“Frozen”? You know it was an animated movie, won the Oscar, and had something to do with kids. But did you know the soundtrack to “Frozen” has been at number 1 since its debut there on January 6th? Released on November 25, 2013, the “Frozen” music, with the hit single “Let it Go,” has not melted since that time. Other releases have come and gone, but “Frozen” sells and sells. As of this week, it’s hitting the 2 million copy mark. Half of the sales are digital.
Part of the success of “Frozen” is that there is nothing else out there. With so many stories about music executives changing jobs, people announcing new labels and all kinds of deals, there’s very little product being released. And the product that is released amounts to very little.
Right now there are no big releases until May 6th. That’s when Mariah Carey is supposedly releasing her long awaited album postponed from a year ago. There’s no guarantee that it will be the needed monster hit. Carey has released two singles, and one more “for her fans.” None of them did much. After Carey comes the May 13th releases from Coldplay and Rascal Flatts. The May 20th charts will reflect those sales, which should be good. Coldplay, in particular, seems poised for a hit. And the country market won’t fail Rascal Flatts.
But then comes another desert. Jennifer Hudson has her new album on May 27th. A month later comes Ed Sheeran’s “X.” By then, if Coldplay has not nailed down #1 for two weeks, “Frozen” could be back on top. Why? Who knows? “Let it Go” should have been let go a long time ago. No follow up single has emerged. “Frozen” is not exactly Adele’s “21.” It’s not a treasure trove of hits. It’s more like background music for a mall party.
Meanwhile, there will be more announcements of record execs earning millions and millions, cutbacks at whatever labels still exist, and radio playing the same stuff over and over and over. Nothing guaranteed. Pharrell’s wonderful single, “Happy,” is played constantly everywhere. Yet it hasn’t translated into blockbuster album sales. His “G I R L” collection has fair numbers, and comes in around number 4. Not bad, but not great.
Maybe there will be a surprise album release. Beyonce had one, and churned up the charts. But who would the artist be? Legacy artists from my generation don’t sell beyond one week. The 90s and early 2000s didn’t leave us much. It’s a bleak picture. Wanted: music superstar. Needed: quickly.
