Supercell

The problem with the album charts stems from the fact they double count streams and it’s allowed greatest hits to have inflated units. Yet the other issue I’ve recently come to realise is artificially reducing the streaming units off the top two songs on a studio album is also adding to this. Most studio albums have a couple of bigger hits and one modest sized hit, rather than a runaway hit single. I think it’s too strict and would boost studio album sales and again help kick greatest hits out a bit. Also means actual popular albums get a decent run at the top and prevent these 1-out chart runs that are becoming more frequent and personally I find it so boring. Soundtracks also should be added back as well I think, they only took them out I assume due to greatest showman being so huge. It would add some good variety though every now and then.

I did think GOE should have been pushed alongside the album but now we are rolling into summer HBDYM is I think is the obvious choice as it just fits that summer vibe. In a perfect world I’d push HBDYM in June and then ZB in September with SOAM in January.

This will no doubt change as I can see some songs growing on my once my obsession dies down with the top 5. The top four are within a whisker of each other at this point. The production on this album is so on point it has to be said. Zombieboy Abracadabra How Bad Do You Want Me Garden of Eden Perfect Celebrity Killah Die With A Smile Disease Don’t Call Tonight Shadow of a Man Vanish Into You LoveDrug Blade of Grass The Beast

Ranking after a few listens; Disease - 8/10 Abracadabra - 10/10 Garden of Eden - 9/10 Perfect Celebrity- 8/10 Vanish into You - 6/10 Killah - 8/10 (love the way she says killah) Zombieboy - 10/10 (this has to be a single!) Love Drug - 6.5/10 How Bad Do You Want Me - 10/10 Don’t Call Tonight - 7/10 Shadow of a Man - 7.5/10 The Beast - 5/10 Blade of Grass - 5/10 Die with a Smile - 9/10 The first four tracks I think are the strongest she’s had on a studio album since BTW. I’m obsessed with how she says, Killahh. Zombieboy has to be my standout, it’s the most catchy song she’s done in a long time and those stranger things vibed chimes at the end give me the chills. Has hit written all over it. HBDYWM gives me the feels though and GoE is equally brilliant. I love how there’s so many potential singles off this album, she could have a long era with this if she wanted too.

Really hope Mayhem can have a couple of tracks that take off. I’m glad they are pushing Garden but Zombieboy is a hit waiting to happen, absolute 80s vibed banger!

First impressions are this is a great album, it’s rare I hear an album and love it right away but I can tell this is going to grow on me a lot. Surprised at how funky this is which I really like along with the 80s vibe. Also she’s underrated with rocky edgy numbers, she really suits it. Garden of Eden, Perfect Celebrity, Zomebieboy and How Bad Do You Want Me are my standouts at the moment. All of those would be brilliant singles. I’m glad they are pushing Garden though, it’s so catchy and I can see it doing well.

Three from one album which she hasn’t done since Born This Way. I’m starting to think she could well challenge for No.1 next week, hopefully she gets a good jump in streaming over the weekend.

Ah thanks for confirming, maybe that’s why I don’t remember if it was just for day haha.

It’ll be interesting to see how Gaga does over the weekend and with the playlist support. I suspect it’s update today will creep up slightly but fingers crossed there’s a bit more of a jump over the weekend. Am I right in thinking Gaga has never been No.1 on Spotify ever? I feel Shallow and ROM both peaked at No.2, I don’t know Apple Music wise where’s she’s peaked there.

G’won Gaga!! Also great to see PPC, really hope both can go top 10 next week!

I went for top 20 debut, I reckon it’ll be top 15 tbh. I can see it peaking around 4-5 but hanging around in the top 10 for a few weeks.

I went for top 20 debut, I reckon it’ll be top 15 tbh. I can see it peaking around 4-5 but hanging around in the top 10 for a few weeks.

Brilliant debut for Gaga considering the timing, hope it holds up and builds the next few days and sneaks into the top 10 singles next week.

I haven't posted in here before but I just had to, Abracadabra is an absolute banger!! It's like Telephone and Judas mashed together and video is Gaga back to her creative best, does give throwback vibes to 2010-11. Best song she's done in years! I think this will be a bigger hit than disease in the long run but I'm not sure she'll get a good debut in comparison. I really hope it surprises everyone and smashes it though. People have said about the timing of its release but to be honest, I'm questioning why the hell was this not released in October instead of Disease, this should have been the LG7 lead.

I feel it might be a big Q1-2 again next year, there’s already 2-3 big names dropping between February and March. I suspect we’ll get releases from; Beyoncé Bruno mars Chappel Roan Ed Sheeran Harry Styles George Ezra Lana Del Ray Lady Gaga Miley Cyrus Noah Khan Raye Robbie Williams Sam Fender Sam Smith Taylor Swift (and I mean TS12) The 1975 The Weeknd Other predictions/hopes Harry Styles will have a huge album era One Direction release a one off single Ed Sheeran kicks off a new era of themed named albums but isn’t a big as he was. Taylor will release TS12 in December (following reputation re-release) or in early 26 A well known artist who’s been around 10-20 years will score a surprise top 10/No.1 and have a successful comeback. Lady Gaga smashes it and scores a multi-week No.1 with the second single (I can hope) Adele drops a farewell single before her hiatus (very much a longshot).

I wonder if she might actually debut at No.1 on Spotify given how it’s shot up on AM so quickly. She’s never actually been no.1 on Spotify I don’t think, Shallow and Rain on Me both were No.2

That’s a decent start on AM for Disease although I don’t know how other hyped/big up releases have done in comparison on the first update

I’ve listened to it several times now and I’m starting to get obsessed. The bridge and the ahhs are such a hook and then how it soars on the vocals and production later. Strongest lead she’s had since BTW I’d say, can’t wait to see the video now.

It’s hard to gauge as I feel the fans are all over it and the charts are a lot quieter compared with when Stupid Love came out, but it probably won’t be popular in the wider audience like DWAS was. The music video might be what makes this take off if it does I feel. I’d say top 5 like Stupid Love, but I’ll hang around long in the top 10 in the weeks that follow in comparison.

I wasn’t sure what to make on the first listen but it’s growing on me rapidly and is stuck in my head. Sounds like a cross between heavy metal lover with the wildness of the artpop era smashed together. The production is brilliant though and I feel like it’s one of those songs that will sound epic live especially if it’s done with a rock vibe.

Album sales are doing a lot better this year, we’ve got already twice as many albums having cleared 200k compared to the last two years. We’ve had a bumper year for music which helps, but I get the feeling they are slowly lifting up in general.

Sympathy didn’t do as well as I thought on the first day but that’s a pretty sharp drop on the latest update. Gracie falling too so maybe Lady Mars might be in with a chance of lifting to No.2 by the end of the week.

I can see Sympathy debuting at no1 on Spotify tomorrow or at least No2. It’s much better than the original, and talk talk was imho too but it’s very hit and miss with the remixes I’m finding. The original club classics is a very underrated banger for me but the new one is awful. I’m guessing by the tracklisting it’s streaming is all being combined with the original version?

I’m not sure I follow the initial thought of this thread, this year has been the pole opposite of boring. I think it’s been the best year musically and for the charts in over half a decade personally. The succession of big hits one after another in Q1/2, country / folk and pop all becoming popular has given more variety, it’s been like a breath of fresh air. Also the surprise comebacks and breakout success stories have made it interesting too. The only issue is how the charts are complied, same as 2016.Ironically I think ACR is the issue, because of its reset rules and loopholes it still allows for big hits to hang around for months. There’s more to be done and I agree you need something like ACR to start it off but it’s just not being executed well at all. The spring of this year though proved that we can still have moments of where the charts are active even in the streaming era.

The obvious thing to do is to create different ratios for studio albums and greatest hits so they at least don’t clog up the top 10 by default on a quiet week. So either increase the ratio for greatest hits streaming conversions or decrease them for studio albums. As with most aspects of the charts the studio album side is a mess but I think perhaps following the model they use in Germany would be a good idea. No free streaming counts (which should be across the board to be frankly honest) and a certain amount of tracks have to be listened to in order for them all to count towards the weekly sale, maybe a percentage might work better. That way an album full of hit singles won’t just stay afloat unless people have streamed outside of the singles so it might be a better way of reflecting what’s actually popular.