While we can presume that those 2.5 million people listened to every song on the album, we can't really prove that they actually like those songs you've mentioned and/or listen to them. If Roar is a safe single and sold 360% more copies than the album has, then it would seem that people are buying the album because they want songs like Roar, not songs like the ones you've mentioned.

And I think it's important as an artist to balance your risky and safe choices. If it flopped, so what? Lots of people have flop singles and are still strong. And Katy's rich, she could afford to film her own music video if the label didn't believe in it. But I guess that's what differentiates a pop star and a pop artist.

Is the same for every popstar, look at Beyonce or Lady Gaga, her biggest hits are the most fun and radio friendly ones. Most of their risky ones flopped.

Those songs slay as well.

But that proves my point. If Beyonce is easily selling albums, then that proves that you can release risky singles and still be successful which goes against the idea that Katy must release her safe singles to sell her albums so people can hear her riskier tracks.

Dark Horse is comes to my mind in 0.5 seconds. [/endthread]

Spot on

There's no set definition of safe. If Katy wants to play it safe I say there's nothing wrong with that. ATRL has this misconception that everyone has to be edgy and be a risk taker. Let me tell you, 70 percent of the artists out there play it "safe." She isn't going anywhere any time soon. You can say she has taken risks/innovated in other parts of her career, if not her music. All that PRISM promo from the truck to the live Birthday concert was genius tbh.

She's a pop artist and she's making pop music. That's all there is to it. In a few albums time as she gets older her sound will change.

You are acting like it doesn't matter if the singles are flops or not.

In real world it matters, look at ARTPOP era and compare to PRISM.

Both started similarly, but then Katy received nominations for the Grammys, she is invited to perform everywhere, she is the #1 global female of 2013, Top 10 album after 5 months, she's the most followed person on Twitter, her videos are massive on VEVO.

Gaga has low single sales, her album is already out of Top 40, she wasn't nominated for a Grammy, and i'm sure Intercope won't give her money to promote ARTPOP for one more year.

They played it safe with DH. They had another single on the market while having DH out as a buzz single. It did better than Unconditionally, so they switched it to guarantee another hit for Katy. It's not a typical katy song, but a surefire hit, nothing risky.

Yep. If she is comfortable with it, then so be it. She's survived six years by being "safe." People claimed that the GP would get turned off if she continued to go the safe route on her 3rd album, but the success of PRISM has already debunked those excuses.

No shade but I really believe the critics music industry see beyond the smoke and mirrors of her commercial success hence she has no Grammy's. Nor has any of her albums received a generally positive critique by critics.

Also Katy kind of shoots herself in the foot by releasing great songs like Dark Horse with such crappy videos. She makes it clear that she doesn't take herself seriously so why should the music industry?

You can't compare Katy to Beyonce.

Beyonce does R&B/ urban music, she can sell albums without hits and she's a better peformer, has bigger tours, etc.

Katy is like Gaga and Ke$ha. She makes straight pop music, as soon as her singles start flopping she will be selling 600k like Gaga.

Yeah she does. Sadly. I don't even playing safe but sometimes i wished she would take some risks in songwriting, production etc

yeah CAMPER

she should go back to her "ur so gay" vibes

This thread again? It's more recycled than Dr. Luke's beats