Late To The Party w/ Dody and Reggie
"2 Regular Guys Having Irregular Conversations"
Late To The Party w/ Dody and Reggie
Chatterbox: Episode 2 - Should Numbers Matter To A Fan?
We explore the intersection of music sales and artistry, questioning how industry metrics impact our connection to the music we love. This discussion challenges traditional views on what it means to be a true fan and the importance of separating commercial success from artistic merit.
• Understanding how album sales create pressure on artists
• The role of fans in shaping artists' reputations and careers
• Discussing the disconnection between commercial success and artistic quality
If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a review or share this episode with a friend!
yo. So look, welcome back to. I think we're gonna call this spot that, like I said, you've heard a little bit of me alone, then you maybe hear a little bit of dodie alone, but we're gonna call this section chatterbox, right, because it's just a yap session. It's just for one of us to have an idea and get on here and just go right. So last week I talked about the industry plant, right, the industry plant topic. Today I want to talk about the numbers in the industry album sales. How many number ones you got? How many all not money, not all that right, I mean. Also monetary value comes into play sometimes when you're speaking to certain people.
Speaker 1:You're an artist. As an artist, you sign to a label. As the label look at you. They need to see how many people are vibing with you. You, as an artist, want to see how many people are vibing with me. You drop your album. You do 100,000 a week. First week, not a week. Your first week, you do 100, thousand. That's good for you. You're a new artist, you're growing a fan base. Obviously your label say, okay, that's cool. We looking at you and your label also say I think we can grow with this, let's continue to build.
Speaker 1:And then you get on social media and then you see the tons of people calling it a failure because you didn't do what their favorite artist can do. Now, as the label and as the artist, you have the right, you are in the right position to be like damn, my numbers don't look the way I want them to look. Damn, my numbers don't look the way I want them to look. I'm arguing with fans online about who did what numbers and not even arguing. I'm going to just say I state my opinion sometimes. But you'll have people arguing online about who did what numbers, talking about people that neither one of them people are in control of. If they feel it don't change, if they get better, it don't change anything in their lives.
Speaker 1:I do understand, on one hand, if you are the fan of an artist, you want to see them do good. You want to see them grow oh, especially right now. To see them grow. Oh, especially right now. Drake fans oh, my favorite artist does. He did 400,000 the first week, 200,000 the second week. Goes down from there sometimes depending on what goes on. But you can be a fan of a person and be excited about that, but when it comes to something that you like. When it comes to the art, do you like that person Only because they're doing good? In sports reference, we see people all the time During Super Bowl season, the NBA final season, you see people claiming teams that, hey, fam, I've known you for a while, you've never been A Kansas City Chiefs fan, but all of a sudden During this season, during January and February, you are a Kansas City Chiefs fan Because they are At the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1:Are y'all people actually liking the art of the artists that y'all are arguing for, or Are y'all just actually liking the art of the artist that y'all are arguing for? Or are y'all just fans of the number one artist? Dolce put out an album and again I talked about Dolce last week. Dolce put out an album. She sells 11,000 the first week.
Speaker 1:Now, as the label, as Dolce, you might look at that and be like, damn, I failed, I did not do what I thought I was going to do when I dropped that album, especially looking at the way that my fan base was growing. You as a fan should not be sitting back saying, well, damn, I can't listen to her because she only sold 11,000. Or you as a fan of somebody else. It shouldn't be a thing Like you like your favorite artist only, or the people that you listen to only did 11,000. I've never looked at a project that I like and said, wait, how many albums is it selling? Because if I like the music, I like the music. And then when you do so, I want to shout out the ransom.
Speaker 1:Right, ransom is if y'all been listening to the podcast, ransom is an artist. That is undeniable. He's he's one of the best rappers I've heard. I guarantee he's not doing 50,000 the first week, 100,000 the first week. But I don't. I don't look at that as a fan and be like get your numbers up, because I don't care, say, and you can take it how you want it, I don't care if that artist fails or not, in a sense of what numbers they do, because I don't know what their business look like and half of y'all people don't understand the independent numbers mean so much more than a signed artist selling eleven thousand or ten thousand the first week. But if Ransom put out an album tomorrow and I'm the only one that buys it, he literally sells one copy and I like it, that's all that matters. I don't know Ransom to be like hey, y'all need to go do this and if y'all don't support this and he need to give up If y'all not listen to it, so why would you even make this music? Because it doesn't matter to me, because if the music is good, the music is good.
Speaker 1:When did it become A thing that People are online Talking as if they are In the music industry? When did it become A thing where we can be like Like another thing? Ticket sales you see people arguing and you see it a lot more after this whole Drake and Kendrick thing but you see people arguing. Ticket sales you see people literally wake up every day, go to Ticketmaster, log in, type in Kendrick, lamar or Drake Screenshot that they are or are not selling tickets Again. Me and my son is going to Tyler the creator in Charlotte in March. If we get to that Tyler the creator show and I see that motherfucker is empty, it's me and two other families Guess what. I don't care what he sold, as long as he still put on the show. I'm going to move even closer because there's room now for me to put on the show.
Speaker 1:You, as a fan, I know we entering into this whole Stan culture thanks to one of my favorite rappers. Eminem created the whole Stan culture and it's like you have to just fight tooth and nail for every aspect of this artist I get. You get to a point where you got to separate the artist from the art if he's like doing crazy shit and maybe if you do something Too wild that you don't listen to him no more. But I don't really care nothing, like when it comes to personal lives With some of these artists. I don't know the personal life of these artists. Like during the Kendrick and Drake back and forth, everybody talk about some oh, he did move to New York, he did do this, he not married. I didn't know Kendrick wasn't married, because I don't care.
Speaker 1:Now, if you put it in the music and I find out that way, that's one thing. But for you to be, I'm not. I'm not so much of a fan of somebody where I'm digging into the numbers and trying to find out their record deal, like when Drake said um, you're doing so many splits, your pants might rip. That's a good diss in a song. But me as a fan and you as a fan should not be like yeah, who is he? Ain't he splitting his shit up with so-and-so? Ain't he doing this Because it it shouldn't matter. I think we are getting Into a point, and I know I mean shout out to the people who make podcast mics and shout out to Rollcast For making this beautiful machine. And yes, we are all entitled To our opinion. So me saying this Is just my opinion. There will still be people arguing about who sold the most records and who didn't sell and who ain't got number ones and who did this, but I don't think that should be your focus.
Speaker 1:You got people that Are online Talking about Well, so and so never did a beat with so and so, or so and so never did a song with so and so. So they must not like each other. Y'all know who. I want to do a song together. I want Kendrick Lamar To do a song With. I want Kendrick Lamar To do a song With a, a Starlito Right. I just want to hear how it would sound.
Speaker 1:But since they haven't Done a song together, there's not been one time that I said, oh, they must not like each other, not once. And if they didn't like each other, why does that matter to me? You should just be a fan Of the music. Why are you so intertwined? And if the artist sell or not, I don't know. I just think that's a weird stance to be on, especially when you argue with somebody online. You on one side are you and the other person on the other side arguing and neither one of y'all actually know anything about the industry that you speak of. I know a little bit. I don't know a lot to be debating because I don't know what nobody contract is. And when we get into the whole contract thing, drake put out some sexy songs for you and then you got Drake fans saying, oh, this is his final album with UMG because it's in UMG. It says also distributed by UMG. That don't mean this is it. You don't know his contract.
Speaker 1:Y'all hear one person speak of one thing and then y'all just run with it. And yes, I probably do that too. But the way that some of y'all speak of it With factor, when me and my brother Doty Get on this podcast and we talk I speak from, well, maybe I could see that, or Do you think this? Or I've heard this Once. Some of y'all hear something, y'all speak with it. Y'all speak with it. Y'all speak on it with authority, like y'all just y'all behind the scenes and y'all know everything for sure Y'all don't know everything for sure. Please, please, look, step back and just think sometimes on what am I or what are you? What are we speaking on? That's all. What are we speaking on? That's all.
Speaker 1:And then, when it come to numbers, the numbers is only a failure or a win. If it fits your narrative, kendrick dropped G and X. It was supposed to be a flop because he sold 319. Drake and Party Next Door dropped an album and it did 249. But that's not a flop. But Drake is the biggest artist in the world, but he's been suppressed. No, he's not been suppressed. Why would his record label suppress him if they want to get their money back from him? And then, if you go to Apple Music or Spotify, he's not been suppressed, his name is everywhere. But just be a fan of the music, be a fan of the TV shows, be a fan of the art, if you like it. It doesn't matter how many records are sold. If you like it, that's the only thing that should matters. Also, I do appreciate y'all If y'all have listened to this so far, this 13 minutes of ramble. This is Chatterbox, and I'll be back, or Dodie will be back with another single episode, but we will also be back this Monday with a podcast. Peace.