COIN-OPERATED STRATEGY:
69-CENT SINGLES ON THE RISE
Four of the Top 5 songs at iTunes are currently priced at 69 cents. Republic's Liam Payne, Capitol's Niall Horan, Atlantic's Charlie Puth and Island's Shawn Mendes are all benefiting from the selling strategy. (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee f/Justin Bieber's "Despacito" via UMLE/RBMG/Def Jam/Republic is still full-priced at #1.)
As we explained in a story last month, discounted pricing can create a loud noise—within the label and throughout the biz—as a song flies up the iTunes chart and earns primo real estate on the iTunes store’s front page. As label execs understand, dropping the price to 69 cents to move a song up the chart can reinforce programmers' sense of a record's potential pre-research and goose airplay—and radio hits drive streaming.
Mendes' "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" (#5 at iTunes) is Top 5 at Pop radio and flying toward the top, while #34 at Spotify U.S. Puth's "Attention" (#4) is Top 10 and also moving north quickly, while #19 at Spotify. Niall's "Slow Hands" (#3) is Top 15 and trending Top 10, while #29 at Spotify. And Payne's "Strip That Down," which features Quavo, is Top 20 and headed for Top 15, while #13 at Spotify.
We also noted that songs that have been in the marketplace can get an additional boost from the strategy.
Among other tracks further down the chart subject that may exemplify this are "Malibu" by RCA's Miley Cyrus at #12 (Top 20 Pop), Def Jam's David Guetta/Bieber track "2U" at #14 (which may have have suffered from the glut of Bieb-enhanced tracks on Pop playlists but is now trending Top 15; #23 Spotify) and the miraculous "Redbone" by Glassnote's Childish Gambino at #15 (#1 Rhythm and inside the Top 20 at Pop with northerly momentum; #15 Spotify).
