How many CDs does an artist need to sell in order to have a second album on the way? .. just wondering.

I think it depends on the record deal/contract they've signed.

Well, this is very subjective...

Just to begin with, some albums flop but the artists still record another one...

There are a lot of things they factor in to wonder if another album will come or not..

I think it depends on their contract.
For example, if you have a 3 albums contract with a label, they can't drop you until you record 3 albums. Or at least that's what I heard.

i see.. let's say if an artist already releases two albums and keeps making losses for the record label, the 3
-album contract still couldn't be broken?..

what if you are a new debut artist with an 1-album contract, is there a number for it, in general? ..

^ yer but they could just pay the rest of the contract up. Say if they have a record deal for $100k for each album, they release two and they both flop, the record lable may just decide not to let them release another album, and just pay up the contract ending it.
And not really, it depends what lable you are on, how much you are getting paid. If the record lable has invested millions in to you compared to thousands you would have to sell more albums alot more not to get dropped compared to the one who has only recived a small amount of investment.

Ok pay attention.
You're only allowed one flop album - under Gold certification/Platinum if you're hot ****. Then, every album after that must at least go Gold/Platinum. But, if you have a really successful era - Top 5 year-end/matched success of your best album (for the lessor gorls) - then the cycle resets and you're allowed another flop. Most of the industry uses this formula.

:wow: ..

i see recently there are a lot of male artists, their singles usually hit top 3 and reaching several-platinum easily, selling around 100k albums (which is only silver), so are they considered as 'successful'?..

Well, it depends on lot of things, but these are the main ones IMO:

* the label the artist is on (contract doesn't really have to mean anything, it can be broken)
* the discography of the artist: it's different if you have more than 10 albums behind you and if you're a debut artist or had just 2 or 3 albums
* the general success of the artist on charts: some artists aren't really that popular, but they have a certain field where they are doing great (for example: R&B, country, hip-hop)

normally i would think Keri Hilson and Ciara would get dropped after their last albums but who knows what is considered a "flop" these days

Keri flopped out the gate.

At least Ciara had 2 successful albums before she flopped.

On my label Keri would be shopping for a new deal because I wouldnt be investing my money into a artist with all this hype and no sales.

Enough to turn a good enough profit. It differs from label to label.

Remember, album sales are not the only way for a record label to make money. If you're going to sell millions and millions of digital downloads or have a sold-out concert tour, then maybe it's worth it for the label to keep you around.

Now that I think about it. An artist like say a Ke$ha or Keri will probably get to stick around even if their albums flop because they're good songwriters.

^They also do much better digitally. Also, their tours would probably bring in tons of money, too.

well if u think about ciara still made money.. the label still got their money back from fantasy ride.. the just didnt profit as much as TE and goodies..

keri isnt excatly top notch performer material.. she can sing in place ill i give her that but commanding the crowd

I wouldn't call Keri a flop at all. Her album sales were not phenomenal And she also has international appeal - "I Like" is testament to that.

Why would Keri be dropped, it was her first album and it went gold... Now Ciara on the other hand...

has sold over 1million albums u can sit now

plus she has a 5 album contract from what i told