We definitely missed Lady Gaga during her yearlong absence from Twitter, but now that the singer is back online promoting the release of ARTPOP, it seems like the only thing she’s tweeting is controversy.
The 27-year-old caused a stir last week by taking the riff between her and old pal Perez Hilton to new heights, accusing him of “stalking” her in a now-deleted tweet.
Since then, her ethics as an artist have been questioned by Billboard Editorial Director Bill Werde, who isn’t impressed by her pandering for video views and attempting to “game the charts” in a ruse to improve her new single’s chart performance.
The controversy is due in part to a new policy Billboard has adopted, under which they’ll now consider music video views on Vevo equal to the purchase of a song on iTunes. The policy was designed to combat clout loss due to piracy, but it’s made it easier for popular artists to easily push themselves higher up the Billboard charts.
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Gaga was quick to discover the loophole, asking fans to purchase multiple copies of the new single and watch her new video on a continuous loop so she could enjoy an extended stay on the Billboard charts.
Not cool, says Werde. He describes the practice as “playlisting”, or creating a “link to ‘watch’ the same video 150 times: roughly 9 straight hours of the same vid.” He says it’s essentially tacky, and is “not in the spirit of what we do, celebrating success”:
I just hate to see anyone try to game the charts, be it fans or artists. It's not in the spirit of what we do, celebrating success.
— Bill Werde (@bwerde) August 21, 2013
1. It is fine to self-promote, send links to fans, etc. my objection is to playlisting. It seems some fans are unaware such a link was sent.
— Bill Werde (@bwerde) August 21, 2013
2. By "playlisting" I mean a link to "watch" the same video 150 times: roughly 9 straight hours of the same vid.
— Bill Werde (@bwerde) August 21, 2013
3. I've been/remain a fan of gaga's. I have previously tweeted my affinity for Applause. None of this has anything to do w chart integrity.
— Bill Werde (@bwerde) August 21, 2013
4. Im not suggesting we'll discount credible views. I suspect (but wont know til AM) YouTube antispam tech will take care of playlisting.
— Bill Werde (@bwerde) August 21, 2013
5. I believe in transparency & dialog. That's why I discuss here before all is neatly resolved. I learned a lot from y'all tonight. Thanks.
— Bill Werde (@bwerde) August 21, 2013
Here’s a thought: Why not just make a really great song to begin with? It’s working for Katy Perry.
balehead
She’s just trash now….
Sevdalin
It’s kind of sad that she now needs to resort to this.
whatisthis
That last line…
It IS a great song to a lot of people, actually. I believe perhaps the media’s previous obsession with spouting how irrelevant Lady Gaga was has something to do with these “low” chart numbers. Though I honestly have no idea, but I do agree that Gaga needs to calm the fuck down with not being #1.
Personal opinion, but “Roar” sounds like something I may have listened to with my cousin when I was 10 years old. “Applause” sounds like something I can get dance to and get lost in at a club. Again, just my opinion.
Also, what is with this website’s hostility towards Gaga? What’s the reasoning behind it? There are so many strange trends in the articles here.
Katbox
Who?
Shadeaux
I still like GAGA. I don’t really understand the problem with her wanting to be #1. She worked hard, I’m sure, to make the music and video so it’s only natural for her to want it to be the best. I also don’t see the problem with “playlisting”. If it’s a viable way of marketing her music, why not use it?
trelin
She’s in desperate need of applause.
Random
She’s been begging fans to buy this track by asking them to download multiple copies and post photos of the receipts and now she’s revealed to be goosing the charts by sending out a ‘playlist’ link. This song should now be disqualified from the charts to teach her a lesson. Katy won hands down anyway by selling twice as many copies with no video, and no fraudulent tactics.
Random
@Shadeaux:
The problem is she’s committing fraud. You might not see that as an issue but it is actually considered a criminal act in most jurisdictions.
Alan down in Florida
Systems are designed to be gamed. APPLAUSE is a hot track whereas Katy Perry’s ROAR is a string of cliches, unconvincingly delivered and sounding suspiciously like Sara Bareilles’ current single BRAVE. At this point I’m looking more forward to the Lady Gaga CD than the Katy Perry even though I like them equally.
Mauricio
With all respect , you’re not giving off all the facts, after all those tweets @billboard apologized to Gaga who apologized first for tweeting a link with that playlist/spam , she herself explained she didn’t know the link , and after checking she tweeted what happened. Also, all musicians promote their music the way they want , ( all of them ) have promote their music via twitter, so now everybody’s against Gaga for doing the same that’s LAME. This blog should show musician’s abilities and music and stop throwing out trashy words.
Spike
Funny and when Madonna gave away free copies of her album free (which counted toward sales stats) when people bought tickets to her concerts that was a BRILLIANT marketing move, right Queerty???
RSun
Both Applause AND Roar are mediocre songs but for originality, GaGa’s is better. Perry’s is cliche, but most of her music is. I still like her tunes though…a guilty pleasure.
Random
@Alan down in Florida:
The public disagrees. Katy’s sold more than twice as many downloads as Gaga, with the 6th biggest début of the digital era. Gaga’s song just doesn’t connect with people, and neither does Gaga’s personality, which most now see as absurdly – and unjustifiably – pretentious.
#chartflop
Avery
And Yet with all her tactics : lyrics video, official video, streaming video, her little morons multiple buys of the song, offering to BJ in her name, her scamming with Billboard,the meltdowns on Twitter….her awful song celebrating herself only managed to get to number 6.
Roar may not be a great song but applause is worst. Even a 10 y/o can tell that.
She’s over. She has been since Born this way but it’s more and more obvious. She is just a flash in the pan. All costumes no substance.
She’s a joke.
Full story here: http://www.queerty.com/billboard-isnt-happy-with-lady-gagas-desperate-attempts-to-reach-1-20130821/#ixzz2ce9KGJex
Random
@Mauricio:
Strange coincidence that she sent a message which she was a ‘to do’ (her words) list telling her ‘monsters’ to go to the link and to share. Doesn’t sound like someone who didn’t know what the link was. She earlier in the week Tweeted a video link and asked her fans to refresh the page so she definitely knows what she’s doing. She’s desperate for the #1 position and is prepared to do anything to get it.
Random
@Avery:
I do find it interesting that she supposedly has millions and millions of followers on social media and yet it doesn’t seem to translate into sales. I mean, she can hardly argue that people don’t know she’s got a record out when she has a direct line to 40-odd million
people on Twitter.
tdx3fan
She was always all “style” and no substance. The only talent she ever offered was the ability to stir controversy, and the public is simply bored with her.
QuintoLover
I was always confused about how the vevo numbers worked. I thought that it would basically track your ip address and only count your viewing of the video once per day. I didn’t know that refreshing the video would count as a new view. Well I guess I have some numbers to boost for The Saturdays and Katy P!
Polaro
I’ve got the eye of the tiger”. Seriously. No. I like Katy, but the Gaga song is better. Gaga has, however, been deemed to be trying too hard, even though she is very talented. All things considered, I’m glad we have both Katy and Gaga. Positive influences. Good music. I refuse to be goaded into fighting.
lailaichong
I love gaga, her music is great!
Edwin
@balehead: I agree with you
Edwin
Lady Gagas music sucks now to be honest that new song is total garbage, she was better before the fame got to her head (fame & fame monster)
Geoff B
While I’m not a fan of hers or pop music in general, I don’t get vitriol that gets aimed her way. She seems like a smart ambitious woman who has talent and doesn’t seem to hurt anyone. I also find it rather disingenuous that the business end of this industry, which Billboard is a part of is trying to claim some ethical high road.
Brian
Billboard magazine is guilty of playing games with chart positions. In the last few years, it has combined sales figures for different versions of a song, a policy which has boosted the chart positions of songs that are released in various versions. Eg, ET by Katy Perry was boosted by adding sales figures from sales of ET by Katy Perry featuring Kanye West. Billboard should be questioned on this ‘double counting’ policy of theirs.
james_in_cambridge
Gaga needs to write FUN pop songs again. She used to know how to do it before she became an “important artist”. Perhaps she needs to listen to her own “Fame” album on a loop…
thebutterflycatcher
This time the peen is deep in her gimmicky, desperate, fame-hungry behind: she’s screwed. Now that her hips are healed after her accident, she needs to sit them down at the piano, play some original music, and stop wearing that clown mess and ho’ing for hits on the Billboard charts.
Rockery
Gaga has 4 great songs, Just Dance, Lovegame, PokerFace, Bad Romance
That’s it
Her persona is forced, fake and nauseating.
No fan of Katy but her songs are better (including Roar vs Applause) and I can stomach Katy’s personality
Martin
@Spike: The LP wasn’t free, just at a special price, If it was free it would have not been eligible for the chart, that’s the rules
Joshua
At least Gaga’s song isn’t a shameless ripoff of Sara Bareilles’s “Brave” Shame on Katy for that one!