Photo: Artist Jeff Koons's Lady Gaga sculpture on display at ARTPOP's album release at New York's Brooklyn Navy Yard


November 19th
Link

Lady Gaga wants people to take pop music seriously.

Her new album, ARTPOP, was conceived as an exploration of what happens when high-brow art meets low-brow pop and if there’s really any difference between the two. It’s a theme broached in her previous albums—and touched on by Kanye West in his oil-painting-turned-music-video for Power—but with ARTPOP, Gaga is trying to position herself as the second coming of Andy Warhol.

Pop artist Jeff Koons designed the album’s cover, which features a naked sculpture of Gaga cupping her breasts while giving birth to a shiny blue ball. It’s art that could be easily mistaken for a slapdash Photoshop job.

Considering Gaga’s massive following of “Little Monsters,” as her fans call themselves, and the fact that her last album, 2011′s Born This Way, sold over 1.1 million copies during its first week (with a boost from a 99¢ promotion on Amazon, ARTPOP could’ve been the year’s biggest hit.

Interscope Records spent about $25 million promoting the album, culminating in an over-the-top “artRave” event at Brooklyn’s Navy Yard on the night of ARTPOP‘s Nov. 11 release.

During the event, Gaga exhibited Koons sculptures, Maria Abramović videos, and a Benjamin Rollins Caldwell installation made up of old computer parts. She performed new songs while wearing a white space-suit-inspired leotard, her bleached hair cut into a severe, triangular bob.

At one point, she even unveiled a hovercraft that she insisted was “the world’s first flying dress.” Watching artRave, it was as if everything in The Jetsons had finally come true.

Despite all the fanfare, ARTPOP isn’t selling. The album sold just over 250,000 copies in its first week, putting it behind Katy Perry’s Prism (286,000 copies) and Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz (270,000 copies)—far below the expected 350,000 sales touted before its release. Interscope may lose so much money on the album that unconfirmed rumors of layoffs are circulating.

To be clear, ARTPOP isn’t a total flop. It made its debut at No. 1 in the U.K., and while the Billboard charts haven’t yet been released, the album remains in the running for a No. 1 U.S. debut. But for someone who once seemed able to churn out hit songs in her sleep—Bad Romance has sold over 10 million singles since it came out in 2009—ARTPOP feels more like a fizzle.

So Gaga’s new album came in third among current female pop launches—possibly fourth, depending on how Britney Spears fares with Britney Jean, which will reach the public at the end of the month. Given her artistic ambitions, it might be better to compare Lady Gaga to someone with a similar mindset—perhaps Kanye West, who released an off-the-wall album of his own this year. Yeezus had similarly lofty ambitions of becoming an art project that explored race, religion, and power. It moved 327,000 copies in its first week, or 30 percent more than ARTPOP.

Interestingly, Yeezus didn’t come with a big promotional push. When it came out on June 18, there was no single already on the radio as ARTPOP had with Applause.It wasn’t even available for pre-ordering. The music on Yeezus was percussive and erratic, with such song titles as New Slaves and Black Skinhead, which has since gone on to be used in a commercial forMotorola (GOOG). After that first week, sales of Yeezus dropped significantly.

Still, there’s a difference between artistic and commercial success, and Yeezus has been widely hailed by critics as a great album. Kanye tempers his most narcissistic declaration (“I am a God”) by rapping about massages and French restaurants, even shouting at one point:”Hurry up with my damn croissants!”

On ARTPOP, however, Gaga never seems to have fun with her persona. On Donatella, which is about the jet-setting life of Donatella Versace, she seems totally unaware of how vapid the chorus—”She’s so thin/she’s so rich/and so blond/She’s so fab/it’s beyond”—makes her sound. (Weirdly, she did understand this in 2008′s Beautiful, Dirty, Rich, which is basically about the same thing) As a result, ARTPOP feels conceptually shallow, as if Gaga were too focused on flying dresses and crazy spacesuits to bother with the actual music.

During a listening party before the Yeezus debut, Kanye laid out his personal strategy for selling music: “I’ve got an idea on how to sell more music, it’s called make better music,” he said. He didn’t mention anything about flying spacesuits.

Why can't artists just BE artists and not have to feel pressure to move so many units?

No damn wonder we're sitting and waiting for people like Prince to release new music. And when the system doesn't support you... "CHANGE THE SYSTEM."

She wants to be an inspiration to other artists and youth, but what message does it send when you tell her "It's a flop" or "You're a failure"? How can you inspire others to dream big when people/critics/sales fault you for doing what you do?

This is a perfect example of how fickle and hypocritical the music business is.

Why not just let the MUSIC speak for itself?

Why must artists feel pressure to outsell themselves and others?

There are plenty of struggling artists out there who would gladly admit to only selling 250,000 copies their first week.

I'm glad. I haven't appreciated Gaga's presence in the music world at all. She's been like an intrusion on it and hasn't done any good, IMO. She was one of the ushers of this terrible EDM/Dance/Pop scene that's held the music scene hostage since 2008. Now that the head zombie has been decapitated, maybe the rest of them will die and we can go back to the way it was before she arrived.

All I'm saying is if they really spent $25 Million to promote this album then it deserves to be considered a flop. Otherwise I agree all this pressure for album sales is all media generated hype.

FormerlyKnownAs said:

Why can't artists just BE artists and not have to feel pressure to move so many units?

No damn wonder we're sitting and waiting for people like Prince to release new music. And when the system doesn't support you... "CHANGE THE SYSTEM."

She wants to be an inspiration to other artists and youth, but what message does it send when you tell her "It's a flop" or "You're a failure"? How can you inspire others to dream big when people/critics/sales fault you for doing what you do?

This is a perfect example of how fickle and hypocritical the music business is.

Why not just let the MUSIC speak for itself?

Why must artists feel pressure to outsell themselves and others?

There are plenty of struggling artists out there who would gladly admit to only selling 250,000 copies their first week.

Good call. Fuck a sales expectation! Sales ain't got NOTHIN to do with art. People peddling sales expectations can piss off

$25 million to promote this album?! That's absurd. Some heads are gonna roll at Interscope when they don't re-coup all that money.

Lady Gaga ARTPOP Comes in At Number 1 with 260K Copies Sold

Well, it’s not the edge of glory, but it’s all we’ve got. Lady Gaga’s “ARTPOP” album came in at number 1 with 260,000 copies sold according to hitdailydouble.com. It’s a far cry from her “Born this Way” album but really, nothing is like it used to be in this world. Is it? ARTPOP needs to catch a big hit single on the radio and then it will move.

So far, “Applause” has been okay but not huge. The R Kelly duet “Do What U Want With My Body” actually gets better with every play, but I’m not sure that’s the one. Interscope is trying out “Gypsy.” I think “Manicure” or the title track might do it. Singles are tricky. “Edge of Glory” was not popular when the album came out, then it took off.

Gaga had a lot of songs for ARTPOP including a duet with Cher which she didn’t use. Ironic since Cher’s done so well with her new album. Maybe there will be an ARTPOP 1.2 with added songs.

Interscope does NOT lose $25 million as some idiot blogger wrote last week. And when Gaga hits the road for an ARTPOP tour, millions will pour in. With this album, however, Lady Gaga, has fallen to Earth with a thud.

http://www.showbiz411.com...opies-sold

The label will lose millions if this album continues to under perform, whether it's $25M or $15M. The marketing campaign has been insanely expensive.

Her self important antics have turned off the public. Deservingly so.

nd33 said:

FormerlyKnownAs said:

Why can't artists just BE artists and not have to feel pressure to move so many units?

No damn wonder we're sitting and waiting for people like Prince to release new music. And when the system doesn't support you... "CHANGE THE SYSTEM."

She wants to be an inspiration to other artists and youth, but what message does it send when you tell her "It's a flop" or "You're a failure"? How can you inspire others to dream big when people/critics/sales fault you for doing what you do?

This is a perfect example of how fickle and hypocritical the music business is.

Why not just let the MUSIC speak for itself?

Why must artists feel pressure to outsell themselves and others?

There are plenty of struggling artists out there who would gladly admit to only selling 250,000 copies their first week.

Good call. Fuck a sales expectation! Sales ain't got NOTHIN to do with art. People peddling sales expectations can piss off

Sales have everything to do with pop though. Popular artists selling 250k = not so popular.

From the US census, cities with around 250,000 residents include jet-setting destinations such as St. Petersburg FL, Baton Rouge LA, and Madison WI. Anticipate Ms. Gaga will be playing gay bars and pride festivals in such cities in the near future.

I'm guessing it could have something to do with her not running around butt-naked enough...

FormerlyKnownAs said:

Why can't artists just BE artists and not have to feel pressure to move so many units? No damn wonder we're sitting and waiting for people like Prince to release new music. And when the system doesn't support you... "CHANGE THE SYSTEM."

It's not (completely) fair to lump Prince into that group. He was the most prolific superstar of his day, and for a period of time, took more risks with each successive album, even as his sales waned. And I'd argue that Prince, in fits and starts, DID change the system.

She wants to be an inspiration to other artists and youth, but what message does it send when you tell her "It's a flop" or "You're a failure"? How can you inspire others to dream big when people/critics/sales fault you for doing what you do?

Fair question, but the title of her album says it all. She wants both: the integrity of the "ART" and the success of being "POP."

This is a perfect example of how fickle and hypocritical the music business is.

Why not just let the MUSIC speak for itself?

Why must artists feel pressure to outsell themselves and others?

There are plenty of struggling artists out there who would gladly admit to only selling 250,000 copies their first week.

True, but those struggling artists don't have the pressures of sponsors, agents, labels, et al. who have poured millions into their albums.

Already been talk of layoffs at Interscope because of this massive loss.

Cinny said:

Already been talk of layoffs at Interscope because of this massive loss.

I think she should have just waited for Summer 2014 and gotten more help trying to make a hit. She has a great voice but she might end up like Pink or someone who gets other people to write her songs in order to get a hit.

3rdeyedude said:

Cinny said:

Already been talk of layoffs at Interscope because of this massive loss.

I think she should have just waited for Summer 2014 and gotten more help trying to make a hit. She has a great voice but she might end up like Pink or someone who gets other people to write her songs in order to get a hit.

Pink writes her songs though. You must be thinking of Rihanna and Miley Cyrus

there's something lame about the focus on 'real hits'.

On the one hand, we celebrate the artist who follows their own muse, wherever it takes them. This is Prince.org, where Janelle Monae is revered, and PRINCE! who hasn't had a 'real hit' since god knows when.

On the other hand we tsk tsk when Lady Gaga "only" sells X ammount of copies.

It's like devoting ourselves to popularity contests, while at the same time championing people who don't give a damn about popularity.

Also, the headline: What's a $25M Art Machine? Why should it buy a real hit?

All that said: never liked her, turned the album off after 6 songs, it's like seizures. But good for her for trying something new ('new'? whatever).

I kinda figured this would happen with her. People were saying she is the ''madonna'' of this generation.

But, and this has nothing to do with music. Numbers wise Rihanna is the modern Madonna and GaGa is more along the lines of... lets say Prince. Now calm your tits before they lactate i am not saying she is talented as Prince.

But i mean in the sense that Prince had a HUGE album with Purple Rain, a pretty good sized hit album with Around The World In A Day, And then his most experimental at the time Parade didn't sell a lot.

GaGa was insanely huge with The Fame Monster... but even by Born This Way i could tell she was losing some ground mainstream wise.

I think for the next few years she will still have hits here and there for sure. But i don't think she will ever have a big selling album again.

What I always caught that no one else seems to mention was her failure in recognizing a key component of fame, something she proudly boasted of studying on "60 Minutes" during her height. She didn't recognize that you can deflect attention with your costumes and you can dote love all over your fans, but just because you love your "fans" it doesn't mean they're going to love you back.

Some people don't understand that this is a business and if you don't sell, you will be dropped. Labels spend money promoting, recording and producing albums so they need to get that money back before anyone can profit. Obviously, in Lady Gaga's case, she's a top name the label felt that they could spend a lot on her because they were expecting a huge return in profit. I'm sure the budget for Gaga's next album will be much smaller as a result of the weak album sales.

Unless ecording acts can pay for recording, production, development (if they're new) and promotion themselves, they need to be lent money, and that's what the label does.

People don't enter the music business "to be artists"; they want to make a lot of money by making music.

I agree it's important and preferable if recording acts make music that truly represents them, but the main factor is they have to make music that sells.

In Gaga's case, her album sales were hurt significantly last week when someone leaked all the tracks. I wonder if in the future, labels will only put out 1 single before the album comes out. That would make people more hungry to buy it. If you can get it leaked online, why bother paying?

Shard said:

Some people don't understand that this is a business and if you don't sell, you will be dropped. Labels spend money promoting, recording and producing albums so they need to get that money back before anyone can profit. Obviously, in Lady Gaga's case, she's a top name the label felt that they could spend a lot on her because they were expecting a huge return in profit. I'm sure the budget for Gaga's next album will be much smaller as a result of the weak album sales.

Unless ecording acts can pay for recording, production, development (if they're new) and promotion themselves, they need to be lent money, and that's what the label does.

People don't enter the music business "to be artists"; they want to make a lot of money by making music.

I agree it's important and preferable if recording acts make music that truly represents them, but the main factor is they have to make music that sells.

In Gaga's case, her album sales were hurt significantly last week when someone leaked all the tracks. I wonder if in the future, labels will only put out 1 single before the album comes out. That would make people more hungry to buy it. If you can get it leaked online, why bother paying?

We're not music executives so none of this is relevant to us, but I get what you're saying.

Gaga had a meltdown on Twitter about the sales thing.

Too much hype, nonsense promo and poorly produced material became her undoing regardless if the Interscope thing is true or not.

By the way, she only sold 258K according to Billboard and Eminem's already predicted to take back the No. 1 slot.

I dont know if Interscope actually spent $25 mil to promote this album or not, but according to the Showbiz411 blog the promotion for the album may have been paid for by her endorsements and underwriters

Yesterday the idiotic Examiner.com posted a story claiming “Artpop” was going to lose $25 million and cause massive layoffs at Interscope Records. Hilarious, totally untrue, fabricated. But The Vulture at New York magazine and The Wrap each picked it up. The story has now been removed from Examiner.com. But pretty much all the stories at that crazy website should be removed.

In fact, Lady Gaga’s costs are protected by endorsements and underwriters. There’s no exposure to Interscope. And worldwide, Gaga will do just fine with “ArtPoP” even with a 225-250K opening week.

But why didn’t it do better? Lack of focus. “Born this Way” had a purpose that spoke to the fans–especially disenfranchised teens, bullying victims, LGBT community. What is ARTPop about? It’s about Gaga moaning about her hip surgery, a supposed drug addiction, and the rarefied world of art auctions. How can her audience connect with this?

Telling: Her “Saturday Night Live” performances and hosting doesn’t look it drove sales at iTunes. Lady Gaga has gone way off point. I think that’s what manager Troy Carter was trying to tell her. And now he’s gone.

http://www.showbiz411.com...-25million

Here is another update on the sales figures so far:

Lady Gaga's 'ARTPOP' tops U.S. Billboard 200 album chart

3 hours ago

^ According to Billboard, the album sold 146,000 of those copies digitally and only 112,000 physically.

In the UK, where she peaked at No. 1, she's dropped to No. 9 in the Midweeks chart as of Wednesday.

CynicKill said:

Shard said:

Some people don't understand that this is a business and if you don't sell, you will be dropped. Labels spend money promoting, recording and producing albums so they need to get that money back before anyone can profit. Obviously, in Lady Gaga's case, she's a top name the label felt that they could spend a lot on her because they were expecting a huge return in profit. I'm sure the budget for Gaga's next album will be much smaller as a result of the weak album sales.

Unless ecording acts can pay for recording, production, development (if they're new) and promotion themselves, they need to be lent money, and that's what the label does.

People don't enter the music business "to be artists"; they want to make a lot of money by making music.

I agree it's important and preferable if recording acts make music that truly represents them, but the main factor is they have to make music that sells.

In Gaga's case, her album sales were hurt significantly last week when someone leaked all the tracks. I wonder if in the future, labels will only put out 1 single before the album comes out. That would make people more hungry to buy it. If you can get it leaked online, why bother paying?

We're not music executives so none of this is relevant to us, but I get what you're saying.

It is important for music fans to understand how the industry works. Personally I hate it. There have been plenty of recording acts I'm a fan of who have been dropped or their albums were shelved because the label didn't spend enough money on them, or because they didn't live up to the expected amount of generated sales.

.

I think it's absurd for the label to spend $25 million on promotion for 1 album and who knows how much the production, recording and other stuff cost.

.

I still think Gaga would have sold better this week had someone not leaked her tracks last week. I guarantee that's a major reason why her first week numbers are so low for her standards.

.

The other part of it is that "the cool kids" aren't listening to her anymore-they're going for Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. Gaga has pushed the "pro-outcast" theme so much that it drove away some of her fan base. Personally I much prefer her to the likes of Cyrus or Perry.

.

Someone like Prince can afford to record, produce and promote whatever the hell he wants, but most other recording acts can't do that, or simply don't want to.

Well, Dope just hit the top 10. And Do What You Want just got back in the top 20.

Either way she has 2 top 10 singles and another number 1 album. Most people will never see that in their lifetime... just saying i don't see why she and others are crying over this

@ Gunshalen because the label, her team, the press and many fans these days only care about getting that #1. They think if a top name doesn't get a #1, that recording act is "flopping". I think a lot of people don't understand it's nearly impossible to keep having #1 singles and albums all the time.

Her album and single sales are by no means terrible for anyone's standards, but for the expected sales/success and profit they put on her, she has "failed". It's crazy.

Shard said:

@ Gunshalen because the label, her team, the press and many fans these days only care about getting that #1. They think if a top name doesn't get a #1, that recording act is "flopping". I think a lot of people don't understand it's nearly impossible to keep having #1 singles and albums all the time.

Her album and single sales are by no means terrible for anyone's standards, but for the expected sales/success and profit they put on her, she has "failed". It's crazy.

I mean i get.. since they spent 25 million on it. But in honesty 25 million is way too much for promotion! no matter the artist. I work in the entertainment industry as a sound man. And i hear stories about artists wanting their labels to spend millions promoting an album then get mad when they don't.

I mean she still has top 10 hits... and that's a goood thing. Albums don't sell like they used to we all know that. And Born This Way for all it's hype really didn't even sell that much besides it's first week.

Dope is actually not too bad. I don't honestly think the album is terrible. It has some horrible songs but Dope and Artpop are pretty good.

And for real the fact Dope sounds like a damn Meatloaf song and is played on the radio i give it props.

Gunsnhalen said:

Well, Dope just hit the top 10. And Do What You Want just got back in the top 20.

Either way she has 2 top 10 singles and another number 1 album. Most people will never see that in their lifetime... just saying i don't see why she and others are crying over this

I don't think Billboard's updated their charts yet. Dope should be off the charts this week. I'm thinking she and others are crying because it was less than predicted. This was supposed to have been 350K, not 258K.