CSPC: Janet Jackson Popularity Analysis

https://flic.kr/p/cuvUXY

Physical Singles Sales – Part 2

Janet (1993) – 2,448,000 equivalent albums

That’s the Way Love Goes – 2,270,000
You Want This – 840,000
If – 1,280,000
Because of Love – 520,000
Again – 1,670,000
Any Time, Any Place – 1,050,000
Whoops Now – 530,000

The Velvet Rope (1997) – 1,632,000 equivalent albums

Got ’til It’s Gone – 490,000
Go Deep – 160,000
Together Again – 3,220,000
Every Time – 70,000
I Get Lonely – 1,500,000

All for You (2001) – 906,000 equivalent albums

All for You – 1,260,000
Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You) – 240,000
Someone to Call My Lover – 440,000
Doesn’t Really Matter – 1,080,000

How long can an artist continue issuing Top 5 hits? Dominating the US charts from 1986 to 1990, the pop star returned in 1993 with her long awaited fifth album Janet. Lead single That’s The Way Love Goes was a monster hit spending 8 weeks #1, which perfectly started the new era. Shifting 2,27 million units, it became the top selling hit of her career up to that point. Five more singles made the Top 10 after that with a seventh one Whoops Now moving relevant amounts abroad while not released locally. Just like its predecessor, the Janet. album was responsible for more than 8 million physical singles sales.

The transition of the US market from a shared singles and albums market to an exclusively album sector, led Virgin to release only two singles from The Velvet Rope in that country. As a result of those decisions, Together Again and I Get Lonely sold a huge 4,7 million units combined while the remaining singles were issued in fewer markets explaining their lower sales.

The irregular release schedule impacted All For You even more. Doesn’t Really Matter sold past 1 million units as it came out before the album in order to promote the Nutty Professor II soundtrack. Then the title track replicated the feat. The freefall of the US singles market, which was by far Janet Jackson’s strongest market, damaged her severely. From 1997 to 2002, physical singles sales dropped hugely from 117 million to 8 million in the country. Thus, even a #3 hit like Someone to Call My Lover ended up selling way less than its predecessors.