Too Many Songs, Not Enough Hits: Music Is Struggling to Create New Stars

[ISO]

Summer Walker is about on par with a 2002 Amerie in terms of success.

Gold in 2002 is far different than gold in 2022. There's really no way to compare the two because Amerie's gold meant at least 500K shipped to retailers. Summer Walker's plaques are a matter of converting the streams into actual sales/shipments. It ain't the same.

Stop it Gold in 2002 isn’t big records at all. Much harder to sell records in the streaming era.

Summer is significantly more popular y’all out of touch.

 

[Renegade47]

and summer walker doesnt have a why dont we fall in love or talkin to me. and she damn sure can not make a hit that has impact like 1 thing because the production of today does not have the lasting power cus of its lack of dynamic and ability to stand out. 1 thing dropped and grabbed your attention instantly cus you never heard that sound before.

im not shytting on summer’s talent she is a great talent but this generation handcuffs her ability to break through the glass ceiling

 

[JustCKing]

Stop it Gold in 2002 isn’t big records at all. Much harder to sell records in the streaming era.

Summer is significantly more popular y’all out of touch.

Breh, this has nothing to do with being out of touch. Gold, regardless of era was still 500K and for an artist that was debuting without a crossover smash wasn't a small feat.

And it's not really a matter of being harder to sell records now. Prime example is how Jazmine Sullivan is a bigger deal now than she was in 2009. Her new music is selling and the old music is now getting certifications.

 

[ISO]

Breh, this has nothing to do with being out of touch. Gold, regardless of era was still 500K and for an artist that was debuting without a crossover smash wasn't a small feat.

And it's not really a matter of being harder to sell records now. Prime example is how Jazmine Sullivan is a bigger deal now than she was in 2009. Her new music is selling and the old music is now getting certifications.

My man Summer Walker just sold 166,000 records first week on her last album

Her debut album has been on the charts for over 150 weeks at this point on its way to multi platinum.

 

[MrSpook]

Lack of substance

 

[JustCKing]

My man Summer Walker just sold 166,000 records first week on her last album

Her debut album has been on the charts for over 150 weeks at this point on its way to multi platinum.

Summer Walker's last album is approaching a year in and still has no certification.

And it's easier for an album to linger on the charts these days. Several albums are setting and breaking records for how long they've been on the charts. When you unpack it and look at how long the albums have been on the charts vs how much they sold, it's staggering. One would expect some huge numbers, but that isn't the case.

 

[ISO]

Summer Walker's last album is approaching a year in and still has no certification.

And it's easier for an album to linger on the charts these days. Several albums are setting and breaking records for how long they've been on the charts. When you unpack it and look at how long the albums have been on the charts vs how much they sold, it's staggering. One would expect some huge numbers, but that isn't the case.

That album is definitely Platinum it’s also been on the charts since it dropped just because the labels hasn’t got the plaque don’t mean it hasn’t cleared a million. That will be updated soon probably right before she drops something else.

No it’s not easier this is a climate where people sell 30K first week and then drop off the charts a week later.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

You got to stand back and look at all this from gen-z's perspective and what's driving them and the rate they consume.

If kids lose their minds for shyt like this, they going to lose their minds over anything else and move to the next thing fast af because there's really nothing there.

No quality product to really be a fan of and stick around when the next in-the-now thing pops up. Everything is vaporware:


Original tweet that got deleted was referring to the video on the right. Group of teenage girls losing their minds for basically nothing at all.



All this shyt got zero staying power. Zero quality. Zero value.

Again, then when there is musical quality somebody simply copies it the next week in their DAWs and starts dropping similar songs straight up sasturating the market.

There is some validity to the whole album artwork, album books, etc. because you can't outright go out there and copy that so quickly, although maybe now you can with A.I generating art.

That's where this shyt is going: A.I going to generate music and visual art.

shyt is a smooth wrap.

I know these are the concerts that @CrimsonTider and @Gator Reloaded go to. This is why when they give songs and albums props, you can automatically skip them.

 

[FS4LFE]

Stop it Gold in 2002 isn’t big records at all. Much harder to sell records in the streaming era.

Summer is significantly more popular y’all out of touch.

How is it harder to sell records now when all you have to do is unlock your phone?

 

[IIVI]

There are people that really think this got staying power?


shyt just dead and microwavable.

It's disrespectful to Chuck E. Cheese (an actual product with value) to even be mentioned in the same sentence as this crap.

 

[ISO]

How is it harder to sell records now when all you have to do is unlock your phone?

Have you seen music sales in this era

shyt isn’t even comparable to 2002 going Gold was the minimum

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

can't lie i'm kinda happy to see major labels struggling

Ehh, people need to separate what role labels played in quality control and curation from their shady practices. They’re still shady, and with this new paradigm, they’re sucking artists dry in even more ways.

So yes, fukk exploitation of artists, but music is without labels mushing TF outta 90% of the garbage artists who don’t deserve a platform (like today is rewarding people who just want fame/clout/quick money, you can’t even say that most of these people are passionate about their art), labels also provided development and made people play their role - a chick like summer walker would either be forced to be a writer or get PR and stage training and be told to get her public act together and stop moping about having to perform live and being in front of the camera.

 

[HabitualChiller]

Have you seen music sales in this era

shyt isn’t even comparable to 2002 going Gold was the minimum

I don't even know what dude is trying to argue. Doesn't it take 750 million streams to even go gold?

In this era, which everyone in this thread has brought up, music has much less staying power, so to be able to get a gold certification is damn near a miracle.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

This is a real good thread. It shows how much passion The Coli really has for music, no matter how it may come off with the hateration (warranted) seen in many other topics or generally being stuck in the past.

So glad you said this, too many times when there is a real music discussion or asking for better quality music, folks get dismissed as hating, out of touch, or waved away on “there’s music out there for everyone” - that’s not the issue. Some people never want to admit that along with fluff from the machine, there were also unique, extremely talented, groundbreaking artists as part of the mainstream and there was some level of cultural cohesion when random nikka from the hood, random Maria from the burbs, and backwater bill could all fukk with a song from someone like Linkin Park, to Britney Spears, to DMX.

Everything is so divisive and siloed today because of the internet, it’s part of the reason society at large is divisive and irrational AF, these silos are pervasive in politics, media consumption, “news” sources, etc. we’ve taken away institutions that used to provide some, even if surface, levels of cultural cohesion - an American experience

 

[JustCKing]

That album is definitely Platinum it’s also been on the charts since it dropped just because the labels hasn’t got the plaque don’t mean it hasn’t cleared a million. That will be updated soon probably right before she drops something else.

No it’s not easier this is a climate where people sell 30K first week and then drop off the charts a week later.

Until, it's certified, it hasn't reached platinum. Soundscan is completely different.

Artists have been selling 30K the first week and falling off the charts a week later for over a decade. This is nothing exclusive to this climate.