here is something you don’t see everyday. Music fans actually paying for their music. Ed Sheeran has shown true star pulling power with fans actually choosing to buy his two new songs rather than stream them.
Ever since the ARIA chart was modified to include streaming it has been impossible to get an overall read as to whether fans actually like a song or are just curious.
When songs are broken down into actual download sales verses points allocated for streaming a much clearer picture of fan vs floozy starts to present.
Ed Sheeran’s two songs ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Castle On The Hill’ did serious download sales last week.
There were over 35,000 sales for ‘Shape of You’ and over 30,000 sales of ‘Castle On The Hill’ compared to total points (with streaming weighted in) of around 47,500 and 41,000.
Most Top 10 songs of the past week including The Weeknd, Clean Bandit, Zayn, Peking Duk and Bruno Mars had more sales applied to streaming than actual downloads, indicating a preferred disposable attitude from listeners.
Andy Grammar and Train fans were more likely to buy that stream.
For Ed Sheeran though, nothing came close. ‘Shape Of You’ had over four times more sales than ‘Rockabye’ by Clean Bandit and Zayn and ‘Castle On The Hill’ had triple the sales of the number 3 and 4 songs.
The two new Ed Sheeran songs will feature on his third album ‘divide’ coming in March.
divide tracklisting
Eraser
Castle On The Hill
Dive
Shape Of You
Perfect
Galway Girl
Happier
New Man
Hearts Don’t Break Around Here
What Do I Know
How Would You Feel (Paean)
Supermarket Flowers
Deluxe
13. Barcelona
14. Bibia Be Ye Ye
15. Nancy Mulligan
16. Save Myself
‘divide’ will be released on March 3, 2017 via the newly resurrected Asylum label. Asylum was founded in 1971 by David Geffen and Elliott Roberts and become the home to Eagles, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell.
Warner Music quietly introduced Ed Sheeran via the Asylum imprint in 2011. With the success of Sheeran, the label will reactivate with American acts this year.
