Discussion: Katy & cheap chart tactics: what happened years ago?!

Sammi

Katy's the only and biggest chart calculative desperate bitch ever,that's what keep going around on ATRL.So I've decided to check what some respected 'legends' were doing years and years ago.Here we go.

Quote:

These days, Mariah has figured out another way to manipulate the charts. Although “We Belong Together” was a legit number one hit, Mariah has bought into the new method of “repressed downloads,” which means holding back the release of a digital single for several weeks, despite the song being available for airplay. When the single is finally released, it sells several more copies than it normally would have during that given week. “Don’t Forget About Us” and “Touch My Body” are two songs that benefited from this.

To be fair to Mariah, she may have been the one that has benefited the most from chart manipulation, but certainly isn’t the only one. Sony records started this in the Summer of 1995 when they released “You Are Not Alone,” by Michael Jackson, for 99 cents. Michael Jackson’s History album was bombing at the time, so Sony desperately needed Michael Jackson to have a “hit.” Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Whitney Houston, and several other acts have also benefited from this type of musical manipulation.

It is also important to note that Mariah has had several legit number one songs: “Vision of Love,” Emotions,” “Fantasy,” and “One Sweet Day,” are all examples. But several insiders point out that because Mariah was “married” with the president of Sony Records at the time, Tommy Mottola, her songs received a lot more marketing than they should have.

These days, Mariah is desperate to score a hit single. Her recent album, E=MC2, sold far less than expected. This is why Mariah Carey just rush recorded her new album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, to be released only fourteen months after the failed E=MC2 album. Her singles "Bye Bye," "I Stay in Love," and "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" have bombed on the music charts. Her new single with The Dream, titled "My Love," sank faster than the Titanic. There is a lot of desperation going on and this can easily be seen by Mariah’s photoshopped “Obsessed” single cover. Whatever happens, let’s hope Mariah doesn’t make a return trip to the mental ward.

Around the time of Mariah’s Glitter bomb, Roger Friedman – who would later become part of Mariah’s PR team – came out with this article that explained how Mariah scored number one hits in the 1990s: by releasing them for 49 cents while the regular price of a single was $1.99. At some outlets, singles actually sold for $2.99. At this time, Billboard’s charts were heavily measured by sales, which were more important than airplay at the time.

This trend seemed to start with the single “Honey,” released in the Summer of 1997. Even though the song didn’t have high call-out research, it zoomed to number one based on sales. Mariah’s 1997 album, Butterfly, was selling far below the amount expected. It was eventually certified five times platinum based on overshipments: this number is far more than the actual amount the album sold.

Mariah’s chart manipulation continued with the “number one” single, “My All,” released in 1998. Several musical outlets sold the single for 49 cents while the song garnered mediocre call-out research and less than spectacular airplay.

In the Fall of 1999, Mariah released her Rainbow album and “Heartbreaker” single to bad reviews. “Heartbreaker” was stalling in airplay but became a huge example of chart manipulation. The song zoomed to number one as soon as it was discounted to 49 cents and 99 cents at many outlets. The follow-up single, the barely known “Thank God I Found You,” zoomed to number one based on the same manipulation.

Fast forward to 2008. In the two years that passed, other artists such as Rihanna repress singles to purchase a #1 hit on the Hot 100 chart…

http://jcole77.wordpress.com/2008/08...-100-part-iii/

Will this tea be too hot for some girls?

Pressed Bitch

Bliss

Thanks for the info.

H-I-M

I won't believe that, I WON'T

Beatz

Jennifer Lopez remixed her songs too but I think that was a new album altogether (?) I don't remember exactly, but "I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny" weren't the original that reached #1, instead featured with Ja Rule.

LONGWAY2GO.

Katy still looked pretty desperate tbh.

Starkboy

I knew it

But remix + discount = Only Katy I guess.

Chrome

Oh word?

Beatz

Quote:

Originally posted by H-I-M

I won't believe that, I WON'T

Good for you.

Delita_chan

Did MJ do this with his PREVIOUS albums? By the time HIStory was released, he had already by far sealed himself as a pop legend and he had already made records.

When Mariah started using the tactics, she was also well established with several #1 singles. SEVERAL. Enough to make an album.

Katy is only just establishing herself and is already resorting to tactics.

givemethatpop

The fact more singers used that cheap tactic to get an unfair #1 doesn't mean Katy can do it without being considered the desperate she seems to be

Dephira

But I mean, we all know Mariah has been doing this for ages now. It's just that Katy is doing the most by far out of all the current pop girls, so of course she's gonna get dragged.

UnusualBoy

They have the info but they will insist in call her desperate and everything

instead of worrying about their faves underperforming with singles, albums, etc.

Bliss

Quote:

Her new single with The Dream, titled "My Love," sank faster than the Titanic.

Vertigo Stick

Did Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey have their singles discounted/remixed consecutively?

umich

people will still remain pressed about Katy doing it, though, since she has the potential to break the "King of Pop's" record, so it doesn't set well w/ too many people. they forget that a bunch of other artists have done it and focus their negative energy on bashing Capitol and Katy for doing the same thing that other artists have done.

cheap

I though u were talking about me

Rico Shameless v2

Everyone knows Mariah was the chart manipulator Queen, lol. This type of manipulation has been going on since Billboard began, which is why so many rules have changed over the years. She got the same backlash, as did Jennifer Lopez and other people who did things for better charting. Katy's no different. There were just no ATRL back then and you were probably in diapers.

Bliss

Quote:

Originally posted by I'mRihannaFan

I knew it

But remix + discount = Only Katy I guess.

Mimi had remixes.

ifyouseekLEM

But no where in that article do I see last minute remixes that were more about charting than helping a song be better.

Discounting singles for .99 cents in the 90s when people had to get up and go to the store to buy them...are different than discounting singles on the largest digital media retailer when you don't have to leave the house to buy it.

And none of those tactics were used to break notable long-standing records like Katy is right now. No one would give two ****s about Katy legally cheating her way through #1 singles if she wasn't going to break a major record through her cheap tactics.