{"id":99268,"date":"2024-09-06T12:07:34","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T16:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/09\/06\/how-digital-album-sales-are-affecting-the-race-for-no-1-on-the-charts\/"},"modified":"2024-09-06T12:07:34","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T16:07:34","slug":"how-digital-album-sales-are-affecting-the-race-for-no-1-on-the-charts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/09\/06\/how-digital-album-sales-are-affecting-the-race-for-no-1-on-the-charts\/","title":{"rendered":"How Digital Album Sales Are Affecting the Race for No. 1 on the\u00a0Charts"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tTravis Scott<\/a> was fired up. \u201cIM FCKING JUMPING THRU WALLS,\u201d he wrote<\/a> on Instagram. The reason: He planned to officially re-release Days Before Rodeo<\/em>, his decade-old pre-stardom mixtape, on streaming services on August 23.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"charts\"<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tPushing Songs Up the Charts Was a Label Job. Then Fans Took\u00a0Over\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tSabrina Carpenter<\/a>\u2018s Short n\u2019 Sweet <\/em>was slated to come out the same day, and before Scott\u2019s announcement, it was expected to coast to the top of the Billboard <\/em>200 albums chart \u2014 an inevitable coronation after a string of high-flying singles. Instead, Carpenter\u2019s release squeaked out a No. 1 finish<\/a>, earning 362,000 units to Scott\u2019s 361,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tShort n\u2019 Sweet<\/em> out-streamed the rapper\u2019s old mixtape by a wide margin, racking up 233 million official on-demand streams to Scott\u2019s 40.6 million. But remarkably, he sold 300,000 digital downloads of Days Before Rodeo<\/em>, according to Luminate. On the final day of the tracking week, Scott put out six different digital variations of his album \u2014 each of which included at least two extra tracks and cost just $4.99, the minimum price for chart eligibility \u2014 as part of a ferocious last-ditch attempt to snatch victory from Carpenter. She responded in kind, serving up three $4.99 digital variants of her own and ultimately selling 45,000 digital downloads. (All nine variants were available exclusively on the artists\u2019 web stores.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThis tactic has been around for years: Release digital variants near the end of the week; sell them cheap; polish off a rival; tout the accomplishment. The technique is getting more attention lately because clashes between titans are being decided by digital variant release strategies. Scott was nearly able to erase Carpenter\u2019s mile-wide streaming lead thanks in part to his blitz of variants. And these duels have spurred the latest round of music industry conversations about whether artists and labels are trying to game the charts \u2014 or take advantage of their most devoted followers.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPeople are keeping that ammo in the chamber: \u2018Let\u2019s save these four variants that we know we\u2019re going to have to drop at different times throughout this week,’\u201d says one major-label A&R who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. \u201cDoes it enhance the fan experience, or does it actually lessen it? I think it\u2019s manipulative.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Beyonc\u00e9\"<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tBox Sets Now Include T-Shirts or Merchandise \u2014 Plus a Boost up the\u00a0Charts\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tWhen asked about this practice, another prominent manager would say only that \u201cit\u2019s ironic that the institution which is allowing the problem to exist is reaching out for a quote.\u201d (\u201cBillboard<\/em> is always reviewing, in consultation with Luminate and the industry at large, what sales channels are included for chart eligibility, and has updated its policies when necessary based on market behavior,\u201d Silvio Pietroluongo<\/strong>, Billboard<\/em>\u2018s executive vp of charts and data partnerships, said in a statement.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOn the other hand, some label executives believe that digital variants help create eye-catching first-week totals and race-to-the-finish-line dramas that are good for the music industry, sort of like its version of Barbenheimer: Before Taylor Swift\u2019s showdown with Billie Eilish in May<\/a> and Carpenter vs. Scott more recently, it had been a whopping eight years since two albums cracked the 300,000-unit mark during the same week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd the contest between Carpenter and Scott was a nail-biter until the end, as both camps released their final variant in the last two hours of the tracking week. Since January 2020, there have only been seven weeks when the gap between Nos. 1 and 2 was less than 1,000 units. (Representatives for Carpenter and Scott did not respond to requests for comment.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite the prominence of digital albums in some recent release campaigns, digital album sales have plummeted from 103.3 million in 2015 to 18.3 million<\/a> in 2023, according to Luminate\u2019s annual reports. Within this category, Luminate also tracks an \u201cothers\u201d grouping that reflects sales from artists\u2019 direct-to-consumer web stores along with non-major digital retailers. So far this year, sales in \u201cothers\u201d total just 1.7 million, which amounts to 0.23% of year-to-date total album consumption (730.45 million equivalent album units*).<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"March<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tMerch Madness: How Artists Are Using Designer Duds and Nutritional Supplements to Battle for\u2026\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tWhile this represents a tiny sliver of overall activity, it can make a difference in close chart races. Swift released additional digital variants when she went head to head with Eilish and against Ye<\/a> and Ty Dolla $ign<\/a>\u2018s Vultures 2 <\/em>in August<\/a>. (Eilish and Ye and Ty released their own as well, to no avail.) And Blink-182<\/a> used a digital variant of One More Time <\/em>as part of a successful effort to scrape by Drake<\/a>\u2018s For All the Dogs<\/em> and nab No. 1 in October<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThese face-offs also demonstrate how far labels and artists are willing to go to try to get that top spot. Getting a No. 1 demonstrates that labels \u201cstill have the ability to move the needle,\u201d says industry veteran Ray Daniels<\/strong>. \u201cThat is a big reason why certain artists will go to certain labels.\u201d And \u201cego is a lot of it,\u201d adds Joey Arbagey<\/strong>, a former major-label A&R executive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMost prominent artists want to top the chart as well, though they may be loath to admit it. \u201cIt\u2019s a way of an artist on the rise saying they have arrived,\u201d Daniels says. And scoring a No. 1 can then serve as a springboard, creating \u201ca domino effect of other opportunities, whether that\u2019s working with brands or getting significant press,\u201d according to Nick Groff<\/strong>, an artist manager and former A&R.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn more recent years, artists and labels have used hyper-aggressive price discounting, bundling albums with tickets or merchandise, box sets, vinyl variants and other techniques to try to jack up an album\u2019s chart position. (There are dissenters: \u201cIt\u2019s crazy how much time and energy is wasted on shit like this,\u201d says one former major label executive, practically eye-rolling through the phone, \u201cinstead of focusing on signing good artists and making good music.\u201d) When chart rules change, so do the industry\u2019s strategies for impacting them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"radio,<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tTargeted Payments and Overnight Spins: How Labels Influence Airplay\u00a0Charts\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tSome of these options disappeared in 2020 after Billboard<\/em> stopped counting albums sold in merchandise bundles and ticket bundle offers. Label executives say selling digital variant downloads is one of the few maneuvers they have left to goose numbers late in a chart week. The other is putting a deluxe version of the album with additional tracks on streaming services, also an increasingly common tactic.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut adding an unreleased track or two onto the album and selling it exclusively through an artist\u2019s web store is a more potent option. This can also be done quickly and at the last minute, as a Hail Mary when a chart race suddenly becomes competitive. Acts usually make these releases available for a limited time only, which both further juices fan interest and underscores that the artists are focusing on the all-important release week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn many cases, this strategy is effectively a sale of a lone song masquerading as an album purchase \u2014 artists often just add one live track or unreleased loosie to the original project and make it available as a new variant. Some artists don\u2019t even include a new song in a digital variant; they just change up the artwork, or digitally \u201csign\u201d the album art.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf there is exclusive music available in these variant releases, that can be a great strategy and a fun way to engage with your fan base,\u201d says Greg Hirschhorn<\/strong>, founder of the distribution company Too Lost. \u201cIf there is only a change in the track list or a different album artwork, I feel like the only real goal or outcome is chart manipulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\tTaylor Swift performs on stage during \"Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour\" at Anfield on June 13, 2024 in Liverpool, England.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tHow Taylor Swift Has Stayed Atop the Charts With \u2018The Tortured Poets Department\u2019\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tSteeply discounted digital variants also threaten to snub the diehards who ordered an album ahead of time at full price. If a fan pays $9.99 for a pre-order on iTunes, they may feel like a sucker when they see the same album augmented with bonus material and made available for just $4.99 near the end of the tracking week. \u201cIt feels like people should wait until Thursday afternoon to buy the album\u201d and get the best deal, the major-label A&R says.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut for now, any potential fan backlash to the rise of variants appears to be outweighed by their impact on the charts. \u201cWhen you\u2019re in it and you\u2019re fighting so hard for No. 1, it can seem obnoxious [to people outside the industry], but that\u2019s the only thing that matters,\u201dArbagey says. \u201cThey\u2019re pulling out all the stops.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve definitely been in one of those heated races,\u201d Groff adds. \u201cYou figure out everything you can possibly do to boost the numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t*Through the week ending Aug. 29, total U.S. album consumption in 2024, as represented by equivalent album units \u2014 excluding units caused by user generated content \u2014 equals 730.45 million, according to Luminate. Each equivalent album unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid\/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Travis Scott was fired up. \u201cIM FCKING JUMPING THRU WALLS,\u201d he wrote on Instagram. The reason: He planned to officially re-release Days Before Rodeo, his decade-old pre-stardom mixtape, on streaming services on August 23.\u00a0 Related Pushing Songs Up the Charts Was a Label Job. Then Fans Took\u00a0Over 08\/23\/2023 Sabrina Carpenter\u2018s Short n\u2019 Sweet was slated […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99268\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}