Maybe Pulling Songs From iTunes Isn't a Good Idea: Estelle's Sales Drop

After Kid Roc's Rock N Roll Jesus enjoyed a sales boost thanks to hit single "All Summer Long" — which isn't available on iTunes — Warner Music attempted a similar strategy with their new artist Estelle, who had a Top 10 hit at the time with "American Boy" (which features Kanye West). Estelle's album Shine was pulled from iTunes — and then the song and album both plummeted down the charts. "American Boy" dropped from 11 to 37 on Billboard's singles chart. On the download chart, the song has fallen from six to 59, and a cover version of "American Boy" by the Studio All-Stars is outselling Estelle's own version due to its availability on iTunes. The backfire has Warner considering whether they can reach a deal to sell only full albums on digital-music services, as opposed to single songs (iTunes discourages labels from selling full albums). The "American Boy" decline also spotlights iTunes' dominance, since Estelle's song is still available on Amazon, Napster and Rhapsody. The Wall Street Journal reports that iTunes sells 90 percent of digital music in the U.S., and is the nation's largest music retailer (besting even Wal-Mart).

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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