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What defines an album flop?


NIghtmareElm

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NIghtmareElm

So I know what can define a movie flop.  If the box office gross doesn't double the budget or at least break even.  Many other factors to that as well.

 

But what defines an album flop?  Obviously albums don't cost as much to produce as a Hollywood feature film.  Like if it doesn't go number 1?  Doesn't sell as many units as the artist and label wanted?  

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In music it's relative to the promotional and recording budgets. Just for example if somebody released an album that had 50 writers and promoted it like it was The Fame Monster or 21 at every major awards show for 15+ minutes and still didn't scratch 5M WITH SEA and TEA, it's safe to at the very least call it an underperformance.

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28 minutes ago, Nino said:

In music it's relative to the promotional and recording budgets. Just for example if somebody released an album that had 50 writers and promoted it like it was The Fame Monster or 21 at every major awards show for 15+ minutes and still didn't scratch 5M WITH SEA and TEA, it's safe to at the very least call it an underperformance.

:reductive:

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53 minutes ago, Nino said:

In music it's relative to the promotional and recording budgets. Just for example if somebody released an album that had 50 writers and promoted it like it was The Fame Monster or 21 at every major awards show for 15+ minutes and still didn't scratch 5M WITH SEA and TEA, it's safe to at the very least call it an underperformance.

giphy.gif 

English isn’t my first language, so please excuse any mistakes
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I don't really think that it's about sales - some albums had mediocre sales but were considered successful. I guess it's the expectation and reception from the fans and and critics. 

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FlopSlurper
3 hours ago, Nino said:

In music it's relative to the promotional and recording budgets. Just for example if somebody released an album that had 50 writers and promoted it like it was The Fame Monster or 21 at every major awards show for 15+ minutes and still didn't scratch 5M WITH SEA and TEA, it's safe to at the very least call it an underperformance.

omg

YzvKeOs.gif

 

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The Surrealist
3 minutes ago, FlopSlurper said:

omg

YzvKeOs.gif

 

The gif :deadbanana:

Ort: for me an album is a flop when the music is sh*t.

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DeanWinchester
3 hours ago, Nino said:

In music it's relative to the promotional and recording budgets. Just for example if somebody released an album that had 50 writers and promoted it like it was The Fame Monster or 21 at every major awards show for 15+ minutes and still didn't scratch 5M WITH SEA and TEA, it's safe to at the very least call it an underperformance.

:ladyhaha::lolly:

Flyin' like a 1000 Doves
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DeanWinchester

If it sells really bad relative to the artist's own standards or if it ruins the image of the artist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i'm so sorry ARTPOP i will still always love you

Flyin' like a 1000 Doves
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StrawberryBlond

There are 3 types of flop - flopping despite prior single success, flopping despite prior era success and flopping with no prior success. And please note that under-performance is not the same as flopping, which is why I haven't included certain albums as examples. Flopping is also relevant to the time. If sales were low at a time when album sales in general were high, it's a flop but if it was low sales at a time when sales were low in general, it's not as much of a flop.

Flopping despite prior single success

This is when an artist has had success recently and has a hit single leading the album campaign. The single could be at #1 or top ten and has made an impact worldwide with a popular music video. Some of them may even have a second single that's a hit too. But when the album gets released, even if it goes to #1, it has poor sales, which are a disappointment when you consider how popular the singles were. It may also have a more mixed critical reception. The tour can happen but is smaller. The resulting album is tipped to be big after single success, so artist, label and fans are concerned about the rest of the album's performance. The album can pick up with a good single choice further down the line but not always. This is when a singer begins to question if they could be turning into a singles artist but no one is interested in buying their albums or seeing their shows.

Examples

Jennifer Lopez - Love?

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines

Pharrell - G I R L

Miley Cyrus - Bangerz

Iggy Azalea - The New Classic

Sia - 1000 Forms Of Fear

Fifth Harmony - 7/27

Flopping despite prior era success

This is when an artist has had a really good era last time, maybe even been one of the major artists of the moment, but drops in popularity with the next era. It usually affects the singles sales as well as the album. The cause of this downfall can be obvious or inexplicable, depending on the situation. Whatever the reason, it leaves the artist, label and fans in a very confusing time as they don't know what's around the corner. The album reception can be mixed. The tour usually is a lot smaller. Some artists take a long break after this kind of thing or follow it up very quickly, depending on the individual.

Examples

Beyonce - 4

Rihanna - ANTI

Meghan Trainor - Thank You

Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman

Bruno Mars - 24K Magic

Flopping with no prior success*    *this doesn't include independent/obscure artists

This is when an artist hasn't had big success for a while (singles or albums) and releases an album that no one cares about. If by some miracle it goes to #1, it drops dramatically the next week or only gets to the top in small countries with small music markets. It can be out the charts completely within the first couple of weeks. This is the sort of album that even promotion cannot save because no matter where its promoted, it can't make a dent in the charts. The reviews tend to be mixed-negative. The music videos suffer from low views. Nothing gets nominated for awards, or if it does, doesn't win. There is no tour for it due to such low demand and if there is, it will be at small arenas and ampitheatres and usually just 1-2 continents at best. The artist, label and fans are in turmoil and don't know what to do. The album makes no mark on history at all or gains notoriety as the epitome of a flop.

Examples

Christina Aguilera - Bionic

Christina Aguilera - Lotus

Britney Spears - Britney Jean

Mariah Carey - Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse

Kylie Minogue - Kiss Me Once

Nicole Scherzinger - Big Fat Lie

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