I think the only time U2 were ever in danger of being dropped by the label was after the October album. The label agreed to give 100% effort for the third album, but if WAR had failed, the band would of been on their own for the fourth album which would have had a harder time without the full support of the label. The initial contract signed in March 1980 was for four albums and that would have been the last one if WAR had not been a success.
In 1983 WAR sold 1.5 million copies and Island records went crazy and signed the band to a new deal after Under A Blood Red Sky completed the first contract.
In 1997 when U2 sold over 5.5 million copies, I don't think the record company ever thought of dropping them. Several albums in the top 20 worldwide last year failed to sale 5.5 million. 5.5 million is actually a huge sales figure. Most Dave Matthews albums sale less than 4 million worldwide. The label wanted to keep them after they sold 1.5 million in 1983, I can't see them wanting to get rid of them in 1997 for 5.5 million in sales. 5.5 million is a very large sum and would place in the top 20 in worldwide sales in just about any year.
Island Records never thought that ZOOROPA would sale as much as Achtung. What has really hurt ZOOROPA is not its initial sales, but the fact that people have not continued to buy that album after the first year.
There may of been a steady sales decline from Achtung to POP but I don't know of any record company that would turn down a band that can ship 4.5 million copies of album before it is even released. If you combine album sales with Concert Tours, U2 is the most popular artist in the world of the last 15 years. Rather than wonder if they would be dropped, one has to wonder about the competition that Island had to put up with to keep them on the label. So U2 was never in danger of being dropped.
Mariah Carey is a different type of artist from U2. She depends on instant sales in the first year and video and radio support is crucial. She is not really a popular live act compared to her album and single sales levels. Doing a concert tour for the last album to increase sales would not of worked and most likely would have only played to small venue's. Bottom line, she is a Pop artist that depends alone on heavy radio airplay to sale her product and if she does not get it she will not sale well at all. That is what happened with the last album. A total of 2 million copies were shipped worldwide including 500,000 copies in the USA. The album has reportedly only sold about half of the initial shipment. With rock artist, there is always the back up plan to sell the product with shows, plus rock artist tend to have much more loyal fan bases while pop artist fans are younger and more fickle, listen to a few songs on the album and rarely go to the artist shows. There are lots of pop fans, but you can lose them in a second if you hit a bump.
David Bowie was never a big seller in the same way that U2 has been, at least not in the USA. I don't think he has ever had a multi-platinum album in the USA.
In 1983 WAR sold 1.5 million copies and Island records went crazy and signed the band to a new deal after Under A Blood Red Sky completed the first contract.
In 1997 when U2 sold over 5.5 million copies, I don't think the record company ever thought of dropping them. Several albums in the top 20 worldwide last year failed to sale 5.5 million. 5.5 million is actually a huge sales figure. Most Dave Matthews albums sale less than 4 million worldwide. The label wanted to keep them after they sold 1.5 million in 1983, I can't see them wanting to get rid of them in 1997 for 5.5 million in sales. 5.5 million is a very large sum and would place in the top 20 in worldwide sales in just about any year.
Island Records never thought that ZOOROPA would sale as much as Achtung. What has really hurt ZOOROPA is not its initial sales, but the fact that people have not continued to buy that album after the first year.
There may of been a steady sales decline from Achtung to POP but I don't know of any record company that would turn down a band that can ship 4.5 million copies of album before it is even released. If you combine album sales with Concert Tours, U2 is the most popular artist in the world of the last 15 years. Rather than wonder if they would be dropped, one has to wonder about the competition that Island had to put up with to keep them on the label. So U2 was never in danger of being dropped.
Mariah Carey is a different type of artist from U2. She depends on instant sales in the first year and video and radio support is crucial. She is not really a popular live act compared to her album and single sales levels. Doing a concert tour for the last album to increase sales would not of worked and most likely would have only played to small venue's. Bottom line, she is a Pop artist that depends alone on heavy radio airplay to sale her product and if she does not get it she will not sale well at all. That is what happened with the last album. A total of 2 million copies were shipped worldwide including 500,000 copies in the USA. The album has reportedly only sold about half of the initial shipment. With rock artist, there is always the back up plan to sell the product with shows, plus rock artist tend to have much more loyal fan bases while pop artist fans are younger and more fickle, listen to a few songs on the album and rarely go to the artist shows. There are lots of pop fans, but you can lose them in a second if you hit a bump.
David Bowie was never a big seller in the same way that U2 has been, at least not in the USA. I don't think he has ever had a multi-platinum album in the USA.