Chapter 553 553 Platinum Sales
"Almost Famous" directly sold 430,000 in the last week of December, which not only pushed the album's cumulative sales to a height of 1.22 million, but also achieved the first platinum album of glory to death; At the same time, Glory to Death has continuously surpassed Mitt Laufer and Pearl Jam, becoming the champion of Billboard's rock category list in the last week of 1993!
No one could have predicted such an outcome.
Years later, when people mention 1993, they always think of the hilarious scene of the rock and roll revival, so that serious rock fans are forever debating whether the true golden age of rock should be 1977 or 1993.
The reason why 1977 is called a classic is not only because rock and roll reached its peak in that era, but also because punk really entered the mainstream music market after germination and development, forming a prosperous scene of a hundred schools of thought contending. Punk is the most distinctive and colorful imprint in 1977.
The reason why 1993 is called a classic is not only because the grunge rock represented by Nirvana and Pearl Jam has reached its peak, but also the old rock strength represented by Guns and Roses and Aerosmith is still active, but also because of British rock and new metal. The strong rise of rock has recreated the chaotic situation of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Classic masterpieces have emerged one after another, and the rock dynasty has reproduced the glory of its peak period.
When people recall the brilliance of 1993, Glory to Death will become a band that cannot be ignored. This band was born in the second half of the year. It became a topic with road tours, street performances, and unconventional styles. It was launched at the end of the year. After the first album "Almost Famous", it boldly broke the existing rock pattern, completely pushed the grunge rock at its peak into the ranks of "garbage", and bravely and exceptionally integrated different music styles into rock. , thus forming a new pattern of rock and roll in the next two decades. This is the beginning.
And the album "Almost Famous" set off a week-by-week craze in five weeks at the end of the year, and in just five weeks became a platinum album. This feat may not be unprecedented or unprecedented. But given the groundbreaking nature of the "Almost Famous" album, one can't help comparing the album to "Never Mind" which came out in 1991.
After its release in 1991, "Never Mind" turned the entire rock world upside down, and became one of the most important albums in the seventy-year history of rock and roll, even in the long history of rock and roll where masterpieces gathered; So, can the historical status of "almost famous" reach such heights? At least the performance at the end of 1993 is convincing, and the further breakthrough in 1994 can only be proved by time.
In the last week of December, five albums from Glory to the Dead, Pearl Jam, Mitt Laufer, Guns and Roses, and Aerosmith were among the top five albums on the rock category list, of which the counterattack was completed at the end of the year. Aerosmith, which dismantled Smashed Pumpkin and Nirvana into the top five, is undoubtedly worthy of attention, and this is also the most realistic portrayal of the blossoming of a hundred flowers in 1993.
Grunge represents Pearl Jam, alternative rock represents Mitt Laufer, hard rock represents Guns and Roses, and metal rock represents Aerosmith. Glory to the death is the champion of this rock category, which is surrounded by many entanglements. It can definitely be called the champion. It is full of weight and extraordinary achievement!
In the glorious 1993, the footprint of glory to death was so deeply imprinted in the history of music.
At the same time, on the Billboard album chart, Mariah Carey was full of stamina and won the championship again; at the end of the year, "Almost Famous", which completed the outbreak of consternation, rose directly from the ninth place to the runner-up position. Unforeseen circumstances, Dead Glory are making new history for the band every week, and now they're just one step away from the Billboard Championship.
Don't underestimate this mere step, how many singers have fallen above this threshold, and can't touch the number one spot on the Billboard album chart in their entire lives. Therefore, the next performance of Glory to Death is also very worth looking forward to. Whether it is brilliant or it ends here, the passage of time will give a clearest answer.
What fell behind Glory to Death was the Pearl Jam's "showdown". This album tenaciously held on to the No. 3 spot on the Billboard album chart, standing still; while Snoopy-Dog, who had fallen significantly, could only It slipped to the runner-up position; Frank Sinatra, who had a significant sales boost at the end of the year, returned to the fifth place, while Mitt Laufer unfortunately took the sixth place.
"Almost Famous" created its best Billboard album chart since its release, just behind Mariah Carey's "Music Box" in runner-up, which would have been something to applaud and congratulate, but As the "Witch Trials" that has been making a lot of noise recently said, if the entertainment media just reported this fact, obviously no audience would be willing to watch such news, so the media must dig out more entertainment factors and package the news in a more meaningful way. attractive.
Of course, under the mountain of "witch trials", the news media dare not act rashly, but they can't fabricate facts and think wildly, which doesn't mean they can't dig news. "Entertainment Weekly" unearthed a piece of inside information that attracted people's attention.
Mariah Carey vs. Glory to Death!
Entertainment Weekly's gossip reporter is clearly a professional, and he has a keen sense of what Maria and To Death have in common: Henry Bloom.
As the discoverer and behind-the-scenes promoter of Maria, Henry has a good reputation in the music industry. He is known for his keen sense of smell and excellent market ability. When Maria went to New York to find her dream, she was not optimistic. After all, the fashion trend at that time was not like Maria's. The singer, but Henry not only discovered Maria's talent, but pinpointed, packaged, and pushed Maria into the public eye.
More importantly, Henry found Maria's first live performance stage: the 1990 NBA Finals halftime show. It was this performance stage that made the American audience realize Maria's ability and talent. Maria's signature high pitch and silky sound quality captured the hearts of many audiences. Two months later, Maria got her first billboard single. Number one; another month later, Maria's debut album went platinum.
Become famous in one fell swoop.
It can be said that Henry played an important role in it. In the early 1990s, communications were relatively closed, and people's channels for understanding news were limited to newspapers and radio stations. It was not easy to promote singers. Maria's success undoubtedly required Remember Henry's indelible credits as an agent.
But then, Maria, who had two successful albums in succession, betrayed Henry and chose a brighter future. Although only the parties knew the specific insider, after that, Henry slumped and Maria's career became more and more successful. This fact But everyone in the circle knows it.
Now, Henry has signed a new artist again after a lapse of two years, and it is another bold and courageous attempt - a rock band that breaks through. The rise of glory to death depends more on its own efforts. Whether it is a road tour or a change in rock style, it all comes from the strength of the band itself. In the case of communication blockade, it has achieved an incredible topic effect. The platinum-selling debut album in just five weeks is a remarkable achievement.
But no one can ignore the vitality that Henry injected into Glory to Death: EMI's contract cannot be ignored, the resources of major radio stations, extensive distribution channels, and perfect publicity schedules are all huge advantages; Enough freedom and individuality, contributed.
In the view of "Entertainment Weekly", Glory to Death is Henry's weapon to re-enter the music market after being dormant for two years, but at the same time, Glory to Death is Henry's bet to prove his ability to Maria and to the insiders. After all, Henry was abandoned by Maria at the beginning, and the disappearance of Henry also made people have to guess: Henry was greatly hurt, so now that Henry has reappeared in the sight of the industry, it is easy for people to associate this aspect.
Although Glory to the Dead and Maria are two groups of singers with completely different styles, even if they compete in the Grammys in different fields, this does not affect the competition between the two, the confrontation of sales, the confrontation of popularity, and the achievements. The confrontation, which is the content that can be compared between the two.
Of course, this showdown is not fair. Maria is now at the peak of her career. This is the result of the explosion after more than three years of accumulation; and Glory to Death is only five weeks after her debut. The power balance between the two sides is not the same. level. But even so, the rivalry between the two is enough to spark.
Although Maria's new album "Music Box" was officially certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 15th, which means that the album's sales have officially crossed the 4 million threshold; Die's debut album "Almost Famous" is also about to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in the first week of January 1994, a rookie band such as Glory to Die reached this level in just five weeks. It can be seen that the power comparison is actually not as obvious as the difference on the surface.
What's more, at the end of the year, the public opinion storm caused by the lead singer Hugo, who died of glory, can be said to have completely exploded Maria. Now Hugo is the most popular artist in the entire United States, so it is unknown who will die.
Since then, whether the singer who is also under Henry's hands will betray Henry's Maria to win, or whether Henry's comeback is better to the death, this has become an exciting duel.
This kind of speculation by "Entertainment Weekly" is also more and more visible under the ranking of the Billboard album chart in the last week of 1993, and it is surprising that it has attracted the attention of many audiences, "The Houston Chronicle "It also followed the trend and made a related report, which triggered more discussions.
This again confirms the theory of Richard John, a professor at Columbia University: the demand of the public triggers the supply of media.
The excitement of the news media became the last footnote in 1993, and it also became a historical picture of "almost famous" platinum sales!