Obsession with artists sales/units shifting....

mr mugglesmr muggles Posts: 4,601
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I guess its another generational 'thang', but, there always seems to be post's going on about the amount of record sales generated/units shifted/territories the artiste has expanded to.

I always thought that a music thread was about music, rather than the marketing aspect!

Comments

  • Hav_mor91Hav_mor91 Posts: 17,183
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    For me i just love seeing my favourite doing well. But also as music has become a business an artist has to Sell or they will be dopped quicker than it takes to blink. So it's a tribal thing, my artist is bigger than yours, but also better shift them units sell those tickets or i'll see you in Mcdonalds on Tuesday :p
  • Hit Em Up StyleHit Em Up Style Posts: 12,141
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    Tbh I don't believe sales anymore. Record companies now just seem to focus on units shipped rather than actual sales so the reality is the likes of Rihanna and Gaga's sales being pitched as greater than what they really are. I mean no way is Rihanna on 180 million. I could possibly believe near to 100 due to her overwhelming single sales but nearly 200 million is pushing it greatly.

    So I just don't believe it anymore. Like Hav says. Its nice to know your faves are doing good but how can you be sure its real. That's my issue.
  • Hav_mor91Hav_mor91 Posts: 17,183
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    Tbh I don't believe sales anymore. Record companies now just seem to focus on units shipped rather than actual sales so the reality is the likes of Rihanna and Gaga's sales being pitched as greater than what they really are. I mean no way is Rihanna on 180 million. I could possibly believe near to 100 due to her overwhelming single sales but nearly 200 million is pushing it greatly.

    So I just don't believe it anymore. Like Hav says. Its nice to know your faves are doing good but how can you be sure its real. That's my issue.

    Thats why i think the new BPI automatic Certificion for sales is great as at least on a UK level we know exactly where we're at. Also in the states as treaming and radio contribute to the charts like you said how can we be sure who is selling what :)
  • mr mugglesmr muggles Posts: 4,601
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    Hav_mor91 wrote: »
    For me i just love seeing my favourite doing well. But also as music has become a business an artist has to Sell or they will be dopped quicker than it takes to blink. So it's a tribal thing, my artist is bigger than yours, but also better shift them units sell those tickets or i'll see you in Mcdonalds on Tuesday :p

    If its purely on units, then by rights, most of the artiste' I like would be workin the trolleys at Tescos! :cry::cry::p

    An yep, its super tribal on here!
  • Hav_mor91Hav_mor91 Posts: 17,183
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    mr muggles wrote: »
    If its purely on units, then by rights, most of the artiste' I like would be workin the trolleys at Tescos! :cry::cry::p

    An yep, its super tribal on here!

    Touring contributes most so if an album has low sales they cna be salvaged b a decent tour. But the empahsis is still on sales which is rediculous as quntity isn't always quality and there are a few artists that spring to mind :p

    And tribal isn't the word :D
  • mr mugglesmr muggles Posts: 4,601
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    Tbh I don't believe sales anymore. Record companies now just seem to focus on units shipped rather than actual sales so the reality is the likes of Rihanna and Gaga's sales being pitched as greater than what they really are. I mean no way is Rihanna on 180 million. I could possibly believe near to 100 due to her overwhelming single sales but nearly 200 million is pushing it greatly.

    So I just don't believe it anymore. Like Hav says. Its nice to know your faves are doing good but how can you be sure its real. That's my issue.

    I'm constantly astounded by the figures being bandied about by fans of the usual suspects (Rihanna/Beyoncé/Madge/Katy P/Christina & Britters), the constant barrage of figures is dizzying!
  • mr mugglesmr muggles Posts: 4,601
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    Hav_mor91 wrote: »
    Touring contributes most so if an album has low sales they cna be salvaged b a decent tour. But the empahsis is still on sales which is rediculous as quntity isn't always quality and there are a few artists that spring to mind :p

    And tribal isn't the word :D

    Oh, I could SO name some names...:D But I've been there SO many times!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,003
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    A lot of fans live through the accomplishments of their faves. They like to associate themselves with a "winning team".
  • mr mugglesmr muggles Posts: 4,601
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    A lot of fans live through the accomplishments of their faves. They like to associate themselves with a "winning team".

    Oh dear, that says a lot about me identifying with failures...?! :eek::o
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,003
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    mr muggles wrote: »
    Oh dear, that says a lot about me identifying with failures...?! :eek::o

    Not all fans. :p

    Honestly though, on ATRL you'd think all those squabbling queens and teens had got the #1s, sold the millions and won the awards themselves.

    A lot of stans also suffer from "Britlexia" (not exclusive to Britney stans anymore);
    Britlexia

    Britney Spears stans suffer from condition called Britlexia. Britlexia is a learning disability that impairs a stan's ability to understand simple logic and read basic English. Even though their reading comprehension is poor they are still able to read record sales, ticket sales, and can understand the word "sold out". This makes reading reviews and critiques difficult, but has no effect on reading 10-year old sales stats.

    Example of Britlexia:

    Britney appeared last night in Atlanta as apart of a 100-date tour. She appeared three hours late and once she took the stage she drooled on herself, picked her nose, and flicked boogers at people in the front row. She also fell asleep 3 times and urinated on the stage. The sold out crowd, some of whom paid $500 a ticket, began to walk out within 20 minutes. It estimated that the tour will gross over $100 million.

    This is how the paragraph appears to a person with Britlexia:
    ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚100-date tour ✤✶✷✸✹✺✻$500 a ticket❤❤❤$100 million.
  • Hit Em Up StyleHit Em Up Style Posts: 12,141
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    Beyoncé has many fans in my opinion who are the worst. If you insult her they hunt you down. They are a bit too involved if you ask me. A Beyoncé mafia. Some Leona fans are also a little bit too involved in defending their idol.

    I have issues with sections of the Little Monster movement but I just put that down to the fact Gaga is the first big pop phenomenon since The Spice Girls so its easy to get carried away in the moment.

    1D have some loony fans but its hormones doing the talking there so best to let it go.
  • Hav_mor91Hav_mor91 Posts: 17,183
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    Not all fans. :p

    Honestly though, on ATRL you'd think all those squabbling queens and teens had got the #1s, sold the millions and won the awards themselves.

    A lot of stans also suffer from "Britlexia" (not exclusive to Britney stans anymore);
    Britlexia

    Britney Spears stans suffer from condition called Britlexia. Britlexia is a learning disability that impairs a stan's ability to understand simple logic and read basic English. Even though their reading comprehension is poor they are still able to read record sales, ticket sales, and can understand the word "sold out". This makes reading reviews and critiques difficult, but has no effect on reading 10-year old sales stats.

    Example of Britlexia:

    Britney appeared last night in Atlanta as apart of a 100-date tour. She appeared three hours late and once she took the stage she drooled on herself, picked her nose, and flicked boogers at people in the front row. She also fell asleep 3 times and urinated on the stage. The sold out crowd, some of whom paid $500 a ticket, began to walk out within 20 minutes. It estimated that the tour will gross over $100 million.

    This is how the paragraph appears to a person with Britlexia:
    ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚100-date tour ✤✶✷✸✹✺✻$500 a ticket❤❤❤$100 million.

    I would just like to say that has made my day :D It sums up certain fan bases entirely and it's quite shhocking the extremes they go too some of them.

    The Little Monsters are the worst she has become like an idol who we must not criticise. Mind you Adele fans are almost as bad 21 was a mediocre record with astronomical sales get over it :p
  • LMLM Posts: 63,331
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    Sales and that really bore me. It's just a way for haters to say and rub it in that an artist flops if their album sells lower than the previous one

    Like i have said several times in the three years since i joined this place, if the product is good, then buy it and enjoy it. Don't worry about whether it makes number 1 or fails to sell a million copies etc
  • AdzPowerAdzPower Posts: 4,861
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    I think it mostly has to do with personal attachments, these days more than ever we can follow very closely what our favourite artists are up to in their lives, things like twitter etc make them so much more accessible and so because of this I believe we form closer, emotional bonds with the artists since they seem so much more approachable and open, therefore we want to see them do well and we worry for them if they don't.

    Big sales = happy fans and happy artist.

    Low sales = worried fans and sad artist.
    Low sales = possibility of being dropped.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,003
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    Hav_mor91 wrote: »
    I would just like to say that has made my day :D It sums up certain fan bases entirely and it's quite shhocking the extremes they go too some of them.

    The Little Monsters are the worst she has become like an idol who we must not criticise. Mind you Adele fans are almost as bad 21 was a mediocre record with astronomical sales get over it :p

    http://stan-wars.com/ is hilarious. "I am better than you because of someone else's accomplishments."

    It's hard to determine who's "worst". ATRL is a complete mess with nearly all stans acting the same. Rihanna and Beyonce fans are vile to one another (lots of racism, weirdly), Gaga and Madonna fans take things way too far (hate sites, personal attacks, rumours and feeding the media lies is ridiculous), the Britney fans are just relentlessly delusional and think it's the 00s, and then you get the few success bandwagoners with Katy, Taylor and Adele fans who like to smugly quote facts and figures till the cows come home.

    If it wasn't so annoying, the drama would be hilarious.
  • Eric_BlobEric_Blob Posts: 7,756
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    Most of the songs I listen to haven't charted top 200 in the UK. I'm interested in the music industry though, so I'm interested in what's selling, what radio stations play, mainstream music trends, crossover hits, and so on. It's more of a hobby for me than anything. The 3rd biggest-selling song of the year I know is currently Let Her Go by Passenger, but I can't tell you how the song goes. There's a lot of songs I like and I enjoy it when they get commercial success, but most of them don't unfortuantely lol.
  • Scratchy7929Scratchy7929 Posts: 3,252
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    AdzPower wrote: »
    I think it mostly has to do with personal attachments, these days more than ever we can follow very closely what our favourite artists are up to in their lives, things like twitter etc make them so much more accessible and so because of this I believe we form closer, emotional bonds with the artists since they seem so much more approachable and open, therefore we want to see them do well and we worry for them if they don't.

    Big sales = happy fans and happy artist.

    Low sales = worried fans and sad artist.
    Low sales = possibility of being dropped.

    Also :-
    Big sales = no real indication of the quality of the product, quite often is fed by the insecurity of the stans.
    Low sales = even the stans have given up supporting their favs (for formerly high selling artists only) [or perhaps have lost the support of the record company & their manipulative sales techniques that use the insecurity of the stans to force high sales :P]

    Why can't people just support good music / quality artists.Quality artist's sometimes produce poor quality music (by their standards) at times.It's not disloyal for fans to admit the quality level has slipped a bit at times.Honesty will force artists to up their quality levels.If you support mediocracy - you will get mediocracy.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 369
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    http://stan-wars.com/ is hilarious. "I am better than you because of someone else's accomplishments."

    I love that site. :D

    Beyonce: Life Is But A Slay
    The impossible-to-win Adele chart game
    Stan Wars '89
    The Bionic Massacre

    are my favourite things from that site.:D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,143
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    http://stan-wars.com/ is hilarious.

    Stan Wars can be really funny, but it's obvious the creator is a Beyonce fan and that bias shows at times.

    To answer the question in the OP,

    I think it's because humans as a species are just generally very competitive. We like to back winners whether that be to do with sports or musical artists. No one wants to be on the "losing team" which is often how it's viewed when an artist doesn't do so well sales-wise. The rivalry between fans is actually quite similar in a sense to the rivalry between fans of different sports teams. There are certain fanbases that get on well and form "alliances" with each other (Rihanna and Katy fans), and then there are fanbases that cannot stand each other. (Beyonce and Rihanna fans, Madonna and Lady Gaga fans). Of course there are some exceptions to this rule but it's true for the majority from what I've observed.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,074
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    You should just enjoy the music your fave or whoever puts out, and you'll be happy, let the artist & label worry about the sales and what not.

    The crazy fans who trash each others faves pay way too much attention to someone else's faves, & completely miss to enjoy what their own fave has put out sadly.
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