Taylor Swift - Lover (August 23, 2019) Album • Page 88

Woah, I can totally hear this, but I hadn't thought of it before. Absolutely could be an Andrew song.

I don't think there's any question. The only person who is even close is Adele, and I think her popularity is different: more wide-reaching, into adult/boomer audiences; less ride-or-die, white-hot passion from the fanbase.

I guess Drake would have to be in the conversation? But ew.

 

Yes. Even though 1989 is what put her at the top, she's managed to stay up there for the past 5 years. Her audience numbers for her tours are a big part of what keeps her at the top alongside a select few others as mentioned by a previous comment.

 

I'm so excited to listen to one of my most anticipated albums of the year, but I played the first track and promptly deleted it. Something as special as a T-Swift release deserves a proper listen for me, so waiting until HQ tracks are out tonight.

Great to hear such positive things overall about this!!

 

Would you put Drake over Kanye in the conversation? Kanye is the only other one I would consider adding, honestly.

 

I'd argue she was there before that. She's one of three artists from the 2010s to do a million or more in a week, and she's done it four (soon to be five) times. 1989 put her on a higher plane, but I'm struggling to think of who could have classified as "bigger" than she was in 2010 or 2012.

 

Kanye hasn't been near Taylor's level of popularity since Watch the Throne.

 

You make a very good point. She was untouchable from "Fearless" and on, and I remember "Speak Now" being the album where she really clicked for me. She was the only mainstream female country artist I'd even considered listening to back in those days, but "Red" was where she showed everyone where she was going next. Never been able to afford to see her live, but gosh I hope to be able to go to one of her next few tours.

 

Drake streams remarkably well, so yes. Kanye, I don't think he's up there anymore. He had such a polarizing decade and has become such an industry pariah over the past few years that even all the critics who loved him have kind of stopped championing him. Even My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy only sold 496,000 in the first week, and that was one of the most critically adored and hyped albums released in my lifetime.

 

Kanye lost me on everything after MBDTF and WTT. Those two albums were amazing. Everything after it has been hit or miss, and I've deleted many tracks from his subsequent releases. The only full project of his that's clicked for me since then was "Kids See Ghosts", but that was mostly because him and Kid Cudi worked so well together collaborating. Everyone talks about how amazing of an artist and visionary he is, but I just don't see it anymore.

 

I think it’s kind of hard to say who’s the biggest because what are you measuring? Album sales? #1s? Tickets sold?

But if you’re looking at album sales, a history of high charting songs, and tickets? I think it comes down to Taylor, Beyoncé, and Ed Sheeran. They all do football stadiums, and all 2 nights in big markets (idk for sure if Ed did 2).

Ariana is getting there, but she’s still at arena level.

Drake is there on paper, but the reality is that he doesn’t have the absolute dedicated fan base the others have. He tried to do a 3rd night at United Center and it got cancelled because my friends who all insist on hearing Drake at every party don’t actually care when it’s time to buy tickets.

Adele exists in her own space. Arguably the true biggest, but not as culturally relevant.

Kanye is not even close to being in this convo anymore.

 

Neither Ed nor Beyonce can get up to that same sales echelon, though. Taylor and Adele are really the only current artists that can reliably do a million or more in a week.

 

As Paul Schrader once said, “About Taylor Swift, let there be no doubt, she is the light that gives meaning to each to all our lives, the godhead who makes existence possible and without whom we would wander forever in bleak unimaginable darkness.”

 

solely on music yeah, Rihanna has Fenty and Beyonce is as famous for being Beyonce as the music she makes

 

I think Adele could release a new song next week and it would instantly go #1 worldwide on name alone. Not even Taylor could quite pull that off. Yeah Taylor probably wins if you factor in how passionate their fans are... but just look at these numbers

List of best-selling albums of the 21st century - Wikipedia

21 and 25 both did 20m+

Only other album released in the last 10 years to do even 10m was 1989.

Maybe I'm wrong and the last four years have wained her popularity a bunch. But like, it could sell half the total 25 did and it would still outsell Taylor's best album. She is in a complete league of her own.

 

What’s wild to me is that apparently Pink is up there as well. She still sells a high amount of albums and I guess her latest tour is the highest grossing for a woman this decade?

But I hear absolutely no one mention her haha

 

Pretty sure the reputation tour is the highest grossing tour for a female (any artist?) this decade.

 

wait Ed Sheeran had the highest grossing tour WTF
List of highest-grossing concert tours - Wikipedia

yeah looks like it's Taylor, then Madonna, then P!nk, the Beyonce

 

It's almost not fair, though, because Taylor's is the only one of those to span one year. Ed Sheeran's, for example, has spanned more than two.

Also, Taylor averaged 54,507 people per date of the Reputation tour. Only U2 has been close to that this decade.

 

P!nk Enters the Record Books With Final Figures For The Beautiful Trauma World Tour

@Mary V why is Australia responsible for over half that number???

 

I had no idea that Ed Sheeran was at that level of popularity. None.

 

it's pretty impressive that she keeps releasing music and it's basically the same, I think it's that she appeals to moms who are an underserved demographic

 

It's pretty crazy. I saw him open for Snow Patrol at the 9:30 Club in D.C. a mere seven years ago. Now, he has the highest grossing tour of all time.

 

I am dumbfounded by that, honestly.

 

To be fair, he's basically doing a never-ending tour. If Taylor did a 260-date tour, she'd have the highest grossing tour of all time too. U2 had that record until recently, and they did it in 110 shows.

 

My sense is that Adele's next record will be nowhere near as big as 25 was. A lot of the success for that album was riding the high of 21, which is the kind of success I don't think we'll ever see from an album again. But 25 itself is not held to the same prestige, and only one of the singles went to number 1. I think the hype on the next one will be considerably less--though I have no idea how much less.