You and I are one of the few people here who actually care about LP's sales. Almost every time I bring up the commercial side of LP, I get shot down by someone on either this site or LPLive, and it's been that way for several years, so I rarely even mention it. With THP, it was never meant to be a commercial success since the beginning, and while I did enjoy the album still, it disappointed me that LP chose to not care about chart success during the process. Now, I would not want them to sell out and completely cater to radio; I'm not saying that at all, but I would like for them to strike a nice balance, a la WFTE. That song is so well crafted in the way that it's both unique and caters to radio. If they could just create something special and creative without shooting themselves in the foot commercially; That's what I would like.
I care about sales , i m sad to see LP drops in sales , i mean , if next record sells less Than THP it ' ll be under the million ...
Actually me too, it was disappointing to see THP fail to reach #1. LT was relatively successful (only small sales drop compared to ATS) because it had BID as a major radio hit. THP didn't have that. If LP want to reclaim #1, they gotta release a radio-freindly lead single with a proper music video. But honestly, I doubt LP will ever be big again.
Yeah, they'll never be near as big as they used to be, but I believe that they are still relevant and big enough to still get another major hit if they really choose to go that route. As I've stated in my previous post, I'd love for them to create a song that's both radio friendly, creative, and different than anything they've done. That way, we get the best of both worlds. For me, chart watching is half the fun of when a new single/album drops. It's exciting to track it and see how it'll do.
Same here. I mean, if Drones can win a Grammy then LP should at least be nominated. Then again, LP has never been favored too heavily by critics so I wouldn't get my hopes up.
ATS should have at least been nominated. Muse keeps winning because they are British and make music that sound sophisticated. Drones was so below average. Its been a year since it released? I hardly listen to more than 3 songs off it on a regular basis. THP and ATS still have me listening to the entire album from start to finish. Can't really say. Remember when GreenDay went down before American Idiot and with that album, they became "big" again? All it takes is one popular album and if it gets nominated for a Grammy, then that's another big boost.
LP have never been critic darlings. They don't deserve to be shit-listed. They're certainly a band worthy of respect (sometimes even more so than many critically acclaimed artists), but that's the music industry. It's a shitty, sociopathic industry.
Here is a very in depth look at Linkin Park's sales, which covers physical, digital, and streaming data: http://chartmasters.org/2016/10/cspc-linkin-park-popularity-analysis/#more-1608
UPDATE LINKIN PARK ALBUM IN STUDIO (2000) HYBRID THEORY: 20,000,000 (2003) METEORA: 13,100,000 (2007) MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT: 7,900,000 (2010) A THOUSAND SUNS: 2,800,000 (2012) LIVING THINGS: 2,400,000 (2014) THE HUNTING PARTY: 1,300,000 EP, LIVE, REMIX (2001) FRAT PARTY AT THE PANCAKE FESTIVAL: 500,000 (2002) REANIMATION: 3,900,000 (2003) LIVE IN TEXAS: 3,500,000 (2004) COLLISION COURSE: 4,900,000 (2008) ROAD TO REVOLUTION: 1,200,000 (2013) RECHARGED: 500,000 MINOR RELASES: 500,000 TOTAL: 62,500,000 copies worldwide
If we're talking about that... I rather have an album well received by critics than an album well received commercially. Not that I care much though. Both those things are like little bonus.
Did "The Hunting Party" really "bomb", though? I feel like any album that ultimately reaches 1+ million sales now days is a success. Especially for the kind of album it was. With the direction it seems like they're going, I think LP7 will be even more successful/marketable.
Yeah, I think it's hard to deny the marketing for the album was pretty bad (there's plenty of people unfamiliar with the band's work who think they are still doing electronic music, Living Things) but I don't consider THP to be a failure. It kind of sucks there was only 2 music videos (GATS doesn't count) and those songs don't accurately represent the album. On the whole, it was critically well received and it sold a pretty good amount in 2014, especially for a band that changes its sound so consistently. Besides a few songs, it's really LP's most "underground" album.
The band definitely doesn't seem to have the same 'commercial appeal' as they did in the early 00s based off of statistics, but I get the feeling that's something the band really hasn't worried about in a long time. You have to consider that their first 3 records were some of the biggest and most successful albums of the decade. They really don't have much they need to prove to themselves or the world at this point, and it's not really surprising that the next 3 albums that followed were some of their most experimental work. LT was a little more 'familiar' which likely explains why it's the best selling of the 'latter 3', but both ATS and THP were big risks for the band (when compared to the 'popular music' at the time) so it's not really a big surprise those albums didn't sell as a high, considering the band's 'original sound' was mostly abandoned.