RODSERLING said:

fnksoul said:

I didnt say it was forbidden, Meant why should anyone really care how many something didnt sell? You have a clear focus across a few threads about Lack of sales and you back it up with Facts which is good, but it doesnt really mean anything, 100k people might have bought what ever album, but 1 million may have streamed it for free and enjoyed it, which is why there cant really be too much focus on lack of physical sales IMO in this day in age.

It would be intersting if there was any concrete data avaliable on how many times things were streamed

Like I say though each to their own I guess.

[Edited 1/2/15 7:09am]

Pirating albums has always existed. it's not new. I don't understand why it should be more convenient now than 20 years ago. I remember when I was 14, I was already buynig CD pirates of Eminem and Daft Punk.

If you could find the number streaming views, make it a top ten, until then actual sales are still what is more accurate now.

It's not new your, your right, but its 100x easier you can literally go onto google and type the album name in and its with you with mins, on a much larger scale than it was 20 years ago.

Stealing (or "pirating") is much easier now than 20 years ago, and therefore it's a widespread practice and affects sales and musicians much more. You can't compare Art Official Age's sales with Emancipation's, for example; the second has been released in the midst of a huge crisis of the music business, whereas the first was published (still) in the golden years.

---

The problem with Art Official Age is the lack of promotional effort. Prince had his caché as high as in 2004-2006 after the four years of silence and the 3rdeyegirl's tour, but, for reasons only he knows, there hasn't been any coherent promotion, or any promotion at all. I'd love that Prince continues releasing music physically, even more after listening to his awesome new albums, but I fear he might give up after the low sales of his new music, for which, after all, he may be the only one to blame.

---

As usual in Prince's world, nothing makes any sense.

Javi said:

Stealing (or "pirating") is much easier now than 20 years ago, and therefore it's a widespread practice and affects sales and musicians much more. You can't compare Art Official Age's sales with Emancipation's, for example; the second has been released in the midst of a huge crisis of the music business, whereas the first was published (still) in the golden years.

---

The problem with Art Official Age is the lack of promotional effort. Prince had his caché as high as in 2004-2006 after the four years of silence and the 3rdeyegirl's tour, but, for reasons only he knows, there hasn't been any coherent promotion, or any promotion at all. I'd love that Prince continues releasing music physically, even more after listening to his awesome new albums, but I fear he might give up after the low sales of his new music, for which, after all, he may be the only one to blame.

---

As usual in Prince's world, nothing makes any sense.

Had it been as much promotion as for EMANCIPATION ( 4 singles, 4 music video, Oprah, Chris Rock show, a huge tour, etc), ART OFFICIAL AGE would have sold the same amount as EMANCIPATION : about 700.000 in the US alone.

The problem is not the music industry, but Prince's lack of promotionnal efforts, and the fact that he's losing his fans more and more.

It's still coherent to compare ART OFFICIAL AGE and EMANCIPATION's sales. In the 70's, album sales were low too. Since the digital age, the singles market has never been so successfull. times are changing, but the market is still here.

PR sold about 100 k this year in the US. I let you imagine if the reedition was released at the right time, with a good promotion, how much it could have been sold, and you would have seen that the album market is not dead for everyone.

Look at Taylors Swift sales.

[Edited 1/2/15 8:47am]

In 1978, SOFT AND WET was a flop and it sold 350.000 copies in the US alone.

In 1995, I HATE U was a huge success, and it didn't sold that much.

In 2015, 350.000 ex for a single is a flop, you can sell that amount and not even being in the top 100.

The same could be said about albums. Sales are fluctuating.

[Edited 1/2/15 8:51am]

[Edited 1/2/15 8:53am]

RODSERLING said:

Javi said:

Stealing (or "pirating") is much easier now than 20 years ago, and therefore it's a widespread practice and affects sales and musicians much more. You can't compare Art Official Age's sales with Emancipation's, for example; the second has been released in the midst of a huge crisis of the music business, whereas the first was published (still) in the golden years.

---

The problem with Art Official Age is the lack of promotional effort. Prince had his caché as high as in 2004-2006 after the four years of silence and the 3rdeyegirl's tour, but, for reasons only he knows, there hasn't been any coherent promotion, or any promotion at all. I'd love that Prince continues releasing music physically, even more after listening to his awesome new albums, but I fear he might give up after the low sales of his new music, for which, after all, he may be the only one to blame.

---

As usual in Prince's world, nothing makes any sense.

Had it been as much promotion as for EMANCIPATION ( 4 singles, 4 music video, Oprah, Chris Rock show, a huge tour, etc), ART OFFICIAL AGE would have sold the same amount as EMANCIPATION : about 700.000 in the US alone.

The problem is not the music industry, but Prince's lack of promotionnal efforts, and the fact that he's losing his fans more and more.

It's still coherent to compare ART OFFICIAL AGE and EMANCIPATION's sales. In the 70's, album sales were low too. Since the digital age, the singles market has never been so successfull. times are changing, but the market is still here.

PR sold about 100 k this year in the US. I let you imagine if the reedition was released at the right time, with a good promotion, how much it could have been sold, and you would have seen that the album market is not dead for everyone.

Look at Taylors Swift sales.

[Edited 1/2/15 8:47am]

In 1978, SOFT AND WET was a flop and it sold 350.000 copies in the US alone.

In 1995, I HATE U was a huge success, and it didn't sold that much.

In 2015, 350.000 ex for a single is a flop, you can sell that amount and not even being in the top 100.

The same could be said about albums. Sales are fluctuating.

[Edited 1/2/15 8:51am]

[Edited 1/2/15 8:53am]

I see it as a combination of both factors, the present state of the music industry and the lack of promotional efforts. Prince can't do much about the first, but he certainly can about the second. He may be losing his fans, as you say, but with the right promotion he could have gained new ones. I think Art Official Age is a fantastic album, and with commercial potential, but, sadly, it'll count as a commercial flop for who knows what reasons.

Javi said:

RODSERLING said:

Had it been as much promotion as for EMANCIPATION ( 4 singles, 4 music video, Oprah, Chris Rock show, a huge tour, etc), ART OFFICIAL AGE would have sold the same amount as EMANCIPATION : about 700.000 in the US alone.

The problem is not the music industry, but Prince's lack of promotionnal efforts, and the fact that he's losing his fans more and more.

It's still coherent to compare ART OFFICIAL AGE and EMANCIPATION's sales. In the 70's, album sales were low too. Since the digital age, the singles market has never been so successfull. times are changing, but the market is still here.

PR sold about 100 k this year in the US. I let you imagine if the reedition was released at the right time, with a good promotion, how much it could have been sold, and you would have seen that the album market is not dead for everyone.

Look at Taylors Swift sales.

[Edited 1/2/15 8:47am]

In 1978, SOFT AND WET was a flop and it sold 350.000 copies in the US alone.

In 1995, I HATE U was a huge success, and it didn't sold that much.

In 2015, 350.000 ex for a single is a flop, you can sell that amount and not even being in the top 100.

The same could be said about albums. Sales are fluctuating.

[Edited 1/2/15 8:51am]

[Edited 1/2/15 8:53am]

I see it as a combination of both factors, the present state of the music industry and the lack of promotional efforts. Prince can't do much about the first, but he certainly can about the second. He may be losing his fans, as you say, but with the right promotion he could have gained new ones. I think Art Official Age is a fantastic album, and with commercial potential, but, sadly, it'll count as a commercial flop for who knows what reasons.

Of course, Prince could have wON new fans with promoting AOA. I have no doubt about it.

we get it. Prince is just not THAT successful. He's been outsold by other acts.

feeluupp said:

Adorecream said:

Yes I agree, trying to defend this moronic topic, who cares how many albums he has sold. As long as we the fans can buy them and he makes them, who gives a fuck.

.

Feeluup along with King Sausage have been responsible for a range of negative topics and inane Top 10 ones in the past month and we are just sick of them. Dude if you think he can't sell albums, and he sucks, why even be a fan honestly. Yes I answer and compose critical threads too, but I also praise him, lusten to him and try to get something out of the music. Plus there is serial hater Rodserling or whatever his name is, who sprinkles his gloom troll dust over everything, seriously all of you get a life and stop being so depressing.

.

I mean if Prince had released 50 albums, and all had got mumber 1 beating Bieber, Swift and every other squeaky voice pop artist, shit hopper, ra and sleaze singer or nu metal group with 20 million of each album sold, you would still be whinging. The numbers are very low and are obviously the lowest they could find of each, they still have not announced their source, so I suspect this baiting bullshit.

And aren't you the one who created 5 Reasons Why Prince is Losing His Commercial Clout...

Never said I didin't, if you read my post properly, you will see I mentioned "composed critical threads".

.

Have you bothered to look at my thread and I how I handled it, it is in its 3rd page and has encouraged a very positive debate, most of the responses agree with what I said and the ones that do not have either added new dimensions or disagreed in a way that has made me even reconsider my original statements. None of the scrapping and trolling that dominates your threads

.

My threads don't start arguments, yours do, so the real difference is about 20 years of maturity.

Adorecream said:

feeluupp said:

And aren't you the one who created 5 Reasons Why Prince is Losing His Commercial Clout...

Never said I didin't, if you read my post properly, you will see I mentioned "composed critical threads".

.

Have you bothered to look at my thread and I how I handled it, it is in its 3rd page and has encouraged a very positive debate, most of the responses agree with what I said and the ones that do not have either added new dimensions or disagreed in a way that has made me even reconsider my original statements. None of the scrapping and trolling that dominates your threads

.

My threads don't start arguments, yours do, so the real difference is about 20 years of maturity.

fnksoul said:

alandail said:

That's simply no true. Spotify pays 0.7 cents per stream, Happy was streamed 55 million time, that's $385,000 in royalties paid by Spotify for the song Happy.

Apologies, my bad, It was Pandora not Spotify and its the money that Pharell actually saw in Royalties, the rest goes to various other things. But Taylor Swift pulling her stuff from Streaming services could open up the flood gates for things to change in the Industry. If Prince was big right now, I'd imagine he'd have alot to say ont he matter

Sony used the number you had, but it was in refernece to the songwriters royalties, not the performers royalties.