i think selling 100,000 albums is good, even 50,000, but todays music industray standards, especially when it comes to rap music, that isn't good. todays music industry expects platinum albums from rappers.
i agree that he is doing well for an indi artist, but the majors have set the bar too high when it comes to the standards, indi or not. in return those standars that they, the major labels, have set due to being used to multi platinum selling artists, is part of what is hurting the rap music industry right now (amonst other things). they expect more and have set the bar too high.
20 years ago if you were a gold selling artist in any genre you were the greatest thing in the industry at the moment. now if you go gold nobody gives a shit.
Im sorry but you are plain wrong, you're still living in the late 90s early 2000s if that is how you think the industry thinks and is.
Major artists are not going multiplatinum anymore, 1million sold is once again an achievement. Only the likes of Eminem or Dr. Dre would go multiplat, and even now if Em dropped he would probably only sell 3million if that, probably closer to 2 to be honest.
50 Cent hasnt even cracked 2 million with his last album he went about 1.4million. TI's last album went platinum, that is it. Soulja Boy, perhaps the most mainstream artist out there right now, has only sold 873,656 copies
worldwide.
NOBODY is doing huge numbers right now like you say so you are really mistaken with how the game works right now. Albums are BARELY creeping into platinum status, and Gold is the new Platinum. 2 Million makes you a fucking phenomenon like Kanye West right now and buys you the most expensive tour EVER. Right now Kanye is acting like he's gone diamond and thats how the label and industry is treating him but he's barely done 2 million world wide.
Now to make up that money the majors are losing from the sales because random shit just isnt selling 3million units anymore off of one hot single like it used to, labels are forced to recoup their loses through ringtones and other bullshit like that, which is the reason music is so fucked up right now.
So Jim Jones sold half as many records as say TI, but probably made 3 times as much money. Not to mention the fact that his Ballin single made CRAZY money.
The music industry really is a lot different right now than you seem to think.