Beyoncé was 23 in 2004. Rihanna was 23 in 2011. Different time periods. People were definitely buying music in 2004, and 2011 was a better year sales wise than now but sales were dipping around that time! Ariana is touring and selling thousands of tickets. She is doing WELL! She isn't Taylor or Adele, but she is doing great! Ariana has always sang and been a fan of R&B! Her favorite singers (Mariah, Whitney, Brandy and India Arie) are R&B singers! That's no secret. Blame the black community for not supporting our artists!! If you can spend $15 on a movie ticket, you can spend $8 on an album or $0.99 on a single!