In the last year or so, the concept of releasing numerous promotional singles and releases which are chart ineligible (for some reason I still can't quite get my head around) from the album before release have really taken off. I know this is hardly brand new, but it definitely shows this week with the likes of Lady Gaga, Eminem and Justin Bieber all latching on to this (and the latter may not even be on an album). I'd put a bet that Rihanna will probably take this approach with her next album too.

 

I'm intrigued to know what you all think of these numerous week-on-week releases leading up to the album, do you think they serve their purpose well and allow fans access to the album before release or do you tire of them and find they make the charts a bit messy?

 

Personally, I'm a bit of both, I see they serve their purpose but (and this week especially) I do find it a bit too much at times, this 'Suicidal-Music Mondays' thing Bieber's doing is FAR TOO MUCH, but I don't mind if its just a few weeks.

Edited October 28, 201311 yr by Chez Wombat

Tbh I hate it all, I also hate the 'complete the album' thing. Back in the day if I bought a CD single and then bought the album next week I couldn't go up to the counter and say wait knock the cost of the single off the album and have it back.

 

If you have an album on pre-order and intend on releasing songs from it before its release then you should release separate single versions, in this day and age it is so easy to do there is no reason not to.

 

As for Rihanna I don't see her doing it.

 

It definitely makes sense from a commercial point of view. Doing 3/4 promo singles in the run up to an album is fine (and I guess a good way for artists to show the overall 'sound' of their album better than just with one or two proper singles) but the 'Music Mondays' thing is definitely overkill - it's a nice idea 'for the fans' but something that should definitely be done via free downloads (like Kanye West's 'GOOD Fridays' which I imagine is where Bieber got the idea, as he was even featured on one of those) rather than charging another 99p each week.

 

Tbh I hate it all, I also hate the 'complete the album' thing. Back in the day if I bought a CD single and then bought the album next week I couldn't go up to the counter and say wait knock the cost of the single off the album and have it back.

 

You hate having the opportunity to spend less to buy something? :huh:

It definitely makes sense from a commercial point of view. Doing 3/4 promo singles in the run up to an album is fine (and I guess a good way for artists to show the overall 'sound' of their album better than just with one or two proper singles) but the 'Music Mondays' thing is definitely overkill - it's a nice idea 'for the fans' but something that should definitely be done via free downloads (like Kanye West's 'GOOD Fridays' which I imagine is where Bieber got the idea, as he was even featured on one of those) rather than charging another 99p each week.

You hate having the opportunity to spend less to buy something? :huh:

 

Yes, because having minus sales for songs when albums are released is ridiculous. It means their chart position are false/inflated.

I dislike it, it feels to me at least like the artists concerned have no real vision or structure for their album and are just throwing out every song that could be considered 'single' material and hoping that something sticks. It is disorganised and a total mess.

 

Fans can already access the album through legal streams or (*cough* illegal ones), I don't see what shoving a load of different singles at the general public in a short space of time does anything but confuse and kill off any momentum you could build through a success mass-crossover single, and besides if you're not after a massive single and you are a big fanbase act (BIEBER ALERT) there is no point in promoting your album this way because your fanbase will definitely buy the album anyway and you're just:

 

1) Annoying the general public by blitzing the chart with your releases (which sound exactly the same btw Justin) each and every week

2) Exploiting your loyal fan-base by making them buy track after track, and we all know that buying 14 singles separately is more expensive than buying the full album.

I don't mind one or two promo singles but it shouldn't be any more than that. I dislike the "instant grab" thing for the fact it can sometimes mean songs become ineligible, which is especially bad for official singles.

I dislike it, it feels to me at least like the artists concerned have no real vision or structure for their album and are just throwing out every song that could be considered 'single' material and hoping that something sticks. It is disorganised and a total mess.

 

Fans can already access the album through legal streams or (*cough* illegal ones), I don't see what shoving a load of different singles at the general public in a short space of time does anything but confuse and kill off any momentum you could build through a success mass-crossover single, and besides if you're not after a massive single and you are a big fanbase act (BIEBER ALERT) there is no point in promoting your album this way because your fanbase will definitely buy the album anyway and you're just:

 

1) Annoying the general public by blitzing the chart with your releases (which sound exactly the same btw Justin) each and every week

2) Exploiting your loyal fan-base by making them buy track after track, and we all know that buying 14 singles separately is more expensive than buying the full album.

 

These Justin songs aren't for an album, hence the individual releases.

 

I've got no problem with promo singles being released individually, or just the one instant grat track, it helps build hype for the album I think, but more than one instant grat track just messes things up with the fact that they can't chart...

Yes, because having minus sales for songs when albums are released is ridiculous. It means their chart position are false/inflated.

 

That doesn't happen in the UK.

That doesn't happen in the UK.

 

Then what happens to the complete the album single sales?

Then what happens to the complete the album single sales?

 

Nothing.

It all seems like a total mess. I know the charts should have an element of the surprise and unexpected to them, but every week has had songs that have raced into the iTunes top 5, to free fall after about 24/48 hours. And it has been really difficult to keep track of what's going on.

 

I don't really understand what happens with the "ineligible" thing. Do What You Want is actually Gaga's new single, no? Yet it's chart ineligible? At what point does it become eligible. And when it does, are all the previous sales not counted towards the final count? Katy's Dark Horse charted at number 20 in the official chart, and was available in the same way? Confused.

I dislike it, Doctor Blind covered all the basics.

 

The Justin Bieber tracks are rather pointless, as each track that is released, by the end of the week the single gets a top 20 placing, and as time goes on, he will hardly get a top 40 position.

 

The whole thing does sound all confusing, OCC need to review the situation, those sales should be accounted for in the official chart.

IT MAKES THE ITUNES THREAD SO ANNOYING

I don't really understand what happens with the "ineligible" thing. Do What You Want is actually Gaga's new single, no? Yet it's chart ineligible? At what point does it become eligible. And when it does, are all the previous sales not counted towards the final count? Katy's Dark Horse charted at number 20 in the official chart, and was available in the same way? Confused.

 

You're correct in that "Do What U Want" is Gaga's new single, but it's been been made an instant grat from to Artpop pre-order as opposed to a separate single release. The rules say that only 1 instant grat per album is allowed to chart and as "Applause" was this instant grat, DWUW is not allowed to chart (the same goes for venus). Now "Roar" was available as a separate single and the pre-order from Prism has it's own instant grats; "Dark Horse" was the first instant grat from the album and so charted, however the second ("Walking On Air") didn't chart as the rules didn't allow it.

 

 

In my opinion, they should do what the US do and allow it chart but then subtract from the overall total IF the buyer chooses to use the "Complete My Album" feature or have pre-ordered the album.

You're correct in that "Do What U Want" is Gaga's new single, but it's been been made an instant grat from to Artpop pre-order as opposed to a separate single release. The rules say that only 1 instant grat per album is allowed to chart and as "Applause" was this instant grat, DWUW is not allowed to chart (the same goes for venus). Now "Roar" was available as a separate single and the pre-order from Prism has it's own instant grats; "Dark Horse" was the first instant grat from the album and so charted, however the second ("Walking On Air") didn't chart as the rules didn't allow it.

In my opinion, they should do what the US do and allow it chart but then subtract from the overall total IF the buyer chooses to use the "Complete My Album" feature or have pre-ordered the album.

 

 

Thanks for that, it makes it a bit clearer. Though it still feels a bit silly, as some people will be paying the full 99p for Do What You Want (for example), and that's still not being counted? (I agree that people pre-ordering the album shouldn't be counted, as they aren't actually paying for it - technically). So when DWYW actually comes out, are the sales from the people who bought it beforehand not going to be counted? It will be a shame for singles just under Silver, Gold, Platinum...