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Actually, he wrote it during the hiatus before Duke in a pile of demos for himself and offered up some of these songs, including Misunderstanding, Please Don't Ask and a version of Behind the Lines, which made it onto Duke. Banks to this day denies having heard In The Air Tonight at the time and insists it was never offered up as a Genesis song, so certainly not true to say they heard it and didn't like it. He admits they'd have probably ruined it by making it too complex.
The world population now is nearly double compared to when Genesis were big, of course he will pass them
Various Genesis members have created tens or even hundreds of millions of EAS values outside of their pure band membership as well, while Justin Bieber would be virtually invisible without the active support of songwriters, programmers, producers and, last but not least, Autotune.
Therefore, the comparison between both artists originally listed in this discussion – as you also continued – is completely absurd.
Of course, I don't mean "as you also continued", but "as we also continued". Translation error, my fault. So, nothing against your contribution, Stefano.
I wasn't trying to offend. I just wanted to discuss whether he should be considered a legend of his time or whether he does not deserve it.
and by the way it used to be "sales" now it is "album equivalent", streaming are converted into sales but in my opinion it makes little sense, it is like comparing two different things
Of course, there are different opinions about whether non-identical formats can be compared. However, since we want to compare artists from different eras in which different music consumption habits are/were common, it therefore makes sense to use a uniform size (EAS) in which each corresponding format (album, single, download, streaming) is broken down by value.
Naturally, each viewer of those data has their own appreciation for certain formats. Ultimately, we'll never find an equation that meets all viewer's expectations.
I'm with Stefano on this, I've always struggled to accept the contrived nature of turning streams into sales, for the sake of continuation and comparison, as they are just so disparate.
What I wrote was more of a general statement on the topic of differences in perception -> assessment of equations.
Of course, I also have some problems accepting that it seems pretty easy for rather streaming-based artists to generate EAS than for artists in the physical era.
What makes me suspicious, for example, is that for example, a casting group like BTS (127 EAS) has already sold more in their relatively short career than a band generally considered legendary Genesis (114 EAS) in their entire time.
I don't want to be understood as someone who intends to cast doubt on the values determined here. Maybe it has to do with that music can be spread more effectively in these days, compared to decades ago. But without being deeply anchored in the matter, it certainly feels at least a little bit peculiar.
For me, It's not so much the weighting/ratios used to turn streams into sales that's the problem, more the basic fact that they are not the same thing, yet people seem to accept them as the same nowadays.
Saying that, it's clear in the UK that the weightings/ratios are too favourable, since streamings introduction, with regards to certifications. Pre streamings inclusion it was clearly far more difficult and seldom, for singles to attain the monstrous certification levels they do now.
In my opinion the EAS system is geared towards producing eye catching articles. Streaming generated by a fan who buy a vinyl shouldn't be included in the total EAS, because that fan before the internet era would have only bought one unit. How can you take into the behaviour of the fans? Taylor Swift has millions of fans who just listen to her all day, celebrate her birthsday....those fans generate millions of streaming and are the same fans who also buy the vinyls. Taylor Swift and the weeknd before internet would have sold about the same records.
Big sales in Italy in the 70s not much in the 80s. In 1974 they were one of the top internation bands bigger than they were in England
Yes, that's a good point, about someone buying a physical copy and also streaming the album and both being counted.
In the physical era, it would have been slightly akin to, counting the sale and then measuring which tracks were being played and how often, within a persons home, which was and is, obviously impossible.
You could even argue that, free streaming is slightly akin to listening to an album or songs, recorded on to a blank tape, free of charge, in the physical era.
