No one could predicted pop sales for the summer of 2022.
New albums by Drake and Post Malone have been sales duds, totally. They streamed a lot but made little money and have made no dent on the actual charts.
Yet, Kate Bush’s 1985 song, “Running Up that Hill,” is the hit of the summer. It’s been number 1 for weeks and weeks on iTunes thanks to “Stranger Things.” It’s not only number 1 in sales but in streaming as well. Reports estimate that Bush has made at least $3 million from it this summer. On Spotify, “Hill” is near 400 million streams!
As for the young guys: Drake and Post Malone have each been huge disappointments for the mighty Republic Records. Drake’s “Honestly, Nevermind” has sold a total of 278,440 including streaming according to Luminate. Post Malone’s “12 Carat Toothache” has done a little better– 417,977. These numbers are well below– like 60% or more — from their last releases.