Of course it's sales inflation. If 1000 fans buy 16 variations that's 16,000 'sales' it's fake as f*** and totally misleading and it's pathetic that some of you can't see otherwise.

Regardless of your views, please choose the language you are using, it’s not fair to call members pathetic just because they don’t agree with you

But it's just the same as me going out and buying 16 copies of Aitch's album, regardless of variations? If I'm a die hard fan then why wouldn't I want to help him get to #1? The saltiness here because Steps have released multiple versions of their album like no other artist has done this before. They're not fake sales are they, people have to buy them. We're just going round in circles and I'm apparently clueless so enjoy your week xo

But it's just the same as me going out and buying 16 copies of Aitch's album, regardless of variations? If I'm a die hard fan then why wouldn't I want to help him get to #1? The saltiness here because Steps have released multiple versions of their album like no other artist has done this before. They're not fake sales are they, people have to buy them. We're just going round in circles and I'm apparently clueless so enjoy your week xo

 

I'm actually a fan of Steps as I have said. I just think it should be a level playing field for all artists, I don't care if that means sales would be low, at least they would be real, but if you lot want to believe in fake sales, then suit yourselves.

 

I'm actually a fan of Steps as I have said. I just think it should be a level playing field for all artists, I don't care if that means sales would be low, at least they would be real, but if you lot want to believe in fake sales, then suit yourselves.

It's probably the term 'fake sales' that isn't helping. They're not fake, they're genuine purchases. It is probably better to just describe it as misleading if you were choosing to interpret a total sales figure as being the number of individual people that have bought it. Even then it only really makes direct sense if the fans actually did buy all 11 formats and, outside of a hardcore and probably extremely small number, I can't believe for a second that many people did. There's a huge difference between having a lot of choice and people actually choosing to purchase all of them.

 

As for the level playing field element... it is the same for pretty much every album that's released these days though, lots of acts (pop and indie in particular) release multiple formats and bundles to inflate their sales figures so it's not as far away from being a level playing field as you would think... For all we actually know, there could be more Madonna fans who bought a vinyl and CD copy of the new album than Steps fans who bought two of their album. Or similarly there could be more Yard Act fans who chose to buy all of the different vinyl variants of their album earlier this year (and there were many!) - even someone like Maggie Rogers recently had at least 4 or 5 different vinyl editions as well as the CDs/cassettes etc.

 

And, as a personal opinion, it's definitely not as 'fake' as the huge number of greatest hits albums that accumulate 'sales' just because people are streaming old songs on playlists. Now that really is misleading.

I'm somewhere in the middle really. Yes, everyone with a fanbase does it, and a #1 is a #1.. but with the market as it is now, it doesn't mean the same as it did in the pre-digital era. It's still somewhat of an achievement for a band to hold on to enough fans after 25 years to buy enough copies to get to #1 I suppose. And the number of arenas they can still fill out is genuinely impressive.

We all know that if album sales were healthy the OCC would step in and limit the amount of formats an album release could have. Alas as the album market is dire it is a case of the OCC lapping up any sale and acts with hardcore fan bases rinsing them dry.

 

Honestly, I'm mostly just impressed that Steps are still able to fleece their fans — as inflation skyrockets — with twelve formats of their third greatest hits album 25 years in.

Edited August 23, 20223 yr by blacksquare

We all know that if album sales were healthy the OCC would step in and limit the amount of formats an album release could have. Alas as the album market is dire it is a case of the OCC lapping up any sale and acts with hardcore fan bases rinsing them dry.

 

So you're agreeing then that is wrong, but it's only allowed because the OCC don't want low sales.

 

We all know that if album sales were healthy the OCC would step in and limit the amount of formats an album release could have. Alas as the album market is dire it is a case of the OCC lapping up any sale and acts with hardcore fan bases rinsing them dry.

 

Facts.

 

This is just what the album chart game is now and any act/label with their head screwed on plays it for all getting a #1 album is worth now and it's one of the few things that slightly masks the album sales reality from being even more dire than it appears on paper.

 

If album sales were on a sustained rise, the OCC would step in and do something about artists having 20 different qualifying formats, but there's zero sign of that happening.

Facts.

 

This is just what the album chart game is now and any act/label with their head screwed on plays it for all getting a #1 album is worth now and it's one of the few things that slightly masks the album sales reality from being even more dire than it appears on paper.

 

If album sales were on a sustained rise, the OCC would step in and do something about artists having 20 different qualifying formats, but there's zero sign of that happening.

 

I still remember in 2007 when Tori Amos deluxe version of American Doll Posse was not allowed to contribute towards her chart sales as the free postcards were deemed too much of an incentive for the price! Imagine that now when most acts in a race for number 1 slash all fornats to half price or have bundles with anything and everything that can be mass produced.

 

It is what it is and as you say all acts will do it as your at a disadvantage if you don't do it. It just means the album chart is a total mess with albums that get mostly streaming sales hanging round for years upon years and albums by fan base acts can now go 1-out for their chart run.

Madonna has been on holiday in Italy for the last week. I don’t think she gives a flying f..k about her chart position in the UK with a remix album.

Of course it's sales inflation. If 1000 fans buy 16 variations that's 16,000 'sales' it's fake as f*** and totally misleading and it's pathetic that some of you can't see otherwise.

It's not sales inflation and it's not fake because that really is 16,000 sales. Doesn't matter if 16,000 people buy 1 copy or 1,000 people buy 16 it has still sold 16,000 copies. Nobody is forcing the fans to buy them. Having said that, there is almost certainly a limit to the number that an individual can purchase so that we don't get 1 person buying 16,000 (or 10 people 1,600 copies or 100 people 160 copies) before the OCC would step in. The debate is what would be considered reasonable...

Are all the different versions limited editions?

 

Of course the charts have been 'fake' since streaming was included - and perhaps long before that....

 

Comment edited as on reflection what I'd originally put was problematic.

Edited August 23, 20223 yr by braindeadpj

Regardless of your views, please choose the language you are using, it’s not fair to call members pathetic just because they don’t agree with you

Strange interpretation of what he said.......He didn't call anyone pathetic

Strange interpretation of what he said.......He didn't call anyone pathetic

 

Thank you. I didn't call anyone pathetic. I just chose ignore him like I do with all snowflakes.

Strange interpretation of what he said.......He didn't call anyone pathetic

 

He kind of did though. He said it was pathetic if we didn’t see it his way.

Of course it's sales inflation. If 1000 fans buy 16 variations that's 16,000 'sales' it's fake as f*** and totally misleading and it's pathetic that some of you can't see otherwise.

 

Getting that hot and bothered over some acts selling a few different versions of an album on what would otherwise be a dead sales week is certainly not how I’m spending my Tuesday evening. Jeez. Get some air.

Edited August 23, 20223 yr by PaulM1983

Thank you. I didn't call anyone pathetic. I just chose ignore him like I do with all snowflakes.

Oh dear

He kind of did though. He said it was pathetic if we didn’t see it his way.

Getting that hot and bothered over some acts selling a few different versions of an album on what would otherwise be a dead sales week is certainly not how I’m spending my Tuesday evening. Jeez. Get some air.

No, he called the situation pathetic......that being said the "snowflakes" was a direct insult to Liam.

No, he called the situation pathetic......that being said the "snowflakes" was a direct insult to Liam.

 

I always find the ones being called snowflakes or woke etc, come across as far nicer people I’d rather spend time with than the ones who are so quick to use it as an insult. Therefore I don’t think Liam should be the slightest bit bothered about the rudeness of that particular member.

I wonder which artist will next rile up Bristolmans to come back and complain about a chart he claims to not care about. We already had this exact conversation with Taylor Swift a few months ago x

 

Hard to say, when sales are so low 2K is a lot to overtake

 

Just outside the top 40:

42 Fred again & SHM

43 Alesso & Zara

50 Wolf

hope some make it into the top 40, the 31-40 section is a snoozefest

 

"Wolf"? (#50 is Tion Wayne/La Roux, did you mean Ghost who are at #51? lol)

No, he called the situation pathetic......that being said the "snowflakes" was a direct insult to Liam.

 

You seem very sure of another posters intentions.... :thinking: