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 Did ANTI underperform in the UK?, Thoughts |
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 Oct 11 2019, 11:42 AM
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#1
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 Jord
Joined: 12 March 2017
Posts: 10,757 User: 27,116 
   
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Obviously in the USA it was a massive success
But is it classed as a UK success or an underperformance. It sold less than half of what Unapologetic sold and is her lowest selling UK album aside from her debut. For Rihanna it does seem like it was a bit of an underperformance as she was the main international girl in music for a long while. Was it to do with streaming? It was her first album released in that era Was it to do with the release behind it? Was it to do with the non Q4 release? Was it because it was her first album we actually really had to wait for? I’ve always wondered how it’s US performance was so good compared to here. Even singles wise here we only got 2 top 40 hits from the album. Interested in people’s thoughts. I think it is a bit under appreciated in the UK. This post has been edited by Jordan Lee: Oct 11 2019, 11:43 AM |
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Oct 12 2019, 11:12 AM
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#2
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 Break the tension
Joined: 7 March 2006
Posts: 88,848 User: 51
  
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Wasn't there something about it being given away for free which hampered it?
I think it did alright all in all. |
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Oct 12 2019, 11:33 AM
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#3
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 🔥🚀🔥
Joined: 30 August 2010
Posts: 74,506 User: 11,746
          
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Probably because it was more RnB than the UK public were used to from Rihanna, there weren't any club bangers or pop anthems on it like her previous few.
and I believe Tidal gave away a million albums for free, although that was worldwide. |
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Oct 12 2019, 05:06 PM
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#4
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#VoteGarden.Keh
Joined: 24 May 2017
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Kiss It Better was pushed on radio here as opposed to Needed Me, and even then Kiss It Better wasn’t given a video or streaming push but could have been a top 40 hit for sure if it had because if I remember correctly it was too 40 on iTunes for ages
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Oct 14 2019, 11:13 AM
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#5
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 14 March 2007
Posts: 10,672 User: 3,092
  
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I think it was an under performance. It was really big on streaming but I don't think it sold well.
The tour especially was poor in turnout. We were at the Manchester date and it must have been at least half empty it was a bit cringe (I have a picture somewhere I'll try find it). In the USA the album is the longest running black female album ever though so it's a mixed bag. |
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Oct 14 2019, 01:07 PM
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#6
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Jord
Joined: 12 March 2017
Posts: 10,757 User: 27,116
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Thanks for mentioning the tour Mikal. I’d heard people mention the shows not being full though.
I had tickets to the Sunderland show but my show was cancelled well it was the venue couldn’t accommodate it or something and I had an option of going to an alternative show but I just couldn’t go as the person I was going with couldn’t make it and I was panicking at the thought of a stadium show by myself. I do sort of hope tours wise we get arenas. I think her performance style best suits an arena to a stadium. |
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Oct 14 2019, 01:24 PM
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#7
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Break the tension
Joined: 7 March 2006
Posts: 88,848 User: 51
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I suppose when you think about it, the album only had one real hit from it in the UK so what was there to keep it selling after release?
(Which is criminal, as it's a woeful song and 'Kiss It Better' wasn't served justice.  )
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Oct 14 2019, 01:27 PM
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#8
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 14 March 2007
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 This was at 8pm as she was about to come on. It would have been fine had it been in an arena. |
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Oct 14 2019, 07:47 PM
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#9
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BuzzJack Climber
Joined: 16 October 2017
Posts: 74 User: 43,920
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QUOTE(Mikal @ Oct 14 2019, 03:27 PM)  This was at 8pm as she was about to come on. It would have been fine had it been in an arena.   This isn't exactly what I would call empty... |
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Oct 14 2019, 07:49 PM
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#10
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 10 February 2008
Posts: 43,170 User: 5,392
 
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 that looks bad. But yeah UK was not there for her ANTI era. The album is streaming monster, but most of the streams surely comes from US |
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Oct 14 2019, 08:45 PM
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#11
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 14 March 2007
Posts: 10,672 User: 3,092
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QUOTE(Lucas @ Oct 14 2019, 08:47 PM) This isn't exactly what I would call empty... I mean the seats are still completely empty in the back of the pictures you’ve posted as well? |
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Oct 14 2019, 11:12 PM
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#12
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Jord
Joined: 12 March 2017
Posts: 10,757 User: 27,116
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I don’t know if this is really true but with ANTI in the UK it wasn’t promoted as much as her other albums.
It wasn’t like a big event and iirc the early reviews weren’t that great but overtime critics have appreciated it more. idk in some ways I think UK wise this album was her Joanne but on a bit of a bigger scale it wasn’t typical Rihanna sound and it wasn’t that commercial it was a bit scaled down and concentrated more on her vocals. It’ll eventually go platinum I think but it looks worse than it is maybe when albums 2-7 (like six in a row) she released before that Have at least sold double what it sold. This is how I’m intrigued at how well her next era does though because sales are typically lower in general and the main pop girl Ariana sold similarly to how ANTI sold with her two most recent eras here in the UK so maybe it was a success but just not by Rihanna’s high standards. This post has been edited by Jordan Lee: Oct 14 2019, 11:13 PM |
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Oct 28 2019, 09:56 AM
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#13
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BuzzJack Climber
Joined: 18 October 2011
Posts: 152 User: 15,071 
 
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The music on 'Anti' was just bleh and the album didn't do that well in Europe as a whole.
I'm from Slovenia. Of all the 'Anti' singles, none of them got any significant radioplay here. 'Love on the Brain' was on the weekly TOP 50 airplay chart ... for one single week. It was like the 'Anti' era didn't happen at all. I certainly feel like Rihanna hasn't released any music since 'Unapologetic'. |
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Oct 29 2019, 02:57 AM
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#14
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 there's nothing straight about plump Elvis
Pronouns: they/any
Joined: 21 January 2016 Posts: 13,129 User: 22,895 
   
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Its easily my favourite Rih project by a country mile but I can see why the UK wasn't here for it esp at the time. Idk why but the UK doesn't seem to like girls doing more urban sound music if they started out in pop. Bey has had the same issue.
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Oct 29 2019, 09:07 PM
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#15
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 16 November 2009
Posts: 7,586 User: 9,988
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Wasnt the UK release a complete mess, the download and physical out different weeks and was it Tidal exclusive first week streaming. I seem to remember it was a shambles.
Also Samsung gave away 1.4m+ copies of the album, 1m were redeem in the states, so 400k+ coming from Europe mainly. She cancelled her Grammy performance shortly after release as well, which would have helped. The US charts are geared more toward streaming than the UK album chart, which suits Rihanna. I bet the physical hasn't even done 100k in the UK in total. |
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Apr 10 2020, 10:22 AM
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#16
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Why don’t you say so?
Joined: 11 October 2009
Posts: 7,331 User: 9,721
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Personally in regards to ANTI's UK performance, I think it was released ahead of its time here. I have noticed that the UK have become more receptive towards urban music in recent years. For example; Needed Me would have been a top 10 hit here it was released in 2020 than 2016.
The whole ANTI release was a mess especially in the UK and was also under-promoted and low key for a Rihanna release. I do hope lessons are learnt from that and I hope R9's release is more straightforward. |
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Apr 10 2020, 06:20 PM
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#17
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Jord
Joined: 12 March 2017
Posts: 10,757 User: 27,116
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The UK definitely are more receptive to urban music now. Especially in the streaming era. I agree Needed Me would’ve had a very good peak had that been released this year.
This era really didn’t feel much of a thing in the UK though. It broke records in the US for its performance but in the UK it didn’t have the appeal I don’t think. From 2009-12 she was everywhere and she was inescapable but with this era she was a lot more under the radar. I hope we don’t get another era like this here though. |
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Apr 15 2020, 01:15 AM
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#18
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 is in hibernation
Joined: 24 August 2014
Posts: 11,385 User: 21,161
  
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I think if she'd released an album after FFS (a useful descriptor for mess that occurred in Rih's career for the year after it oop) it would've done well. it's not one of her strongest singles at ALL but it's an album seller.
It's chart run was underwhelming initially because in 2016 you needed pure sales to be in the upper sections of the chart and the album being free for 24 hours or however long and the lack of physical availability for a week meant the GP weren't purchasing it when the iron was hot. I absolutely think in the long term every single from the album was a hit but at the time none of them were big enough to give the album a huge boost. Rihanna basically going awol to the UK GP didn't help either, she was so UBIQUITOUS during all her previous albums but all we got in the UK was the Brits. Tbh, it doesn't really matter now because ANTI will be more remembered than the two albums before it in the future if it's not already |
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