Ed Sheeran won his lawsuit but he lost something else in the process.
Sheeran’s latest album, released just as the jury reached its verdict, has been a relative bomb.
After a string of best selling records, Sheeran’s new one — called “Subtract” — has sold only a fraction of his previous collections.
“Subtract” has sold just 204,000 copies since its release almost a month ago. It wobbled out of the gate and never picked up speed. The two singles from the album have been far cries from his previous hits.
It’s unclear now why his record label didn’t wait until the trial was over and some time had passed before they released “Subtract.” Sheeran even appeared on “SNL,” but as with the Jonas Brothers, got no sales bounce. And what if he lost the case? They took a high stakes gamble on that one.
So far no effort has been to step in and save the album, either. This is unlike Ed’s buddy, Taylor Swift, who releases updated versions of her albums every few weeks, adds tracks, invents things and is a marketing genius (or someone in her camp is)..
Swift is on a mega tour, selling out arenas and stadiums. She’s also got about one fifth of the album charts covered with all her different releases. Sheeran should talk to her people.
Will the red haired guitarist be able to bounce back from this mess? Yes of course. He just needs to put some thought into it, and get some cool tracks cooking. I’m sure there’s something from “Subtract” than be revived, with the right ideas.
