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I feel like the 2010's is the time when the definition of a hit has been flipped upside down. It's all so confusing. What even defines a hit now? 

You have a song like GMAYL which was a top ten hit on Hot 100 and a gold certified single in the US yet everyone I know (except me....lol) hates the song. Then we have BIM, which barely scraped the lower part of the Hot 100 but was a "viral" sensation and (despite what others' experiences may be) I've found the reception to this song to be positive. There's a segment of M's fanbase that absolutely turns their nose up at the song but outside of that, I've found people don't take it so seriously and it's just a fun track. Younger people tend to really like it. So, which is the bigger hit at the end of the day? I know we're not talking Live To Tell vs Like A Prayer here but at the end of the day, will the "top ten hit" GMAYL be more remembered than the #84 BIM? 

Then we have Medellin which hasn't really made a serious impact on any countries main singles chart (that I'm aware of) but this song has seemed to have great reception across the board for the most part (yes, there will always be some miserable f*cks but...compare this to GMAYL reaction) plus the video and live performance have been hits online with many views generating many accolades on their own. Plus, between the song, video and live performance it has remained pretty steady since it's release as far as views go. 

 I feel like one month ago, pretty much only us die hard M fans were aware she had an album coming soon, there were even comments here about how there was no buzz surrounding it.  Now, I feel like there's BIG buzz everywhere. I'm constantly running across articles in my newsfeed and I've even had friends reach out to me talking about "Madame X"....lol....so clearly, Medellin has done SOMETHING. So, is it fair to consider Medellin a flop just because it hasn't charted high? 

I just think the time has come to throw out the traditional definition of what constitutes a hit out the window. The music industry is a completely different animal than when Madonna had her biggest success, not to mention Madonna is in a completely different place in her career.

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3 minutes ago, Kurt420 said:

I feel like the 2010's is the time when the definition of a hit has been flipped upside down. It's all so confusing. What even defines a hit now? 

You have a song like GMAYL which was a top ten hit on Hot 100 and a gold certified single in the US yet everyone I know (except me....lol) hates the song. Then we have BIM, which barely scraped the lower part of the Hot 100 but was a "viral" sensation and (despite what others' experiences may be) I've found the reception to this song to be positive. There's a segment of M's fanbase that absolutely turns their nose up at the song but outside of that, I've found people don't take it so seriously and it's just a fun track. Younger people tend to really like it. So, which is the bigger hit at the end of the day? I know we're not talking Live To Tell vs Like A Prayer here but at the end of the day, will the "top ten hit" GMAYL be more remembered than the #84 BIM? 

Then we have Medellin which hasn't really made a serious impact on any countries main singles chart (that I'm aware of) but this song has seemed to have great reception across the board for the most part (yes, there will always be some miserable f*cks but...compare this to GMAYL reaction) plus the video and live performance have been hits online with many views generating many accolades on their own. Plus, between the song, video and live performance it has remained pretty steady since it's release as far as views go. 

 I feel like one month ago, pretty much only us die hard M fans were aware she had an album coming soon, there were even comments here about how there was no buzz surrounding it.  Now, I feel like there's BIG buzz everywhere. I'm constantly running across articles in my newsfeed and I've even had friends reach out to me talking about "Madame X"....lol....so clearly, Medellin has done SOMETHING. So, is it fair to consider Medellin a flop just because it hasn't charted high? 

I just think the time has come to throw out the traditional definition of what constitutes a hit out the window. The music industry is a completely different animal than when Madonna had her biggest success, not to mention Madonna is in a completely different place in her career.

Yes, it's all different now. I think it's pretty clear that BIM is her biggest hit of the 2010s despite what any chart peaks say. It is by far her biggest hit on YouTube and Spotify of the recent albums. I think even an argument can be made that GGW has become MDNA's signature song rather than GMAYL. 

The charts don't measure everything. Even someone like Maluma doesn't necessarily light up the charts but is very popular. 

Medellin is doing quite well. It's not on BIM pace, but it's outdoing what LFL and Ghosttown did. 

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@Kurt420 You make a good point. I think charts are more irrelevant than ever these days thanks to streaming. Album sales, #1's, weekly chart rankings, I can tell you FIRST HAND that it's too confusing for me now. I used to be able to understand the charts, now I do not. No one I know even cares. We listen to the songs and thats it. In the days of Hung Up or 4 Minutes, it was pretty cut and dry. iTunes and radio. Now it's way too complex. Adding to that, people barely even remember songs that were huge just a year ago. Things are forgotten so quickly. I literally could not tell you what the biggest songs of 2018 were. Not a chance.

I think the way you at least "appear" like you're relevant and successful these days, is by having a strong creative backbone and really creating a project and body of work that means something. Putting effort in the visuals and making it a true cohesive and succinct statement. It sounds crazy, but it's true. Audiences really respond to strong visuals and themes now, kinda like they did in the 90s before the internet shook the entire industry up. 

Like Beyonce or not, she figured out how to be successful in this age of ZERO attention span. Lemonade is still credited as a juggernaut of an album with its accompanying short film, and so is the album she made before that with all the videos. I don't mind Madonna sorta following suit - especially because Madonna basically created the world that allowed Beyonce to dream up that kind of format.

Madame X has a solid chance of being remembered as a homecoming for Madonna, after YEARS of floundering in the industry amongst pop stars 1/3 her age. Madonna, her management, her advisors, whatever, they were doing wrong by her legacy by trying to play the same game as some of these girls (Rebel Heart era, I am looking at you). I admit, I started to really lose interest in Madonna during and after Rebel Heart. There was an air of flop sweat and insecurity during that era that kinda made Madonna unrecognizable to me, tbh. I basically relegated my fandom to nostalgia. It was kinda sad. Madame X has so far COMPLETELY TURNED THAT AROUND, and I am very proud. She has an uncanny ability of proving everyone wrong when her back is up against the wall. It's great. 

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36 minutes ago, Kurt420 said:

I feel like the 2010's is the time when the definition of a hit has been flipped upside down. It's all so confusing. What even defines a hit now? 

You have a song like GMAYL which was a top ten hit on Hot 100 and a gold certified single in the US yet everyone I know (except me....lol) hates the song. Then we have BIM, which barely scraped the lower part of the Hot 100 but was a "viral" sensation and (despite what others' experiences may be) I've found the reception to this song to be positive. There's a segment of M's fanbase that absolutely turns their nose up at the song but outside of that, I've found people don't take it so seriously and it's just a fun track. Younger people tend to really like it. So, which is the bigger hit at the end of the day? I know we're not talking Live To Tell vs Like A Prayer here but at the end of the day, will the "top ten hit" GMAYL be more remembered than the #84 BIM? 

Then we have Medellin which hasn't really made a serious impact on any countries main singles chart (that I'm aware of) but this song has seemed to have great reception across the board for the most part (yes, there will always be some miserable f*cks but...compare this to GMAYL reaction) plus the video and live performance have been hits online with many views generating many accolades on their own. Plus, between the song, video and live performance it has remained pretty steady since it's release as far as views go. 

 I feel like one month ago, pretty much only us die hard M fans were aware she had an album coming soon, there were even comments here about how there was no buzz surrounding it.  Now, I feel like there's BIG buzz everywhere. I'm constantly running across articles in my newsfeed and I've even had friends reach out to me talking about "Madame X"....lol....so clearly, Medellin has done SOMETHING. So, is it fair to consider Medellin a flop just because it hasn't charted high? 

I just think the time has come to throw out the traditional definition of what constitutes a hit out the window. The music industry is a completely different animal than when Madonna had her biggest success, not to mention Madonna is in a completely different place in her career.

that"s what I'm thinking now too...

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1 hour ago, Cesky said:

Yes, it's all different now. I think it's pretty clear that BIM is her biggest hit of the 2010s despite what any chart peaks say. It is by far her biggest hit on YouTube and Spotify of the recent albums. I think even an argument can be made that GGW has become MDNA's signature song rather than GMAYL. 

The charts don't measure everything. Even someone like Maluma doesn't necessarily light up the charts but is very popular. 

Medellin is doing quite well. It's not on BIM pace, but it's outdoing what LFL and Ghosttown did. 

Excellent points. No doubt that epic tour performance helped elevate GGW to signature song of MDNA era. I really just recently realized Maluma baby has been selling out in huge numbers across the USA and he has yet to have what many would consider that "huge" breakthrough hit. Sign of the times for sure!

@Ai Papi Si. I wanted to bring up Beyonce in my initial post but was skeptical. :lol: Totally feel you on that! She has really seemed to find that sweet spot. That 2013 album seemed to elevate her status quite a bit and for the most part she's maintained that without stellar chart positions for her singles.

Long before 2013, I've always felt something like that was in the cards for Madonna at some point. Back in 2005-2006 I always fantasized about some sort of visual accompaniment to go with COADF. The dreamy, almost spacey at times soundscape would've been perfect for something like that. I'm totally here for Madonna doing a visual film of some sorts to accompany Madame X! I do enjoy her work very much from the RH era but I do feel like from the get-go the cards were against her in nearly every aspect. The bad luck started with the leaks and just didn't stop on through the end of the tour. Definitely put a heaviness over the era for sure. Also, there was obviously some uncertainty among her and her team on exactly how to get her stuff out to the masses and promote her. So far this era, it feels like the complete opposite. A "lightness", breath of fresh air that has been needed for a long time. They really seem to be doing everything perfectly and as long as the music backs it up, it does indeed feel like this has the potential to be one of those career defining albums for her. More than a #74 charting single, I think what her team is aiming for now will be far more rewarding and lasting in the long run. Setting the tone for the next phase of her career.

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Loved the Rebel Heart era and album.  Apart from the leaks, thought it was easily one of the greatest eras for Madonna fans.  She gave us her all in spades and the album is easily amongst the best top 5 of her albums for me.  Not talking of charts but the album and tour was incredibly special and memorable.  Surprised that others didn't like the album and tour as much as previous ones but as all things Madonna,  everyone has different views. 

 

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3 hours ago, Ai Papi Si. said:

Madame X has a solid chance of being remembered as a homecoming for Madonna, after YEARS of floundering in the industry amongst pop stars 1/3 her age. Madonna, her management, her advisors, whatever, they were doing wrong by her legacy by trying to play the same game as some of these girls (Rebel Heart era, I am looking at you). I admit, I started to really lose interest in Madonna during and after Rebel Heart. There was an air of flop sweat and insecurity during that era that kinda made Madonna unrecognizable to me, tbh. I basically relegated my fandom to nostalgia. It was kinda sad. Madame X has so far COMPLETELY TURNED THAT AROUND, and I am very proud. She has an uncanny ability of proving everyone wrong when her back is up against the wall. It's great. 

The RH era, as entertaining as it was to me and many fans, was a mess OVERALL, characterized by an uneasy atmosphere of uncertainties of her team and sorry if I sound too harsh but it felt like the whole affair was cursed by God from the get-go. Of course she gave many wonderful things like the revealing Howard Stern interview and I am a big fan of "Bitch I'm Madonna", but it had too much drama. Madame X era is going smoothly, there is confidence and cohesiveness that was missing in 2015 and 2016. 

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And yes @Kurt420 made excellent points there. The chart positions alone do NOT tell the whole story. At this point, "Medellín" restores the brand MADONNA to GP's consciousness as someone who still makes music, in that respect it IS already a bigger "organic" hit or whatever than the much-maligned GMAYL (I don't hate it anyway) in my book, despite the fact that the latter was a top 10 single on the Hot 100. So to say that "I cannot believe Medellín flopped completely, it did even worse than GGW" like one poster that I truly despise on this forum did is just, well, very simplistic, shallow, and reeks of an extremely wretched, hateful, repulsive way of thinking. 🤮 

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1 minute ago, Dindi said:

Anyone think The Rocketman OST might pose a challenge for MX should the movie be a hit (like Bohemian Rhapsody)?

I doubt it for a few reasons: 1) It comes out a full 3 weeks ahead of Madame X 2) Bohemian Rhapsody used Queen's music unchanged while Rocketman's songs are actually sung by the actor and 3) Currently, Rocketman is projected to make less money at the box office than Bohemian Rhapsody

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If this has been asked a million times before, i do apologise in advance but does anyone know if our current streams count towards the album sales? Or is it only the streams after the official release that count?

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Just now, smirnoff_ice said:

If this has been asked a million times before, i do apologise in advance but does anyone know if our current streams count towards the album sales? Or is it only the streams after the official release that count?

They count toward certification but not toward first week sales. 

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Rocket man has bad timing IMO. People just re-lived Queen and the amazing bohemian rhapsody movie. I don’t think rocket man will do well and Elton John has not aged gracefully (his attitude)

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23 minutes ago, dimos said:

what is this ? 

BBC 1 & BBC 2 Radio have charts based on airplay.  Medellin is #1 on the BBC 2 Radio chart this week.  Based on airplay in UK

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Nowadays it's not even news if a single doesn't chart. Some years ago media would have talked about a flop. Nowadays nobody cares if Medellin has charted. It's all about having good vibrations and good press and having streams and building up the album. I think that longevity with the album is important nowadays too. 

Madonna is building up Madame X PERFECTLY. 

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47 minutes ago, Steve said:

BBC 1 & BBC 2 Radio have charts based on airplay.  Medellin is #1 on the BBC 2 Radio chart this week.  Based on airplay in UK

Great news! I thought they weren't playing the song! Love that people get to hear the track! 

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28 minutes ago, jusdoid said:

this is something to celebrate no?  #1 on BBC Radio 2 airplay- isn't this what we all wanted?  why is it so quiet in here then -lol

Yes, absolutely! This is amazing and unexpected! Yas!!!!!

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MDNA was considered a flop but sold two million copies. Drake's last album and Beyonce's lemonade both sold 2-2.5m. They are spoken of as huge hits.  Rihanna was confirmed double platinum in two days for an album that sold 460 copies for those two days.I repeat. Four hundred and sixty copies! But because Samsung had paid for a million downloads her stans get to claim platinum in two days as a Rihanna record. THIS is the mess we are in. ANTI's first week sales were not vastly different from Rebel Heart which they called a flop. 

It's all media selling a narrative. In the last ten years with three albums that people generally call flops, M has moved over 7 million albums in pure sales. She really isn't that far off from some of the people they are calling big hits. But as is always the case with Madonna, the media creates a narrative and runs with it and there is no one on her team to fight back and expose the BS. So people just go on believing she is flopping everywhere.

The charts are shit. Point blank and the periodt. Guy should have done a deal with HTC so they pay for a million downloads.Then the RIAA will give her platinum certifications. Then we can all scream big hit. Then maybe some of you will be happier. 

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Uuuum. We knew Medellin was on the Radio 2 A-list which means it was guaranteed a decent amount of spins.

Unfortunately no other radio station in the UK touched it and unfortunately it has tanked on the charts (and we can't even blame streaming because it barely dented the sales charts either)

So if the quest now is to get the album some exposure, then they need to drop Medellin and add Crave.

 

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15 hours ago, Crystal Coffin said:

The RH era, as entertaining as it was to me and many fans, was a mess OVERALL, characterized by an uneasy atmosphere of uncertainties of her team and sorry if I sound too harsh but it felt like the whole affair was cursed by God from the get-go. Of course she gave many wonderful things like the revealing Howard Stern interview and I am a big fan of "Bitch I'm Madonna", but it had too much drama. Madame X era is going smoothly, there is confidence and cohesiveness that was missing in 2015 and 2016. 

Agreed.  I loved the era and consider RH among my all time top 5 Madonna albums as well.

Love and agree with Kurt’s post about the definition of a hit in this day and age.

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On 5/10/2019 at 4:20 PM, Animal Instinct said:

Madame X iz rising on Apple music.

Yaaaas Queen, slay those preorders!!!

 

IMG_20190510_111426.jpg

USA #686?? 

Thats scary 

Edited by metalissimo
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Medellin
13/05/2019 14,065,571 (+431,261)

I Rise
13/05/2019 1,981,948 (+64,028)

Crave
13/05/2019 1,382,386 (+220,757)

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18 minutes ago, RayOfLight5 said:

Wow, Crave is really pushing the numbers on Spotify unlike on Youtube. 

We need the video release!!

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8 minutes ago, headonfire said:

Yes, that will give it a big push! It shouldn't be long now!

The song is beautiful and so deserving of being heard more than it currently is...

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