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- The album's main focus is not US this time. Rather Europe (the Eurovision performance) + Latin markets
- she will release another single early May
- the album 's likely to be accompanied by a visual album that can help her earn decent streams on Youtube
But yeah I dont see her make it big too, Rebel Heart was pretty much a flop anyway
Do we know if either of them are doing tour bundles? I think that's what has been getting older artists big numbers lately (like Backstreet Boys, Pink, etc).
Rebel Heart was a flop for Madonna standards as ended Being the #38 best selling album from that year selling 875k pure sales. Next year as Madonna toured it crossed the 1 million pure sales. It is her lowest sales album until today and will certainly take a while until cross the 2 million pure sales but as equivalent should not be that far away now the album have been gaining streams as a new album release is approaching..
Is there any info for DVD/VHS markets in 90s?I wonder how do you estimate 1.6 million video sales for TIC. I think music video markets was small in Southeast Asia,Middle East, Africa, and continental Europe (except UK).
Hi djdj!
I do not have the breakdown at hand right now for TIC numbers. The market was indeed very small at the start of the 90s. It took off throughout the decade yet and by the end of it it was quite healthy. Very often big music videos sold more when reissued in late 90s/early 00s in DVD than they sold in VHS format back in the day. Our figures add these releases together.
Hi,MJD
Do Maxi Singles from Japan count as albums or singles?True Blue (Super Club Mix) and La Isla Bonita (Super Club Mix), both Maxi Singles released in April this year in Japan shipped 13k copies and 12.5k copies according to the physical cover.
Hi djdj!
A pair of years ago, before the Discogs era, physical singles were treated all together. Now, we added a weight column for physical singles so that specific releases like Maxi Singles are treated same as EPs / short abums, weighted 0.5 EAS.
Hi MJD
I would like to know who the artists that you will analyze in these weeks and then I would like to know if you will update artists such as Lady Gaga, Madonna, Queen, U2 and Rolling Stones since all these 5 artists have released new material that rightly were not present in the previous articles.
I hope you will answer me soon
Hi Pepper!
There is an update of Amy Winehouse which is almost completed (% wise she will increase very very nicely), the one of Eminem is ongoing, then a streaming-only update of Bieber is in the pipe too. After that the next update will be Gaga, and Queen are to be done before the end of the year. They sales may start to really slow down now (like 6 months after first expectations!), so it will soon be about time. The remaining 3 you mention aren't among the top priorities right now.
As for new CSPCs, there is still no decision so far but we will work on big omissions, so expect one of them among Santana, Rod Stewart, Journey, or Carole King to be treated soon.
Hi djdj!
Oricon used to count them as part of album charts, more recently I saw some in singles rankings. On our CSPCs we put them in singles listings, but with differente weighting.
Hi MJD
Thank you for your detailed reply, you were very kind, just one last thing I wanted to ask you, if the sales of the Bohemian Rhapsody Dvd and blu- ray will be attributed to Queen when you analyze them.
Sorry for the inconvenience, I hope you will answer me soon.
The "True Blue" numbers can't be right. You under estimated 8,360 millions for Europe, yet in 1987 the album was already 8 platinum in Europe for shipments over 8 million while still TOP 10 selling album in Europe. After that the album was re-issued on CD and later in 2001 it got a new REMASTER (while Madonna did "Drowned World Tour"). Even this year got a new vinyl limited editions and returned to TOP 5 chart placements in Greece and other countries. Those total for Europe seem to be the same as 1987. Are sales for all albums just what they were on the year of release or are updated? As MDNA crossed 2 million on sales even before Rebel Heart was out (announced by the label) and Rebel Heart already crossed 1 million albums sold too (also confirmed by the label).
Probably you underestimated small countries like Portugal where the album was for a long time the best selling album by a foreign artist and had sales over 200.000 copies (4 platinum as 50k each platinum) by 1987 already - yet other countries where it sold less are on your list.
I also notice that (at least for most Madonna albums) she sold way more in Portugal than Finland or Austria, yet you always list Finland but never Portugal. Any Particular reason?
Thanks for the great analysis. Is really good!
Yet, I have a few more comments, questions and would love an update soon (if not this year maybe next year after her tour ended as streams and overall sales certainly go up during a tour).
Do 12" maxi-single counts the same as a 7" single on your method? 12" price was double or triple from a 7" single.
Angel/Into The Groove was gold ( (over 500k) but also the best selling Maxi-Single of the 80's with sales over 860k as stated by Billboard 80's Decade End issue (you can find most of the Billboard magazines available for free on google books).
"Like a Prayer" sold a lot more physical singles (and many of them were maxi-single). You may find them as albums in some markets as they had so many tracks they were considered mini-albums/EPs like in Japan. Sometimes was called "Like A Prayer (remixes" or jus "Prayer remixes EP".
"Vogue" did sold a lot more than that. You can find a Billboard magazine when they put it at almost 2 million physical sales.
"Music" maxi-single was also the best selling maxi-single of the 2000's (and Madonna ended up being the best selling physical singles artist in US during that decade, according to Billboards Decade End issue of the 2000's)
I though "Hung Up" had sold more physical singles but it was already released on the digital era so it sold a lot digital singles too. The same could be said about MDNA too. I would have said physical sales were stronger as the CD-single could be found everywhere on shops, yet it probably was not enough to get silver/gold awards and there is not data available.
Thankfully for digital sales and streaming it's much more easy to get data. After more than 4 years without releasing new Music Madonna finally released a new album - her first during the streaming era. Madonna streams are still quite low yet because of her new release some of her old songs are being heard and tracks like Material Girl, Like a Virgin or Like a Prayer (and others) are now already above 100 million streams on Spotify. On You Tube "Bitch I'm Madonna" is already over 300 million and "Hung Up" almost 200 million. "Vogue" is days away to hit 100 million but the most remarkable is "La Isla Bonita" had 55 million here and now have 2 different videos both above 100 million (one at 170 million already) on Madonna channel. Almost all her YouTube videos had huge boosts as she had less than 2 million subscribers and it's now over 3.1 million (all gained over the past 3 months thanks to releasing new songs and a new album). Madonna had lots of remixes that are gaining strong streams. On YouTube some of them have millions of views and some are growing strong on Spotify, yet I did not see them here (probably were still not strong at the time you did this).
I notice that Video singles were missing. Most of them did not sell that well (yet most released sold over 50k in US alone) but Justify my Love sold 400k in US plus a few other hundred thousands around the world. Where they added to singles or not counted?
Also there was another box released in 2012 from Madonna with 5 Original Album Series that was selling in Europe (True Blue remastered, Like a Prayer, Ray of Light, Music, Confessions on the Dancefloor) - not sure how much it sold as it was released on the same day as the other box (peaked #194 in UK album charts) and can still be found selling on some record shops in Europe.
Earlier this year was also released (digital and streaming only) "Like a Prayer (30th anniversary remixes)". Not sure about the numbers but I guess it does add up something to her so low digital and streaming numbers.
Last of all, Warner Music stated on the press release her sales to be over 250 million records, that was before releasing her "GHV2" Greatest Hits in 2002. The press release for "Celebration" Greatest Hits in 2009 stated sales over 200 million albums sold worldwide (She is also on Guinness Book with a number of over 335 million records sold confirmed with IFPI and Warner Music before "Celebration" release in 2009, not including any sales from 2009 until now).
I'm sure that with an artist like Madonna must be very hard to estimate the input of data from smaller countries that you got no data as sometimes she was a regular seller and other times a record breaking seller. Her changing Record Label also did not help as even if there are record certifications to be made Warner Music will wait to re-certify later as they have to pay for each certification request and she is no longer their artist.
Madonna still is the artist with most gold physical single sales certifications.
Various times Billboard published about it numerous times.
They don't mix the new digital certifications with the physical ones otherwise all artists with most certification would be from this century as 95% of multi-certificated singles in US are from the past 15 years alone as it became much more easy to get a certification. When singles were just physical only really big hits got certifications.
All Elvis singles got hist last certifications in the 90's or later.
Madonna singles were certified the year of release and never again.
During the 80's GOLD was for sales of 1 million and Platinum for sales of 2 million.
Then it changed to 500k Gold and 1 million Platinum.
All Madonna records for the 80's could earn more certifications, some songs even got 1 million plus downloads. Probably Warner Music wants to keep that Most Gold Certifications Record and that's why won't do that (or just don't want to pay a re-certification fee as Madonna is no longer with them as an artist).
