Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Music
Music

One Positive Thing to Come From Jay Z, Solange Elevator Fiasco

Posted byBy Leo | Published on: CommentsComments (1)

solange-cash-in

Jay Z and Solange’s feud was the fight that was heard and seen around the world. And while people perpetually continue to speculate what exactly drove Solange to go ballistic on Jay in that elevator, there is one shred of good news that has come from this scandal: Music sales. As reported by theguardian.com:

“According to data by Nielsen SoundScan, Solange’s sales rose from 600 to 2,000 the week ending 18 May. Nielsen does not report which tracks sold the most, but the boost in sales could have been prompted by publicity following news of an altercation between Solange and her brother-in-law, Jay Z, in a lift while leaving the Met Ball in New York.”

This is relatively good news for Solange. Although she’s always been popular, her fame has never translated into huge record sales. As also noted by theguardian.com:

“Sales of Solange’s music, which has been described as ‘translating its art-school, Afro-inflected R&B back into actual R&B,’ have always been significantly lower than those of her sister’s [Beyonce]. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Solange’s debut album, ‘Solo Star,’ sold 112,000 copies and dropped off the chart five weeks after its debut. Her second full-length recording, ‘Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams’ in 2008, was her first U.S. top 10 album.”

Jay Z and Solange have reportedly put the fight behind them. Now Solange can focus, put out some more music and possibly sell more records than she ever has.

 

 

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top