dimfanis Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I'm disappointed at the U.S. tally - I over-estimated it by a large number - but it could be much worse. And honestly, she still has a good chance to do well in the worldwide total. You're dissapointed because you don't understand the music business and the market in US. A white female artist these days can sell so much. If you looked at Britney's and Nelly Furtado's recent #'s and then took into consideration the fact that Madona is 50 you would not come up with a 400K estimate. You can't sell a "product" to kids and their parents at the same time. A radio hit is important but doesn't guarantee album sales. Mariah's audience is more diverse (yes, she sells herself as a black/r'n'b artist) and she is still 38 so there is more flexibility there. 280K first week Hard Candy is pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ercos Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 what went wrong - 1. promo (much lack of) 2. too late / too early of a release within Mooriahs timeline. honestly, i didnt want a head to head collission / competition. Mariah is still huge in US radio (wthwer we like / admit it or not). 3. poorly engineered songs. okay production but with poor engineering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etips Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 (edited) I'm underwhelmed. I was expecting at least 300k+. I lay most of the blame at Madonna's legs. She didn't go on a publicity attack in the weeks leading up to the albums release. If she had, I think she would have raked in a lot more than what she did. I, however, am trying to not compare it to Mariah's…whose album only opened with 180k more. Which is not a whole lot. The question now is where they go from here. It's not like American Life. Hard Candy's first single is still a huge hit, and accomplished the feat. of getting Madonna's name back on the radio and charts. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. Hopefully they'll play on that to continue to (better) promote, instead of bailing out the way Janet did. I will say though that the follow up singles need to be more carefully considered, which is why I think they should cancel GI2M and release something more commercial next. Edited May 7, 2008 by Etips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whyme? Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 One million singles were sold before the album came out. I wonder what the debit number would have been like if all singles were witheld.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyHigh76 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I don't see why some of you are disappointed.280k is GREAT when you consider where the industry is at these days.Her album is a hit,that's all that matters.Janet's latest album couldn't even do 200k in its first week....she is now having her *third* flop album in a row.That's certainly not the case with Madonna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightshade Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 You're dissapointed because you don't understand the music business and the market in US. I'd say I understand it better than most considering I have worked in it. But thanks for attempting to convince me I am disconnected from the reality of today's market. A white female artist these days can sell so much. If you looked at Britney's and Nelly Furtado's recent #'s and then took into consideration the fact that Madona is 50 you would not come up with a 400K estimate. You can't sell a "product" to kids and their parents at the same time. A radio hit is important but doesn't guarantee album sales. I'm not sure the difference between Madonna being 40 and 50 in a youth-driven market. At 42 she still pulled off "Music" and "4 Minutes" is a very strong single as well. And I disagree that you cannot sell a product to kids and their parents at the same time - we've seen it happen before with major crossover acts. I'm not arguing that it is a common event, but you act like no one who is 14 would like the same music as someone who is 35 or 40. I think good music transcends those things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayGuy Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 4M is a MONSTER digital hit- it could have atttracted a lot of non-hardcore-Madonna-fan buyers. So, they may not be that interested in getting Madonna's album out of the gate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zezwer Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 GI2M is the best song on the album. i don't understand why some of you trash it so much. it's her best dance song since ROL. No one trash the song... it's a great song... but releasing it as the second single in the states is a big mistake... there will be no monumentum for this album... GI2M will probably flop as a single there... and then they will probably be dumb enough to release Miles Away as the 3rd one even in the states... which will flop there too... with not so wise single choices I can't see any legs for this album stateside... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etips Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 (edited) GI2M is the best song on the album. i don't understand why some of you trash it so much. it's her best dance song since ROL. I was speaking from a commercial standpoint. GI2M may be a good dance song for the clubs, but I suspect radio will cold shoulder it almost immediately. And with it not being a first single, I don't anticipate sales will be enough to pick up the slack of minimal airplay. We'll see though. Still, I wish something else was chosen to followup 4M. Perhaps either DWRY or BGO. Edited May 7, 2008 by Etips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayGuy Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Also- looking at some huge-selling digital hits that haven't translated to HUGE album sales, Madge's sales should come as no shocker. She certainly sold more in her debut than acts like Rihanna, Flo Rida, etc. who have had huge digital singles, and opened with less-huge album sales! Again, 4M likely has atttracted interest in part due to T&T- and there are a lot less of them on HC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renee205 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Quite happy with the albums 1st week achievement, I mean its only the first week so like things may or can happen.... Plus 4minutes had been performing very well It may not have made it to number 1 in the States but its certainly not the case all over the world. And I think promotion is much more needed for the next single as it would be a pure Madonna show without the help of the 2 Timbo's. So like i think this is just the right time for her to start getting her ass back to the states after the UK promo gig to promote on US TV shows ie. ELLEn, OPRAH or maybe just maybe Idol if its still possible. She just rocked Paris last night so I think after the Uk gig she should start working her ass off in the States. And there are a lot of things to be happy about, For one she's number 1 in Japan with Hard Candy , I mean she was last there with the Im Breathless album. She is still lording it over in the Uk and almost all of Europe. So a number 1 album in the states with 280k sales is not that bad.... Lets not count out the queen yet as she may have lots of things up her sleeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danielal Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 mAN i SEE ALL THESE DISCUSSIONS HERE ABOUT RADIO ETC. WTF IS still LISTENING to radio? Who? R u delluded? Of course Americans know that M has an album out..they just don't buy it massively. No surprise here. It has been happening for 25 years. To put things in perspective If it were after those darn rednecks Madonna would have been only in the Top 20 best selling singers in the world! But because of her success outside the US (she's the most successful american musician outside the US) she is the 3rd best selling musician ever behind Beatles and Elvis!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notsomuch Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 First off 4 minutes is a big hit, it is not a MONSTER hit. Why would someone be mad? What a waste of energy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LikeAHugeMFan! Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 *ZERO*/ NADA promotion! Few radio interviews= not sufficient. She made NO appearances on any important talk shows like a certain dopey freak of nature did= AI, Oprah , Ellen etc etc.Also illegal downloads to a smaller degree hurt as well as one of the slowest record buying times of the year!COAD only sold roughly 50-60k more during the PEAK of holiday season. The least of the arguments is that most hardcore fans didnt like 4M and the musical direction. Thats bshit. While many did NOT, her hardcore fans will buy her farting on a tape recorder with someone tapping the table lol, so thats not a fair argument. Plus, in this case she did score a waaay bigger acorss the board US hit w/ 4M than Hung Up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danielal Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I'm sorry for repeating myself but some fans here are blind or what? It is Hard to understand that the average american is not that fond of Madonna? It is hard to understand that to like Madonna is to have an iq above average and the large majority of Americans don't have it the iq? It is hard to understand that madonna is by far the most talented and amazing female singer and performer, still others seem to be more successful than her in us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayGuy Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Now, come on- no need to insult Americans and their IQs, thanks. Some are just turned off because she's always been a STRONG woman in a male-dominant society; some are uncomfortable with that. It's true on some level, though, that oftentimes the most successful releases aren't exactly works of art. Like how people like popcorn movies, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimfanis Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 And I disagree that you cannot sell a product to kids and their parents at the same time - we've seen it happen before with major crossover acts. I'm not arguing that it is a common event, but you act like no one who is 14 would like the same music as someone who is 35 or 40. I think good music transcends those things. .. the last time a record was bought by little girls, their mothers and their grannies was Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts. And that because she had the AI machine behind her. It will NOT happen anytime soon again and certainly not by any of Carrie Underwood records. It is a very rare thing to happen. Why did you think Madonna's HC was a good candidate to accomplish something like this. Because Music sold well 8 years ago? THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO. The market changes by the minute. Madonna will achieve serious crossover sales again if she has a big artistic moment like Ray Of Light (which is likely) or serious comeback like the Eagles had last year (unlikely for Madonna because she never dissapears for a long time). Hard candy is a good record but it's not a great classic pop record. Think outside the madonnanation box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candylipsgirl Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 QUOTE (Nightshade @ May 7 2008, 11:08 AM) I'm disappointed at the U.S. tally - I over-estimated it by a large number - but it could be much worse. And honestly, she still has a good chance to do well in the worldwide total You're dissapointed because you don't understand the music business and the market in US. A white female artist these days can sell so much. If you looked at Britney's and Nelly Furtado's recent #'s and then took into consideration the fact that Madona is 50 you would not come up with a 400K estimate. You can't sell a "product" to kids and their parents at the same time. A radio hit is important but doesn't guarantee album sales. Mariah's audience is more diverse (yes, she sells herself as a black/r'n'b artist) and she is still 38 so there is more flexibility there. 280K first week Hard Candy is pretty good. W R O N G! Nightshade does KNOW! Its obvious you havent been around long enough to read his input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayGuy Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I know, too, Candy, and I ain't bothered by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candylipsgirl Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 I know, too, Candy, and I ain't bothered by it. Holiday.... Nice to have you back? did you go on a trip somewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lori Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 what about Fergie? or Justin? or even Gwen? have they been played on "urban" stations? But their songs are not Mariah type songs plus they are much younger. Just imagine Celine Dion singing the exact same Mariah song in the exact same way. Do you think urban stations will play her. Believe me if Mariah's songs were sung by a pure white artist, they would not be played on urban stations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrawberryBounce12 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 It's so stupid to say that race is a factor in why HC didn't sell more. That's just a lame excuse. It's as bad as black people who blame everything that goes wrong in their life or lack of oppurtunities on the fact that they are black. It's Absolutely ridiculous because last time I checked Fergie, Justin, Nelly Furtado, Miley Cyrus and Amy Winehouse weren't black and they still get a lot of love at radio and all their albums have done well too. Madonna is older now, top 40 radio is not as quick to embrace someone her age, that's the reality. It's not fair but that's the truth which is why it was smart of her to hook up w/ JT & Timbaland for the first single. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candylipsgirl Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 It's so stupid to say that race is a factor in why HC didn't sell more. That's just a lame excuse. It's as bad as black people who blame everything that goes wrong in their life or lack of oppurtunities on the fact that they are black. It's Absolutely ridiculous because last time I checked Fergie, Justin, Nelly Furtado, Miley Cyrus and Amy Winehouse weren't black and they still get a lot of love at radio and all their albums have done well too. Madonna is older now, top 40 radio is not as quick to embrace someone her age, that's the reality. It's not fair but that's the truth which is why it was smart of her to hook up w/ JT & Timbaland for the first single. But how do you explain Urban stations giving TMB the extra cushion to land her all those meaningless #1s I bet you any money without URBAN support-the big fat cow- would NOT have scored 1/2 of the #1s she has. URBAN= Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etips Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 (edited) But their songs are not Mariah type songs plus they are much younger. Just imagine Celine Dion singing the exact same Mariah song in the exact same way. Do you think urban stations will play her. Believe me if Mariah's songs were sung by a pure white artist, they would not be played on urban stations. Gwen is a year older than Mariah. Fergie is only five years younger than her. Her super poppy "Big Girls Don't Cry" made it to the pole position…and I would imagine w/o much (if any) support from urban radio. Madonna struggles, not only because of her age, but also because she's coming off a ten year euro-pop binge, which has contributed to her loss of automatic hit credit in America—and specifically, her last two albums that produced no hits and struggled in sales. Even though 4M is well received, it isn't enough to make her a darling again. Edited May 7, 2008 by Etips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encore Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 400,000+ was impossible. "4 minutes" is a success in USA, but its airplay has never been nowhere near "Touch my body". i was hoping for COADF level of opening but it did not happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cramkiss Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Well. well we knew this was going to happen....Madonna fans screaming that she should have sold more. I have been a Madonna fan since 1982 and I have to tell you that after 25 years in the Industry and the decline of Album sales in recent years, this is a very respectable #. I am still amazed at her incredible success after all these years. Please people, let's celebrate this #1 event! What the hell went wrong! dont tell me promotions. 4M is the biggest promoter there is! HU WAS NOTHING COMPARED TO THIS GIANT AND IT GARNERED MORE SALES. W T F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marsha Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 no you're not the only one candy. pissed too. but no promo. so it's good. I predicted 250K - without promo, 400K + with promo. we know what happened. so, 280K below my expectactions in such a context. Whe know what she did last spring: nada ;-) anyway #7th #1 album in states is a great news. hope the better is to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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