ward released his album in the April and did not have the benefit of an X Factor performance. Leona was the first winner to launch in the autumn on the show.
Yes, every artist who performs gets a surge in sales. How big or small that is, depends on the performance. You can't perform in front of millions of viewers and not see movement of an album/single on the charts.
Oh. Lol, he performed on the Jonathon Ross show last week - correct me if I'm wrong. But that is PROMO. Stop making excuses for the fact that both his album and single have been dropping down the charts quickly. The truth is his disgusting, vile attitude have put people off him. What a pig. :rolleyes:
Okay, fair enough. It will be interesting to see how much his album sales go up as a result of the performance; whether that will bring his overall sales more in line with where you'd expect a winner to be, with the sort of promotion (XF aside) and critical response he's had.
Im curious too. Do you think the XF is the only factor that matters in sales? Massive R1 support plus Capital and Heart, numerous TV appearances including a performance on Jonathon Ross, newspaper interviews - clearly a lot of PR effort from Syco to get all those opportunities - plus Xtra factor. These don't matter - and I genuinely feel I cant turn round without hearing, seeing or reading about JA - none of that matters next to an XF appearance? If its that automatic I wonder why it didn't work for Tulisa.
Sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but so true.:D:):D
well if you read a lot of the discussion on this board it would be easy to think that to some people x factor is the breadth of their musical knowledge
Actually I think that the Xf may well give him a boost but I very much doubt it'll be down to him. Im guessing the Emelie Sande factor is what they're banking on and possibly why they delayed the appearance till the second single.
Great post!
His JR appearance was 2 weeks before his single release and he performed on the show 4 weeks ago.
His single has spent 3 weeks in the top 10 so it hasn't dropped off "quickly"....there have been major releases every week so he held up well.
The XF is a huge deal and is a highly coveted show to appear on amongst labels/management companies.
R2 has a bigger audience share than R1.
There's no evidence to suggest minor tv appearances or newspaper articles have the instant effect or any effect at all on records sales compared to actually performing on a highly rated music/chat show. There's a reason why labels time big promo slots around the time of release.
Tulisa's album did experience a sales surge, however...small it was. It didn't work for her because of a major backlash in the press. Female artists nned to keep the press on side more than male artists need to. They can pretty much get away with murder.
Just a small point but the single has been played on R2. I quite often hear it when I'm round my parents' house.
Thank you.