Music enthusiasts were left stunned after discovering the sales figures of Will Smith‘s latest album. The renowned actor, known for his starring roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Men in Black, has had a notable music career, including performing the iconic theme song for the show that catapulted him to fame.
However, Smith’s recent musical endeavour has been deemed a commercial disappointment, with fans labelling it a flop. ‘Based on a True Story’, released on March 28 of this year and failed to make a significant impact on the charts, sparking curiosity among fans about its sales performance.
A member of the r/Music Reddit page asked: “I’m curious what the lowest selling album by an established artist is… Not an artist who sold 3,000,000 copies then went down to 1,000,000.
“But an artist who sold millions then released and album that sold only a few thousand if that. Robin Thicke comes to mind with ‘Paula’ and maybe the latest Will Smith which didn’t even chart.”
Some fans pointed out that Smith’s album might hold the record for the biggest sales decline, and a sudden one at that. Despite the high-profile collaborations on the album, ‘Based on a True Story’ failed to crack the Billboard 200 – a first for Smith, who had never missed the Top 200 before.
The UK sales figures were equally dismal, with the album shifting a mere 268 physical copies in its first week of release.
According to a report from The Sun, it’s been a quiet experience for Smith’s latest music drop in the UK, with just 36 digital downloads ringing in.
Despite this activity, Smith is preparing for a grand European tour for the new album.
Taking to his Instagram, Smith announced: “I’M GOING ON TOUR THIS SUMMER!! We’re hitting up the UK and Europe to bring U all the hits, some new joints, and a few surprises 😉 All these years, I’ve NEVER done a headline tour and I can’t wait to see you guys!!”
Reddit users were not all that positive about Smith’s most recent musical venture, with one user highlighting that an album from as far back as 2005 outsold Smith’s latest offering that week.
Over on Reddit, one commenter made it crystal clear, writing: “To put it in perspective, Eminem’s Curtain Call is still on the top 200.”
Another added: “Damn just found out Will Smith’s playing at a small 2,000 seat venue in my s***ty UK hometown in August and there’s still a bunch of tickets available, that’s actually kinda shocking.”
Some argue, however, that streaming stats are now the more important number, not chart presence on the Billboard 200.
One optimist pointed out: “Yeah but who buys albums anymore anyway. Streaming numbers with context would be a better measure.” His highest-played song from the new album, ‘You Can Make It’, has 3.8million streams at time of writing.
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