A modern pop masterpiece and an unarchived experimental mixtape have clawed and scratched for top-of-the-charts status. Boardroom explores how and why each artist won and what notes labels should be taking.
On Sunday evening, Sabrina Carpenter took center stage at Madison Square Garden, belting and bantering to 19,000 fans as smiles and phones flashed back at her.
The audience’s size, scale, and excitement were all a far cry from her last solo show in the Big Apple: a 2022 performance at Webster Hall where tickets sold for $35 a pop and attendees topped out at 1,500. Carly Simon covers connected in the intimate setting as Sabrina sang, then yet to have a Top 40 hit or Top 10 album.
Last Sunday, it was an entirely different tune in Manhattan as Sabrina wooed thousands with a No. 1 album backed by three Top 10 bangers. Outside the Garden, scalpers were pedaling Sabrina tickets for the price of a house.
A lot can happen in two years, but perhaps even more can happen in two weeks.
Intermittently in September, Carpenter battled for the top of the Billboard 200 with rap’s resident rager, Travis Scott. Although La Flame’s last solo album, 2023’s UTOPIA, was well over one year old at the time of the tangle, it was rather the re-release of his 2014 mixtape Days Before Rodeo that caused the commotion.
Accessible on SoundCloud servers for a decade, an anniversary rehash backed by Spotify and amplified by bundles stage-dived to the No. 2 spot, creating controversy over the sales calculations by Luminate and the merit of merch driving the data. In turn, each artist’s respective hives — both feverous fans and A-list allies like Nicki Minaj and Ye — spammed comment sections in support of their tie and reshared streaming screenshots in hopes of a victory.
Weeks later, Scott surpassed Sabrina at No. 1 with the arrival of each bundle. Swiftly, he fell out of the entire Billboard 200 just days later. Outlets of all entertainment varieties covered the race and results as if it were the 2020 election.
But what if we told you they both won?
In an era where music is expensive to make and essentially free to consume, Carpenter and Scott’s Billboard battle ignited competition and conversation rarely seen in pop arenas to both their benefits. At the same time, each icon illuminated industry trends sure to be copied while dismissing notions of how or why an album connects with consumers.
Boardroom breaks down the lessons learned from the chart collision course no one saw coming.
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A Top Album Can Indeed Be Short n’ Sweet
Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift, Post Malone, and Beyoncé albums all dominated the Billboard 200 chart in 2024. They also all have one thing in common.
No, not that their albums are ‘country,’ but rather that they’re long.
Although twangy tunes are en vogue commercially on radio and in physical form at Wal-Mart, modern charts still see much movement from that of streaming numbers. Therefore, artists and their labels have erred away from concise concept albums and instead unleashed sprawling streaming plays to boost numbers in a very literal sense. It all appears in elongated traditional tracklists and super-sized deluxe editions.
This very basic math exercise is also effective, as illustrated below:
- F-1 Trillion by Post Malone: 27 tracks and one week at No. 1.
- Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé: 27 tracks and two weeks at No. 1.
- The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift: 31 tracks and 15 weeks at No. 1.
- One Thing at a Time by Morgan Wallen: 36 tracks and 19 weeks at No. 1 over the past two years.
On the contrary, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet is a slight 12 tracks in original form and already has three weeks at No. 1. Not only does this defy current trends in its climb, but the album itself is only one month into its existence. By building up strong singles through thoughtful visuals, the Short n’ Sweet success rings closer to album rollouts of the days before digital — especially in pop.
Taking off on Spotify and YouTube, “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” have each earned Platinum plaques already and topped the Billboard Hot 100. Already, the album’s third single, “Taste,” is not far behind.
This more traditional model may have more staying power than, say, owning up to 30 spots across the Billboard Hot 100 for a week but failing to have multiple tracks truly connect.
Are Bundles Bad?
Over the course of his career, Travis Scott has received criticism from journalists and peers for juicing his sales numbers by including digital download receipts with the purchase of thematic t-shirts, hats, and sweatshirts. For industry vets and opposing artists, it’s a commercial capture that doesn’t prove the popularity of one’s music but rather the marketability of merch.
But in an era where Spotify is said to pay artists between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream, is making money off clothes really that bad?
From Michael Jackson to Jay Z, Britney Spears to Aaliyah, an artist’s aesthetic has mattered much to fans. While Britney wasn’t making millions herself off of baby doll tees and Hov didn’t earn royalties off white-on-white Air Force 1 sales, each artist created consumption patterns for the masses even if they didn’t see a direct cent.
It didn’t matter in 1999 when CDs sold at Sam Goody for $16 a pop, and the points on their contract determined their cut.
In 2024, having an ancillary income is the lifeblood of a bankable artist and one that might matter more online than anywhere else. Travis Scott, the master of this market, has done $1 million in merch sales at a single tour stop only to have to give back anywhere from 10 to 40% of said sales to the venue.
Because of his strong ties to his fan base and backing by big collaborative partners, Scott can release album ad-ons directly through his own website – as seen by 2024’s Days Before Rodeo reboot — without losing money to a venue and assumingly using pull-style logistics.
Is that diluting data or building a brand?
There’s Still a Retro Market for Music
As artists of the legacy variety sell their back catalogs for millions in an attempt to cash in and allow licensing, today’s talent can still earn off their old work without losing ownership.
In the physical era, acts like Tom Petty cleaned up by releasing big box sets of their work at premium pricing, giving dedicated fans a chance to digest unheard demos, expanded liner notes, and songs lost to the cutting room floor. While space and streaming make this lane less approachable, savvy singers have re-released old music with modern methods.
Notably, Taylor Swift turned an ownership battle with Scooter Braun into an opportunity to re-record and re-release four of her previous projects. Each Taylor’s Version variation has hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and achieved Platinum status.
In hip-hop, the late ’00s and early ’00s created many mixtapes that meant more to fans than fully-fledged albums. A$AP Rocky, Drake, Kid Cudi, and Lil Wayne have all brought back catalog favorites to DSPs to feed fans favored projects of the past through modern means like Spotify and Apple.
What they didn’t do was invest in a deeply devised rollout.
Flacko, Aubrey, Cudder, and Weezy all garnered headlines and fanfare for re-releasing old mixtapes to DSPs, but none saw the commercial acclaim or chart success as Travis Scott. By partnering with Spotify, throwing an intimate concert, creating new merch, releasing new music videos, and performing forgotten favorites while on tour, Days Before Rodeo became one of hip-hop’s highest earners in 2024 despite existing since 2014.
While Scott is in a league of his own where touring and apparel are concerned, there’s no reason to think that artists such as 50 Cent, The Diplomats, Clipse, Chance the Rapper, J. Cole, Jeezy, and even the previously mentioned stars couldn’t capitalize off of the same strategy.
Close Competition Breeds Loyalty… and Consumption
The polarizing patterns of American politics or even WNBA fandom prove how much we can all overlook both greatness and ignorance for the engagement high of an argument. It’s an augmented and amplified reality that’s turned Twitter into theater where low-lights live longer than highlights, truth has no criteria, and dunking on the opposition is more about reaction than points.
While the divided nature of almost everything amounts to a net negative for living life, it still proves powerful in regards to selling music.
From friendly rivalries like Kanye West vs. 50 Cent in ’07 to Blur battling Oasis in the ’90s, creating camps and competition has almost always had a positive impact on music sales.
While it’s lazy and also reductive to compare Sabrina Carpenter vs. Travis Scott in ’24 to Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West in ’09, the idea of conflict between two icons considered worlds apart has historically galvanized fan bases and increased awareness for each act. In an attention economy where meta-narratives mean more than marketing strategy and occasionally the music itself, friendly competition can be a catalyst for relevance that money can’t buy.
Superstars Live Where IP Meets Imperfection
Ask around, and you’ll find plenty of pop stars who sing better than Sabrina Carpenter or rappers who rhyme tighter than Travis Scott. While each artist is technically talented, their favor from fans comes in part from their exposure and imperfections.
At only 25 years of age, Sabrina Carpenter is already six albums into her discography, with over a decade in the public eye. Her origin story starts at Disney — still the best farm system for modern pop stars — while her meta-narratives riff off dating drama and child stardom. Said start and storylines have made megastars out of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, and more.
It’s an ascent that’s aspirational, but it’s the edge and imperfections that make Sabrina stand out.
Better broken down by Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli on NYT’s Popcast, Carpenter clawed her way into the hearts of America through lyrics and delivery that are much more clever, controversial, and casual than that of her polished peers. Said song snippets take well to TikTok trends and loops, blurring the line between audience and auteur with every amateur upload winking back at the camera.
Travis Scott comes from a somewhat parallel path. While working with Ye, Mike Dean, and Rihanna may not be the same day-to-day training as being a Mickey Mouse Club Member, the understanding of performance pressure and navigating systems is similar. Like Sabrina, Scott has grown both his art and his fame by proximity while still building a unique aesthetic entirely on his own.
Amassing eyeballs and earbuds, Scott’s struck gold by investing deeply into his sound, video, and stage output. Despite his scale or success, he’s far from robotic, sending out posts that read like group chat texts and embracing chaos on public platforms.
In a world where celebrities are told to bite their tongues or stay on brand, Sabrina and Travis stand out by being very prolific and slightly controversial all at once. It’s a dichotomy that drives their fan bases and one that ignited them through an unforeseen Billboard battle.
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