{"id":466,"date":"2006-07-03T14:30:18","date_gmt":"2006-07-03T22:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/archives\/2006\/07\/03\/cumulative-sales\/"},"modified":"2006-07-03T14:30:18","modified_gmt":"2006-07-03T22:30:18","slug":"cumulative-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/2006\/07\/03\/cumulative-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Cumulative Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"

1. "Loose"<\/strong>
Nelly Furtado<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 1
Cumulative sales: 219,118<\/p>\n

We all hate her.\u00c2\u00a0 For blinking.\u00c2\u00a0 For giving up her left-field identity and working with Timbaland to insure hits and a viable career.\u00c2\u00a0 This wouldn’t have happened in the old days (the seventies!) when who you were was more important than your fame.<\/p>\n

Disgusting.<\/p>\n

3. "Taking The Long Way"
<\/strong>Dixie Chicks<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 5
Cumulative sales: 1,190,254<\/p>\n

Who do we blame, Clear Channel\/radio?\u00c2\u00a0 Or Natalie Maines for not shutting up when the brouhaha had blown over, illustrating once again that acts have NO IDEA of their standing\/identity\/location in the marketplace.\u00c2\u00a0 Or the group’s manager, who oversaw this whole disaster.<\/p>\n

That’s what it is.\u00c2\u00a0 This is a SHITLOAD of records.\u00c2\u00a0 But, where are the legs without hits?\u00c2\u00a0 This is a fraction of what they sold before, because they don’t have country radio.\u00c2\u00a0 And, where the real money is made, on the road…they’ve had to cancel dates.<\/p>\n

It’s simple.\u00c2\u00a0 These girls are country to BEGIN WITH!\u00c2\u00a0 They hit every country radio show and do every radio station gig, saying we’re all one big family, we disagree but we get along, and we want to take you BACK (contrary to what Natalie has been saying).<\/p>\n

Oh, she should go on Larry King.\u00c2\u00a0 And talk about how she was so hurt she said the wrong things.\u00c2\u00a0 Tell a story of growing up, reacting to her parents unwisely, and she’s now learned the error of her ways.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not about the PRESIDENT\/politics, it’s about PEOPLE!<\/p>\n

How many times do we have to see this movie.\u00c2\u00a0 Country superstars SHOULD NOT try to bland down their music in hopes of mainstream success.\u00c2\u00a0 They should be thrilled they’re in the country sphere, where you can work forever.\u00c2\u00a0 Shania hurt her country cred.\u00c2\u00a0 Faith Hill went mainstream to less success.\u00c2\u00a0 Get under the big tent, put on your shitkicker boots and OWN YOUR IDENTITY!<\/p>\n

6. "High School Musical"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 24
Cumulative sales: 2,563,227<\/p>\n

The fact that you don’t know a single track, probably have never even HEARD a track unless you have kids, proves the point.\u00c2\u00a0 We live in an era of niches, and some are GARGANTUAN!\u00c2\u00a0 Not only this one, but the Mariah Carey one too.\u00c2\u00a0 Oh, she sold 5 million albums, but a great percentage of the public NEVER HEARD HER BIG SONG, "We Belong Together".\u00c2\u00a0 It’s almost impossible to sell 10 million discs anymore.\u00c2\u00a0 Not because of file-trading, not because of video games and DVDs, but because you just can’t reach the entire public easily anymore, it’s almost impossible, because people have CHOICE!<\/p>\n

This is just as important as Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync.\u00c2\u00a0 "High School Musical" is a big deal.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not about sex and parties, it’s about love and catchy songs.<\/p>\n

8. "St. Elsewhere"<\/strong>
Gnarls Barkley<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 7
Cumulative sales: 337,109<\/p>\n

Pretty good, don’t you think?\u00c2\u00a0 Especially in an era where new acts can’t get ANY traction, can’t sell 10,000 copies.\u00c2\u00a0 But this record has no legs, because once you get beyond "Crazy"…you ain’t got much.<\/p>\n

12. "Me and My Gang"<\/strong>
Rascal Flatts<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 12
Cumulative sales: 1,938,570<\/p>\n

But it gets better, their PREVIOUS record, "Feels Like Today", on the chart for 91 weeks, has sold 4,270,926 records!<\/p>\n

Where’s the fucking problem???<\/p>\n

Just because we don’t have the ubiquity of yore, that doesn’t mean that people aren’t still music crazy.\u00c2\u00a0 FURTHERMORE, they want to see country acts.\u00c2\u00a0 This is a fucking gold mine.<\/p>\n

23. "PCD"<\/strong>
Pussycat Dolls<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 41
Cumulative sales: 1,682,605<\/p>\n

It worked!\u00c2\u00a0 They created something out of whole cloth.\u00c2\u00a0 Proving once again that the business is full of scams, i.e. the public can be convinced something is decent from the MARKETING!<\/p>\n

24. "All The Right Reasons"<\/strong>
Nickelback<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 38
Cumulative sales: 2,999,466<\/p>\n

If I read one more fucking article how rock is dead, I’m gonna PUKE!\u00c2\u00a0 The bullshit alternative rock might be in decline, but meat and potatoes\/riffs you can understand rock will be here FOREVER!<\/p>\n

These guys are laughing all the way to the bank.\u00c2\u00a0 I take my hat off to them.\u00c2\u00a0 Only in unpretentious Canada could such a straight ahead act be born.<\/p>\n

Or, as Pete Townshend once sang: LONG LIVE ROCK!<\/p>\n

28. "10,000 Days"<\/strong>
Tool<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 8
Cumulative sales: 1,033,831<\/p>\n

The REAL Pearl Jam.<\/p>\n

Don’t fall for that ersatz group, the one without the catchy songs led by that liar from San Diego who said he was a loner but turned out to be the star of his high school play and the most popular kid in his class.\u00c2\u00a0 No, MAYNARD is the real Eddie Vedder.\u00c2\u00a0 And the public knows it.\u00c2\u00a0 This record didn’t sell on airplay, it sold on sheer BELIEF!\u00c2\u00a0 In what Tool does.\u00c2\u00a0 (In the same number of weeks, Pearl Jam has sold 558,741 records.)<\/p>\n

34. "King"
<\/strong>T.I.<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 13
Cumulative sales: 1,301,767<\/p>\n

With Mr. Blunt at just shy of 2 mil, and this, and Gnarls, you can see why Warner’s stock has gone up.\u00c2\u00a0 Where are EMI’s equivalent successes?<\/p>\n

47. "Breakthrough"<\/strong>
Mary J. Blige<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 27
Cumulative sales: 2,401,186<\/p>\n

And the problem is??<\/p>\n

That’s A LOT of records!\u00c2\u00a0 Once again, many people NEVER HEARD A SINGLE TRACK FROM THIS RECORD, yet it sold two and a half million copies.<\/p>\n

48. "Breakthrough"<\/strong>
Kelly Clarkson<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 82
Cumulative sales: 5,366,933<\/p>\n

The OLD record business.\u00c2\u00a0 The one the record companies like.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s all about selling discs TODAY, fuck live business, fuck the career.<\/p>\n

It used to be different, the labels were interested in the acts, were enthralled by them, wanted them to have long, healthy careers.\u00c2\u00a0 Now labels have CONTEMPT for the acts and since they and their company might not exist tomorrow, WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT TOMORROW!<\/p>\n

50. "Road & the Radio"
<\/strong>Kenny Chesney<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 33
Cumulative sales: 2,327,749<\/p>\n

Why isn’t Mitch Bainwol talking about all the SUCCESSES instead of bitching about how the consumers are ripping the labels off.<\/p>\n

52. "New Amsterdam-Live at Heineken"<\/strong>
Counting Crows<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 1
Cumulative sales: 17,387<\/p>\n

Sideshow Bob and his cronies are DONE!\u00c2\u00a0 Hell, they were done after they stopped working with T-Bone Burnett, and that was their VERY FIRST ALBUM!\u00c2\u00a0 (And, can we stop being hyped on Mr. Burnett’s insignificant\/not so good new CD?\u00c2\u00a0 Which has sold a grand total of 14,019 CDs in six weeks.)<\/p>\n

56. "Move Along"<\/strong>
All-American Rejects<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 50
Cumulative sales: 1,192,270<\/p>\n

They’ve got about as much credibility as a shoelace, but their target audience doesn’t care.\u00c2\u00a0 Fine with me, just don’t tell me they’re MEANINGFUL!<\/p>\n

57. "Louder Now"<\/strong>
Taking Back Sunday<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 9
Cumulative sales: 359,108<\/p>\n

Wherein we learn that the big bad major label can’t sell any more records than insane Tony Brummel and the old RED machine.\u00c2\u00a0 If you’re thinking of jumping to the big boys, just contemplate THIS statistic.<\/p>\n

59. Wolfmother<\/strong><\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 8
Cumulative sales: 141,953<\/p>\n

Not that many discs for such a superhyped band.<\/p>\n

I don’t think the record is catchy enough.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s one step BEYOND its influences, i.e. Led Zeppelin.\u00c2\u00a0 If it had this sound and the HOOKS of Nickelback, then you’d be talking.\u00c2\u00a0 But the big bad boys at the labels, the INSIDERS, have contempt for simplicity.\u00c2\u00a0 For what came before.\u00c2\u00a0 For what this business was built upon.<\/p>\n

60. "Have A Nice Day"<\/strong>
Bon Jovi<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 40
Cumulative sales: 1,195,442<\/p>\n

The guy’s fucking teflon.\u00c2\u00a0 One great album and then twenty years of platinum sales and sold out shows.\u00c2\u00a0 Unbelievable.\u00c2\u00a0 But I STILL love "Wanted Dead Or Alive"!!<\/p>\n

65. "It’s Time"<\/strong>
Michael Buble<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 72
Cumulative sales: 1,865,492<\/p>\n

The guys south of the border get all the ink, but they’re no better than their Vancouver brother, Bruce Allen.<\/p>\n

Come on, on paper, this is a STIFF!\u00c2\u00a0 Slightly pudgy guy sings blue-hair music? But it’s almost DOUBLE PLATINUM!<\/p>\n

66. "All The Roadrunning"<\/strong>
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 9
Cumulative sales: 232,921<\/p>\n

I’m stunned it did this well.\u00c2\u00a0 Everything after this is gravy.\u00c2\u00a0 Not that I expect much more than this.\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, there’s not the ubiquitous hype of the platinum sellers above which didn’t reach the audience for THIS record ANYWAY!<\/p>\n

It’s Warner Brothers of the seventies all over again.\u00c2\u00a0 Sign credible acts.\u00c2\u00a0 Make records on a budget.\u00c2\u00a0 Sell them to the hard core.\u00c2\u00a0 Make money.\u00c2\u00a0 AND, if you’re lucky, they might blow up, you never know.<\/p>\n

67. Daniel Powter<\/strong><\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 11
Cumulative sales: 417,746<\/p>\n

Wherein we learn, once again, that the singles business is death.\u00c2\u00a0 How nice a day are you going to have when you’ve got one of the biggest singles of the year and your album doesn’t even go gold?\u00c2\u00a0 Wouldn’t you rather have TOOL??\u00c2\u00a0 With no airplay and STILL platinum sales?<\/p>\n

70. "Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George"
<\/strong>Jack Johnson & Friends<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 20
Cumulative sales: 903,754<\/p>\n

Now THIS GUY has fans.\u00c2\u00a0 I mean how many of the stoners\/surfers went to THIS movie.\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, maybe if you get really ripped…<\/p>\n

(For the record, Jack’s 69 week old album, "In Between Dreams", has sold 2,169,420 copies.)<\/p>\n

72. "12 Gardens Live"<\/strong>
Billy Joel<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 2
Cumulative sales: 58,790<\/p>\n

I listened to this album.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s pretty good, especially the first disc.<\/p>\n

I could say it’s a stiff because Billy’s already got too many live packages, but I think the real reason is THE TARGET AUDIENCE HAS NO IDEA THIS RECORD IS OUT!<\/p>\n

79. "Monkey Business"<\/strong>
Black Eyed Peas<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 55
Cumulative sales: 3,848,126<\/p>\n

What came first, the hype or the sales?\u00c2\u00a0 I guess if you sell almost four million records I DO have to listen over and over again how the marginally talented Will I. Am is a genius and the boob-jobbed Fergie is a goddess.\u00c2\u00a0 But please, don’t tell me there’s anything truly here.<\/p>\n

This would be laughable prior to the days of MTV.<\/p>\n

86. "Surprise"
<\/strong>Paul Simon<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 7
Cumulative sales: 186,256<\/p>\n

Nobody cares.\u00c2\u00a0 Why doesn’t he just cut a new "Rhymin’ Simon" (which holds up ASTONISHINGLY well.)\u00c2\u00a0 I mean we’ve heard the new rhythms too many times before, just write a traditional song again, WILL YOU!<\/p>\n

92. "Living With War"
<\/strong>Neil Young<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 7
Cumulative sales: 182,467<\/p>\n

The press is about as trustworthy as the Presidential Administration.\u00c2\u00a0 Completely clueless as to what’s good and what the public is into they hype the substandard work of brand names like it’s important or something.<\/p>\n

God, even Knopfler and Harris have sold more records, with essentially ZERO hype.\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, they’ve got a catchy track, and all Neil Young has got is his self-righteousness.<\/p>\n

96. "Songs About Me"<\/strong>
Trace Adkins<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 66
Cumulative sales: 1,490,651<\/p>\n

If I hadn’t seen this guy on "Politically Incorrect" a couple of times, I’d have no idea who he is.\u00c2\u00a0 Yet, he’s more successful than most of the supposed MAINSTREAM acts.\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, based on the numbers above, it appears country’s QUITE mainstream.<\/p>\n

102. "Bolton Swings Sinatra"<\/strong>
Michael Bolton<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 5
Cumulative sales: 73,585<\/p>\n

And nobody cares.<\/p>\n

114. "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland"<\/strong>
Jewel<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 8
Cumulative sales: 221,249<\/p>\n

Not bad for a has-been.\u00c2\u00a0 Now if she only crosses over to country…<\/p>\n

115. "Yeah!"
<\/strong>Def Leppard<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 8
Cumulative sales: 93,935<\/p>\n

Can we all now agree it was about Mutt Lange?<\/p>\n

Bad concept that nobody cares about.\u00c2\u00a0 Hell, nobody cared about covering your obscure influences when David Bowie did it at the height of his career THIRTY YEARS AGO!<\/p>\n

A nostalgia act now.<\/p>\n

118. "Rather Ripped"<\/strong>
Sonic Youth<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart: 2
Cumulative sales: 24,111<\/p>\n

I don’t get it, I never got it, and could we please not read another word about this band EVER??!!<\/p>\n

174. "Vol. 9-Kidz Bop"<\/strong>
Kidz Bop Kidz<\/p>\n

Weeks on chart:
Cumulative sales: 389,289<\/p>\n

Sign an act of twentysomethings for a fortune.\u00c2\u00a0 Deal with the aggravation of trying to create a hit single while keeping them alive and sober.<\/p>\n

OR, hire a rotating cast of complete nobodies for almost nothing, cover hit records for a dime and make so many zeroes in profit you can barely count the money.<\/p>\n

These Razor & Tie guys are BRILLIANT!<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1. "Loose"Nelly Furtado Weeks on chart: 1Cumulative sales: 219,118 We all hate her.\u00c2\u00a0 For blinking.\u00c2\u00a0 For giving up her left-field identity and working with Timbaland to insure hits and a viable career.\u00c2\u00a0 This wouldn’t have happened in the old days (the seventies!) when who you were was more important than your fame. Disgusting. 3. "Taking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music-business"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p96vPs-7w","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}