Plectrum Electrum was a total flop on the charts.

In it's 4th week it exited the Top 150, and by the 6 week it's off the Top 200.

According to the billboard and soundscan numbers, Plectrum sold less than 40,000 in the U.S. Worldwide it stands at 73,000.

This probably is the worst commercial failure for Prince as an album, not including instrumental album such as N.E.W.S.

It's ashame 4 years with no new album and his "comeback" is one of his worst commercial performances for being on a major label again.

Yes, it is a shame. It doesn't change the fact that I like the album. So I guess all is in the eye of the beholder.

Personally as an album overall, I don't like it. I love Another Love though, one of my favorite Prince songs in the last 10 years regardless if it's an Alice Smith cover.

I'm just wondering about this new WB deal, did Prince agree to the Purple Rain re issue if WB allowed him to release these two albums??

Cause commercially, Plectrum can't just be called a flop, with the numbers it sold, making it his lowest selling album on a major label I wonder if WB even made any profit what so ever from Plectrum.

feeluupp said:

Personally as an album overall, I don't like it. I love Another Love though, one of my favorite Prince songs in the last 10 years regardless if it's an Alice Smith cover.

I'm just wondering about this new WB deal, did Prince agree to the Purple Rain re issue if WB allowed him to release these two albums??

Cause commercially, Plectrum can't just be called a flop, with the numbers it sold, making it his lowest selling album on a major label I wonder if WB even made any profit what so ever from Plectrum.

I like Another Love too, he should have just done an entire album of cover songs.

3rdeyedude said:

feeluupp said:

Personally as an album overall, I don't like it. I love Another Love though, one of my favorite Prince songs in the last 10 years regardless if it's an Alice Smith cover.

I'm just wondering about this new WB deal, did Prince agree to the Purple Rain re issue if WB allowed him to release these two albums??

Cause commercially, Plectrum can't just be called a flop, with the numbers it sold, making it his lowest selling album on a major label I wonder if WB even made any profit what so ever from Plectrum.

I like Another Love too, he should have just done an entire album of cover songs.

Actually when you look back at it... Some of Prince's cover songs were excellent and beautiful renditions.

God Created Woman

One Of Us

La La La Means I Love U

I Can't Make U Love Me

etc...

[Edited 11/18/14 15:21pm]

feeluupp said:

3rdeyedude said:

I like Another Love too, he should have just done an entire album of cover songs.

Actually when you look back at it... Some of Prince's cover songs were excellent and beautiful renditions.

God Created Woman

One Of Us

La La La Means I Love U

I Can't Make U Love Me

etc...

[Edited 11/18/14 15:21pm]

God Created Woman is not a cover.

Mindbells9 said:

feeluupp said:

Actually when you look back at it... Some of Prince's cover songs were excellent and beautiful renditions.

God Created Woman

One Of Us

La La La Means I Love U

I Can't Make U Love Me

etc...

[Edited 11/18/14 15:21pm]

God Created Woman is not a cover.

You're correct I was thinking of Betcha By Golly, Wow

Who cares what it did on the charts? It's not like anyone is really selling anything now anyway. It's all about if you liked the album or not. And Plectrum aside, after a 4-year absence he comes back with one of the best albums he's done in almost a decade (AOA). I'm cool with that.

i think its apparent by the new songs they are playing they had moved on even before the albums came out

larksanders said:

Who cares what it did on the charts? It's not like anyone is really selling anything now anyway. It's all about if you liked the album or not. And Plectrum aside, after a 4-year absence he comes back with one of the best albums he's done in almost a decade (AOA). I'm cool with that.

I care, I care because I believe this is one of the important chapters in Prince's next stage...

The longevity, the slump in the over all industry... What does it mean for the future of Prince's music... I believe WB was just testing the waters once again with Prince, and commercially he failed to meet expectations.

yeah it's quite strange just HOW hard Plectrum bombed. 70,000 copies? Hell, Musicology, 3121, Planet, Lotus & Mpl sold more than that in their first week of sales in America alone. This is Prince's first flop since The Rainbow Children thirteen years ago (even though that album has outsold Plec at least 4/5x over). Oh well. AOA is not doing so well either, but it hit the 100K mark, right? I think

CharismaDove said:

yeah it's quite strange just HOW hard Plectrum bombed. 70,000 copies? Hell, Musicology, 3121, Planet, Lotus & Mpl sold more than that in their first week of sales in America alone. This is Prince's first flop since The Rainbow Children thirteen years ago (even though that album has outsold Plec at least 4/5x over). Oh well. AOA is not doing so well either, but it hit the 100K mark, right? I think

For being one of the lowest selling years in general for the music industry, compared to most artists, especially the newer ones, AOA is doing average, not great not bad. It passed the 200,000 mark in sales just barely.

But Plectrum really really bombed, I mean it really bombed commercially.

Musicology sold almost 3m worldwide

3121 1m worldwide

Lotusflow3r went GOLD in the U.S. just being sold at Target alone...

AOA still has the potential to reach GOLD worldwide because it's still selling at least 5,000-6,000 a week so far in the U.S. plus another 8-10,000 internationally.

But Plectrum is really sad, I'm making this such a big deal because I think all those years with 3rd Eye Girl was just an experimental process, the music honestly that came from the group is nothing special, nothing exciting, and it shows that the general public doesn't care for this outdated girl group glam rock concept.

[Edited 11/18/14 17:17pm]

[Edited 11/18/14 17:18pm]

70,000 is hardly a flop in these days. its not the 80s anymore people, no one is selling millions of albums anymore. record sales are down greatly even in just the 5 years since lotus came out.

.

[Edited 11/18/14 17:22pm]

savagedreams said:

70,000 is hardly a flop in these days. its not the 80s anymore people, no one is selling millions of albums anymore. record sales are down greatly even in just the 5 years since lotus came out.

.

[Edited 11/18/14 17:22pm]

I believe that is an understatement. I do agree with you though, the music industry is at an all time low, due to the technology of the younger generation especially with streaming and all the ways you can get music without purchasing it...

However, 70,000 WORLDWIDE sales is a huge flop commercially.

Foo Fighters new album just debuted at #2 selling 190,000 in the U.S. alone. An unkown rapper and new artist BIG KRIT just debuted at #5 selling 45,000 copies in the first week... Plectrum's numbers are terrible...

Taylor Swift is already at 3m copies sold worldwide in 3 weeks.

U2 went GOLD already for worldwide sales even though they gave it away to iTunes, their world wide sales still stood strong.

If it was 70,000 U.S. alone, it wouldn't be a "flop", not really a success, but not a flop. However the world wide sales are near 70,000 which is really bad.

MIRvmn said:

First of all, its not a good idea to release 2 albums at the same time, it's better put all focus on one album and promote it heavily. Second, he should stop with these "Protégé" albums, no one outside the hardcore fan base care about 3EG etc, only release solo albums from now on. Im not surprised Plec flopped, well hopefully it means no more 3EG record in the future

I agree. The only "protege" albums I liked was Shiela E... The rest never did anything commercially...

Vanity

Apolonia

Carmen Electra

Bria Valenta

Jill Jones was ok, never sold well, but wasn't terrible...

what ever happened to TAMAR?

Prince and his girl protege, promise them an album crap if they make love... Not the 80's anymore...

SuperFurryAnimal said:

I don't believe rock radio that typically plays Foo Fighters, Oasis, Lenny ever paid much attention to Prince. Pop radio has always been more friendly. If wb and Prince wanted to revive the album they have to reach the masses that likely do not even know about the new albums. That is not rocket science and straight forward but it is up to Prince.

I don't even think this album can be revived. I can even say, without evidence of course, but I believe Plectrum is one of the fastest falling albums off the charts probably for this year. In it's 4th week it was off the chart completely.

As an album Plectrum really has nothing to offer. It doesn't even have a Prince sound, just getting cheesy songs with average guitar solos with bad vocals from Hannah.

Another Love was the only acceptable track, im my opinion of course.

WOW is average, we heard it before, Plectrum Electrum ok guitar instrumental, nothing new... What else does that album have to offer besides Another Love? How can you even market an album like that? No good songs for singles, no videos, 3 unkown girls on the cover... SMH.

The majority of the songs on those album are "meh" at best, and then the lack of promotion, and then the very much written about Prince facebook Q & A snafu, these albums were destined to bomb. Don't get me wrong, some of the songs I actually liked like "Wow" and ""Way Home", but much of it was filler.

He should put out "Another Love" as a single. That song is amazing.

Also, who cares? Dude is almost 60. You don't see Neil Diamond's albums burnin' up the charts either.

lwr001 said:

i think its apparent by the new songs they are playing they had moved on even before the albums came out

It's always been that way in Prince's world, though.

Why do you obsess over Plectrum Electrum chart activity? Do you not find that kinda weird? Or are you secretly Donna, Trevor or Hannah posting here on the org?

MIRvmn said:

he should stop with these "Protégé" albums, no one outside the hardcore fan base care about 3EG etc, only release solo albums from now on.

I agree with this.Look at some of the recent protege albums....Bria Valente,Andy Allo,and now 3rdEyegirl.None of these projects made any impact.The idea of Prince producing a female protege is just not exciting anymore.Been there,done that,too many times

It would have been a better album if he just let them do their thing. This is a debut album that should have been handled by an Indie label and they should be touring clubs. But since Prince is involved it cant be worked like a normal record or band so it Is destined to fail despite content (how many crappy albums can YOU name that blow up the charts.... a whole bunch I bet)

Funny how people think these albums are doing badly when I think they are doing well in an age of doing badly for most artists--especially if they aren't in the teen target market. Plus, I ceased giving a shit about charts back in the 90s when I bought the Gold Experience and knew nothing about Prince's break with WB... Past the mid '90s I ceased caring about popular stuff on the radio or charts period. And haven't cared since then.

well the PlectrumElectrum vinyl has been released already (at least in my country).

Maybe that will increase the sales figures?


[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/ecnirp2004/Prince/09-PrincePlectrumElectrumvinyl_zpscec55b4f.jpg[/img:$uid]


Or, - maybe it will not.. it is still a very crappy album.




But still its nice to own this on vinyl......... for the collecting reasons.

feeluupp said:

Plectrum Electrum was a total flop on the charts.

In it's 4th week it exited the Top 150, and by the 6 week it's off the Top 200.

According to the billboard and soundscan numbers, Plectrum sold less than 40,000 in the U.S. Worldwide it stands at 73,000.

This probably is the worst commercial failure for Prince as an album, not including instrumental album such as N.E.W.S.

It's ashame 4 years with no new album and his "comeback" is one of his worst commercial performances for being on a major label again.

Thats hilarious!! Well the album does suck so the numbers don't really surprise me. It is definately the worst album of his career far worse than New Power Soul which I never thought I would ever say but it is.

It's a sacred tradition for Prince proteges to flop commercially and suck creatively.

Maybe after Prince inevitably dumps them, they can join the Twinz and Tamar as part of a tour of proteges that no one cares about. They can call themselves The Purple Orphans or something.

[Edited 11/18/14 23:47pm]

I dont think it's the the worst album that he's done. But I do agree to it not have a Prince sound. I was going to say sales are down for all artists... but having heard Taylor Swift did 3mil in 3 weeks?... Wow.