After much ado, Tamar Braxton uncaged her new studio album ‘Blue Bird Of Happiness’ last week.
In the run-up to its arrival, the star performed on platforms such as the BET Awards and made headlines when she revealed that the set will supposedly serve as her “last” body of work.
Armed with that relative hype, all eyes are on the set’s sales. Did she deliver? Find out below…
Per Hits Daily Double, the ‘My Man’ led set is on-course to open with…
18,000-21,000
[Sales-Plus-Streaming]
**********
17,000-19,000
[Pure Sales]
Here’s how it fits in the chart picture amidst new and previously released projects:
- *Shania Twain (Mercury Nashville) 129-134k SPS, 124-129k Sales
- *Demi Lovato (Island/Safehouse/Hollywood) 68-73k, 45-50k
- *A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (Highbridge) 62-67k, 10-12k
- *Miley Cyrus (RCA) 47-52k, 33-36k
- Tom Petty – Greatest Hits (MCA) 42-46k, 31-34k
- Lil Uzi Vert (Generation Now/Atlantic) 41-45k, <1k
- Imagine Dragons (Kidinakorner/Interscope) 38-41k, 14-16k
- Post Malone (Republic) 34-37k, 3-4k
- Kendrick Lamar (TDE/Interscope) 30-33k, 6-7k
- Khalid (Right Hand Music/RCA) 29-32k, 3-4k
- Ed Sheeran (Atlantic) 27-30k, 7-8k
- XXXtentacion (Bad Vibes Forever/Empire) 25-28k, <1k
- SZA (TDE/RCA) 23-26k, 2-3k
- Logic (Def Jam) 21-24k, 2-3k
- Thomas Rhett (Valory/BMLG) 20-23k, 10-11k
- Kodak Black (Atlantic) 20-23k, <1k
- Jhene Aiko (Def Jam) 19-22k, 2-3k
- 21 Savage (Slaughter Gang/Epic) 19-22k, 2-3k
- Macklemore (Macklemore/Warner Bros.) 18-21k, 7-8k
- Tamar Braxton (TaMartianland) 18-21k, 17-19k
***********
Context is crucial.
Sure, a #20 placement is a little “eek,” but the numbers are in-line with what other R&B (and even Pop) projects are achieving.
What’s more, ‘Blue Bird’ flew into stores via Tamartian Land Records. Put simply, it’s an indie release, meaning her returns from selling what she’s sold will likely be more than her major label counterparts.
For us, the true tragedy is the realisation that the vitality of pure sales is becoming a thing of the past. Right before our eyes. Because, had the Billboard charts only counted pure sales as they once did, Ms. Braxton would undoubtedly have snagged a top 10…with relative ease.
What instead is happening is that the upper echelon of the chart is filled with streaming fuelled projects shifting as low as 1,000 in pure sales. 1-actual-k. Like, really?
In any case, with upcoming seasons of ‘Braxton Family Values’ and ‘Tamar & Vince’ incoming, maybe the 40-year-old will enjoy a steady sales trajectory. Although, in today’s climate, very few projects are enjoying that luxury.
Failing that, she at least has her spot on Xscape‘s upcoming tour.
she deserves more, but i’m really impressed with the pure sales that’s amazing.
no predictions for Tank’s album?
Even though Tamar looks like a t***** and has continued to destroy her face, her vocals and material is still solid. She has a really good voice and good product. If you doubt this: Makings of you, Empty Boxes, Stay and Fight, Broken Record, Simple Things.
Aunty Shania could’ve sold more if she did more promo, but all in all still a good achievement.
I BETTER NOT SEE another black artist cry their eyes out like Asmellia Stanks did on Ebro about white privilege and cultural appropriation when ALL these white artists except Shania are selling like Lil Yachty! lol, chile look at Macklemore’s numbers
its so sad what has happened to this industry. the people placing on these “charts” are tainting the legacy of so many before who had to actually work to sell music. to see an album that’s sold less than 1000 copies in america place in the top 10 of the once treasured billboard album charts is a disgrace.
Hard to fathom.
Even Shania is flopping by her standards, sales lives matter.
LMAO
@S****** you are not funny racist heshe f a g g o t.
To be an INDEPENDENT artist now, those numbers are actually good. (by today’s standards). Especially her pure sales. She has more in pure sales than MOST of those artists ahead of her. Impressive. She does deserve more, because this album is truly great, but because of the whole “streaming” factor bull, AND I’m sure a large number of illegal downloads….it is what it is. Music sales on whole are on a huge decline. And it’s sad to see what’s happening, right before our eyes. Good that she went indie, tho. Probably the best option in today’s poor music climate.
AND she’s strictly R&B….and we all know that genre ain’t selling like nothing. So for her to pull off those numbers being R&B, AND INDEPENDENT….that’s commendable.
I see why she’s not making anymore albums. All that hard work to be placed on the charts after all of the mediocrity. I understand my sister!
For the “mediocrity” comment:
Shania Twain & Tom Petty (May he RIP) are both legends.
Imagine Dragons, Kendrick Lamar, Khalid & Ed Sheeran will ALL go home with immensely deserved Grammys next January. That’s not a prediction, that’s just how far ahead of the rest their music is.
So, yeah.
Their music is mediocre and all sound the same like I said
2Bad ummm did you Listen to Khalid’s album? Not DJ Khaled silly. The new black 19 yo singer. His debut album is a masterpiece.
Lol ED Sheerans music isn’t ahead of anything as all he does is rip off old songs/sounds. The Beyoncé Stan shouldn’t be talking about mediocrity either cause outside of DIL and ? her catalogue is pretty mediocre yet still gets nominated.
Billboard needs to revise how they rank albums. Pure sales should be placed and weighted waaaaay higher than those that relied on streaming
In addition to what was stated in the article, she’s pure r&b which is not driven by streaming focused young people nor are r&b fans likely to give in to first week hype. It should build as the energy behind “Blind” and her tour. She should sell the CD at the shows….
Name the last r&b CD that did not “give in to first week hype.” Delusional much?
Streaming has killed the music industry. So everyone can just save all the yak about it being the “new reality” or the “new” generation of whatever blah blah.
No illegal downloading killed the music industry, streaming is just the response to that.
I agree with Bam. Artists just have to improve their marketing towards the current music tehnology (streaming). The old-fashioned way of releasing a bunch of physical CDs in stores only resulted in their albums leaking a week or more earlier and many bootleggers had the nerve to burn the music CDs and sell them on the streets for a couple bucks.
The fact that an album can sell less than 1000 and streams can push the SPS amount to 25k?! That doesn’t make any sense. Like many have posted prior, there needs to be some kind of reevaluation of the charting system. Either 2 separate charts or make streaming equal far less but no one should be selling 20k albums and charting below someone who can’t get 1000 to buy a full copy of their album, but they will stream a song or 2.
That happens when an artist does not release a physical copy of their album for purchase. If an artist releases their album via only streaming services and digital download then that is what happens. Nothing new about that.
I mean with that attitude who would want to support her, And the album was just good! her first album is still my fave!
Tamar is in a weird place due to her age and fan base. She’s 40, but her fan base skews much younger, BUT the people to whom her music appeals to are her age and older. Pick Me Up is a nice little bop (and should’ve been the targeted single), but w/o a rapper on it, it’s really only going to gain airplay on Adult Urban stations. Tamar talked about how her Instagram followers didn’t translate into sales. This is why. She’s competing for the same market as Chrisette Michele, Jazzmine Sullivan, Fantasia, and a few others, but she’s having trouble connecting to that market.
I thought she needed a killer multi-format smash (pop charts) and a killer club track. Her album is decidedly old school r&b, but very few artists can pull that off unless you’re white, British, and have a grandmother’s name.
I did not like Pick Me Up at all. I think she needed what you are referring to as a smash single and a good club track. Pick Me Up was not that.
The industry is gone… music had a good run
Not true. It just means there is room for a new Lauryn Hill, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, Elton John, Madonna, etc. I’m sure the talent is out there. They just need to get discovered and marketed right. Right now labels do not want to invest much in their artists and that is what the problem is. The music technology has not caught up with society. Streaming is only a temporary solution but the solution really is a new technology platform for delivering music that people will want to purchase and collect and not be able to download free. Right now you can download any new song or album free.
And . . . Sales isn’t the problem here. Most of Tamar’s fans could stream her album to huge numbers if they were feeling the material. Going back to the natural audience for her music — the older it skews, the less likely it is the stream.
And glad to see her beating the initial projections.
That chart lists the most black women I’ve seen in a while on a chart that arent the usual suspects (Niki, Bey, & Rhi) and that’s the true story. Tamar, SZA and Jhene Aiko are representing in an era that has only allowed so few. Those ladies are unique in sound and I’m glad they are getting shine on the music charts. I hope music execs/blogs give more black women a platform for their music. Back in the day, black female artists used to own the music charts.
Yup, mainstream radio has effectively shut out black women save two (Rih, Bey) but then again it ain’t like hip hop/r&b programmers are doing anything to help. Perhaps if they stopped playing all these generic same sounding rappers and Chris browns latest s***** ass single black women could get some shine.
This is bad!!! Period!
Independent or not, she can NOT eat and survive off of these #s and we know Vince can’t so… LOL!!!
Tell her to fix her attitude as well because she still has some growing up to do as proven on the Wendall Whaleums show.
Eat and survive? Chile you act like selling an album is her only check or meal ticket. She has two hit reality shows on tv, of which she also serves as producer for both. That’s two additional checks right there of which she gets paid nicely for. And she has her own clothing line, which was doing well. She also still has her own talkshow coming, and has other things in the works. Her, her husband and her baby surviving just fine and will continue to be well off and rich. LOLL #justsayin #MoneyMoves
Taerat said her main focus is her singing. That’s what she really loves to do. So yes…EAT!!!
Reality shows? This chick can’t pay anybody and will be moving out of their house soon and again.
Touring? Performing in school auditoriums ain’t it. And riding on somebody elses tour, she will only be receiving a cut.
Chile please…
And she also TOURS. THAT’S WHERE THE REAL MONEY COMES FROM, not selling albums. She’s been doing shows all this year, and and she’s about to go on tour w/Xscape…..then has her own tour starting immediately after to promote the album. She’s making madd money, trust lol. Real money don’t come from album sales, for ANY artist.
Her main focus is her singing, yet she just announced she’s NOT doing anymore albums ?? You sound dumb. Cuz IF making and selling albums was her main check, she wouldn’t be stopping it, chile, to work on her marriage. Lol. She would need that money. Clearly she doesn’t. You’re so pressed on HER money, chile, when she and Vince are set and have PLENTY together. She’s a touring artist and touring makes you money, ignorant. She’s a producer of hit shows on tv and that makes you money. Having your own brand/clothing line makes you money. Having your own daytime talk show (which she will have soon through Steve harvey) also makes you money. Get out of her bank account, chile, and focus on yours, boo. She and her’s is fine. Clearly. Lol
Maybe “The Real” got the best of her…
I love Tamar and her voice is off the chain, but this album did not do it for me. Her last album was FYAH! This album was missing something……I like maybe about 4 songs out of the 11. Chante Moore album shyts on on Bluebird of Happiness!…..but hey that’s my opinion.
^ u said a word right there. That Chante album is straight fiyah!!!
Chante’s album bombed majorly unfortunately but yes she is a courageously good talent.
I did not even know Chante had an album out. It was long reported that it got pushed back to October and Chante is one of the most underappreciated / overlooked artists ever. Her whole team and her manager are ghetto unprofessionals that Do not know how to market her.
I agree, this album was very boring to me. Love & War will always be her best album. Her last album was flawless as well. But this one was very dry and basic. Chante’s album is great from start to finish, great production, arrangement, vocals and writing. She is truly an underrated talent.
Damn it!
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I think its because she’s Independent that’s why she got #20 because Jhene just did somewhat the same numbers as her last week and she peaked in the top 5.
Ridiculous. She should’ve waited till the show aired before releasing. Where are the videos? The performances? When and where did she promote this album?
She only promoted the album on Wendy Williams, really, so far. As far as daytime/nightime talkshows go. However she hasn’t appeared on Good Morning America, Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel, ect. I guess the videos are coming. And she did say she will have her own ‘Bluebird’ Tour happening right after she gets done touring w/Xscape. So that will be more promo.
Bet it will be #1 on Independent albums chart.
FLOP
She saids that toni did not pave the way toni did !!! In her songs she even trys to sound like toni, dont know if anyone else noticed it, but she dose try two sound like toni, and she is high !minded!! I’ll give this two her she keeps it real well, on some things she dose, except when it comes to vince, its more cooking there than she lets on..i saw whn she also said two her sisters get a man thats big and u****,thats wht she did.the words may not b exactly but its wht she was saying ,, she married vince bcuz, where else would he go..so she sees herself as the s*** net two him it makes her look good this is my truth about tamar !!!!