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Thread started 12/06/11 5:15pm

HAPPYPERSON

The Underwhelming Performance Of Beyonce’s ’4′

Following the successes of her last three albums, Beyonce’s ’4′ LP was expected to be yet another multi-platinum hit for the entertainer. However, although it has been ranked as the seventh best-selling release of 2011 to date in the US, the sales of the record have been dismal compared to its predecessors.

The platinum-certified ’4′ has sold 941K copies in the US since being released in June 2011 and is currently ranked as the 7th highest-selling album of 2011 as well as the top-selling R&B album of the year. Yet, the sales of the record represent a stark decline from the 2.99 million copies of Beyonce’s ‘I Am…Sasha Fierce’ that have been sold in that territory since 2008.

In fact, even the sales of both those albums are compared during similar time spans, ‘Sasha Fierce’ vastly outperformed ’4′ in every regard as it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 482K copies sold in its first week compared to the latter’s 310K. Furthermore, ‘Sasha Fierce’ quickly surpassed 1.46 million units in sales after its first six weeks of availability – a total that ’4′ has yet to match after more than five months.

So why exactly did ’4′ fail to attract the hoards of buyers that helped her to become Billboard’s 4th most successful artist of the 2000-2009 decade? Well, there are two main reasons: direction and promotion.

Beyonce had built her career by servicing her fans with an ample supply of radio-ready singles and dance floor jingles yet rarely provided them with any thought-provoking content that depicted artistic depth. On the other hand, the direction of ’4′ represented a general departure from her formula and it confused her fanbase.

Tracks such as ‘I Was Here’ and ‘Rather Die Young’ were clearly targeting the Adult Contemporary market instead of the 18-30 age bracket of persons who were eager for receive another repetitious anthem similar to ‘Single Ladies’ so that they coud flock to YouTube to show the world how quickly they could learn the accompanying routine. Still, Beyonce clearly attempted to satisfy that dominant segment of her fanbase with the lead single from ’4′, ‘Run the World (Girls)’, but instead of appeasing all of her supporters, she simply deterred the Adult Contemporary buyers who woud have otherwise purchased the album if that song was not included.

Therefore, Beyonce alienated her formerly loyal fans by crafting a sound to which they were not accustomed and instead of replacing those persons with Adult Contemporary buyers – who helped to make Adele’s ’21′ the top-selling album of 2011 in the US with 4.67 million copies sold – she dampened their interest with ‘Run the World’. Conversely, some people might wonder why ‘Run the World’ wasn’t at least a hit Beyonce’s regular fanbase. Overlooking the fact that the song entailed an grossly hackneyed sample, we are leads to our second point – promotion.

Rather than swiftly returning to the US to promote ‘Run the World’ after the tune leaked ahead of schedule, Beyonce remained in France to continue celebrating her wedding anniversary. Moreover, by the time the song was finally serviced to radio, various versions of the track were already circulating on the internet. In fact, even Ryan Seacrest, who had scored the rights to debut the record on his radio show, premiered the wrong version of the song.

However, the mismanagement did not end with that fiasco. None of the seven music videos from ’4′ were released on schedule and Beyonce’s team regularly used the excuse that she was still “editing” the clips. As a visual artist who relies on a string of videos to help market her material, those delays simply deterred consumer confidence in Beyonce’s cause, especially when there were several other viable acts – Rihanna and Lady Gaga – who were readily providing alternatives to her fickle supporters. Of course, the multiple plagiarism claims that plagued Beyonce’s campaign when those videos finally premiered also did not help to boost her fans morale.

Therefore, by confusing her fans and failing to attract a new audience to replace those who had abandoned her, Beyonce’s ’4′ resulted in relatively commercial disappointment. Yes, the sales of the album were impressive when compared to those of her peers but by Beyonce’s standards, they were lukewarm at best.

On the bright side, at least she scored a Grammy Award nomination for the project. After all, one is better than none.

http://thelavalizard.com/...eyonces-4/

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Reply #1 posted 12/06/11 5:18pm

silverchild

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I'm shocked that so many people thought that 4 was going to do damage at the Grammys and be another headbuster commercial-wise. It isn't a flop as it did chart at #1, so what is the problem? Beyonce and her camp got what they got from this album. This is coming from a non-Beyonce stan by the way. lol

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"Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." -Bob Marley
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Reply #2 posted 12/06/11 5:21pm

Timmy84

silverchild said:

I'm shocked that so many people thought that 4 was going to do damage at the Grammys and be another headbuster commercial-wise. It isn't a flop as it did chart at #1, so what is the problem? Beyonce and her camp got what they got from this album. This is coming from a non-Beyonce stan by the way. lol

Yeah. Big deal. lol

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Reply #3 posted 12/06/11 7:02pm

1sotrue

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I dont think her album '4' was a bad album there are actually some songs that grow on you. Her team's decision to release RTW as the lead single was a major mistake, it should've been 'End of Time" it couldve been the song of the Summer.

I believe her crossover audience favored Adele this year though she's still very popular in the black community.

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Reply #4 posted 12/06/11 7:22pm

TonyVanDam

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The chickens have come home to roast.

That is all.

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Reply #5 posted 12/06/11 7:26pm

smoothcriminal
12

TonyVanDam said:

The chickens have come home to roast.

That is all.

Oh you. fishslap lol

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Reply #6 posted 12/06/11 7:32pm

Timmy84

TonyVanDam said:

The chickens have come home to roast.

That is all.

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Reply #7 posted 12/06/11 7:34pm

silverchild

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TonyVanDam said:

The chickens have come home to roast.

That is all.

I couldn't help but think about...

Check me out and add me on:
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"Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." -Bob Marley
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Reply #8 posted 12/06/11 7:57pm

Terrib3Towel

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Maybe now this overrated hoe will sit down somewhere. evillol

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Reply #9 posted 12/06/11 8:23pm

TonyVanDam

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smoothcriminal12 said:

TonyVanDam said:

The chickens have come home to roast.

That is all.

Oh you. fishslap lol

fishslap no no no! I stand by my words.

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Reply #10 posted 12/06/11 8:43pm

Paris9748430

TonyVanDam said:

The chickens have come home to roast.

That is all.

[img:$uid]http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/full/460088748.gif?Expires=1323233908&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIYVGSUJFNRFZBBTA&Signature=xyrLcZMibCMcPyq-u~AMQ1F~aXX0lcVckHkpDF4G06zrz76VrL5PeBEaEcsvgUO1ZXvoWm8y-d9BlHaEXI7hPxuTZdz4NMXVNdtcoYoZz6jS8N~2kOsjKwRV2zMrwA5TvI7pkjP8Y2Xd4Wdb9~DBZFCOBXD1KXIjJeLNfvqO7Ak_[/img:$uid]

Yeah, they're really roasting. What is she only worth 300 mil now?

JERKIN' EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!!!!!
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Reply #11 posted 12/06/11 9:06pm

Timmy84

Paris9748430 said:

TonyVanDam said:

The chickens have come home to roast.

That is all.

[img:$uid]http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/full/460088748.gif?Expires=1323233908&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIYVGSUJFNRFZBBTA&Signature=xyrLcZMibCMcPyq-u~AMQ1F~aXX0lcVckHkpDF4G06zrz76VrL5PeBEaEcsvgUO1ZXvoWm8y-d9BlHaEXI7hPxuTZdz4NMXVNdtcoYoZz6jS8N~2kOsjKwRV2zMrwA5TvI7pkjP8Y2Xd4Wdb9~DBZFCOBXD1KXIjJeLNfvqO7Ak_[/img:$uid]

Yeah, they're really roasting. What is she only worth 300 mil now?

Yeah, could be more. lol

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Reply #12 posted 12/06/11 9:13pm

Cerebus

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Timmy84 said:

silverchild said:

I'm shocked that so many people thought that 4 was going to do damage at the Grammys and be another headbuster commercial-wise. It isn't a flop as it did chart at #1, so what is the problem? Beyonce and her camp got what they got from this album. This is coming from a non-Beyonce stan by the way. lol

Yeah. Big deal. lol

Totally. In the end it will go platinum and ten or fifteen years from now it will just be one of her "ten platinume albums", or whatever. Platinum isn't really a bad number right now, either. The biggest artists on the planet aren't selling what they were even a couple years ago. Also, I don't think this woman does much without planning it in advance. I bet she knew the pregnancy was coming soon and that's why she pumped 4 out right quick on the heels of her last string of hits.

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Reply #13 posted 12/06/11 9:24pm

Timmy84

Cerebus said:

Timmy84 said:

Yeah. Big deal. lol

Totally. In the end it will go platinum and ten or fifteen years from now it will just be one of her "ten platinume albums", or whatever. Platinum isn't really a bad number right now, either. The biggest artists on the planet aren't selling what they were even a couple years ago. Also, I don't think this woman does much without planning it in advance. I bet she knew the pregnancy was coming soon and that's why she pumped 4 out right quick on the heels of her last string of hits.

Pretty much.

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Reply #14 posted 12/06/11 9:28pm

RKJCNE

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Its gonna go platinum without a smash single or tour. So, I'd say it's doing pretty well...

2012: The Queen Returns
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Reply #15 posted 12/06/11 9:34pm

Paris9748430

Timmy84 said:

Cerebus said:

Totally. In the end it will go platinum and ten or fifteen years from now it will just be one of her "ten platinume albums", or whatever. Platinum isn't really a bad number right now, either. The biggest artists on the planet aren't selling what they were even a couple years ago. Also, I don't think this woman does much without planning it in advance. I bet she knew the pregnancy was coming soon and that's why she pumped 4 out right quick on the heels of her last string of hits.

Pretty much.

OK, so her album sold slightly less than her last album. I don't see that as anything other than her albums aren't selling as much as they used to. It happens to EVERYBODY!

JERKIN' EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!!!!!
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Reply #16 posted 12/06/11 9:37pm

Timmy84

Paris9748430 said:

Timmy84 said:

Pretty much.

OK, so her album sold slightly less than her last album. I don't see that as anything other than her albums aren't selling as much as they used to. It happens to EVERYBODY!

Yeah it's called "fickle buyers". lol And she STILL went platinum so it ain't no big tragedy.

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Reply #17 posted 12/06/11 9:38pm

Terrib3Towel

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WEAVEonce's record sales suck in general. I honestly don't know where she gets all her money from. I guess she gets it from tours and her (awful) movies. She's never gone over 4x platium as a solo artists.

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Reply #18 posted 12/06/11 9:41pm

ABeautifulOne

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Terrib3Towel said:

WEAVEonce's record sales suck in general. I honestly don't know where she gets all her money from. I guess she gets it from tours and her (awful) movies. She's never gone over 4x platium as a solo artists.

That's a lie. Check your Dangerously In Love facts...

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Reply #19 posted 12/06/11 9:53pm

TonyVanDam

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Paris9748430 said:

Timmy84 said:

Pretty much.

OK, so her album sold slightly less than her last album. I don't see that as anything other than her albums aren't selling as much as they used to. It happens to EVERYBODY!

And why is THAT^?

Take your time thinking about it, I'll wait. I'm looking forward to hear you try to justify Beyonce's musical setback. lol

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Reply #20 posted 12/06/11 9:57pm

mjscarousal

RKJCNE said:

Its gonna go platinum without a smash single or tour. So, I'd say it's doing pretty well...

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Reply #21 posted 12/06/11 9:59pm

Terrib3Towel

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ABeautifulOne said:

Terrib3Towel said:

WEAVEonce's record sales suck in general. I honestly don't know where she gets all her money from. I guess she gets it from tours and her (awful) movies. She's never gone over 4x platium as a solo artists.

That's a lie. Check your Dangerously In Love facts...

Beyonce's Dangerously in love shipped about 4,688,000 in the U.S.

What do I win?

Or is that considered 5x platium?

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Reply #22 posted 12/06/11 9:59pm

Terrib3Towel

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mjscarousal said:

RKJCNE said:

Its gonna go platinum without a smash single or tour. So, I'd say it's doing pretty well...

I love it! evillol

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Reply #23 posted 12/06/11 10:03pm

TonyVanDam

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Timmy84 said:

Paris9748430 said:

OK, so her album sold slightly less than her last album. I don't see that as anything other than her albums aren't selling as much as they used to. It happens to EVERYBODY!

Yeah it's called "fickle buyers". lol And she STILL went platinum so it ain't no big tragedy.

It's also called "the members of the Katy Perry Kiss Her Ass Club".

Beyonce took a year off to start a family of her own while allowing her friend Lady Gaga to have THE spotlight all to her self. And as soon as she returned, Beyonce found out that she can NOT get the spotlight back because Gaga lost the spotlight to Katy Perry so to speak.

The End.

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Reply #24 posted 12/06/11 10:04pm

TonyVanDam

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Long story short, Beyonce's comeback attempt was not strong enough and she FAILED.

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Reply #25 posted 12/06/11 10:07pm

NDRU

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Comeback from what?

Is each new album a comeback now? I suppose with our short attention spans, they probably are!

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Reply #26 posted 12/06/11 10:12pm

Paris9748430

TonyVanDam said:

Paris9748430 said:

OK, so her album sold slightly less than her last album. I don't see that as anything other than her albums aren't selling as much as they used to. It happens to EVERYBODY!

And why is THAT^?

Take your time thinking about it, I'll wait. I'm looking forward to hear you try to justify Beyonce's musical setback. lol

Her 30th birthday. Most Pop Artists peak before they turn 30.

JERKIN' EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!!!!!
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Reply #27 posted 12/06/11 10:12pm

TonyVanDam

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NDRU said:

Comeback from what?

Is each new album a comeback now? I suppose with our short attention spans, they probably are!

After a one year laid off from touring, doing videos, AND recording, yes.

Welcome to the Soundbite Generation. You didn't get the memo in 2010.

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Reply #28 posted 12/06/11 10:14pm

mjscarousal

ALL Jokes aside though... ( I know this thread isnt about Adele) however her success REALLY is a testament that REAL MUSIC can still get mad love in mainstream... ALSO that the general public views are changing as far as music goes... this woman HAD NO PROMOTION... ONLY two music videos. Preacher voice *good God o mighty*.. and a few mag covers... NO HEAVY PROMO, NOT a bunch of interviews etc...UNLIKE her overrated and overexposed peers.

So people bitching that Beyonce will eventually have a million...

Even if Adele didnt win not ONE grammy HER ALBUM SALES.. are good enough for me.. THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN ITS A NEW ERA AND A BRAND NEW DAY THANK YA JESUS GET USE TO IT... that is all.

[Edited 12/6/11 22:16pm]

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Reply #29 posted 12/06/11 10:20pm

mjscarousal

Paris9748430 said:

TonyVanDam said:

And why is THAT^?

Take your time thinking about it, I'll wait. I'm looking forward to hear you try to justify Beyonce's musical setback. lol

Her 30th birthday. Most Pop Artists peak before they turn 30.

That is not true... *coughs* Janet Jackson (34), Michael Jackson (35-38) and Madonna (35)

She peaked way to early if you ask me which was techincally at (28)

[Edited 12/6/11 22:21pm]

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