Ed Sheeran’s had a weird spring in America, that’s for sure.
First there was his copyright infringement trial. He won the case, but it seems like the whole saga left a bad taste.
From the trial he went to judge “American Idol” in place of Lionel Richie, who was playing at King Charles’s coronation. How weird was that? Sheeran is British, Richie is American.
On May 5th, as he was also launching a US tour, Sheeran released a new album, called “-“. Or “Subtract.” A couple of singles came with it. Ed’s last album, released in 2021, sold 2.5 million copies. The tour was selling well. So you’d think “Subtract,” the latest in a series of math albums, would do well.
Alas, “Subtract” is now dead, after just seven weeks. Total sales according to Luminate: 252,000 albums. It’s like it never happened.
After one big week, “Subtract” just disappeared. Like the Jonas Brothers new album, it just vanished. What happened? Was it so bad no one wanted it? And if so, why did Sheeran sell out Giants Stadium? Why is he playing two nights at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass? Why didn’t these fans who bought tickets also pick up the album?
It’s a headscratcher.
PS Sheeran tickets are pretty cheap. On Ticketmaster you can buy good tickets anywhere for about 100 bucks. Much different than Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, or Beyonce. It’s kind of refreshing.