Which one is better for a superstar?

So facts or vibes? 

Stats. But Taylor has both. 

Edited August 28, 2025Aug 28 by Calvin

Sales/streams. How else are we supposed to drag fads and humble their stans?

If your music isn't being consumed, you're just tabloid fodder. 

Ava Max doesn't have both. No comment. 

None. not a success Stan 

sales and streams always prove points that go beyond stans. you see it with the hollywood box office constantly as well, loud fanbases online dont necessarily correlate to actual ticket buyers, and that's the same here. support and word of mouth obviously matters, but there are so many 'silent' enjoyers of music outside of this bubble that the objective measurement is really the main way to discuss popularity. 

Ask anyone in music industry,  you will get the answer 

 

These 2 are always interrelated in some way or another 

Of course ATRL would say that sales are more important than anything.  This is why I will never take any debates about artistic integrity seriously on here. If we only went by sales then eras like BRAT would be irrelevant and not matter and we know thats absolutely not the case. 

If you have sales are you not also popular? 

The one who puts food on the table and establishes your legacy.

19 minutes ago, Onyxmage said:

Of course ATRL would say that sales are more important than anything.  This is why I will never take any debates about artistic integrity seriously on here. If we only went by sales then eras like BRAT would be irrelevant and not matter and we know thats absolutely not the case. 

So according to you, what makes artistic integrity is... popularity? Based on... nothing factual?
 

Brat wouldn't be irrelevant, but anyone acting like it was any bigger than TTPD, HMHAS, Short n' Sweet or Midwest Princess is purely delusional, no amount of "kamala is brat" can change that.

Talent. Some multivariant artists lack this 

?? I don't follow.

 

If we're talking pop music, you don't achieve popularity without sales and vice versa. If one is a "superstar", they have both.

Sales ofc. It's the one that will give anyone money

2 minutes ago, Soda Pop Queen said:

?? I don't follow.

 

If we're talking pop music, you don't achieve popularity without sales and vice versa. If one is a "superstar", they have both.

I guess the best example of sales over popularity is Adele

One pays bills and enables lavish life in comfort, the other is a source of endless drama, criticism and judgement that leads to mental downfall. Which one is better hmm… 

4 minutes ago, aesthetic bih said:

I guess the best example of sales over popularity is Adele

huh?

 

 

3 minutes ago, aesthetic bih said:

I guess the best example of sales over popularity is Adele

You are joking right? Rolling In The Deep and Someone Like You (and lowkey Hello) are the closest thing to actual classics (not the classics ATRL constantly talks about aka merely enduring hits) that there is over the last 2 decades at least. Everyone from age 5 to 85, across ethnicities and around the world knows these songs. 

 

Popularity isn't just getting viral TikTok. It's about being known to the biggest group of people possible.

I like the example of Brat used previously. It's closing on 4B streams, so it's not a flop by any means, and reflect a certain degree of popularity. But generally, I think it's the recent album with the biggest dissonance between how big people think it is and how big it actually was. And that speaks to something that I think is not always clear for everyone: your algorithm isn't everyone else algorithm. Many people were bombarded with Brat content in the second half of 2024. Many people have no idea at all what it is. 

 

Popularity and sales go hand in hand. You don't get one without the other, especially when you are still in the early stages of your career. Once you have a legacy, you can remain popular based on your name alone and don't need recent music to be selling to stay relevant I guess. 

If you can sell, then you are popular. So sales/streams 

In order to accumulate sales, you need to be popular in the first place lmao

39 minutes ago, aesthetic bih said:

I guess the best example of sales over popularity is Adele

Adele would not achieve her humongous sales if she wasnt popular lmao. During her prime, she was basically the GP's darling lol

 

 

Of course you need to have both, but in the long run sales are more important.

1 hour ago, Popboi. said:

So according to you, what makes artistic integrity is... popularity? Based on... nothing factual?
 

Brat wouldn't be irrelevant, but anyone acting like it was any bigger than TTPD, HMHAS, Short n' Sweet or Midwest Princess is purely delusional, no amount of "kamala is brat" can change that.

BRAT was also the most critically acclaimed album of the year but I guess my opinion is based on nothing. Throwing in the random Kamala shade was cute though. At least you tried.

Edited August 28, 2025Aug 28 by Onyxmage