Britney Spears - Piece of Me [Vegas Residency & 2018 Tour]

[Instinct]

This isn’t directed towards anyone in particular, but I feel like ever since Circus, people have been saying the same thing all over and over again. ‘People are only buying tickets because they want to hear her hits from her prime’, ‘if she doesn’t sing live no one will pay to see her’, ‘she’s done after this tour’, ‘I don’t see her selling out ever again’, etc. Why is it so hard accept she’s a massive icon with a career spinning 2 decades? People will always want to see her no matter what.

And the truth is, she’s not more of a ‘nostalgia act’ than most artists who debuted prior to 2000. When people buy tickets to see Madonna, which song do you think they’re paying for? Living For Love or Vogue? When people attend Mariah’s shows, which set of songs are they looking forward to? I Don’t and Infinity or Hero and Vision of Love?

Heck, even Justin Timberlake is selling tickets based off his catalog of hits alone. Or do you y’all think people actually care about his red neck pandering album at all? People want to hear SexyBack, Cry Me a River, etc. Ain’t nobody checking for Filthy or Supplies.

For some reason whenever Britney sells out her shows, people are quick to label her as a ‘nostalgia act’ as if that doesn’t apply to 99% of veteran artists. But I don’t see anyone trying to discredit them.

Britney is here to stay.

[menime123]

But 20 years into her career Madonna was pulling out DWT and at the top of her game artistically. The key difference being that with that 20 year period Madonna’s 2nd decade was hugely successful too, to the point DWT didn’t need anything but her last 2 albums. Madonna’s biggest grossing tour was a decade ago though - the end of her Warner days - and even her subsequent tours have been far from a GH tours, focusing extensively on the parent albums.

However Madonna sings live. She doesn’t utilise 90% of her hits in her shows, so that there isn’t anything left for the audience to see next time - she still has singles in her catalogue that she hasn’t performed live since the 1980s to draw upon that keeps her stan base interested, never mind the casuals. Madonna has different routines, song versions, costumes, looks, sets, props every single tour. Britney is still doing routines from the early 00s.

I have nothing against this - but Britney isn’t giving fans anything new to experience if she isn’t finding new hits. Britney doesn’t write the majority of her own music, so I struggle to see why she can’t find any hits in fairness. She’s still in her 30s, still totally able to achieve hits and still should be a force on the charts imo - she just isn’t, because she’s cashing in on her songs from over a decade ago instead.

New songs would mean new routines and a different show, rather than seeing her doing the Slave routine for the 20th time. There’s only so many times people will pay to see the same old stuff, and the casuals need to know the newer stuff too. That’s why she needs more hits.

[menime123]

This isn’t directed towards anyone in particular, but I feel like ever since Circus, people have been saying the same thing all over and over again. ‘People are only buying tickets because they want to hear her hits from her prime’, ‘if she doesn’t sing live no one will pay to see her’, ‘she’s done after this tour’, ‘I don’t see her selling out ever again’, etc. Why is it so hard accept she’s a massive icon with a career spinning 2 decades? People will always want to see her no matter what.

And the truth is, she’s not more of a ‘nostalgia act’ than most artists who debuted prior to 2000. When people buy tickets to see Madonna, which song do you think they’re paying for? Living For Love or Vogue? When people attend Mariah’s shows, which set of songs are they looking forward to? I Don’t and Infinity or Hero and Vision of Love?

Heck, even Justin Timberlake is selling tickets based off his catalog of hits alone. Or do you y’all think people actually care about his red neck pandering album at all? People want to hear SexyBack, Cry Me a River, etc. Ain’t nobody checking for Filthy or Supplies.

For some reason whenever Britney sells out her shows, people are quick to label her as a ‘nostalgia act’ as if that doesn’t apply to 99% of veteran artists. But I don’t see anyone trying to discredit them.

Britney is here to stay.

20 years into her career, Madonna didn’t give her fans the choice - she performed her last 2 albums and threw in 2 80s songs towards the end. Madonna may perform Vogue for casuals, but a casual never knows what songs they’re paying for when tickets are put on sale. I mean in 2006 she skipped Holiday, Like a Prayer and Vogue - she doesn’t always perform her biggest hits.

As I have said, there’s nothing wrong with what Britney does - but as Britney fans surely you want something new from her on stage? The reason she’s selling is because she’s touring places she hasn’t been in years - but if every time she tours she just does another greatest hits tour, then where is motive to go again?

You never know what you’re going to get setlist wise from Madonna and JT may sing some of his hits, but by god he puts on a hell of a show - his shows are an exoerience. I mean, did you see his stage? Not a bad seat anywhere and he’s constantly up and down that arena.

My original point anyway was whether Britney could pull off a regular 3 year touring cycle alongside every album, if she isn’t having chart hits anymore. The only way to address that is to release a new album and tour it within the next 3 years

[menime123]

Britney is here to stay.

No one would dare claim otherwise and that’s so far removed from what we’re discussing

[Instinct]

She’s not getting any massive hits because she’s 20 years into her career. And yes, I’m aware Madonna managed to get many hits at that point of her career, but that was a completely different time as well. Back in the late 90s/early 00s you still had all the veteran divas like Janet, Cher, Whitney, etc pulling great numbers. How many pre-2000 females are getting massive hits now? If even P!nk, who only really became a thing 16-17 years ago, is struggling to get a Top 10 hit, what makes you think Britney can get one? Jennifer Lopez can barely chart on the Hot 100 these days, Christina Aguilera is banned from every chart around the world, Shakira has been over in the English speaking world for years, etc. Even male-privilege fueled artists like Justin Timberlake and Eminem bombed with their latest eras.

It’s not impossible for her to get another massive era, but it’s not very likely either.

[menime123]

Re: Britney Spears | Piece of Me [Vegas Residency & 2018 Tou

I disagree. Make Me was almost a hit, but it just wasn’t quite good enough. It did respectfully in the US though, and WB was a top 10 in the U.K. There’s nothing stopping her having a big era if the music is right. But most of Britney’s biggest hits are instants - and she’s been lacking that.

[Instinct]

Make Me is a quality song and that’s as good as it’s gonna get in terms of chart performance. I ain’t complaining tho, quality over quantity any day.

And yes, there are many factors preventing her from getting another massive hit, like lack of streaming and airplay. And you should know as a Madonna fan how ageist pop radio is. She will be 37-38 by the time we get another album and I highly doubt she will get any decent airplay.

We’re also in the middle of urban dominance and since some of you want nothing but generic Max Martin trash, it’s gonna be tough for her to get another Top 10 hit.

Her legacy is big enough to keep her afloat, and I think she’s happy doing the music she likes instead of worrying about the charts. She certainly couldn’t care less about them.

[menime123]

Make Me is a quality song and that’s as good as it’s gonna get in terms of chart performance. I ain’t complaining tho, quality over quantity any day.

And yes, there are many factors preventing her from getting another massive hit, like lack of streaming and airplay. And you should know as a Madonna fan how ageist pop radio is. She will be 37-38 by the time we get another album and I highly doubt she will get any decent airplay.

We’re also in the middle of urban dominance and since some of you want nothing but generic Max Martin trash, it’s gonna be tough for her to get another Top 10 hit.

Her legacy is big enough to keep her afloat, and I think she’s happy doing the music she likes instead of worrying about the charts. She certainly couldn’t care less about them.

And as a Britney fan you know radio play was ever strong to begin with

What a sad, sad world we live in if we are actively blaming ageism against a 30 odd year old as a reason for a lack of a hit, instead of looking at the actual music. Even when Make Me was released many said it wasn’t as good as her biggest hits - it’s as simple as that.

[Instinct]

Sales saved her from weak airplay back in the day but they’re over now

Just because you don’t like Make Me doesn’t mean it’s not good? I can pull up many reviews that praised the song and said it’s up there with her best material. Just because a bunch of Dr Puke/Max Martin obsessed ‘fans’ won’t listen to anything other than overproduced, chipmunk’d kidz bop trash like I Wanna Go doesn’t mean Make Me wasn’t well received. What kind of logic is that. Femme Fatale apologists are something else.

Are we seriously acting like ageism isn’t a thing? It’s a well known fact that pop radio barely touches any female artist past 30.

[menime123]

Re: Britney Spears | Piece of Me [Vegas Residency & 2018 Tou

I like Make Me. But it’s no Toxic. It’s no Slave. It’s no Womaniser. It’s too subdued and laid back and not a traditional lead single for Britney. It’s more like a 3rd or 4th single. Which was the problem with Glory - it was missing that one killer song.

Music is of course subjective but Britney went off format with MM and until she has a tradition Britney lead single (instant, in your face, iconic pop) I’m not writing her off just yet! I mean honestly, she’s 30 odd, not 40 odd.

[Instinct]

We won’t be getting any new music until she’s 37 or 38 anyway so it’s too early for this conversation. But I don’t see her working with Max or Luke ever again, so if you didn’t like Glory, you probably won’t be too fond of B10 either.

I do think she has another Top 10 hit left in her, but it’s not as easy as you’re making it out to be. She and her team need to make streaming a priority.

[menime123]

Re: Britney Spears | Piece of Me [Vegas Residency & 2018 Tou

I don’t know where you keep coming up with these false objections I appear to be raising. I never once mentioned Max or Glory being bad

[MrLeonix]

This isn’t directed towards anyone in particular, but I feel like ever since Circus, people have been saying the same thing all over and over again. ‘People are only buying tickets because they want to hear her hits from her prime’, ‘if she doesn’t sing live no one will pay to see her’, ‘she’s done after this tour’, ‘I don’t see her selling out ever again’, etc. Why is it so hard accept she’s a massive icon with a career spinning 2 decades? People will always want to see her no matter what.

And the truth is, she’s not more of a ‘nostalgia act’ than most artists who debuted prior to 2000. When people buy tickets to see Madonna, which song do you think they’re paying for? Living For Love or Vogue? When people attend Mariah’s shows, which set of songs are they looking forward to? I Don’t and Infinity or Hero and Vision of Love?

Heck, even Justin Timberlake is selling tickets based off his catalog of hits alone. Or do you y’all think people actually care about his red neck pandering album at all? People want to hear SexyBack, Cry Me a River, etc. Ain’t nobody checking for Filthy or Supplies.

For some reason whenever Britney sells out her shows, people are quick to label her as a ‘nostalgia act’ as if that doesn’t apply to 99% of veteran artists. But I don’t see anyone trying to discredit them.

Britney is here to stay.

Excellent post Instinct, pretty much reflects the reality, it is exactly how you say, people saying the same thing for years now. Britney's going anywhere, she's here to stay.

But 20 years into her career Madonna was pulling out DWT and at the top of her game artistically. The key difference being that with that 20 year period Madonna’s 2nd decade was hugely successful too, to the point DWT didn’t need anything but her last 2 albums. .

Wake up from that bubble dude. Madonna turned 20 years in the business back in the late 90s / early 00s when the music industry was way healthier and different, there's no way Madonna could have survived the "Erotica" backlash in the 00s, if Madonna had debuted in 1998 instead (like Britney did) and by 2008 released "Erotica" her career would have been permanently killed and burried to irreparable damages. But Madonna debuted and made it big in the 80s and enjoyed her first 20 years in the scene inside a music industry that offered more stability and big sales (even for "flop albums" at the time would reach Platinum status either way).

Britney debuted in 1998 and her 20th anniversary coincided with a current heavy streaming-oriented market and a collapsed industry that is making it unbearable for plenty of acts. Justin Timberlake is struggling with record sales, P!nk can't get streaming on board, Xtina can't make it in the streaming market, J.Lo had to emerge her career into the Latin market because the Anglo market became unbearable for her and even Beyonce (who's having the best moment -compared to her peers) can't even get a proper hit song anymore.

The current market makes it different for veteran acts compared to how it was back in the 80s and 90s. Sometimes I wish Britney could have released one extra album a few years earlier than BOMT so she could've had one extra era of success from the stable and lucrative 90s market.

But it is what it is and Britney's had a great career that has spawned for 2 decades where 7/9 albums succeeded and where she has spent the last 5 years having touring and tickets success. Britney has been a profitable music act for 20 years straight.

[weare]

We will see people like menime123 forever and never accepte that Britney is a massive superstar.

Britney’s fans (not stan) know she’s not the best but we do not waste our time talking about this because we already talked more than years after Gimme More and HEAVILY in FF and Britney Jean era.

To be a fan, just support when an artist down and buy song/go cocert when she’s ready, that’s it.

What the heck talking nostalgia

[Ewokguy15]

Britney will 100% work "with" Max Martin again in the future, Max Martin created Britney and has handed her some of her best music. 3 out of 4 of her #1s are by him for a start.

[Instinct]

Britney will 100% work "with" Max Martin again in the future, Max Martin created Britney and has handed her some of her best music. 3 out of 4 of her #1s are by him for a start.

She doesn’t like Max and his work on Fatte Female was garbage. Her biggest hits in the past 11 years haven’t been all Max either.

1. Scream & Shout - Lazy Jay
2. Womanizer - The Outsyders
3. Circus - Dr Luke
4. Till the World - Dr Luke and Max Martin
5. 3 - Max Martin
6. Gimme More - Danja
7. Piece of Me - Bloodshy & Avant
8. I Wanna Go - Max Martin
9. Hold It Against Me - Dr Luke and Max Martin
10. Work Bitch - Sebastian Ingrosso

He’s not as present as some of you think. Aside from the atrocious Fatte Female that she was forced to record, he’s only done 2 songs for her over the past 15 years.

In the Zone - No Max
Blackout - No Max
Circus - 1 Max song
Britney Jean - No Max
Glory - No Max

Bonus: The Singles Collection - 1 Max song

If she gets her away like she did with Glory, she’s definitely not gonna work with his musty ass.

She has 5 #1 hits and two of them weren’t produced by Max, btw.

[Ewokguy15]

Without the "atrocious" Femme Fatale, Britney wouldn't have a had a hit single Piece of Me so you should be worshiping the only album that gave Britney 3 top 10 singles from an album.

There are no great songs on either B.J or Glory, a few good songs but not hits.

[Instinct]

McDonalds sells a lot of burgers - doesn’t make their shit gourmet. Those ‘hits’ aged like milk and there’s a reason she only performs 1 song off that album these days while completely ignoring HIAM and IWG. No one cares about those ugly songs anymore and her image would be much better these days if that tragic album + era never happened.

And that’s just your opinion, BJ is indeed utter trash but Glory is her second highest rated album for a reason.

[Ewokguy15]

McDonalds sells a lot of burgers - doesn’t make their shit gourmet. Those ‘hits’ aged like milk and there’s a reason she only performs 1 song off that album these days while completely ignoring HIAM and IWG. No one cares about those ugly songs anymore and her image would be much better these days if that tragic album + era never happened.

And that’s just your opinion, BJ is indeed utter trash but Glory is her second highest rated album for a reason.

But the reason her last two albums have flopped is because there aren't these easily to digest McDonald's songs. That is what people want from Britney Spears. That's not opinion, that's fact, as seen by single/album performances.

[Instinct]

Hit singles =/= quality music. How old are we? Is your fave’s last album bad because none of its singles charted?

If we go by sales, BOMT must be a much better effort than Blackout. She doesn’t give a crap about the charts, she’s a point where she gets to make the music she likes.

[Ewokguy15]

I never once said hit songs equal good songs. I am talking singles and yes Baby One More Time obviously had better singles than Blackout, that's not even a conversation.

All artists care about charts and success, whether they say it or not.

[SCHoli]

I am talking singles and yes Baby One More Time obviously had better singles than Blackout, that's not even a conversation.

How dare you!

[MrLeonix]

Yeah ... BOMT better singles than "Blackout"?

"Baby One More Time" is a legendary timeless song and "Crazy" and "Born To Make You Happy" were cool songs ... But "Blackout" singles were simply flawless and more fascinating.

Why is people obsessed with Max tho? ..... Its not like he could create those great tunes in 2018 anyways

[menime123]

We will see people like menime123 forever and never accepte that Britney is a massive superstar.

Britney’s fans (not stan) know she’s not the best but we do not waste our time talking about this because we already talked more than years after Gimme More and HEAVILY in FF and Britney Jean era.

To be a fan, just support when an artist down and buy song/go cocert when she’s ready, that’s it.

What the heck talking nostalgia

So you really think people are going to see her concert for the Glory songs, or her hits pre 2010?

As I said, her original teen audience have grown up, are financial independant and - as per the trend in the touring industry - are heavily invested in nostalgia and seeing acts from their youth perform songs they grew up loving.

It is clear people aren’t going to see Britney in support of her last album - the album went largely unnoticed because of a lack of a hit single. A hit single - quality aside - promotes an album and strengthens an era.

This is ultimately a greatest hits tour and Britney is cashing in on it. There is no issues with this. This entire conversation started off simply by asking an objective question as to how viable touring would be for Britney if she toured every album whilst not producing hit material.

How that led Stans to discussing Max Martin, her celebrity and stardom I have no idea - they aren’t related

[MrLeonix]

This entire conversation started off simply by asking an objective question as to how viable touring would be for Britney if she toured every album whilst not producing hit material.

Nope, this whole conversation actually started after I posted a nice comment about her by complimmenting her for pulling a good show in Glaslow, for looking great and for the good crowds over Europe.

People feel uncomfortable whenever Britney gets some credit these days and since my comment was positive some had to turn it around into discrediting whatever she was doing good (in this case the demand for the shows). If I had not posted a positive comment about her show this conversation would have not started.