The top album on the Billboard charts this week is Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti,” a streaming jaguar note that has been number one for the fifth time.
But equally noteworthy is the second place in “Wasteland” by Maryland-born R & B singer Brent Faiyaz. Avoided major label routes And he released his music independently. This usually means getting a big slice of a small pie. After releasing a song at the guest spots of creators Drake and Tyler last year, Fires released “Wasteland” on July 8th, with little notice. Last week, the music industry focused on Fires to see if it could not only defeat streaming-led superstar Bad Bunny, but also accomplish the unusual feat of bringing a completely independent project to No. did. .. 1.
The “wasteland” did not reach the summit. But it’s close enough to make a statement that every new artist looking to accept a deal with a major label will surely hear. According to tracking service Luminate, “Un Verano Sin Ti” had sales of 105,000 including 147 million streams in the United States, and “Wasteland” had sales of 88,000 including 107 million streams. Equivalent weekly sales of “UnVerano” have never fallen below 100,000 since its release in May, with a total of 2 billion streams in the United States alone.
Today, many artists control their recording rights, and even with their own labels and imprints, most of the high-chart albums still go through the major label system. Universal, Sony, and Warner, each of the three global music conglomerates, operate large distribution departments that specialize in the release of music through independent acts.For example, Bad Bunny may have a contract with Rimas Entertainment, a company managed by his manager, but Rimas has Distribution contract When OrchardOwned by Sony.
To release “Wasteland”, Faiyaz went through one of several independent distribution platforms, Stem. The last No. 1 album that bypassed the major label infrastructure was “Skins” by rapper XXXTentacion through the independent music company Empire.
Also on this week’s chart, Aespa, a K-pop group of four women, will open in third place on the mini-album “Girls,” which has sold 56,000 copies, primarily as a CD. Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House” is in 4th place, and Morgan Wallen’s “Danger: Double Album” is in 1st place and 5th place.