U2 Falls, But Taylor Swift Remains Relevant

It’s hard to stay relevant in the music industry. U2 has stayed on top of the music industry probably longer than any act today. They ruled the 1980s, most of the 1990s, and the 2000s. But the band’s 2014 album Songs of Innocence marked a turning point. The album, which was force-fed to all owners of iOS devices, received an extreme backlash and turned U2 from a worldwide phenomenon to the most maligned band on the planet.

Still, U2 has remained a huge success on tour. Many had hopes that the band’s recent album Songs of Experience would make U2 relevant again. And as the Inquisitr reported last week, the album debuted at No. 1. Except it did so with a very special little trick. U2, like some other artists, bundled in sales of their album with concert ticket sales.

The problem with these album sales techniques is that second week sales usually plummet. And, according to Hits Daily Double, U2 is predicted to plummet from sales of 186,000 album equivalents to less than 30,000 album equivalents. These numbers are especially dangerous since the few weeks before Christmas often produce the best sales of the year.

However, the band’s Experience + Innocence Tour has sold well, and it will undoubtedly make the band more money in 2018. However, more hits is what U2 really seems to desire now.

Unlike U2, Taylor Swift’s new album Reputation isn’t dropping so fast. In its fourth week, Taylor Swift’s album is expected to remain at No. 2, selling between 95,000 and 100,000 album equivalents. While it’s true that Reputation hasn’t sold as well as 1989, one has to remember that album sales have, in general, decreased since Swift’s previous album was released in 2014.

Like U2, Taylor Swift isn’t exactly being universally loved either. The days Swift was everybody’s favorite pop star are long over with, and the inevitable backlash has occurred. It has gotten so bad that, as the Daily Mail reported, when some random Twitter fan asked to name a “b**** more bad than Swift” (as in who’s better), Twitter exploded with insults towards Swift. Many tried to remind Swift of her “white privilege” despite the fact she had nothing to do with the tweet. Others insulted Swift’s brand of feminism.

Taylor Swift ended the year on TIME‘s cover. She was honored for being one of the many prominent woman speaking out against men who sexually assaulted them. Let’s hope Swift ends up in TIME next year as one of the most successful entertainers of 2018.