How did Lemonade become Beyoncé's most unpopular album (outstreamed by ARTPOP)?

[toy soldier.]

9 hours ago, futuresuperstar2023 said:

Y'all know damn well that tidal **** ****** up Bey streams for Lemonade. Lemonade album shits on Artpop lmao. Also Lemonade is one of her moodiest albums in her discography. Also the political backlash.....

https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/jay-z-tidal-accused-of-falsifying-beyonce-and-kanye-west-streaming-numbers-1202804222/

[Badgalbriel]

34 minutes ago, Brikenbur said:

And that's your opinion. Now, go stream that stuff you call music. 

The absence of the album would affect its TOTAL streams, but not it's daily streams. If people wanted to listen to it, they would. Everyone knows the album lemonade. 

[ABeyBraith]

9 hours ago, Calvin said:

1989 was uploaded even later yet it became the gigantic smash on spotify.

 

Taylor could release an album of her farting and she'd still outstream everybody else

[ABeyBraith]

4 hours ago, Dante Silva said:

It's really hard to admit (suspecting others feel differently), that in context of melody, hooks and mainstream multi-demographic appeal that "I am…Sasha Fierce" is objectively her best album. That is the version of Beyoncé I personally find most relatable and I would love for her to re-embrace the mainstream and work from that sonic and melodic creative template again.

Absolutely not. Regress in artistry to appeal to the masses? I would be massively disappointed. IASF is objectively her worst album. 

[DevilsRollTheDice]

3 hours ago, GuusLima said:

I think the fact that she was away from Spotify for so many years (3 years) and still managed to get 1.5B streams shows just how popular Beyoncé is. The album doesn't have any hits, no TikTok trends, and there's no tour happening to support it. Keep in mind that RENAISSANCE achieved its success mostly due to the tour and numerous TikTok virals. Beyoncé is truly an artist who captures our attention and makes her releases major events, but in my opinion, the work of her team post-album release leaves MUCH to be desired. That's all. The album has great numbers. and also, JUSTICE FOR ARTPOP! 

Taylor publicly feuded with Spotify and pulled her entire discography for years and even before the TVs her numbers recovered just fine to reflect the actual success of her projects. This Spotify Beyonce sabotage has always given Britney radio ban because they clearly support her and want people to use their service.
 

Lemonade is a fantastic, critically acclaimed album. It isn't widely listened to or remembered outside of stan culture and online circles which is fine! So many examples of great albums (Melodrama, most Kylie) that are similar. Not everything can be massive critical and commercial smashes. Also, for the length of her career and compared to most artists nearly 2 decades in, its commercial stats are fine/good. Gaga isn't Beyoncé's peer from a literal standpoint.   

Edited November 28 by DevilsRollTheDice

[TipToe]

Isn't this a result of her own antics backfiring? Unlisting lead singel on YouTube, making it Tidal exclusive, taking the "higher than thou" approach when the material is all about the vulnerability of a black woman and touchs on social issues. She had to make a point for it to be heard but she tried to pull a post-90 Prince. It was worst with Black is King... sensational film but nobody cares. If she ain't pushing the material the geepee will move FAST, this is the reality for her and has nothing to do with quality. Lemoné remains her best record.

[Bookmark99]

the album is overrated 

[JonginBey]

Y'all will wait for an album to get one more stream than another, and then make threads like this. Do not play victim when y'all get whacked later on.

 

[Just a Gay on ATRL]

To be completely honest, I think if she had actually left JAY Z, this album's message & vulnerability would've hit harder & registered with more people. But when the latter half of the album delved into forgiveness & going back to the man who cheated on you, & that's what she did irl, & they're still together to this day… I don't think the album hits as hard.  

[hallucinate]

the poor recurrent streams doesn't change the fact that lemonade was a MOMENT

the album just doesn't have any global hits which is not that surprising

[GraceRandolph]

11 hours ago, JonginBey said:

Y'all will wait for an album to get one more stream than another, and then make threads like this. Do not play victim when y'all get whacked later on.

 

But ARTPOP was called the end of Gaga's pop career whereas Lemonade was called the definitive Bey album.

 

[Mr. Duff]

It's sad, but I think the real sad thing is how did Beyonce's streams get this bad? It's not just Lemonade.

 

Let me stream B'Day and 4, my favorite Beyonce albums.

 

Rennaissance and Cowboy Carter  

[newaespa]

- first female to cross 100M streams in a week (without Spotify)

 

lol, without spotify, but with TIDAL, right? LMAO

money money money to get $tream$ $tream$ $tream$ on Tidal 

[Gagahstry]

TBO Lemonade aged like a milk... 

[Polgg48]

lemonade is too serious social issue bait album and very of its time, ARTPOP is big pile of junks but trashy fun to bop behind the keyboard from time to time. gaga could do jewel n drug fun but beyonce will take that song too serious to sing about 'im black, my jewel is black, my drug is black', im proud' which is only good for one time. 

[Mostar]

21 hours ago, Havoc said:

It really is this simple. It is not a streaming-friendly album because even for us Beyonce fans, the context of the album is too heavy to listen to regularly--and that's not a bad thing. A song like Love Drought, for example, is not a song you'd randomly listen to. It needs more context with the rest of the album to be fully appreciated and immersed into. 

 

It is still a legendary album regardless of streams. 

The crux of the problem to me is perhaps that this album did not secure a wide audience despite a great splashing debut. Do Beyoncé albums post-4 make a lasting impression? Is Renaissance an album that is "too queer and black to listen to regularly"? What is going to be the excuse for Cowboy Carter in a few months?

I personnaly listen randomly to Love Drought cause it is quite an amazing piece of art. I am pretty sure people other listen to Formation at the gym, and "Sorry" or "Hold Up" while commuting. I have these songs in my playlists. Most people don't listen to songs with the context of an album, and that's okay cause that is also a fine way to consume music, and it is not less noble. Beyoncé's music is not above that!

"The context of the album is too heavy to listen to regularly" does not work as an excuse, because even amazing albums don't need that to have their songs and hit songs streamed regularly.

[PiperHalliwell]

Lemonade is overrated af

 

ST was much better

[kellysclarkson]

It simply doesn't have a hit that lasted. I love it though

[superben]

No hit, and generally an overrated album that people have gotten over.

[BabyBenzz]

Beyoncé is as frontloaded as they come, people pretend to love her so much without actually listening to her music apart from the release week. Lemonade aged like milk and was never that good to begin with overall. It has some amazing songs but overall BEYONCÉ is way better. I mean, look at Cowboy Carter, huge debut and 6 months and no one listens to it anymore. 

[Kristie Kuwa]

4 minutes ago, BabyBenzz said:

Beyoncé is as frontloaded as they come, people pretend to love her so much without actually listening to her music apart from the release week. Lemonade aged like milk and was never that good to begin with overall. It has some amazing songs but overall BEYONCÉ is way better. I mean, look at Cowboy Carter, huge debut and 6 months and no one listens to it anymore. 

8th most streamed woman on Spotify overall.

 

Try harder.

Edited November 29 by Kristie Kuwa

[Damien M]

3 hours ago, Polgg48 said:

lemonade is too serious social issue bait album and very of its time, ARTPOP is big pile of junks but trashy fun to bop behind the keyboard from time to time. gaga could do jewel n drug fun but beyonce will take that song too serious to sing about 'im black, my jewel is black, my drug is black', im proud' which is only good for one time. 

No offense but this is such a bizarre and trashy take.

[James_Joint]

If you take away all of the endless praise and awards constantly showered on Beyoncé, you'd find that the GP doesn't like or adore her anymore than any other famous pop star.  

[Kern]

On 11/28/2024 at 4:48 AM, Born to Run said:

Disease is gonna outstream Cowboy Carter (album) at any minute...

These girls are having a mid off!

[swissman]

this thread is several pages long so I'm sure it's been said already but:

The act of not putting Lemonade on Spotify or Apple Music for its first full year of promotion, as well as the following two after that made it so the album simply was not on people's rotation like the other hit albums of that and other years. Those who wanted to listen to it would have bought it, and if they are listening to it today, they may also be listening to their purchased version, not the one that counts for streams (at least on Apple Music, you can listen to your purchased copy or the streaming version, and favour usually goes to your own copy when searching for it).

 

And when the album was put on Spotify and Apple Music three years later, it was added alongside a new release (Homecoming: The Live Album) and shortly after that she released The Gift. Focus was not put onto getting Lemonade streams or re-promoting it. It just simply was there, there was a demo, and that's about it.

On top of that, the album is kind of heavy for some, and even myself as a proud member of the Hive, I don't often return to it as it's not as easy a listen as a Renaissance or a B'Day.

Still, it's one of her best albums and one of the best albums of all time (imo), and no lack of streaming numbers can take that away.