The Pop-Star Album Rollout Has Returned HEAD TOPICS

The Pop-Star Album Rollout Has Returned

10/21/2022 10:30:00 AM

Midnights is the latest example of artists using the attention-grabbing power of … announcing things in advance

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New York Magazine

Taylor Swift's 'Midnights' is the latest example of artists using the attention-grabbing power of … announcing things in advance. justinmcurto writes Midnights is the latest example of artists using the attention-grabbing power of … announcing things in advance Mr. Morale & the Big Steppersin a letter — then kept them waiting for a month until release week, when he surprised us with “The Heart Part 5.”Less than two years ago, I wondered if the pandemic and the artistic freedoms it affordedfor good. It wasn’t just that Swift, the queen of musical teasing, had dropped twosurprise records — it was that Ariana Grande releasedpositionson little notice and a slew of rappers went No. 1 off of records with zero lead-in. Meanwhile, albums that had full pop rollouts, like Dua Lipa’sFuture Nostalgiaand Katy Perry’sSmile, underperformed on arrival. That trend seemed to hold through 2021, when stars like Justin Bieber treated their rollouts like chores as others, like Lorde, struggled to leverage rollouts into streams and sales. Read more:
New York Magazine » Taylor Swift returns to pop with poetic 'Midnights,' her most deeply personal album yet The Clock Strikes: Time for Taylor Swift’s New LP, ‘Midnights’ Taylor Swift‘s Fifth Inspiration for ‘Midnights’ Is a Dark One Taylor Swift Writes Song About Protecting 'the Real Stuff” with Boyfriend Joe Alwyn

US home sales fall for 8th month in a row in September the longest slump since 2007 CNN Business

Home sales in the US declined for the eighth month in a row in September as surging mortgage rates and high prices pushed buyers out of the market. Read more >> Taylor Swift returns to pop with poetic 'Midnights,' her most deeply personal album yet'Even as she returns to a pop backdrop heavy on synths and electronic drums, (Taylor) Swift remains our lyrical Sherpa,' MRuggieriUSAT of usatodaylife writes about 'Midnights,' Taylor Swift's 10th studio album. MRuggieriUSAT usatodaylife Why is the mediaa keeping this a secret MRuggieriUSAT usatodaylife It’s 45 minutes long you tweeted this 12 minutes after it was released. Let us listen first! treepaine MRuggieriUSAT usatodaylife She's so talented!! The Clock Strikes: Time for Taylor Swift’s New LP, ‘Midnights’The singer-songwriter’s 10th studio album is a return to the pop pipeline, with production from her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff. Cares? Beatles revolver remix got leaked Hello miss cat I would rather hear two cats 🐈‍ with their tails tied together thrown over a tree limb. Taylor Swift‘s Fifth Inspiration for ‘Midnights’ Is a Dark OneThe pop star has been sharing things from her “sleepless nights” that fueled the writing of her upcoming album. we don't care There's my general theme of 2022 from now on (not the falling apart -I call it tuesday, the album) 3 Keeping the day day up to speed NatalieGelman 🤸‍ with 🎶Heavy Heavy Heart🎶💕 🤗 Taylor Swift Writes Song About Protecting 'the Real Stuff” with Boyfriend Joe AlwynThe pop star revealed that she drew from her personal life to write the song “Lavender Haze” off her forthcoming album, Midnights. That’s certainly a change from some of her previous songs 😬 I’m gonna respect her privacy and not listen then. Christina Aguilera Tackles Social Media's Effect on Kids in Powerful New Video for 2002 Hit 'Beautiful'To celebrate the 20th anniversary of 'Beautiful,' Christina Aguilera has shared a poignant, powerful new video about how social media has “transformed our relationship with our bodies.” XeuleBot 🥰🥺 around his final project for Top Dawg Entertainment, including a Super Bowl appearance with no new material, Kendrick Lamar continued his trend of directly addressing fans by announcing Mr.with its balance of aching beauty and inherent melancholy.Oct.Nearly two months later, Swift has spent the week leading up to Midnights ‘ Friday (Oct. Morale & the Big Steppers in a letter — then kept them waiting for a month until release week, when he surprised us with “The Heart Part 5.” Less than two years ago, I wondered if the pandemic and the artistic freedoms it afforded for good. Attention, Swifties: Ahead of 'Midnights' drop, here's every Taylor Swift lyric with that word ‘You’re on Your Own, Kid’ Yearning to be noticed and confused by mixed signals that continue over time (“from sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes”), Swift ultimately determines that the guy just wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t just that Swift, the queen of musical teasing, had dropped two surprise records — it was that Ariana Grande released positions on little notice and a slew of rappers went No. ET The Easter eggs have been thoroughly examined for clues. 1 off of records with zero lead-in. ‘Question … ?’ Swifties will be kept busy for weeks parsing the lyrics of these tracks, and this conversational entry with a sneaky chorus that asks, “Did you leave her house in the middle of the night? Did you wish you’d put up more of a fight when she said it was too much? Do you wish you could still touch … her?” will keep them surmising. Meanwhile, albums that had full pop rollouts, like Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia and Katy Perry’s Smile , underperformed on arrival. That trend seemed to hold through 2021, when stars like Justin Bieber treated their rollouts like chores as others, like Lorde, struggled to leverage rollouts into streams and sales.” A fan feast:  Taylor Swift's re-recorded"Red" offers 30 songs ‘Vigilante S---’ Another lyrical playground for fans who relish digging deep (who, among Swift’s public enemies, might this one be targeting?) and also loved the The minor chords and theatrical chorus provide the noir ambiance. It is time for a new Taylor Swift album. By the time Swift unveiled the surprise-drop evermore , she was experiencing diminishing returns on the charts. It was her lowest debut in more than a decade at just 329,000 equivalent units — less than half of what she’d moved for folklore .” ‘Labyrinth’ Many of Swift’s songs flutter with an ethereal quality, but as she remains in her upper register throughout, she captures a feeling of almost literally falling in love. Part of that was due to a staggered release pattern for CDs and vinyl records on top of new chart rules around bundling.” (True Swifties — or, really, anybody who has paid moderate attention to Swift’s public presentation over the years — knows her fascination with the number 13 . But she felt a similar impact on the Hot 100, where single “willow” debuted at No.    ‘Karma’ Fate and destiny are common themes in Swift’s world and here, over a deliberate chug of a beat, she is resolute in her assertion: “Trick me once, trick me twice / Don’t you know that cash ain’t the only price / It’s coming back around. 1 but fell to No. 38 in its second week.” ‘Sweet Nothing’ A wispy ballad that quivers with a singsong element reminiscent of a nursery rhyme, it’s a love song peppered with subtle flutes and clarinet that celebrates the comforting escapes from the madness. In a sense, “Midnights” is Swift’s return to the pop pipeline after her digressions of the past couple of years. Earlier in 2020, “cardigan” only fell to No. 8 — at the time, it was a testament to the novel shock of a surprise drop, in the throes of the pandemic, from a star who used to be the rollout’s biggest proponent.” 'I just love making stuff':. But on the charts today, keeping attention is more important than getting it. Some intriguing names also pop up in the credits. It has never been easier to game the system to score a No. 1 — just look at the high turnover on the charts this decade. For pop stars like Swift, Adele, and Beyoncé, long rollouts have been key to keeping people talking and listening.a. Adele’s “Easy on Me” stayed at No. 1 for ten nonconsecutive weeks, buoying 30 for six weeks on the album chart and a dominant 839,000-unit debut. Yes, Swift and Adele are two of the only artists who can command the charts that well today. Another song, “Sweet Nothing,” was written by Swift with one William Bowery — an unfamiliar name that popped up in the credits to “Folklore,” which Swift later acknowledged was a pseudonym for the actor Joe Alwyn, her boyfriend. As for the other? That would be Drake, who fared significantly less well this year with the surprise release of , which moved just over 200,000 units — a fraction of how he did last year with Certified Lover Boy (which, though it didn’t have a full rollout, did have months of anticipation behind it after .