Why Do We Care About Hits?

[President Dan]

Reading these forums, the dominant sentiment seems to be that current Country radio is terrible, that corporate consolidation and Clear Channel soccer-mom targeting has made it near unlistenable. The acts who have huge radio success--Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney--are often ones we don't care much for. And the albums celebrated around here, Patty Loveless'
new one being the most recent example, can hardly be expected to score a hit single in the current radio climate.

That said, why do we still talk about singles and chart positions so much? Why does it bother us that Jessica Simpson hits number one, or that Brad Paisley's 5 number ones record-tying might be cheating? Why do we critique the marketing strategy of the most recent Tim McGraw album? Is this just the American obsessiveness about who's on top financially? We already know that when Taylor Swift drops her new album it will dominate the charts regardless of quality, so what do her numbers have to tell us?

[Razor X]

That said, why do we still talk about singles and chart positions so much? Why does it bother us that Jessica Simpson hits number one, or that Brad Paisley's 5 number ones record-tying might be cheating? Why do we critique the marketing strategy of the most recent Tim McGraw album? Is this just the American obsessiveness about who's on top financially? We already know that when Taylor Swift drops her new album it will dominate the charts regardless of quality, so what do her numbers have to tell us?

Because the chart positions, while not a measurement of quality, are a measurement of success. And it bothers me to no end when a Jessica Simpson album is in the #1 position on the country charts, because it creates the perception that she's found success in our genre. We know that it actually sold worse than her last pop album, which was considered a commercial failure, and that the people buying the new album are probably her leftover pop fans. But because the perception of success is there, it will serve to encourage her and others like her to make more "country" albums, taking time, resources, attention and radio airplay away from more deserving acts. In the end, it just digs country music deeper into the quagmire that it's currently in and prevents it from recovering.

[Occasional Hope]

What Razor said.

Plus, failure to score radio hits may mean an artist whose record I want to hear and buy never gets made or, if made, doesn't get released. A major label artist may be pushed into recording lower quality material regarded as commercial in an attempt to get that hit, rather than what I want to buy. (For instance, if Darius Rucker had made the genuinely country record he reportedly wanted to make, rather than what actually came out, he might not have got that hit - but I would have liked the record much more.) An artist who doesn't sell records then gets dropped by the label, and even if they subsequently find an indie home, they may have less access to quality outside material (an issue if not a writer themselves) and marketing resources.

[Rainbow]

That said, why do we still talk about singles and chart positions so much? Why does it bother us that Jessica Simpson hits number one, or that Brad Paisley's 5 number ones record-tying might be cheating? Why do we critique the marketing strategy of the most recent Tim McGraw album? Is this just the American obsessiveness about who's on top financially? We already know that when Taylor Swift drops her new album it will dominate the charts regardless of quality, so what do her numbers have to tell us?

Because the chart positions, while not a measurement of quality, are a measurement of success. And it bothers me to no end when a Jessica Simpson album is in the #1 position on the country charts, because it creates the perception that she's found success in our genre. We know that it actually sold worse than her last pop album, which was considered a commercial failure, and that the people buying the new album are probably her leftover pop fans. But because the perception of success is there, it will serve to encourage her and others like her to make more "country" albums, taking time, resources, attention and radio airplay away from more deserving acts. In the end, it just digs country music deeper into the quagmire that it's currently in and prevents it from recovering.

http://www.amazon.com/Do-You-Know-Jessi ... im_m_3_img
I think her rating will please you.

[Stormy]

Because the mainstream uses chart positions to tell us what we are supposed to want to hear, and then they flip it around and tell us that if we did not want to hear the songs they wouldn't chart so high. For example: Jessica Simpson. People have been using her sucess on the charts as "proof" that country fans are embracing her. If that is true why is she getting booed at country music fesitvals and why did she only sell 65,000 copies her first week. No one would have a problem with charts if they were honest about being solely a promotional thing these days. The problem comes because they try to impose something that the label and conglomerate heads determine amongst themselves onto us as our own opinions.

[indulgedcountrymusic]

http://www.amazon.com/Do-You-Know-Jessi ... im_m_3_img
I think her rating will please you.

Yet Kristy Lee Cook gets a 4.5/5???

People are messed up in the head

[Razor X]

http://www.amazon.com/Do-You-Know-Jessi ... im_m_3_img
I think her rating will please you.

That's about two stars more than she deserves. Still, it's unusual for an Amazon rating, where fans will rush to give 5 stars to their favorite artists, whether the albums are any good or not.

[President Dan]

Market forces are obviously interesting, as some of you have said, but wouldn't it benefit listeners like us if a talented artist
were to bomb with a "commercial" record? The quicker someone gets dropped by a major label and goes for the indie market the quicker we're going to end up with an album we might actually want to listen to.

[Razor X]

Market forces are obviously interesting, as some of you have said, but wouldn't it benefit listeners like us if a talented artist
were to bomb with a "commercial" record? The quicker someone gets dropped by a major label and goes for the indie market the quicker we're going to end up with an album we might actually want to listen to.

Interesting point. For a while now, I've been wanting country music as a whole to "bomb" badly enough that Nashville will be forced to make some badly-needed changes and start producing some decent music again. It does seem to be bombing, but the powers that be still don't seem to get it. They're still trying to force bad pop music down our throats. I keep wondering with amazement how bad it has to get before they finally catch on. Do music sales have to go down to zero before they face reality?

[indulgedcountrymusic]

Interesting point. For a while now, I've been wanting country music as a whole to "bomb" badly enough that Nashville will be forced to make some badly-needed changes and start producing some decent music again. It does seem to be bombing, but the powers that be still don't seem to get it. They're still trying to force bad pop music down our throats. I keep wondering with amazement how bad it has to get before they finally catch on. Do music sales have to go down to zero before they face reality?

How do you come to the conclusion that country music is failing with all the big time artists out right now? Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift are certainly not "bombing"

Although some of the former powerhouses are... Martina & Faith being a few examples

[Rainbow]

Interesting point. For a while now, I've been wanting country music as a whole to "bomb" badly enough that Nashville will be forced to make some badly-needed changes and start producing some decent music again. It does seem to be bombing, but the powers that be still don't seem to get it. They're still trying to force bad pop music down our throats. I keep wondering with amazement how bad it has to get before they finally catch on. Do music sales have to go down to zero before they face reality?

How do you come to the conclusion that country music is failing with all the big time artists out right now? Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift are certainly not "bombing"

Although some of the former powerhouses are... Martina & Faith being a few examples

Martina went gold with her last album. Faith's last studio album went 2X platinum, and her Hits package has sold about 300.000 copies.

[Razor X]

How do you come to the conclusion that country music is failing with all the big time artists out right now? Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift are certainly not "bombing"

Although some of the former powerhouses are... Martina & Faith being a few examples

Because country music sales are down about 15% from what they were a few years ago. Carrie has sold about 2 million units of her album and Taylor has sold about 3 million of hers. Those are decent sales numbers, but if you go back a few years ago, that was considered a respectable, but hardly extraordinary level of sales.

[Razor X]

Martina went gold with her last album. Faith's last studio album went 2X platinum, and her Hits package has sold about 300.000 copies.

You also have to look at career record sales. Years ago country albums didn't usually sell in the millions, but no one is actually sure because nobody bothered to certify the sales. Dolly Parton is estimated to have sold 100 million singles and albums over the course of her career. Do you think that 40 years from now the same will be said about Carrie and Taylor?

[Occasional Hope]

Market forces are obviously interesting, as some of you have said, but wouldn't it benefit listeners like us if a talented artist
were to bomb with a "commercial" record? The quicker someone gets dropped by a major label and goes for the indie market the quicker we're going to end up with an album we might actually want to listen to.

In theory, and some real instances, maybe. Not every dropped artist produces an indie record at all. It's easier for someone who's had some commercial success in the past to get an indie deal in the first place, and to get artistic control in the second. The potentially good asinger who gets dropped before anything was ever released by a major other than a flop single or two has no more power than a completunknown, which to all intents and purposes they are. Unless they're a songwriter themselves, they may not have access to as strong a pool of material (or they may think they're better writers than they are). Some dropped artists may be desperate to get back a major deal, or hitmaking status, so still may not take the opportunity to make less commercial records. They do have to make a living.

[indulgedcountrymusic]

Do you think that 40 years from now the same will be said about Carrie and Taylor?

Actually, yes, I do think they will continue to sell albums in large quantities

[Rainbow]

Martina went gold with her last album. Faith's last studio album went 2X platinum, and her Hits package has sold about 300.000 copies.

You also have to look at career record sales. Years ago country albums didn't usually sell in the millions, but no one is actually sure because nobody bothered to certify the sales. Dolly Parton is estimated to have sold 100 million singles and albums over the course of her career. Do you think that 40 years from now the same will be said about Carrie and Taylor?

Yep. I think the era where people were able to sell 50 - 100 million records is over.
BTW, "Reba Duets" pushed Reba over the 50 million mark.

[Razor X]

Do you think that 40 years from now the same will be said about Carrie and Taylor?

Actually, yes, I do think they will continue to sell albums in large quantities

They will have to sell nearly 3 million units a year, every year for the next 35 years to reach Dolly's level.

[Razor X]

Yep. I think the era where people were able to sell 50 - 100 million records is over.

For one thing, it's nearly impossible for any artist to have the longevity to do so. Like so many other things in our society, they've become disposable.

[Stormy]

Do you think that 40 years from now the same will be said about Carrie and Taylor?

Actually, yes, I do think they will continue to sell albums in large quantities

That's not the pattern Carrie has established.

[indulgedcountrymusic]

Ok, well I'm not sure if it is all that possible for them to sell that many nowadays

But, I don't know -- I can honestly see Carrie Underwood as a top-selling artist in 10 years or so