@TyBabe: PREACH! the word 'flop' needs eradicating from this blog, it's played out to the point that it's lost all meaning. No-one is selling these days (and if they are it's because they've probably secured a few backroom deals with radio and media etc), why do you think there are so many perfumes and clothing lines and other associative products put out with artist's music today?..., it's because labels no longer re-coup through album sales alone no matter who the artist. The Katy Perry article printed a couple days ago was interesting. Her and her team have been grooming radio, blogs and tv programmers for months with gifts, dinners, canapes, cocktails etc to woo radio play of her new singles out of them. This doesn't guarantee sales but it does guarantee radioplay, which in the States accounts for Billboard placement alongside sales. That's how songs can go to No.1 there without an actual release. Anyway, what this means is with radioplay she'll rule the summer, thus gets the necessary promo to take up endorsements and plug the upcoming tour.

@Shit: to say Quality and Success USUALLY go hand in hand is a delusional statement, as the bulk of quality material goes completely under the radar most times depending on the looks and payolla situation of the artist involved and how much monetary backing they receive. While the bulk of ringtone ready audio doodoo is readily available with expensive production values, label and radio support: check what I wrote above, promo and radioplay in the States will guarantee you a high chart placing. In the 90's Ke$ha/Katy Perry would still have been successful but they would have been the exception not the norm as it is today.

@The AlexanderTG: '...the one exception I know of being Gaga who spends more on her tour than she makes, but you can only afford to do that if you have huge album sales.' -or a big financial cushion to fall back into. Don't get me wrong I'm not a Gaga hater and I do enjoy the fact that she puts her all into her tours without scrimping, but someone from a less privileged background would not be so reckless. Bottomline, the girl's future's taken care of whether her pension comes out of her earnings or her family's so while it's cool she circulates her money, it shouldn't be made out like it's all for the fans and she's risking poverty to bring her 'vision' to the masses. She doesn't need the money she makes from music, she's already rich.