ISTM the chart rules need to be changed to discourage the increasing number of 'deluxe' albums. Splitting the sales of original & new versions could help with that.

 

IMO they are merely becoming a cynical play to avoid having to produce a whole new album, and expose it to cherry-picking. However, I suspect many fans will be iunwilling to fork out again for an album they already have most tracks of, and will just cherry-pick the new ones *anyway*. I know I do!

I agree. Lady Gaga fans say that the Fame Monster is her second album-and yet sales count The Fame all as one. Which is it? And they always crop up at Christmas to boost sales. I never buy a deluxe edition, I usually just download the new tracks but sometimes they're not available. Leona's debut album was out in deluxe weeks before people could download Run, and there's one new track on P!nk's Funhouse Tour Edition which is not available to download without purchasing the whole album (which I already have).

The whole point of them IS to drive sales though so the tactic is working as far as the industry is concerned - there's no motivation for them to change it back. I'm someone who likes to buy deluxes (but only if its worth it) and I'm not really a cherrypicker. What does annoy me is itunes exclusive tracks (or similar). Its unfair I should be dictated to in where to buy an album and what price to pay. I mean, tracks exclusive to the physical are ok by me as you can still shop around on price for that. Making them album only on download pisses me off and that's mostly an itunes practice, other sites allow cherrypicking more. I'm still mad about kylies magnetic electric! I bought the bloody deluxe edition of X why the hell shouldn't I get all the songs!

 

In terms of the old rules, I think you were only allowed up to 20% new content in addition to the original album in its entirety. This usually meant up to 3 new tracks, a la rihanna's gggb reloaded (although the rules had changed by then). Alternatively the only album sales were really an issue for still around the time of rule change was amy winehouse's back to black and deluxe which had a second cd of 7-8 tracks and due to being released pre change, still charted each separately. However occ combined sales eventually as it was still very active after this, and in terms of top decade sellers it was off the list otherwise. However is that fair? Were most deluxe buys new to the albums or merely upgrades of the original? So is this representative or falsely inflating sales?

 

The other point record companies were making was the old rules were restrictive as they didn't allow more inventive extra content like dvds. Leona is a good example of this. She only added 3 tracks to her album so would have still been ok in the old system but couldn't have put a dvd with it. Is that better or worse value now then?

Ok rant over, interesting debate! Answers on a postcard please...

I agree. Lady Gaga fans say that the Fame Monster is her second album-and yet sales count The Fame all as one. Which is it? And they always crop up at Christmas to boost sales. I never buy a deluxe edition, I usually just download the new tracks but sometimes they're not available. Leona's debut album was out in deluxe weeks before people could download Run, and there's one new track on P!nk's Funhouse Tour Edition which is not available to download without purchasing the whole album (which I already have).

The pink one is very stupid. One new song but removing the 2 original bonus tracks? Crap!

At least gaga did a whole new album worth of content which she could have charged much the same price for anyway. In america the rules are still different and monster charts separately (its sometimes called an ep) I think that's why a lot of people call it her second album (its her home country/biggest market after all) but essentially its fame 1.5

The pink one is very stupid. One new song but removing the 2 original bonus tracks? Crap!

At least gaga did a whole new album worth of content which she could have charged much the same price for anyway. In america the rules are still different and monster charts separately (its sometimes called an ep) I think that's why a lot of people call it her second album (its her home country/biggest market after all) but essentially its fame 1.5

It's because the new material on The Fame Monster was released in the US as an album in its own right and this qualified the new album for a chart placing in its own right. In addition a deluxe edition of The Fame Monster matching that of the UK was released at the same time and sales of this version were combined with the original.

 

It's kinda annoying when fans boast about albums having sold tons of copies, yet without tons of re-releases/platinum editions/deluxe the sales wouldn't be as impressive.

 

Like 'The Fame Monster' it's annoying when GaGa's fans boast about how her "first album has sold over a million in the UK alone" when actually it's TWO albums put together. The second disc is enough to qualify for an official album.

It's because the new material on The Fame Monster was released in the US as an album in its own right and this qualified the new album for a chart placing in its own right. In addition a deluxe edition of The Fame Monster matching that of the UK was released at the same time and sales of this version were combined with the original.

ah wasnt sure about that, there was a lot of chat about how the release would go in America. So when i see the fame is higher in the chart than monster every week oddly, its because the 2CD edition and original fame are having their sales combined, but other (fewer) people are still plumping for the 1 disc monster?

Makes more sense now -_-

It's kinda annoying when fans boast about albums having sold tons of copies, yet without tons of re-releases/platinum editions/deluxe the sales wouldn't be as impressive.

 

Like 'The Fame Monster' it's annoying when GaGa's fans boast about how her "first album has sold over a million in the UK alone" when actually it's TWO albums put together. The second disc is enough to qualify for an official album.

 

Well, given that its combined sales are now over 1.9m, it's almost certain that one or the other version *has* passed 1m...

 

I'd check my sales records, if only I could remember when Fame-Monster was released?

Edited April 30, 201015 yr by vidcapper

It's because the new material on The Fame Monster was released in the US as an album in its own right and this qualified the new album for a chart placing in its own right. In addition a deluxe edition of The Fame Monster matching that of the UK was released at the same time and sales of this version were combined with the original.

It's not true. In the US The Fame Monster was released in 2 different editions: an 8-track EP which doesn't contain tracks from the original The Fame album, and a deluxe 2CD version containing all the track from the original album and tracks from the EP.

 

The EP version is listed separately on The Billboard 200 albums chart, but The Fame + The Fame Monster (deluxe)'s sales are combined under the title of the original album!

Well, given that its combined sales are now over 1.9m, it's almost certain that one or the other version *has* passed 1m...

 

I'd check my sales records, if only I could remember when Fame-Monster was released?

 

UK Album chart w/e 05.12.09 'The Fame' jumped from #55 to #7 so i'd suspect it was probably Monday 23rd Nov 'The Fame Monster' was added?

Edited April 30, 201015 yr by seanyboy

23/11/09 for TF:M rings a bell. MW commented that TF (v1) was only making up about 5% of copies a couple of months ago, but this rocketed to 50% after discounting of the original. Do you have any way of separating the sales VC?

I presume TF is over the mil as it'd had done 800k before monster, though prob not by much. Monster must be close itself though. 2 mil selling albums is still impressive. I wonder if she is in fact doing herself out of sales. Would loads of people just bought both separately and counted 2 sales, or is the incentive of the 2CD actually driving people to buy it as better value? Or are all the monster sales here people who already owned the fame anyway (like me) :rolleyes:

It's not true. In the US The Fame Monster was released in 2 different editions: an 8-track EP which doesn't contain tracks from the original The Fame album, and a deluxe 2CD version containing all the track from the original album and tracks from the EP.

 

The EP version is listed separately on The Billboard 200 albums chart, but The Fame + The Fame Monster (deluxe)'s sales are combined under the title of the original album!

 

Thats exactly what Robbie said....why are u disagreeing?? :huh:

Thats exactly what Robbie said....why are u disagreeing?? :huh:

I had to re-read what I'd posted as I thought that was what I had said but then thought perhaps I had posted something else by mistake!

 

Unless flatdeejay means The Fame Monster is technically classed as an EP rather than an album in the US, they have different chart rules to the UK for what constitutes an EP but EP's over there are eligible for the album chart rather than the singles chart.

Edited April 30, 201015 yr by Robbie

UK Album chart w/e 05.12.09 'The Fame' jumped from #55 to #7 so i'd suspect it was probably Monday 23rd Nov 'The Fame Monster' was added?

 

Thanks - so by my calculation it has sold 1.117m since then, although not all of those will be the new version, of course.

 

23/11/09 for TF:M rings a bell. MW commented that TF (v1) was only making up about 5% of copies a couple of months ago, but this rocketed to 50% after discounting of the original. Do you have any way of separating the sales VC?

 

Sorry, I don't.

 

I presume TF is over the mil as it'd had done 800k before monster, though prob not by much. Monster must be close itself though. 2 mil selling albums is still impressive. I wonder if she is in fact doing herself out of sales. Would loads of people just bought both separately and counted 2 sales, or is the incentive of the 2CD actually driving people to buy it as better value? Or are all the monster sales here people who already owned the fame anyway (like me) :rolleyes:

 

I never bought the original, just TFM.

I think it's quite embarrasing that The Fame only passed a million with The Fame Monster. I mean, she was EVERYWHERE on T.V and radio, had the biggest (Poker Face - 800k+), 4th biggest (Just Dance 530k+) and another year-end top 20 hit (Paparazzi) and she still couldn't do it.

I think it's quite embarrasing that The Fame only passed a million with The Fame Monster. I mean, she was EVERYWHERE on T.V and radio, had the biggest (Poker Face - 800k+), 4th biggest (Just Dance 530k+) and another year-end top 20 hit (Paparazzi) and she still couldn't do it.

 

embarrassing, why?

'The Fame' was pretty much best selling album for most of 2009; it's more a reflection of low album sales in general that it didn't sell more.