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Music News: GaGa vs. Madonna & Taylor Swift (First 2 Years Sales)
Member Since: 10/2/2009
Posts: 18,322
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GaGa vs. Madonna & Taylor Swift (First 2 Years Sales)
madonna vs. Lady gaga
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hey gary,
i am a longtime reader of chart beat and enjoy reading these "ask billboard" questions.
Many people compare lady gaga to madonna. I believe the two are equal in talent, as well as style. It is hard to compare the pair, though, because lady gaga released her first single ("just dance") 27 months ago, while madonna released her first single ("everybody") 333 months ago (or 322, if you consider "holiday" madonna's first mainstream hit).
I was wondering if you could compare any statistics between lady gaga and madonna approximately two years into each artist's career.
Thanks,
garrett clayman
cherry hill, new jersey
hi garrett,
since nielsen soundscan data was not launched until 1991, we can't fairly compare madonna's sales to lady gaga's. We can, however, look at their billboard chart performances in their first 23 months after each artist's hot 100 debut, since that's how long lady gaga has been impacting the chart. Madonna first reached the hot 100 dated oct. 29, 1983, and lady gaga, aug. 16, 2008:
Billboard hot 100
madonna: 8 entries, 7 top 10s, 2 no. 1s (and 2 gold titles, according to the recording industry association of america (riaa)
lady gaga: 10 entries, 7 top 10s, 2 no. 1s (and 4 platinum titles, according to the riaa)
billboard 200
madonna: 2 entries, 2 top 10s, 1 no. 1
lady gaga: 2 entries, 2 top 10s
dance/club play songs (comparing each artist's first 26 months, since lady gaga first charted on the list dated may 3, 2008)
madonna: 5 entries, 5 top 10s, 3 no. 1s
lady gaga: 8 entries, 8 top 10s, 7 no. 1s
adult contemporary
madonna: 7 entries, 2 top 10s
lady gaga: 5 entries
thus, in this strict comparison of charted titles, madonna and lady gaga line up extremely similarly approximately two years into each artist's careers, especially on the hot 100. At that checkpoint, each singer shows seven top 10s and two no. 1s.
Madonna's billboard 200 ledger is more impressive, having banked a no. 1 with her second set, "like a virgin," as is her early adult contemporary crossover appeal. Conversely, on dance/club play songs, lady gaga's first two years-plus clearly outshine madonna's, in terms of chart visits and top 10s (8-5 in each category) and no. 1s (7-3).
Only time well tell if lady gaga's career can continue to evolve along that of the rock and roll hall of fame-enshrined madonna, now counting 28 years since first putting her iconic stamp on pop music and culture.
Like madonna, lady gaga writes her own material and possesses a unique sense of flare, so it's certainly possible that such a successful future could be in store.
Check back around 2036 and we'll have a better idea.
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lady gaga vs. Taylor swift
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dear gary,
after your analysis last week of the chart performances of madonna and lady gaga in their first two years each, i'd like to compare lady gaga to another artist. How does taylor swift's first two years on billboard charts compare to gaga's?
Thank you,
george mattar
hi george,
madonna and lady gaga make for a logical comparison, considering the similarities in everything from their pop/dance musical leans to flashy fashion sense. Comparing lady gaga to swift, however, also makes for in interesting exercise, as they are two of the most successful female stars to arrive with debut albums since the second half of the 2000s.
As we did with madonna and lady gaga, who's been appearing on the hot 100 for almost two years, since aug. 16, 2008 (madonna's birthday, coincidentally, as chart beat reader ron raymond, jr., of portland, maine, reminded in an e-mail following last week's "ask billboard" posting), we can look at how each artist has performed in their first 23 months on billboard charts:
Billboard hot 100
lady gaga: 10 entries, 7 top 10s, 2 no. 1s (and 4 platinum titles, according to the riaa)
taylor swift: 6 entries, 1 top 10 (and 5 platinum titles, according to the riaa)
billboard 200
lady gaga: 2 entries, 2 top 10s
taylor swift: 3 entries, 2 top 10s
adult contemporary
lady gaga: 5 entries
taylor swift: 3 entries, 3 top 10s, 2 no. 1s
while lady gaga easily outnumbers swift in hot 100 top 10s (7-1) almost two years into each artist's career, swift banked one more platinum single in that span and enjoyed a faster crossover to adult radio.
Ultimately, lady gaga and swift target different core audiences. While lady gaga has notched seven no. 1s on dance/club play songs, swift has registered comparable success on country songs, sending five top 10s, including two no. 1s, onto the chart from may 2006 through may 2008.
To date, with swift having released her first album two years earlier than lady gaga, total album sales, according to nielsen soundscan, clearly favor the former artist:
11,761,000, taylor swift
4,718,000, lady gaga
the pair's digital sales, according to soundscan, however, are much closer:
28,499,000, taylor swift
26,026,000, lady gaga
overall, as with madonna and lady gaga, looking simply at chart performances and sales figures between swift and lady gaga offer just one angle in a view of the performers' careers.
Still, since both artists write their own material, have already helmed successful headlining tours and become ubiquitous on radio and in pop culture, it seems logical that two of the brightest relatively newer female stars in music are only at the beginning of potentially long-lasting residences in the public consciousness.
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Member Since: 3/25/2009
Posts: 13,550
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I can't believe that they ignored the sales and only looked at certifications in the gaga vs taylor singles bit 
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Member Since: 6/16/2010
Posts: 19,686
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I love Taylor but she is too one dimensional to last much longer. If she doesn't find a new angle soon she will fade.
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Banned
Member Since: 6/26/2010
Posts: 814
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Lady GaGa being compared to everyone, all the time, everywhere. 
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Member Since: 3/30/2009
Posts: 9,982
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Country music are much more likely to buy a physical copy rather than a digital copy or just singles.
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Member Since: 2/16/2010
Posts: 69,775
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Country acts always get better-than-usual album sales, so the Taylor vs GaGa argument was unnecessary.
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Member Since: 11/7/2009
Posts: 9,863
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28,499,000, taylor swift
26,026,000, lady gaga
11,761,000, taylor swift
4,718,000, lady gaga
TAYLOR 
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Member Since: 1/4/2009
Posts: 11,404
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Quote:
Originally posted by Vini
28,499,000, taylor swift
26,026,000, lady gaga
11,761,000, taylor swift
4,718,000, lady gaga
TAYLOR |
13 singles and millions of promo singles and other songs, taylor swift
7 singles, lady gaga
2 albums, 2 live albums, 2 compilations + country artist, taylor swift
1,5 albums, lady gaga
GAGA
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Member Since: 6/1/2010
Posts: 65,177
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Who do you ask about these things?
Or where do I go rather? Link?
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Banned
Member Since: 6/26/2010
Posts: 814
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kirill
13 singles and millions of promo singles and other songs, taylor swift
7 singles, lady gaga
2 albums, 2 live albums, 2 compilations + country artist, taylor swift
1,5 albums, lady gaga
GAGA |
Let's not even talk about the worldwide sales.
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Member Since: 6/28/2009
Posts: 6,960
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Quote:
Originally posted by Vini
28,499,000, taylor swift
26,026,000, lady gaga
11,761,000, taylor swift
4,718,000, lady gaga
TAYLOR |
Sorry, but nobody knows who Taylor is in other countries.
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Member Since: 11/7/2009
Posts: 9,863
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kirill
13 singles and millions of promo singles and other songs, taylor swift
7 singles AND TRILLIONS AND BILLIONS AND ADDITIONAL BILLIONS OF PROMOS, lady gaga
2 albums, 2 live albums, 2 compilations + country artist, taylor swift
2 albums, lady gaga
GAGA |
FIXED!
Plus almost all the 11 million sales of her albums are from her TWO albums...
and lady gaga has 2 ALBUMS!
Do you want to count Gaga's EPs, remixes, ********s as well?
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Member Since: 8/5/2006
Posts: 63,266
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GAGA 
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Member Since: 3/25/2009
Posts: 13,550
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Member Since: 11/7/2009
Posts: 9,863
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bibliotheque
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I fixed Kirill's statement that Taylor promoted and gaga didn't...
HOW IN HELL DO YOU WANNA SAY LADY GAGA DOESN'T PROMO???
EDIT: I miss interpret what he said but anyway...
Those sales aren't even only from her singles, doesn't she has one or two songs that alones passed 500k? so it's a failed statement...
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Member Since: 3/25/2009
Posts: 13,550
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Quote:
Originally posted by Vini
I fixed Kirill's statement that Taylor promoted and gaga didn't...
HOW IN HELL DO YOU WANNA SAY LADY GAGA DOESN'T PROMO???
EDIT: I miss interpret what he said but anyway...
Those sales aren't even only from her singles, doesn't she has one or two songs that alones passed 500k? so it's a failed statement...
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Oh I thought you meant promo singles 
Anyway, Taylor also promotes and also has songs which aren't official singles but have racked up sales like You're Not Sorry.
The bottom line of it is that 26M in 2 years > 28M in 4 years
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Member Since: 11/7/2009
Posts: 9,863
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bibliotheque
Oh I thought you meant promo singles
Anyway, Taylor also promotes and also has songs which aren't official singles but have racked up sales like You're Not Sorry.
The bottom line of it is that 26M in 2 years > 28M in 4 years |
Would you care to know that only her singles from "Fearless" had really an impact over digital sales?
As digital sales weren't nearly as relevant in 2008/09 as in the time she released her first album?
Well, that wouldn't be of your interest for obvious reasons...
I'm not here to discuss...
You all got so bitter at me for, let's say, "celebrating" Taylor's achievements for no ****ing reason 
EDIT: I made so many spelling/grammar mistakes on my last post, damn it!
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Member Since: 9/25/2001
Posts: 26,816
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Quote:
Originally posted by HeyMrDj
Let's not even talk about the worldwide sales.
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Quote:
Originally posted by SwagLikeALegend
Sorry, but nobody knows who Taylor is in other countries.
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Member Since: 3/25/2009
Posts: 13,550
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Quote:
Originally posted by Vini
Would you care to know that only her singles from "Fearless" had really an impact over digital sales?
As digital sales weren't nearly as relevant in 2008/09 as in the time she released her first album?
Well, that wouldn't be of your interest for obvious reasons...
I'm not here to discuss...
You all got so bitter at me for, let's say, "celebrating" Taylor's achievements for no ****ing reason
EDIT: I made so many spelling/grammar mistakes on my last post, damn it! |
Would you care to know that her singles from "Taylor Swift" are certified 7 x Platinum (7mill)?
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Member Since: 11/24/2006
Posts: 24,963
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Im sorry, but Taylor Swift is well known outside the US since Love Story, ppl went crazy for her (ala Jonas Brothers).
Quote:
Originally posted by Vini
28,499,000, taylor swift
26,026,000, lady gaga
11,761,000, taylor swift
4,718,000, lady gaga
TAYLOR |
Amazing
And she don't need to wear costumes to sell albums like the other one
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