🦉The Official Drake Thread6️⃣ - Drake & PND Album Fall 2024

[definition of dopeness]

When Drake released the track list for his highly anticipated VIEWS album earlier this week, one of the more notable inclusions was his smash 2015 “Hotline Bling.” The 20th and final track, the song’s presence on the album might have been a very strategic move. As previously reported, online streams count toward album sale counts. According to the RIAA “1,500 on-demand song streams in the United States [hold] the same value as 10 individual track sales or 1 full album sale.”

This also applies to songs that are released as a single prior to the full album that they appear on. In July of 2015, Drizzy released “Hotline Bling” to much fan fare, and things went up another notch when he unveiled the music video, helping the track reach no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Thus far, the song has been streamed 400 million times on Spotify and 700 million times on YouTube. To put things into perspective, 400 million streams totals out to 267,000 albums sold. Furthermore, “One Dance” and “Pop Style,” two songs that also appear on VIEWS, have been streamed 67 million times and 17 million times on Spotify respectively.

That ***** cheating. Knew he would do crazy numbers but he came into this **** with an extra 200,000 "sales" by putting Hotline Bling on the album. Well played Aubrey.

 

[MVP]

Mean actually singles from the album. Can't just buy any song you want off the album, have to buy the entire album for whatever song you like.

I thought you can stream whatever songs you want?

 

[Deleted member 107398]

How are they including past hotline bling streams in first week sales if it's been out since July?

It's officially part of the album (bonus)...Drake knew what he was doing. Sonically 'Hotline' fits nowhere on the album, hence why it's a bonus cut...but it's techincally part of the album which will be included in the sales

 

[sorkoram]

is Views considered a "Hip hop" album?

Label says yes, consensus of listeners says no.

 

[Hahahaha]

Because Hotline Bling is on the album.


I see what you're saying. You can't buy individual songs. I mean, it might help but I don't know how. You gonna spent $14 on an album for buy 6 songs for $8? Might as well buy the whole album.


I've been paying attention to record sales since I first saw the platinum and gold article in The Source magazine in 97. It was mad interesting to see who sold what. I buy a lot of music so I'm always into it.

 

[krazyrodzilla]

That ***** cheating. Knew he would do crazy numbers but he came into this **** with an extra 200,000 "sales" by putting Hotline Bling on the album. Well played Aubrey.

That don't count for actually sales. That's the streaming/new rules total.

 

[Hahahaha]

Mean actually singles from the album. Can't just buy any song you want off the album, have to buy the entire album for whatever song you like.

I thought you can stream whatever songs you want?

You can. Just can't buy single songs like most albums.

 

[krazyrodzilla]

I thought you can stream whatever songs you want?

Yeah you can, can't BUY it though.

 

[Peep Game]

Didn't he also take Big Sean's single word punchline style, that everybody in the game was using at one point?

That goes back to like '09

****** I know thought I was crazy when I said this way back

That garbage was Young Money's entire style at that time they took something that rappers previously used in moderation and just beat it into the ground

 

[flesh prince]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Shaking My Head

Yo this ***** trolling with the intro...

"Itchyboydjakademiks"

 

[shoeking2102]

The way I see it and i'll end mine, 

People aren't buying albums anymore as a means of supporting an artist, they're streaming him on Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music.

Sure Drake and Adele or Tswift would sell well in the marketplace regardless of counting sales or not, but by and large, most artist wouldn't be represented well at all if we kept sales as just those who actually are buying albums.

Take someone like Big Sean for example. He went from DSP not even being gold, to Platinum because of the New RIAA certifications. What that tells me is that Millions of people were not only streaming his album, but doing so in a way that it functioned as their means of obtaining his album, and as a result they weren't buying it, which isn't fair to the artist. 

Take someone like Bryson Tiller. If it was strictly sales, he wouldn't even be gold I don't think. But that's such an inaccurate representation of his standing in the marketplace right now. 

 

[gregzzy23]

I didn't buy it. I know the seven people in my group chat didn't buy it. I downloaded it for my girl, she didn't buy it. Link was out by 1130 that night. Not like that was the only way to get it.


And no, you could stream it with Apple Music and not buy the album.

My point was for the people with no access to Apple music that wanted to legally hear the album, like spotify, tidal etc users, they paid the $9.99.

I dont mind streams counting for sales cause they have to at this point, but why not count them from the point of album release? Counting all the Hotline Bling spins back to July is dumb if thats what actually happens.

Anyway, there will always be the "hard" number of actual album buys and that will tell the story.

How long was "Hello" the song out before Adeles album dropped? Streams probably inflated her numbers too

 

[krazyrodzilla]

My point was for the people with no access to Apple music that wanted to legally hear the album, like spotify, tidal etc users, they paid the $9.99.

I dont mind streams counting for sales cause they have to at this point, but why not count them from the point of album release? Counting all the Hotline Bling spins back to July is dumb if thats what actually happens.

Anyway, there will always be the "hard" number of actual album buys and that will tell the story.

How long was "Hello" the song out before Adeles album dropped? Streams probably inflated her numbers too

Nah couldn't stream her album, had to actually buy it. Wasn't up for stream.

 

[gregzzy23]

Nah couldn't stream her album, had to actually buy it. Wasn't up for stream.

right, totally forgot. hence why she did the crazy numbers

 

[RIP sleazyy]

Didn't he also take Big Sean's single word punchline style, that everybody in the game was using at one point?

That goes back to like '09

****** I know thought I was crazy when I said this way back

That garbage was Young Money's entire style at that time they took something that rappers previously used in moderation and just beat it into the ground

 

[$tacy]

Like I mention I believe him not letting you buys singles help the sales alone with all the hype/buzz.

However, Drake is still the best selling hip hop artist (actually sales) regardless. Don't need to use the "new rules" he sales the most old school way also.

We gotta stop using the term hip hop so loosely brotha

 

[Proposition Joe]

Sales never meant quality but it did show popularity.

Drake outsold Beyoncé but Beyoncé is doing stadium tours right with sold out floor seats starting at $300 with $500 being close and $800 for the Beyhive, I don't think drake can do that

 

[Hahahaha]

I just think it makes sense to have a sold award/plaque and then a stream/views plaque. That's just my opinion. I completely understand both sides but I think it takes away from the few that are still going gold or platinum in actual album sales.


They say Beyoncé sold 500K in actual sales in first week which seems like a lot for a digital release. Then you're saying Drake doubled that? Beyoncé seems bigger than Drake but maybe I'm getting old and I don't know run with people that listen to Drake so I'm out of touch.

 

[krazyrodzilla]

Sales never meant quality but it did show popularity.

Drake outsold Beyoncé but Beyoncé is doing stadium tours right with sold out floor seats starting at $300, I don't think drake can do that

Couple of thinks. Beyonce only had 4 days of sales and we had no clue an album was coming. We knew Views was coming months ahead of time and he release multi singles. Yeah, she's the first female artist who's doing an ALL STADIUM TOUR!

 

[flesh prince]

Those singles were all on iTunes for weeks and months now so no.

There should be some award or plaque for streams and YouTube views. They don't belong with sales. Mad people with Apple and Spotify weren't buying music before and not buying music now. People aren't buying music because it's trash today and so much music being released daily. No one sits with an album and wants to enjoy it. It's all about singles and hashtags.

The decline in sales has nothing to do with decline in quality.

It's just not practical to pay thousands of dollars for music when you can spend 120. Or nothing.

Sales talk is silly because people ignore that there is a segment of the population who is never paying for music after LimeWire came out. 

 

[flesh prince]

 
The way I see it and i'll end mine, 

People aren't buying albums anymore as a means of supporting an artist, they're streaming him on Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music.

Sure Drake and Adele or Tswift would sell well in the marketplace regardless of counting sales or not, but by and large, most artist wouldn't be represented well at all if we kept sales as just those who actually are buying albums.

Take someone like Big Sean for example. He went from DSP not even being gold, to Platinum because of the New RIAA certifications. What that tells me is that Millions of people were not only streaming his album, but doing so in a way that it functioned as their means of obtaining his album, and as a result they weren't buying it, which isn't fair to the artist. 

Take someone like Bryson Tiller. If it was strictly sales, he wouldn't even be gold I don't think. But that's such an inaccurate representation of his standing in the marketplace right now. 

Exactly.

Streaming is how most people consume their music. If anything it helps make the music more important because now people aren't opposed to spending money on music now. 

 

[Hahahaha]

I think the dip in quality and technology is why sales are down. Everyone can make music and release it whenever. You can download illegally in seconds. You can stream music for free or a very cheap price. There's an overwhelming amount of music so our attention span is much shorter than it's ever been.

 

[MVP]

I find it weird that it works the way it does. I don't pay for Spotify for a particular album I have it to pick and choose songs that I like and make my own playlists. I have maybe 2 fully saved and downloaded albums on there.

 

[doxen5703]

Didn't he also take Big Sean's single word punchline style, that everybody in the game was using at one point?

That goes back to like '09

Yeah I remember Drake took shots at Ludacris for "its a parade, Macy's" saying that people are stealing his flow. Big Sean checked Drake saying that the flow was his, then Luda said he was spitting like that back when Drake was Jimmy.

 

[Peep Game]

Didn't he also take Big Sean's single word punchline style, that everybody in the game was using at one point?

That goes back to like '09

Yeah I remember Drake took shots at Ludacris for "its a parade, Macy's" saying that people are stealing his flow. Big Sean checked Drake saying that the flow was his, then Luda said he was spitting like that back when Drake was Jimmy.