PROOF Major Labels Are LYING About ALBUM Sales & Streams?

[@Gigi-jl1rq]

People absolutely want full bodies of work but they want it to be of QUALITY from TALENTED ARTISTS who've been PREPPED to perform, not random tiktokers that decided to start making music last week and are thrown to the wolves to do full choreography performances lol

[@waynebo248]

Facts! 💯

[@PatrickIrvineBlacknesslives]

It's part of the promotion budget, they have always inflated the numbers. People follow other people, it happens across industries. The more people you think are doing something, the more social pressure you have to do the same thing. The more people you think are streaming an album, the more social pressure you experience to stream that album. The rational we use to justify that decision is varied, but the social pressure that pushes us towards it is the same lol. Now, I too, and going to watch the video lol.

[@ootomusic]

facts. OOTOMUSIC

[@millyonz2585]

It's a phenomenon called F.O.M.O & I use it as a marketing strategy "ALL THE TIME"

[@bretwojarski5842]

Not really America needs to be the centre of attention always coz U.K. artists don’t really buy streams can tell because of how small the numbers we got

[@WarrenG-ke4zr]

Lol people are a bunch of brainless sheep

[@klouis8804]

This goes back to the days of Soundscan.

[@avace917]

If number one spots on Billboard were being bought, streams can DEFINITELY be bought

[@kanyekubrick5391]

Makes sense. Can’t explain times times I came across someone with hundreds of thousands or millions of monthly listeners and I’ve never even heard a single song of theirs

[@tbonebeats6429]

I heard an average consumer say, "why would I buy a song or an album when I can listen to it for free on KZbin?"

[@GankTown]

That’s a stream tho

[@ceruleanprince7139]

Well, streaming has lead to inflated sales. I wonder how much album or single sales artists would have if billboard and other charts simply counted pure sales.

[@drelovestats6715]

Tru but it’s still a stream owning a piece of art from a artist can be a lifetime access to many opportunities in the future

[@alternativetentacles1760]

A lot of the Doja Cat’s streams for ‘Paint the Town Red’ were from dance tiktoks and religious extremist canceling her for the devil theme. The rest were from people just using a trending song to boost their own short form content. Doja also lost a lot of genuine fans because of her attitude towards fans leading up to the release. Maybe it was only a million followers. But what if it was the bulk of people who would actually buy her album to support her?

[@Jaetheeintrovert]

Sadly I noticed I have a short attention span when it comes to setting time aside to sit through an album (even from my favorites). I feel as though social media has truly affected our ability to sit & focus on things, which can affect supporting our artists. It makes sense why singles have been working, cause our attention span is 🗑️

[@CurtissKingTV]

I hear you Jae, and we can’t ignore that our attention span as a whole has shifted. However isn’t it ironic that in this same age podcasts are longer than ever before but are consumed by the same massive audience?

[@tupuhumuhumunukunukuapuaa3093]

I caught myself falling into that pattern, and I've been through vinyl when that was the medium, cassette, and CD when mail order was subscription trash -- you took your ass to the store and bought a physical CD, went home and listened to the whole thing (if it wasn't trash). I've been going back to listening to records all the way through, even if I have to step away for responsibilities and then get back into it, or in the car (gotta love Roon ARC). I used to work at Tower Records back in the day, the glut of trash was there way back then so I'm just glad I'm not buying trash music anymore, even at a discount, I just waste some time going through it all on Qobuz. I'm just glad I maintained a large collection of CDs that I thoroughly enjoy, so I've got tons to listen to when streaming isn't providing anything interesting. I NEVER purchase singles, EVER (I'll mark em as favorites since streaming tho, lol). I've never needed a song THAT badly.

[@chuckedward580]

Speak for yourself. You are under mind control (social media). Control your own mind. Stop being a follower. I know, it's hard.

[@Jaetheeintrovert]

@@CurtissKingTV that is true ! I feel as though with the podcasts it makes it easier since I can drive and listen to someone banter. With albums, I personally want to hone in so I can find what I like. That’s what I always set time aside cause I give my full undivided attention (maybe that’s just a me thing?)

[@pyroglyphicsTV]

Streaming has devalued music by making it TOO convenient to access. For example, I'm a huge Death Grips fans. They have, which I can won't debate, the noisy, abrasive and inaudible music in the experimental hip hop scene. Yet, for over a decade, they can tour practically whenever they want with the catalog they have. They're actually still on tour at the moment. But they barely have 800k monthly listeners on Spotify. They even got kicked off of Epic records for leaking their own album and they still have diehard fans to this day. The numbers got artist trying to move beyond their means and that's how they get caught up. Going viral became more important than the actual artistry.

[@theecharmingbilly]

They probably wanted off thar label. 😁👍

[@chuckedward580]

Nothing of what you are seeing is real. The people at the top make money off of smoke and mirrors. The artists are the smoke. The fans are the mirrors.

[@redpillras3456]

Labels are crazy allowing their music to be streamed

[@jchrismusics]

As an artist I love to make albums. It's fun, the creative space it puts me. Right now I'm dropping singles gearing up to get myself in the place of being an album artist. Just growing and working on the craft. I love to listen to albums as well. I'm 19, all I listen to is albums because I give my time and enjoy that artists creativity.

[@chuckedward580]

Keep it up! Do it for the love inside of yourself. Keep in mind that the masses don't "love" anything anymore.

[@jchrismusics]

@@chuckedward580 preciate the advice.🙏 We only do it for the love

[@Mrtdogg101]

Thats why the idea of saying Drake has more number 1s than MJ or he has sold this or that more than the greats from the 80s, 90s even 2000s....his numbers with all this streaming are inflated.

[@tias.6675]

Him and anyone else "dominating" the streaming era.

[@NottyGurlStyle]

For me…because I’m old school..I love a good album. When I use to hear a few singles and enjoyed them..I would buy the album. Even if I stream new music..I would look to still buy the full album..I wish I could buy albums but I just get it on Apple Music.. it’s not the same…it’s a shame…it sucks the fun out of a music lover

[@kingdaveiv05]

I remember the OG DIYers like Master P telling other inspiring DIYers that, you cannot win a game created by the industry. The example he used was someone earning their way to number one vs someone buying their way to number one.

[@AI-Consultant]

"you cannot win a game created by others" "you cannot win a game created by someone else" "you cannot win a game if they are not on your same team" "you cannot win a game if they aint taking 92% if the pie"

[@ootomusic]

We all knew this. Slowly being leaked out it seems...majority of listeners still wont care. Good video. Much love from Texas. OOTOMUSIC.

[@kptecx-xs2dw]

The truth of the matter is that in the 90s and early 00s. Demos, features and Co Signs got you signed. Mixtapes were complications by other Djs not tracks that didn’t make the album. You “had” to go out and buy albums. Video Television channels and Radios were the only promotional tools and magazines were the only critics. What separates a Kendrick Lamar is what I call the “Dr Dre” movie formula. He incorporated the entire album as an experience (skits, interludes etc) to push the album beyond just an album with songs on it. The budgets were higher and independent / signed artists ratio was 1/10. So the filters of music distribution is the reason why they’re so many throwback classics back then vs now. When it’s no longer as hard as it was back then to become an musician, especially with all of the same tools at hand. It’s totally diluted the culture in regards to who’s in it for what.

[@xf1108]

So if you were an artist who would you do it? Would you do the Dr Dre, Effect or better?

[@alternativetentacles1760]

It’s becoming common to see artists with 30 million monthly Spotify listeners cancelling tours because they can’t sell tickets. It’s also common to sell tour tickets because of Tiktok viral success on one song. But they’re not quality fans who bother to listen to an entire album from artists found on Tiktok. Another common thing is seeing artists with millions of social media followers only selling 10K albums on the first week. Either followers are purchased bots too or they’re just getting followers for their physical appearance not the music. I noticed an artist doesn’t even have to have a million followers or even a lot of views on their videos to have a successful tour compared to more “popular” mainstream artists with millions of followers and billions of views and streams.

[@irshadazeez4764]

Regarding album artists vs single artists it's very simple. Some artists have a point of view, and some don't. Album artists have a point of view. Single artists don't have a point of view. When you do the inner work to reflect on yourself, refine yourself and gain perspective on the world in a meaningful way, you discover your point of view. When you say and do whatever it takes to please everyone (the audience) outside of yourself you fail to identify your point of view. It takes courage to stand on your point of view (album artist). It takes no courage to be a people pleaser (singles artist).

[@RedemptionInChrist.]

Most albums nowadays have no introspection. Its like a bunch of singles thrown into a 23 song album. Its not deep its all surface level nonsense. Im mostly speaking about mainstream music because you can find better in the underground scene. Listen to drakes latest album for all the dogs for example, completely lacks any sort of substance. 23 songs of pure emptiness

[@richardhardy8815]

I hate fans & media folks keep bringing up K DOT,he's a huge exception to the consumption rule. Plus,he's been around over a decade,he isn't NEW or NEWISH. If more artists could wait & drop more noteworthy music in hip hop,they would do it as a PROVEN STRATEGY. As a rapper/unique artist myself i see the issue being 90% of the fans & 10% on the artists,fans don't have as much disposable income anymore for music & don't think they should have to PAY for "hip hop",its not rocket science 😂😂 S/O Curtiss King,great stuff as always been watching you for a MINUTE(even jacked some of your beats back in the day)

[@ChadFocus]

This is wild big bro. I’ve been saying this for years and just went viral in March on the Brandman Network about how I made millions with bots independently. We need to chop it up big bro. 🤝🤞👨🏾‍💻

[@TheRobSnow]

Ima ruin the video for everybody. Hell yes they faking streams. Still gonna watch the video tho lol much love Curtiss

[@CurtissKingTV]

😭🛠️

[@ootomusic]

💀

[@digitaldash5777]

I hope people know streams and buying a album is totally different. I hope people realize also we now have this amazing thing called internet. We now have millions of different artists at a click of a button. You don’t have to be forced to listen to just stars.

[@Kinglion33333]

Artificial Stars

[@insomniacfirehorse6425]

Thry still control the algorithm, they still try to shove to our throat those mainstream.

[@coldhardtruth333]

I don’t think you understand how it’s all structured.

[@Yahushaislife]

If most people just go to a dark corner where no one’s algorithm touches then this has no point……you are definitely guided psychologically everyday to make decisions and keep you from attaining any power

[@PALMZTV]

The culprit is the the streaming system and how it rewards an artist. Before streaming 1Mil song purchases at 99 cent each was close to 1 million dollars, now 1 million streams equals around $6k? Artists are forced to do less to get more, not because they want to but the streaming system devalued their work. The music subscription business model, in conjunction with their payout methods, aren't helping the labels, artists, or the people who consume it.

[@soaf1985]

I agree to some extent that some artists will buy streams to push their exposure. But realistically who is buying albums anymore? Back in my day, you had to buy an album to hear the 3 or 4 tracks you like. Now, you can just stream or download the songs you like.

[@mellowmccoy]

In 2023, we got an album sale equating to 1500 streams. When people were selling CD's back in the day, did they sit there and listen to that CD 1500 times?

[@premium7182]

Crazy

[@FSamuels20]

No but the fans needed to go outside their homes to buy the cd. It’s easier to stream something so they needed to adjust the numbers to make it more realistic

[@righteouslioncomedian1069]

To be fair, it's easier and more convenient to listen to a track on your phone on the move than it was to carry around a portable CD player, a few CDs and some batteries.

[@ilechukwulotanna3389]

One stream is 15seconds of play

[@jastinartis]

Bro! This is the topic! I agree with you on everything you pointed out. This is why I've chosen to do this differently and as you said unlearn things and create a new standard. Respect King!✊🏾

[@tembosoundsshow9867]

Excellent conversation. Times have changed and we need to factor in that many people don’t buy albums anymore. People pay for subscriptions and can find and listen to albums that way. If you don’t evolve, your left having these sort of conversations. Purists are struggling to understand the shift in the business of music. Burna Boy is killing it in this new game.

[@double0double0]

i think there’s a lot more that goes into it that just 1st week sales vs sold out dates. i think it’s more likely for an international artist to be able to tour off a few viral hits compared to an artist who is solely catering to their home. we also have to be extremely direct with the numbers and names that were are speaking about. who’s not able to tour with high numbers? who’s touring with low numbers? what’s the genre, etc. lil baby’s concert flop but there isn’t much of a conspiracy as to why. he toured the album way later. there was no lead single or singles that kept it alive, yea the album did good for a while but it came and went. carti is having trouble selling out. well he’s charging high prices and his fans want new music, they don’t want to see him perform the same album. little sims had tour trouble too, maybe she isn’t as popular as her team thinks she is even though she has great reviews and great accolades. i also think that playlisting and the push on “normie music” plays a huge part on how the average consumer will spend their dollar in the music industry. the average joe would rather go see burna boy live and see him perform a couple of songs they know instead of actually buy his album for $10, just for pics on the gram and making memories on a nice saturday night.

[@iengineer_247]

Wasn’t singles once upon a time an intro/taste of the album that was to come??

[@Len-Dor1983]

The jig is up on these labels . The sword they swung will be their downfall. The streaming service was their way to so call control the playing field but it bred a independent spirit like no other now. It’s only going to force people to be more educated in the value and control of their art.

[@chuckedward580]

They will end streaming before it ends them. Ten years from now the biggest artists will be AI.

[@economicsofentertainment]

This is getting wild!

[@brittanysrecordshop3991]

Love your emphasis on viewer doing some fact-checking. Let’s keep these guys honest!

[@jirenthegray]

The problem that many people fail to understand is that the music industry is no longer an album-driven industry. It's a singles-driven game now. Why? Because streaming (which is still growing) is a UGC playlist game. Singles are outselling albums 4-to-1. That's why people like DojaCat can blow up through a single and bomb on an album.

[@Conspirismo]

Glad I found this channel. Greetings from Brazil 🇧🇷

[@TherealSEPT6IX]

You stay dropping gems

[@arkitekmrj]

What if those some major artist are actually selling big numbers but the labels that control the streaming platforms aren’t reporting the correct sales. It allows said label to tell the artist that are making money for them they can’t get out of their deal yet 👀👀👀

[@arkitekmrj]

Imagine if Doja actually sold 250k but her label told her it’s 50k and they controlled her numbers on streaming

[@CurtissKingTV]

This is what this video is really hinting at 👀💯

[@arkitekmrj]

@@CurtissKingTV 👀👀

[@plugmeradio]

Labels been doing this for many, many years before there was a stream. They bought the albums, singles and tickets and make it seems like the artist sold out on tickets but it's all the labels. Which was the reason people was able to buy these music in moms and pops record shops for like $3.99.

[@edtcaliber]

This topic has been discussed since DSPs were starting to take over. There's always been a battle between streams and sales and who made the rule of how many streams make a sale. If Doja only did 55,000 sales chances are that's from majority streams since only super fans buy physical copies. 55,000 sales is approximately 80,000,000 streams. But the biggest problem is that different sources say different amounts of streams = 1 sale. One website says 1500 streams another says 150 streams. At this point album sales have become so complicated that artists and labels are hesitant to even fund an album. If we're being honest, this industry has always been the wild West. We still don't know what the value of a single record is. Shit we still have no clue what the value of a single stream is. At this point the music is just advertising for tours and merchandise. The records are no longer the main product.

[@malthecpa815]

Record labels don’t care about albums, they care about touring, merch and licensing. The albums are just a marketing tool to get people to come to shows. Once fans get to the show, they want to hear hits. However, if the album flops, people will say “this artist is washed up” and not buy tickets to the show

[@kepriworks]

Curtiss, your commentaries are on point. This topic is a narrative that has been in existence since the entertainment business was established since the beginning of time. I wish we could have lots of discussions in person. Yet I will you ate on point. Reg Bowie

[@thahyst]

Maaaaaaan I like seeing your channel grow. You're a real Curtiss!!! Keep it coming!

[@CurtissKingTV]

It's happening family. Thank you for supporting this channel through the thick and thin.

[@fuaddd]

Bro his chan been grown and think his talent is beyond top tier imo

[@westrywayne]

That picture behind you is fire 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾

[@Tunafishloverr]

10:54 so glad you’re starting THIS conversation. Echoing my thoughts exactlyyyy

[@jayktv4176]

Why would anybody buy an album when i can listen to the whole thing...which is exactly what we used to do when we brought albums in the Vinyl, Tape, CD era. i can listen to drakes new album on KZbin. unfortunately and this is going to sound radical...we might have to go back to making the music an actual physical collectors item. Streaming music is only beneficial for streaming services. maybe its me.

[@steelokey]

No as an a struggling artist, you are 100% I have over 3,000,000 streams & im still “nobody” if I had “3,000,000 streams” back in the 90’s I’d be “famous” / have half a name in the music industry.

[@steelokey]

The streaming services are 1000% the ones benefitting off everything

[@zack7438]

Burna Boy does not make music that is predominantly English, so obviously his album sales won't be as high in the English speaking Western world. People might say that Bad Bunny doesn't make english songs and sells a lot but the reason for that is because the latin market is huge, and many people speak Spanish whereas not few people outside Africa speak African dialects. Burna Boy's streams are not manufactured, he sells out stadiums wherever he plays so he clearly has a real fanbase.

[@stonekase]

Correction, there is nothing like African dialect. Burna Boy speaks pidgin English,Yoruba and English predominantly.

[@foxooo]

Burna sings like 70% English

[@tias.6675]

There are literally Africans everywhere these days. Hello immigration !

[@ozyman]

If someone tells you who they are, listen with caution. But if they show you, believe them.

[@CurtissKingTV]

🎯🎯🎯

[@BlakeBarry-xw3wd]

Great work!!

[@Dihmarko]

The fake streams also give the labels a bigger market share on streaming which means each stream pays them more.

[@SteveNonkonyana]

Dare I say physicals. It might not be the CD or the platform. But i do think there is a place in the future for collection and holding something of your favourite artist that the fan can go back to. I really think that this above all else can sustain artists individually especially if there is ownership somewhere there.

[@danieldiegohugo]

Burnaboy did 21k first week But sold out 80k capacity arena

[@stonekase]

He doesn’t fake his streams

[@Tunafishloverr]

4:50 SOMEBODYGONNAHAVETOTELLTHETRUTH AND YOU SAID IT

[@CHUCKMULATV]

Good video very valid points

[@SelfMadeSilu]

Around 80% of people in the wolf are followers(crowd followers) = Seeing numbers Seeing numbers = Sales/Views Seeing Numbers * Followers = Potentially more streams and sales

[@doommega]

dammit GOOD VID CURT !

[@buschg7106]

I'm a part of the unknown independent (llc) musicians club and Spotify stats make people think no one is worthy without the crazy numbers. It's up to regular folks to not chase acts based on internet numbers and just listen for what you like Xerolaw

[@STEDEL82]

Streams aren't the only way to generate awareness of your music. If they go heavy on the streams, their primary focus is having presence on the streaming platforms. If they have an artist doing an album with a bunch of visuals, they're trying to leverage TV media and platforms like KZbin, Vevo, music blogs, etc. You can't just drop music and do absolutely nothing to promote it. Even artists like a Drake or a Bad Bunny would have issues if the label didn't put money behind it. No artists are exempt from ample promotion.

[@downnorthmusic]

The thing about payola is the charge originally started partially from racism cause the only way rock and roll was goin to grow in the US back in the day was to force it to be played and they had to pay off the DJ’s and at the time they made it a law against it cause they wanted to stop what they called race music

[@theecharmingbilly]

Curtissssssss King, muh boiiiiiii, me lad!!!!!!

[@JJohnson313]

When they go to the stadium or concert it’s not because they love the music. They just looking to have a good time and Afro beats is the wave right now. That’s why them people ain’t buy or stream the Album. It could be anyone on stage. All the music sound the same…they just there cause they were told Afro beats is the new cool.

[@DynamicUnreal]

Young people don’t want albums anymore. That’s the truth. Kids even have trouble watching movies nowadays, something that was extremely captivating for kids growing up. The attention span is simply not there.

[@fentanyljones6956]

Watch every interview Vince Staples has. First, beautiful mind, intuitive, and hilarious dark sense of humor but also, dude can explain this all in a way that is hard to deny.

[@Onebitte]

The music industry has shifted away from traditional album-focused consumption towards singles and streaming. Streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify, and KZbin offer instant access to a vast music library, allowing users to create custom playlists. Reasons for not buying albums in this era include convenience, cost-efficiency, customization, discoverability, storage, accessibility, and access to the latest releases.

[@veautifulstranger]

I thought that hat had a compass 🧭 & ⬛️ on it for a minute.

[@mrr5835]

Some of it probably has to do with ad revenue. An inflated sense of eyes = charge more for ad space/sponsorship deals, etc.

[@MancitoTelfort]

As I analyze what you are saying you were saying that the labels are saying less was sold when more was sold

[@jasonwilliamson1396]

2008 Base Jase agrees. Predicted this when iTunes was big. That's why I pivoted. I've said this in interviews. Peace.

[@dynamic9016]

Thanks much.

[@iambounceback]

I think the stream numbers are still off though. If Doja and Burna boy did about the same and packing stadiums with hits it makes me feel like the streaming number to album count ratio is off.

[@SamPurposemusic]

I mean it's a marketing strategy the music industry uses. That's why you have companies that sell bots running ads. If an Independent artists does this they are likely to get caught quicker because the artist doesn't have a shared interest in the streaming platforms and they keep 100% mechanical & performance royalties

[@tylermarks1769]

He drops a project a year most of the time. So we hear him alot. The reality is there are a handlfull of artist that have been running shit for the past 10yrs +. If we had more musically diverse artist ( or they got the same opportunites), so its not just future drake etc in the headlines. I dont think these conversations would be a frequent. Good point on numbers, but he has been around so long he can Tour off his old hits and still do arenas.

[@irshadazeez4764]

The entertainment industry and the intelligence industry are closely linked. Intelligence agencies develop strategies and systems to run psyops on the public. These are commercialised and put out into the market. Who buys? People with big budgets and a profit incentive to influence public opinion - media companies, pr companies, film/radio/tv etc. That's how hype is generated. That's how perception is skewed in favour or against. That's how negative press is buried and positive press is boosted. That's how the planting part of the 'industry plants' thing happens.

[@co-man4013]

It is weird but also I think some ppl might want to see these Artist in performance mode after a quick listen or what they already know about the artist delivering.

[@jdvsjboy]

The exposure started with don Tolliver for me, we all were questioning youtube bots then connected it to the streams

[@SpiceyKy]

TRUTH! ❤

[@lamarwilliams185]

The perception of what is going on is off. We live in a society where you can buy the single and not the whole album. Very few people can put together a whole album. Artist are just like the people who came to see the show. They came out to have a good time. They may be excited about the artist at the show. They also have friends and family who came out to see the show. What you call fans? Is really the stars of the show. They have songs that they know the words to. They going to have a good time. They have something to talk about next week. This is just like 4th of July or Christmas. The artist is just hosting!!!! Arcades used to be packed on the weekends. So was blockbuster. Somebody else is hosting now. People are not looking at album sales or concert sales. That is up to the record label. I met a few artist in California. They were playing instruments during the weekday( you can call it practice). For fun. No audience. A few years ago. I went back to California. They had a show at a bar. The place was packed. Everybody singing the songs. They were doing cover songs. The people were there for a good time. Those artist knew how to have a good time. If you can get paid for it? That’s a plus. Everybody does not want to fit in your idea of a business. I think I wrote too much for a comment!!! LOL

[@fentanyljones6956]

I think somewhere in the 50-100,000 sales is the more realistic number but the numbers come from some convoluted algorithm that nobody but the labels and services are privy to.

[@JixiFox]

the investment is not panning out as it use to be, I think the level set budget of buying streams are catching up, seeing we are so deep in the music streaming, that the money play is to be a big enough, since they already established as a great artist, and prioritize other avenues of wealth which is sync and shows, as people are paying more for an experience than just music consumption. If the sales tend to beat everyone else, you are already on the top, so no need to feed to system more than you need too if you already top of the markets, it's now how to create new revenue stream and promotions outside of streaming and music sales.

[@AJayTheDogg]

Labels have close relationships with streaming services.. what if they we’re faking the low numbers as well? That way you can’t re negotiate

[@6lacc_]

Damn never thought about it like that 🤔 interesting.

[@johnnyhall1627]

Music doesn't belong to anybody. After awhile one song sounds like a million others.1 plus to streaming: It will force more artist to be original and bring something to the table...That way it would make the audience more interested in buying a full album

[@JAYFLOPROBEATS]

This are these type of things that make you want to lose control and just start buying up everything too BUT as we also know it's not in the best interest if you want to have a "fan" healthy career in the industry.

[@MoeDavinci]

I could be wrong but idk if Burna sold out stadium in the US. I believe that was in the UK. All Billboard metrics that are being brought up are pertaining to US data only. Also, like many intl artists, unless they make the 100% leap to the US’ music system, have streaming and sales discrepancies. This also doesn’t account for the fact that Spotify and Apple Music etc aren’t available everywhere in the world (mostly only in 1st world countries exclusively). Very nuanced conversation to be had.

[@inksantiago]

check out some blind items on taylor swift and drake about streams. we blame the labels but THE ARTIST IS 100% IN IT AS WELL.

[@downnorthmusic]

Also I know people who never listen to an artist but because everyone else is gonna they will buy a ticket to see the hype. The diehards get the 2k tickets the nose bleed 50-150 tickets are not huge fans unless your a michael jackson fan where its from the from front to the back are all super fans

[@TekkLuthor]

People don't go on TikTok to listen to a new artist, they go on there to be entertained. The entertaining video has music and then they go to the next entertaining video

[@DaChillSpot-MacMechi]

Last cd i bought was bubba sparxx and ti im serious...in the same day. I don't know why i stopped buying albums.

[@montanamaxxamillion]

Not taking labels sides because i know payola exists, but to be fair i haven’t purchased an album since physical stores declined. First i was downloading from nefarious sites now i have subscriptions to itunes, spotify, ect., a lot of people wont purchase an album if they can stream it constantly while on subscription…and some people still download illegally So yes an artist can sell out a show (either for cheap ticket price or there is already something going on and the show added to the night OR there was absolutely nothing going on and the show was the only thing lit…i go to shows and never buy the music 🤷‍♂️ ) and not sell albums due to piration, streaming (mainly) and number manipulation OR the album is just bad minus the singles

[@therealdondubb]

One of the keys that is a real world example of this. Is what Nipsey Hussle did. 10-11 "Mixtapes" that felt like possible albums! just so he could own and control his destiny, We got a Label single from Nip with "Hussle in The House" then he saw how it was going to go and got out of that deal. The rest was history.

[@ALWAYSFINO]

Thing is afrobeats are better to experience than listen because they are kinda repetitive and all songs sound the same

[@boomboombaby9140]

Exactly lol same drums same rhythm same subject matter

[@ALWAYSFINO]

Yes bro afrobeats are cool but I don’t listen to it too much but if wizkid or burna came to my city i would 💯% buy tickets

[@DionIsaiah]

Burna boy album sold 21K album-equivalent units in the U.S. Yikes!!!

[@LiveFromFetus]

Back in the day record labels would have a budget to purchase physical albums .. I see this as the same thing

[@Nerd-gasm]

Loved it when that dude said "features" and J.Cole appeared, he's the real reaper!

[@depraved420]

I didnt think people really bought whole albums anymore. Just the way things have changed. Im a pirate, so i havent payed for music or software since like 2000. Good video, rap/hip-hop the whole music industry is 100% wrestling. Its fake, almost all those people are fake images made up by executives.

[@darkus_prod]

Correct if I am wrong but it’s the youth listening, a lot of free versions of these app aren’t counting streams the same as a monthly paid subscription. That’s what’s I believe is off. Ppl aren’t talking about rod wav doin numbers with full length projects. He just hit 137K on his third number 1 album.

[@texjohnson9208]

If the 50,000 Burna Boy sales are physical album sales I do not find that strange at all. It just confirms more people are streaming than are buying physical albums. Now if an artist is doing tens of millions of streams per month, but fail to sell 5,000 to 10,000 concert tickets....THAT IS A PROBLEM!

[@stringer2295]

Yea I think we’re at the point we’re it’s common knowledge, like when we learned how the inflated numbers when physical was the standard

[@Yoface44]

Facts about singles that’s not what you want to do unless your lazy and not talented or the best you can do.

[@vcasper76]

I got in IHeart for free with 100s of others as seat fillers meaning people aren’t buying tickets all the time it just looks nice.

[@seanthornton726]

The reality when record stores went the way of the dinosaurs. So did the art of music. Music is no longer an experience, just a sound track, a Segway or intermission. Which is why singles are what’s in…

[@PageTurnerFlow]

I think the answer is a lot more simple. The #1 artists aren’t hardly “album artists” unless we’re talking Drake and what not. Charla was pretty close to it

[@bbassnyyt]

The real question is, who tf is still buying albums?! Most of these ppl don’t have cd players! The metric is outdated The only ppl I know who can actually sell physicals are independents who put extra time into their artwork and have a special bond with their fans… mainstream has become too big to think album sales would actually be sustainable, considering how they made the value of a song worthless smh I don’t know ANYONE who’s bought new physical music from a mainstream artist in the past 7-10 years.

[@josepharcher9620]

Well I stopped buying music after CDs 💿 fell off. I think I streamed/downloaded 2 songs at the most and still have no idea how to retrieve it. I’m also over 50 (If that makes a difference).

[@mwright80]

Gen Zs buy less music. Asked one if she'd ever bought an album. She said "no". So even if streams are faked, Gen Z artists aren't selling albums.