I'm sorry but there's not much to learn. Katy is having moderate success, even though her album is selling miserably for something that produced 3 #1s, because there is NO ONE ELSE out there. She's just filling the void until the top tier comes and snatches all the current wigs.
I mean come on, her fan base is quite thin. It hasn't gotten any larger either. Just look at this thread... There's like a handful of you guys. Let's not pretend she'll be getting any airplay or attention when Beyoncé Gaga and Britney release their albums... They will eclipse her once again.