Afterglow debuted #18 on Spotify. Is this lower than you guys were expecting it to?

The highest non-Xmas song though (even though it is kind of Xmassy itself).

Edited December 22, 20204 yr by Sour Candy

Pretty shocked at the fact he’s not number one on Apple Xmas songs or not tbh it’s Ed sheeran the biggest pop star in the world at the moment.

Afterglow debuted #18 on Spotify. Is this lower than you guys were expecting it to?

Well..

^Ed will be #1 tomorrow

Ed will be #1 I would imagine.

 

 

Personally, I expected about #5 given the time of year (people streaming Christmas playlists), but even the numbers are far lower than I expected, given the support.

Edited December 22, 20204 yr by 365

Afterglow debuted #18 on Spotify. Is this lower than you guys were expecting it to?

 

Ed was only on for half of the day so I didn't expect it to be #1 or anything. I expect it will climb a bit tomorrow?

TikTok boosting a song from 2009 :lol:

 

196. Mother Mother - Hayloft

 

I'm glad it's finally entering here, the band have gained a load of followers lately

 

View this post on Instagram

Well..

Personally, I expected about #5 given the time of year (people streaming Christmas playlists), but even the numbers are far lower than I expected, given the support.

 

Thought it’d be number one easily with 700k!

282k then, less than half of Mariah (643k) and Wham! (634k). Looks like they'll end the week #2 and #3 at the moment.

Thought it’d be number one easily with 700k!

 

 

I think that would have been a little ambitious even for Ed.

Minimum i was expecting was 500k

Come on was insta added as track 1 to all possible playlists

Huge underperformance imho

 

 

Granted it wasn't released until the middle of the day and it will no doubt grow in the new year, but in terms of instant impact you would definitely expect more from Ed's first day regardless. I guess he might just pass it off as a low-key 'gift' if it doesn't connect.

 

I'm not sure that collabs project did him any favours long-term. Divide was an absolute monster and his 'imperial phase', and I think Minus/Subtract would have been massive if he'd just done nothing until 2021 but I think the collabs thing took a lot of wind out of his sails, and he was maybe just too overexposed with a lot of that music not appealing to his core fanbase.

 

His next album will be big, but I think it will be a 250-300k opening max (though this is still amazing) and without as many huge hits coming off it.

So Ed and Taylor both with new songs both can't compete with Christmas music and you wonder why artists don't release at this time of year or why the OCC should make a rule to stop this Christmas onslaught.

 

Does anyone really want a chart in December where Christmas songs and charity singles are all you get?

 

 

All the singles from No.6 after IDC seemed kind of "forced" to me... The album has dropped out of top 75 already when Divide is still there.

 

So Ed and Taylor both with new songs both can't compete with Christmas music and you wonder why artists don't release at this time of year or why the OCC should make a rule to stop this Christmas onslaught.

 

Does anyone really want a chart in December where Christmas songs and charity singles are all you get?

 

I've said it before and will continue saying it... It's ONLY. A. MONTH. EACH. YEAR.

 

Not really worth changing all the rules..

Edited December 22, 20204 yr by Sour Candy

Well yes because the chart should represent the most popular music in the country at any one time and in December that is Christmas music

So Ed and Taylor both with new songs both can't compete with Christmas music and you wonder why artists don't release at this time of year or why the OCC should make a rule to stop this Christmas onslaught.

 

Does anyone really want a chart in December where Christmas songs and charity singles are all you get?

 

Taylor managed a top 3 debut last week though

It does make you wonder if Wham!, Shaky and Band Aid had been re-released as CD singles every year in the 90s/early 00s if they'd have been back in the top 40 every year, though it's a different situation as once you own it, you own it and don't need to buy it again. But there's always new audiences for these old songs, as iTunes shows every year.

 

The charts would have looked similar every Christmas I guess if airplay had ever been part of the charts here, though I don't recall hearing old Xmas songs in the Pepsi Chart, which counted airplay, and they were definitely played enough to make it in, so I can only assume they excluded them.

Willow was also a surprise release

And did nearly 500k

Granted it had NMF but was only track 50 on HH

Also, we don't know if in ten years time, there are another popular Christmas songs. It's very short-sighted to assume that AIFCIY is the only one that can top the charts from now to eternity :lol: It wasn't even the most popular in the early 00s.

Edited December 22, 20204 yr by Sour Candy

Taylor managed a top 3 debut last week though

 

And was #33 in yesterday's mids.

 

People need to stop staying 'the most popular songs should be the ones to chart' if that was the case we wouldn't have ACR or the 3 track rule.

The thing is, ACR allows the best of both worlds. It allows representation of what the general public are listening to, but bumps the oldies down a bit so that fresh music can get a fair hearing too. Christmastime is no different - the Xmas songs have a handicap on their streaming and yet they are still dominating. An OCC rule won't help Ed or Taylor get more streams, it would artificially bump them higher in the chart because certain types of songs would be removed entirely - that's MUCH less representative than the chart currently is with ACR and the 3-track rule. You can't force the public away from Christmas songs and onto new music.

 

Ed's debut isn't great, though it doesn't strike me as hugely commercial (by his standards anyway). I'm sure it'll do well over January though.