Pop music isn't all about that bass. What it is about, sadly, is making record companies' money. If a musical artist like Halsey isn't selling the number of units record execs like, those execs will move on quickly to someone they think will make them money.
In other words, the business of music isn't about quality, but dollar bills. This has been the case for years, of course, but people streaming music instead of buying pieces of plastic or rubber isn't helping musical artists. Nothing has really changed.
Halsey's last record, The Great Impersonator, didn't meet the wants of Columbia Records. After selling 100,000 units in its first week of release, the sales dipped. The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts, but didn't stay that high very long.
Halsey delivers the brutal truth about her future
Some artists might see that as a failure and jump back into the studio to make new music. That doesn't mean the new album would be better, only that it would give buyers another alternative to the previous record. People like the new stuff, and it's easy to forget about the past.
But don't expect Halsey to make a new album anytime soon. According to what she told Apple Music's Zane Lowe in a recent interview, the pop singer isn't allowed to make a new record currently. She also appears to be somewhat miffed at what Columbia Records expected.
She told Zane, "I can’t make an album right now. I’m not allowed to. I can’t make an album right now...Because The Great Impersonator didn’t perform the way they thought it was going to. And if I’m being honest with you, the album sold 100,000 (expletive) copies first week. That’s a pretty big first week, especially for an artist who hasn’t had a hit in a long time...But, they want Manic numbers from me. I can’t do that every single time. It should be good enough I do it once in a while. But it’s not."
The music business is a weird and illogical place. Why would Columbia Records not want Halsey to get back into the studio? Maybe they want more hit singles, of course, but that is part of record execs' jobs. They are supposed to put the artist in a position to sell well because the execs make money too, then.
Plus, it wasn't like Halsey's last album was bad. It got very good reviews in general, and NME gave it a perfect score. The quality was there to be successful, but it just didn't have enough snappy tunes. The next record might have more hit songs, but that doesn't mean the quality is as high. Columbia Records appears to only care about the money, though.