Why is Kelly Clarkson Kicking U2's Ass? (In the U.S)

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OrARoundabout

OrARoundabout

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Perez Hilton.Com:

"The numbers are in and the results are disastrous for Bono and the lads!

U2's underwhelming new single, Get On Your Boots, has debuted at an extremely disappointing #21 on the Soundscan singles chart.

The song sold just 57,267 copies in the past week in the U.S.

By contrast, Kelly Clarkson's, My Life Would Suck Without You, is a massive hit.

The first American Idol has come in at #1 on the Soundscan singles chart and sold more than four times as many singles than U2.

My Life Would Suck Without You was bought (legally) by 279,605 in the U.S. this past week.

BIG difference!

Sucks for Bono."






Now, I wouldn't say that these numbers are "disastrous"...but I'm having a very hard time understanding why U2 didn't seem to...erm...connect with the Americans on this particular single.

Personally, I didn't really like "Get on Your Boots", and I know I'm not alone on that...


BUT IT'S BETTER THAN "MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU!"

I really hope the next single will live up to my expectations:sad:, which are high, considering how much HYPE this album is getting.

BTW: How does this single's debut compare to their others?
 
^Well, it looks like they are going to be :|

And why was this moved? I SEARCHED FOR THIS TOPIC AND IT CAME UP WITH NOTHING! I THINK IT'S RELEVANT, I JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHY AMERICAN'S TASTE IN MUSIC SUUUC...I should just shut the fuck up now :reject:
 
do u really put much stock in the significance of popularity when the number one hit single is called "my life would suck without you"? That should've been ure cue to put it out of your mind, and don't get worked up over something you have no control over. Just enjoy the single privately. U2 once ruled the world, back when it was a world worth ruling. Today's music is utter shite and i could seriously care less, no i would actually encourage it, if U2 just turned their back on mainstream radio and devoted their lives to making the music they wanna make.
 
OrARoundabout said:
Perez Hilton.Com:

"The numbers are in and the results are disastrous for Bono and the lads!

U2's underwhelming new single, Get On Your Boots, has debuted at an extremely disappointing #21 on the Soundscan singles chart.

The song sold just 57,267 copies in the past week in the U.S.

By contrast, Kelly Clarkson's, My Life Would Suck Without You, is a massive hit.

The first American Idol has come in at #1 on the Soundscan singles chart and sold more than four times as many singles than U2.

My Life Would Suck Without You was bought (legally) by 279,605 in the U.S. this past week.

BIG difference!

Sucks for Bono."






Now, I wouldn't say that these numbers are "disastrous"...but I'm having a very hard time understanding why U2 didn't seem to...erm...connect with the Americans on this particular single.

Personally, I didn't really like "Get on Your Boots", and I know I'm not alone on that...


BUT IT'S BETTER THAN "MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU!"

I really hope the next single will live up to my expectations:sad:, which are high, considering how much HYPE this album is getting.

BTW: How does this single's debut compare to their others?
Click to expand...
Who cares? "The Fly" was badly beaten. I'm sure Rick Astley did better than U2 just as Britney Spears would have if U2 hadn't sold out creatively. The lesson is that, more often than not, great music is not well rewarded in the marketplace, especially since tweens started getting substantial amounts of money.

I mean, heck, I wanted Micheal Jackson's "Dangerous" when I turned 12. Within a few months I rejected MJ and went straight to my older brother's purchase of "Achtung Baby" and never looked back.
 
OrARoundabout said:
Perez Hilton.Com:

"The numbers are in and the results are disastrous for Bono and the lads!

U2's underwhelming new single, Get On Your Boots, has debuted at an extremely disappointing #21 on the Soundscan singles chart.

The song sold just 57,267 copies in the past week in the U.S.

By contrast, Kelly Clarkson's, My Life Would Suck Without You, is a massive hit.

The first American Idol has come in at #1 on the Soundscan singles chart and sold more than four times as many singles than U2.

My Life Would Suck Without You was bought (legally) by 279,605 in the U.S. this past week.

BIG difference!

Sucks for Bono."






Now, I wouldn't say that these numbers are "disastrous"...but I'm having a very hard time understanding why U2 didn't seem to...erm...connect with the Americans on this particular single.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that the Kelly Clarkson single has been out at least one week longer than U2's. It already charted on the Billboard Hot 100 last week (and this weeks sets the record for biggest jump to #1 as it goes from #97 to #1).

Now, will Get On Your Boots become a bigger hit? I don't know, though I don't think so. Does it need to be a bigger hit? No, as long as it does what it needs to do (promote the NLOTH album).

Personally, I didn't really like "Get on Your Boots", and I know I'm not alone on that...


BUT IT'S BETTER THAN "MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU!"
Click to expand...

I don't know. I've never heard the Kelly Clarkson song. Maybe it isn't released here yet. So in that sense, it isn't a hit here at all (while GOYB is on heavy rotation, so probably U2 will have the bigger hit here).

BTW: How does this single's debut compare to their others?
Click to expand...

Too early to tell, since almost none of the official number are in yet. However, there is this blurb from a couple of radio charts, courtesy of Billboard (and already quoted in a few other threads): Romance And Indie Rock Hit The Billboard 200

PROGRESS REPORTS

• U2's "Get On Your Boots" blasts onto the Modern Rock and Triple A radio charts as it arrives at Nos. 8 and 1 on the respective lists. It's the band's highest bow on the Modern Rock chart since 1997, when "Discotheque" opened at No. 3. On the Triple A list, it's the chart's first No. 1 debut. U2's new album, "No Line on the Horizon," will be released March 3 . . . "Boots" is U2's 36th Modern Rock hit, dating back to when "Jesus Christ" debuted at No. 11 on Sept. 17, 1988, the second week of the chart's existence. U2 also continues to reign as the act with the most overall Modern Rock hits, ahead of Pearl Jam's 32.
Click to expand...

So the first signs point to a pretty good debut.
:)
 
Perez Hilton, possibly the dumbest man alive, fails to recognize the following:

1) U2 members are nearing 50. For them to still have a song sell so well and be a #1 hit on Triple A radio shows their relevance. If Clarkson sells this well in 25 years, then I'll be impressed. And if Perez Hilton is ever relevant (other than basking in the glory or failure of others), I'll be even more impressed. I went to his website twice - worst website ever.

2) GOYB was available FOR FREE. Ask Radiohead about how well "In Rainbows" sold when they gave it away. U2 gave this song away as a gift. Why pay for a download when one can hear it for free (and easily convert that stream to an mp3)?

3) Great songs don't always sell well. Sometimes some of the best music is overlooked for songs with disastrous titles like "My Life Would Suck Without You". I listened to 30 seconds of this song - worst 30 seconds of my life. But kids will lap it up. It's a shame - Clarkson is a very talented young lady, yet she's forced to sing this shite in order to be a success. I'd rather have U2 bomb than be reduced to making that type of music to succeed.

4) One person here wrote how U2 "sold out". Whatever. I didn't hear any songs like "Beautiful Day" on the radio back in 2000. I didn't hear any songs like "Vertigo" on the radio in 2004. And experimental tracks like "Love & Peace" and "Fast Cars" hardly suggest a band so desperate for a hit, they will create only the perfect pop tune. And it's because U2 do NOT always connect with the mainstream that they don't always have the huge hits. They stand out, which helps them, but they are also so different, which hurts. But I'd rather U2 continue to stand out, than blend in. There's tons of songs like Clarkson's right now. No one will remember it next year. But people still remember "Beautiful Day" and "Vertigo". GOYB may not be one of those songs to remember, but if it sets the tone for NLOTH the way "The Fly" did for AB, then it was a good move for U2.

5) U2 makes songs that are meant more for HOT A/C or Modern Rock charts, not the Hot 100. And good for them - because I haven't listened to the Hot 100 since I was 16. But it's those same teens and preteens that will rush to buy Clarkson's song. The people that listen to music on alternative charts don't rush out to buy the latest crap from the "flavor of the month".

6) GOYB is simply not radio-friendly. It doesn't have that instant hook that will cause people to swarm to it. U2 gambled, and probably expected more so-so results (ala "The Fly"). But it is an impressive gamble. Far better to throw something unique out there and show the world they can be still on the edge, than just a cookie-cutter hit that radio will love, but will be forgotten in a few months.

7) U2 has always been about album sales. I would be really surprised if U2's new album didn't outsell Clarkson's. She may have a few big hits, which people will buy on iTunes, but people will rush to purchase the new U2 album, because they know the real gems aren't the songs U2 has on the radio.

8) U2 is an international band. They are from Ireland. And as a result, they often have huge success in Europe. Perez Hilton needs to realize there is a world outside of the U.S. Heck, U2 aren't even opening their next tour in the U.S. That alone should say tons! Just because a song is a modest hit in the U.S., it hardly means it didn't soar elsewhere.

So let Perez Hilton have his flamboyant fun. In the end, it'll be Bono and U2 laughing all the way to the bank.
 
uh, let's see.

No Line on the Horizon is out on March 3rd, 2009. It is # 6 on the Amazon.com music bestseller list (# 4 in Rock and # 5 in Pop.) The $67 dollar version is #46 in Music (#29in Rock and #39 in Pop)

Kelly Clarkson's album is out on March 17th, 2009. It is # 67 on the list (# 56 in Pop).

Even the deluxe version of the album is beating out Kelly Clarkson in preorders.

Perez Hilton is a fucking moron.
 
ramblin rose said:
uh, let's see.

No Line on the Horizon is out on March 3rd, 2009. It is # 6 on the Amazon.com music bestseller list (# 4 in Rock and # 5 in Pop.) The $67 dollar version is #46 in Music (#29in Rock and #39 in Pop)

Kelly Clarkson's album is out on March 17th, 2009. It is # 67 on the list (# 56 in Pop).

Even the deluxe version of the album is beating out Kelly Clarkson in preorders.

Perez Hilton is a fucking moron.
Click to expand...


Kelly: #1 on itunes
U2: Not in the chart at all

U2 are a bigger album act but Kelly Clarkson is kicking their ass in single sales in every way possible. Kelly outsold U2's single by 5 to 1, that's a big margin. U2 will most likely sell more albums but Kelly will outsell U2 a dozen or so times over with singles so she'll probably be the one who's classed as being more successful at the end of the day
 
Irishteen, i really really think we need to see U2 do some sort of promoting of the single etc before we decide this is a flop,

the doom and gloom sometimes here can be unbearable,
 
Irishteen said:
Kelly: #1 on itunes
U2: Not in the chart at all

U2 are a bigger album act but Kelly Clarkson is kicking their ass in single sales in every way possible. Kelly outsold U2's single by 5 to 1, that's a big margin. U2 will most likely sell more albums but Kelly will outsell U2 a dozen or so times over with singles so she'll probably be the one who's classed as being more successful at the end of the day
Click to expand...


Hey, if you think having a hot single is better than having a hot album good for you.
 
ramblin rose said:
Hey, if you think having a hot single is better than having a hot album good for you.
Click to expand...


:up:


As I wrote, Clarkson is talented, but she's forced to sing this garbage to get hits. That's a shame. No one will remember this song in a year. I'm not saying people will worship GOYB, but "The Fly" wasn't a big hit, yet years later, U2 fans adore it. "Beautiful Day", "Staring at the Sun", "Vertigo", "Where the Streets Have No Name", "Stay", "Angel of Harlem", "Even Better Than...", "Who's Gonna Ride...", "All I Want Is You", "Stuck in a Moment...", "Sometimes...", "Gloria", "Last Night on Earth", "Lemon", "Pride", "The Fly", "When Love Comes to Town", "New Year's Day" - all of these songs have one thing in common other than being by U2. None reached the U.S. Top 10. Yet most fans adore most if not all of these songs.

So is having a big huge hit really the way to go?

U2 have always been an album band. Having a song break the Top 100, and possibly the Top 40, is great, especially when the song has been as divisive as GOYB has been with fans and critics.
 
It is interesting to see everyone's point of view on this issue and I think everyone raises valid points.

As for me -- Sorry to contribute the to gloom and doom attitude but Irishteen is right. An earlier poster mentioned that Boots was essentially free because U2.com was streaming the song. However, Kelly Clarkson's song was available as a free download on Vh1.com a few days before the song was available on itunes. Despite this fact she still outsold U2 by a margin of 5 to 1.

Someone else pointed out that Kelly Clarkson is not doing as well on preorders on Amazon. However, her album is not yet up for preorder on iTunes. I'm pretty sure that when it is listed for preorder on iTunes, Clarkson will be number one.

Someone else pointed out that Boots did well on Modern Rock and Triple A radio charts. However, I am not sure how this will hold up next week. I say this because in my local radio stations, there was a lot of initial excitement over Boots. At least 2 radio stations were playing Boots 5 times a day. This is very good considering the usual garbage they play. However, after a few days the excitement seems to have died down. Now I am lucky if I hear them play Boots once per day. This is pretty frustrating since they play the usual crap music (i.e. Beyonce - Single Ladies or Kate Perry -- Hot n Cold at least 8 times per day!)

Some others have mentioned the fact that U2 have not really promoted the song but that when they do-- the song will do better on the charts. I agree that the song has not been promoted but even with the promotion, I don't think that the song will reach the top ten--not because Boots is a bad song but unfortunately because in the U.S. the standards for good music is not too high --think Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Lil Wayne :huh:

I would also point out that songs don't necessarily need promotion to do well. Kelly Clarkson's song was not heavily promoted. Some other acts that come to mind is Coldplay whose song Viva La Vida reached the top 10 its first week of sales and this was before the song was actually used on the Apple commercial in the U.S. Another act that comes to mind is Nickelback whose first single reached the top 3 without much promotion (and also note that Nickelback had the song up for free download on their website for 24 hours).

Having said all that--I'm sure that NLOTH will be number one in the U.S. during its 1st week of release. Clarkson will also be number one also when her album comes out on March 10. However, in the end U2 will do better because they are bigger internationally--more so than Clarkson. And wait for the tour to begin--U2 will likely be the highest grossing band in terms of ticket sales. I also agree with doctorwho that although Clarkson is talented, no one will remember "My Life Would Suck W/O You" years from now. U2 will likely have some gems in NLOTH that will become classics and remembered for years to come.
 
Americans are consumer sheeple who will buy whatever the marketing departments tell them to. As long as U2 sells enough records to keep making music, I'm happy.

The record industry is going down in flames from their own lack of foresight and the manufactured trash they've been putting out for the last two decades. Burn, baby, burn.
 
doctorwho said:
:up:


As I wrote, Clarkson is talented, but she's forced to sing this garbage to get hits. That's a shame. No one will remember this song in a year. I'm not saying people will worship GOYB, but "The Fly" wasn't a big hit, yet years later, U2 fans adore it. "Beautiful Day", "Staring at the Sun", "Vertigo", "Where the Streets Have No Name", "Stay", "Angel of Harlem", "Even Better Than...", "Who's Gonna Ride...", "All I Want Is You", "Stuck in a Moment...", "Sometimes...", "Gloria", "Last Night on Earth", "Lemon", "Pride", "The Fly", "When Love Comes to Town", "New Year's Day" - all of these songs have one thing in common other than being by U2. None reached the U.S. Top 10. Yet most fans adore most if not all of these songs.

So is having a big huge hit really the way to go?

U2 have always been an album band. Having a song break the Top 100, and possibly the Top 40, is great, especially when the song has been as divisive as GOYB has been with fans and critics.
Click to expand...

Both your posts here are SPECTACULAR.

My love of U2 was built on tracks like the ones you mention above, I had been hearing the hits my whole life on the radio. It was not until I explored the catalogue that I realized how great a band they were!
 
and can someone tell me the last time Kelly sold out every US show on her tour??? was it umm.....huh........never!
 
Contrary to what people seem to think U2 has never really burned up the charts. Sure they've had hits but not chart blockbusters. One only made it to #10 in the US I think but look at how that song is seen now. The other factor to consider is that when dealing with the AI artists you have to remember that the television audience for that show is fucking huge that can make a big difference. But if you are going to compare U2 to an AI artist at least compare them to someone in the same vein, like Daughtry or David Cook. Face facts people, rock just doesn't carry the numbers that pop or even rap does.

Dana
 
Kelly's audience is VERY different

She appeals primarily to 14-19 year old teenage girls who are VERY internet savvy and will download new material immediately.

Also - she's getting a lot more marketing support this time round since she begged Clive Davis for forgiveness over the last CD. Part of the reason the last CD sold so poorly was that the record company withdrew a lot of marketing support. Clive denies it was on his orders but the marketing people saw that Clive was dispeased. When he predicts a record will be a flop - the marketing people read that as a sign not to continue the marketing spend after the first few weeks.

This time round - her fanclub, internet marketing etc was really good. Even the title of the song is VERY clearly geared to the teenage angst set. They were watching how P!nk hit the nail on the head with the marketing for Rockstar. The setup is quite similar.
 
ultraviolet625 said:
Having said all that--I'm sure that NLOTH will be number one in the U.S. during its 1st week of release.
Click to expand...

I would bet my left testicle on it. Look at the sales for a number one album these days when there aren't any big new releases. Like 65-70,000. With U2 you can take that number and stick a digit in FRONT of it, anywhere from a 4 to a 9! The album will have massive initial sales, even if they don't match HTDAAB. Remember ATYCLB only launched with about 430,000.
 
ultraviolet625 said:
Someone else pointed out that Kelly Clarkson is not doing as well on preorders on Amazon. However, her album is not yet up for preorder on iTunes. I'm pretty sure that when it is listed for preorder on iTunes, Clarkson will be number one.
Click to expand...

Kelly Clarkson's last CD sold 700,000 in the US
U2's last CD sold over 3,000,000 in the US

At the end of the day, U2 will be on top.
 
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