Just last week, leading dancehall deejay Vybz Kartel released his “Pon Di Gaza” album independently via Adidjahiem Records/NotNice Records, but according to some reports – based on Nielsen SoundScan figures – a measly eight copies of the album were sold in its first week. 519 individual downloads of various singles off the album were recorded for the same first week period.
While the album release was done without the backing of a major label/distributor, and seemingly with minimal marketing support, if the numbers are indeed correct, they are particularly stunning given Vybz Kartel’s local and global popularity. How could it be that Jamaica’s most popular (at this time) deejay manages to sell only 8 copies of his album in its first week?
Quite a few factors seem to be at play here, with the key one likely being the simple fact that hardcore dancehall / reggae fans do not support Jamaican music by buying it; they really prefer to download it for free (a quick search at Twitter and Google shows numerous places to download “Pon Di Gaza” illegally at not cost). There was no visible attempt to market the album to a crossover audience (i.e. American / British / Japanese etc. listeners who will actually pay for music), and the hardcore base of dancehall / reggae fans apparently do not want to pay for music.
Dancehall/reggae is popular, but it has never really been a huge seller. Sean Paul’s “Imperial Blaze” album was released in August, and reportedly sold almost 30,000 units in its first week; but compare that to Jay-Z whose “Blueprint 3″ reportedly sold almost 500,000 in its first week just last month. In the past decade, Shaggy and Sean Paul have been Jamaica’s biggest international sellers, while others such as Stephen Marley, Elephant Man, Mavado and Serani have enjoyed some success in recent times. The key factor in all instances has however been the crossover marketing. If the product isn’t marketed for crossover appeal, it will have to rely on sales via reggae / dancehall fans, and unfortunately this continues to be disappointing.
Article via: Dancehallmobi
“Only 8 Albums Sold in Total… What is going on with our marketing? I know our artist reach further then the roadside… Only 8 Albums sold and everyone is shouting Gaza!! Gaza!!! Where is your support when your artist releases his music? Labels where are you marketing these albums to? This is sad!“
DOWNLOAD PROMO TRACKS: Pon Di Gaza (380) | CLICK HERE TO BUY ALBUM!!!!!
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The album was wack! Not Nice beats are wack! Them didnt promote the album good. Everyboby scream Gaza Gaza is just band wagonist..these where all bounty killa fans. where the hell Kartel get all these support from…buy out the ghetto youths and in-sighting violence..Plus Jamaican people dont buy music.
Kartel wicked still but dont have international appeal. You only need Jamaica for the hype to get you career to the next level. You need to have international appeal to sell albums and make money.KARTEL DONT HAVE INTERNATIONAL APPEAL…..you couldnt beg you gaza supporters weh a beat up Canadian tourist to buy 3 copy 1 for the car another for the home stereo and download one a keep pon the computer
..lol.
this is total sadness in it’s fullest..i agree to all the ABOVE polls….gaza gaza and no one supported the thing. that is why i dont take part in this gaza gully crap….8 albums sold damn this has to be a rumor if not..i think Jamaican must reevaluate them self and start support money wise and stop the USELESS WASTE OF AIR. with the gaza mi seh bullshit. as do Gully crap
LOL, cant help but laugh
it didn’t help that VP REGGAE didn’t have the album to distribute. but damn 8 copies sold is pathetic.. I wonder what the Download sales were, because thats what they were pushing via amazon and itunes.
http://www.reggaeplanet.com
I’m a gully fan but in this case I will not bash Kartel efforts, Jamaica is a society with poor ghetto majority, who alway go out and buy tickets to support these artist when the perform. We don’t have the surplus of money and resource like in the states to spend on music, plus our culture was one where we alway here the music at dance and on the radio. We usually record the music on cassette tape, pausing when commercial come on que the tape few frames back and wait to press pause for the continuation recording songs off the radio. so it is our economic upbringing that has caused us not to be interested in buying music, but to rather go out and buy tickets for a live show, Reggae Music as always been about live shows, It should be even called in my opinion: “The Performing Industry” instead of the Reggae recoding Industry cause to me its more centered on Live performances. Kartel fans who gaza support him at shows cause We Jamaican have tropical weather and always outside, In North America and Europe they have winter so they have to go to performances in door or listen music they buy at that time. Its a cultural difference in Mentality thats it. Kartel good man. But him still a gully alliance fi life
Well first thing first, am sorry to hear that still, but bounty tell u that reaction gonna take u, because of how u r. but just watch and see what happen ok, and next thing u see mavado and the alliance keep proving that they r way better than u kartel, lyrics is not all and writing ok, because every dj and singer is capable or writing there own songs, beside u aint better than tarus, sizla , damian marly, just to name a few. so u making too much things getting up in your head youth, u should just be easy after u leave alliance and if they did u wrong then God would take u through. but now it is clear that they did u no wrong, u was just too bad minded that’s all.
A Gully mi seh buh one ting pple haffi overstand is dat wen artiste album nuh sell grudge or no grudge everyting not nice,mi feel fi him bcuh it every great artiste nightmare buh fi Kartel it reality,we knw di sufferation level high buh dem need fi do supm about di download even though it free a likkle money shul go to di artiste or di artiste shul release it physically n pon di net even though for a mere cent bcuh a global download is about a billion which is almost di same no a pple who download free,dem shul ensure an artiste get supm from dat free download zeen?
the poll up on top is wack how can u ask poor marketing/album is wack
thats just unfair. ppl fighting down the artiste again. shame on u dancehall USA u guys set ppl up that poll is nonsense.
kARTEL I’M a fan and i didn’t kno you had a new album u always have summin new on the radio.
kartel fans are not loyal just like him that is why his album is not selling just like his liquor and condom
movado album first weak was 0 +0+0+0 so what r u ppl saying go do ya home work