Madonna’s ‘Rebel Heart’, By The Numbers - READ this!

[bangbang]

Just for the few people who still DON'T GET IT .

Madonna’s ‘Rebel Heart’, By The Numbers: Why Isn’t This Album A Hit?

http://www.idolator....-love-ghosttown

Madonna’s ‘Rebel Heart’, By The Numbers: Why Isn’t This Album A Hit?
By: Robbie Daw / April 2, 2015

Madonna’s new album Rebel Heart is floundering at #34 on the Billboard 200 in only its third week on the main album chart, despite the huge amount of promotional appearances she put in behind the project. But the not-so-fit-for-a-Queen sales of the record have less to do with the Material Girl’s popularity (remember, this is the top grossing solo tour act and best-selling female artist of all time we’re talking about, whose 13 studio albums have all landed in the Top 10) and probably much to do with a disastrous string of leaks that plagued the album months before it was officially released.

Below, we break down the numbers with regards to Rebel Heart, from noteworthy dates in the album’s timeline to leaks to chart positions to sales.

DATE OF ALBUM RELEASE: March 10, 2015

ORIGINAL PLANNED ALBUM RELEASE: April 2015

NUMBER OF TRACKS ON THE STANDARD VERSION: 14

NUMBER OF TRACKS ON THE DELUXE VERSION: 19

NUMBER OF TRACKS ON THE SUPER DELUXE VERSION: 24

DATE FIRST SONG(S) LEAKED: November 28, 2014 — a version of the album’s title track surfaced online, followed hours later by a demo of “Wash All Over Me”

DATE OVER A DOZEN REBEL HEART SONG DEMOS LEAKED: December 17, 2014

NUMBER OF SONGS RUSH-RELEASED THROUGH iTUNES AFTER THE ABOVE LEAK: 6, including single “Living For Love”

ORIGINAL PLANNED RELEASE SINGLE RELEASE: Two months later, on February 14, 2015

DATE ANOTHER 14 DEMO VERSIONS OF SONGS FROM THE ALBUM LEAKED: December 23, 2014

DATE ISRAELI POLICE ARRESTED A MAN REPORTED TO HAVE HACKED INTO MADONNA’S COMPUTER AND LEAKED THE DEMOS: January 21, 2015

DATE THE SUPER DELUXE VERSION OF REBEL HEART LEAKED ONLINE: February 3, 2015, five full weeks before the album’s official release

DATE THE VIDEO FOR LEAD SINGLE “LIVING FOR LOVE” PREMIERED: February 5, 2015

HIGHEST CHART POSITION FOR “LIVING FOR LOVE” IN ISRAEL, WHERE MADONNA’S REPORTED HACKER LIVES: #4

HIGHEST CHART POSITION FOR “LIVING FOR LOVE” IN THE UK, WHERE THE SONG WAS BANNED FROM BBC RADIO 1: #26

HIGHEST CHART POSITIONS FOR “LIVING FOR LOVE” IN THE US: #1 on the dance chart, #8 on the Bubbling Under chart (or the equivalent of #108 on the Billboard Hot 100)

POSITION REBEL HEART DEBUTED AT ON THE BILLBOARD 200: #2

AMOUNT OF ALBUM UNITS REBEL HEART MOVED IN ITS FIRST WEEK: 121,000

NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS MADONNA HAS ON INSTAGRAM ALONE: 3.4 million

POSITION REBEL HEART FELL TO IN ITS SECOND WEEK: #21

POSITION REBEL HEART FELL TO IN ITS THIRD WEEK: #34

NUMBER OF MADONNA STUDIO ALBUMS RELEASED TO-DATE: 13

NUMBER OF MADONNA STUDIO ALBUMS TO REACH THE TOP OF THE CHART: 8

NUMBER OF MADONNA STUDIO ALBUMS THAT PEAKED AT #2: 3, including Erotica, Ray Of Light and, now, Rebel Heart

NUMBER OF REBEL HEART COPIES SOLD IN THE FIRST THREE WEEKS: In the ballpark of 150,000

NUMBER OF COPIES MADONNA’S PREVIOUS ALBUM, MDNA, SOLD IN ITS FIRST WEEK: 359,000

MADONNA’S BIGGEST OPENING-WEEK SALES OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM: Music, released in 2000, started off with 411,000 copies sold

AMOUNT OF PROMOTION MADONNA DID IN SUPPORT OF THE REBEL HEART RELEASE: Quite frankly, we lost track…but it included cover stories with Interview, MOJO and Rolling Stone magazines, plus performances at the Grammy Awards, the BRIT Awards and the iHeart Radio Music Awards and appearances on Howard Stern’s radio show, The TODAY Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (for a full week), The Jonathan Ross Show (UK), Che Tempo Che Fa (Italy), Le Grande Journal (France) and Today (Australia). This is all ahead of her upcoming Rebel Heart Tour.

Bottom line: There will always be interest in Madonna, who is usually surefire when it comes to getting a new album off the ground. But Rebel Heart didn’t just leak in full once — it might has well have leaked two-and-a-half times, given that a demo for pretty much every song on the album, and then some, made its way online in December. That fiasco killed practically any chance of a lead single gathering momentum via a traditional release, and all but ensured that only diehard fans (and Rebel Heart Tour ticket buyers) would be purchasing a copy of the LP.

And that’s a shame, given that the album is actually her best in a decade, and her most ambitious since 1998’s Ray Of Light.

Lesson learned: Keep your shit under lock and key next time around, Madge. You’ve got the money to avoid the more slippery slopes of modern technology.

Ah, well — roll on the tour!

[bangbang]

Just look at these disgusting comments from CUNTS who downloaded the demos then decided to not buy the album cause it did not sound like the demos lol , and people still dare to say the leaks didn't affect sales

"I agree. The demos were amazing and had they been on the album I would have bought it but the finalized versions were horrid and some of the best songs weren't included at all. All this BS that it was leaks I don't buy, if the album was good ppl would have bought plain and simple.

[Flip The Switch]

Just look at these disgusting comments from CUNTS who downloaded the demos then decided to not buy the album cause it did not sound like the demos lol , and people still dare to say the leaks didn't affect sales

"I agree. The demos were amazing and had they been on the album I would have bought it but the finalized versions were horrid and some of the best songs weren't included at all. All this BS that it was leaks I don't buy, if the album was good ppl would have bought plain and simple.

Nothing different from a few posters from here who are still moaning "...but demo #877 was better" and so on.

And the article, SPOT ON!

[dollhouse]

Just look at these disgusting comments from CUNTS who downloaded the demos then decided to not buy the album cause it did not sound like the demos lol , and people still dare to say the leaks didn't affect sales

"I agree. The demos were amazing and had they been on the album I would have bought it but the finalized versions were horrid and some of the best songs weren't included at all. All this BS that it was leaks I don't buy, if the album was good ppl would have bought plain and simple.

such bull..the demos were not as good as the album

these fags would have not bought the album unless nothing was leaked

[mtzlplk]

oh it's here now...

hey, i still like some demos than the final versions but i still bought my legit copies of course... i really hope next time, MADONNA's camp tighten their security... something is terribly wrong when even demos leak and all of it leaks... i am not a hypocrite, i admit, i downloaded the leaks but i wouldn't mind if it hadn't in the first place... what you don't know can't hurt you right?

it's too bad really... her best album in 10 years, her best promo era god knows since when... and this happens..

[tuckeye]

the article isn't about the demos...it is about putting some facts into the reason why this album isn't selling...but really, it's a combination of everything. but at least they didn't tear her apart for it.

[ruey]

I have said this from the moment the leaks started , that it will impact the sales success of the album HEAVILY.

[Mozo1]

Nothing different from a few posters from here who are still moaning "...but demo #877 was better" and so on.

And the article, SPOT ON!

Thank you.

[karbatal]

Well surely next album won't have leaks

[Iconic Fetus]

I actually replaced RH album with RH demo.

This article doesn't say anything new, we already knew that the leaks hurt her a lot.

[mgreece]

Surely I blame the leaks for the low sales but I think that it was a huge mistake that she waited 3 years to put a new record out!!!Things aren't like they used to be. She should try and release a new album in 2014 so that shw uses the mimentum from the tour

[karbatal]

People people calm down. Next album will have no leaks and will sell millions and millions.... Radio hits will be so easy because of no leaks and she will be the queen of streaming.... NOT

The only thing that leaks hurt was the first week sales. From then on things were as they are

[bangbang]

Surely I blame the leaks for the low sales but I think that it was a huge mistake that she waited 3 years to put a new record out!!!Things aren't like they used to be. She should try and release a new album in 2014 so that shw uses the mimentum from the tour

MDNA was out in 2012, she waited 2 years, she can't put out a new album every month like some desperate popstar.

[bangbang]

People people calm down. Next album will have no leaks and will sell millions and millions.... Radio hits will be so easy because of no leaks and she will be the queen of streaming.... NOT

The only thing that leaks hurt was the first week sales. From then on things were as they are

NOTHING turned out the way it was suppose to , it completely screwed EVERYTHING up. You just don't get it, do you?

[gemini1313]

just for the record, I bought 2 hard copies of the album on the first day of release.

[mgreece]

NOTHING turned out the way it was suppose to , it completely screwed EVERYTHING up. You just don't get it, do you?

I think so too.It ruined the timing the programming maybe radio deals the making of the videos the relieases of the singles.Too bad for this amazing album .M & her team should be more carefull next time

[reQuiem4adream]

NUMBER OF REBEL HEART COPIES SOLD IN THE FIRST THREE WEEKS: In the ballpark of 150,000

NUMBER OF COPIES MADONNA’S PREVIOUS ALBUM, MDNA, SOLD IN ITS FIRST WEEK: 359,000

Let the meltdown begin or should we take this thread to the Chart Forum?

[HolidayGuy]

What the article lays things out nicely, it fails to mention is that RH was No. 1 in album sales upon its debut. And, Music sold 420,000, not 411,000, in its first week.

[reQuiem4adream]

What the article lays things out nicely, it fails to mention is that RH was No. 1 in album sales upon its debut. And, Music sold 420,000, not 411,000, in its first week.

HG, you know what to do.

[karbatal]

NOTHING turned out the way it was suppose to , it completely screwed EVERYTHING up. You just don't get it, do you?

No. I know that it affected lots of things but not anymore. if she is not selling now and Ghosttown isn't a bigger hit isn't because of the leaks

[nightcutter]

The only demos I prefer are Beautiful Scars And Iconic demo 2 and even then I don't prefer them a lot. IMO all the album tracks are better than the demos.