wqer 0 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Generally, the life cycle of a boy band can be measured with scientific precision. A couple hit albums; stadium tours; crazed fans; album quality drops; one guy goes solo; tween fans grow up; you’re done. So in scientific terms, One Direction might be a modern miracle. Instead of fading away, as most boy bands tend to do after several years, the group appears to be stronger than ever. The guys just released their fourth album — the uncreatively-titled “Four†— this week. As critics noted, the fact that the band simply got to album No. 4 makes them an anomaly. Just look at the numbers: So far, each album the group released has outperformed the one before it in the debut week. The third, last year’s “Midnight Memories,†may have settled for less total sales than the previous two, but it still sold 564,000 copies its first week: It was a record-setting accomplishment, making One Direction the first group in history to debut with three No. 1 albums in a row. Billboard assistant editor Jason Lipshutz said it’s tempting (but still difficult in a fickle music industry) to forecast how long One Direction’s unusual dominance is going last. Still, it’s undeniable that the band has had an incredible run so far — and One Direction is squeezing in an unusual amount of hit music, Lipshutz said. Typically, the third album begins the decline, as with groups including NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. While they still had hits, they weren’t nearly as big as when album No. 2 came out. “One Direction proved to be the exception to the rule,†Lipshutz said. “They still put out a ton of successful music — part of that is releasing so much in such a little time frame.†In fact, “Four†is the fourth album in just as many years, following up “Up All Night†(2011), “Take Me Home†(2012) and “Midnight Memories†(2013). The flurry of releases is strategic, as you never know when, say, Harry Styles will want to go solo. After all, the typical boy band apex of popularity clocks in at about five years or less (NSYNC, for example, was 1997 to 2001.) So it’s best to pump out as much music as humanly possible in the golden window when they’re still hot. Lipshutz calls that “super-serving fans.†In other words, “Making sure they have a new album to buy, new songs to hear on the radio, new songs to sing along to on stadium tours,†he said, adding that the sheer volume of One Direction material available “is pretty remarkable.†One Direction also has the advantage of being a boy band in the digital age, when #FOUROutNow can trend worldwide for hours to remind fans to pick up that album; and things like hashtag voting for the guys on MTV’s Europe Music Awards keeps millions of “Directioners†engaged. Although the core tween fanbase can obviously grow up and lose interest, these days, there’s just so much more exposure — between Twitter, Instagram, Vine, YouTube — that fans can never really lose sight of the band. Most importantly, it gives them a personal connection that keeps them invested. Right now, music experts are keeping a close eye on the charts for “Four.†It’s definitely a departure for the guys, heading into even more of a classic rock sound than their very poppy debut, which scored big with songs like the cheerful “What Makes You Beautiful.†This could be a gamble — the first single off of “Four,†called “Steal My Girl,†debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard charts, a dip from previous songs. Then again, One Direction scored the second-biggest single hit of its career, “Story of My Life,†on its third album, proving fans liked a new sound. The group already announced a stadium tour for 2015. All signs point to that, just like the new album, being a success. Overall, Lipshutz​ said, “It’s hard to say when this thing is going to end.†http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/11/18/sorry-boy-band-haters-one-direction-seems-unstoppable/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnut 4 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Honestly, I don't mind them. They're not doing shitty things and their fans aren't too shitty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kowaiyo 1,123 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 YASS! SLAY 1D! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayxalka 444 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIM£ 2,060 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 1D's on the decline and the rumours of Zayn leaving are getting more legit by the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amix 12,096 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 @ everyone in this thread - do yourself a favor and listen to this gem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayxalka 444 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 @ everyone in this thread - do yourself a favor and listen to this gem [media]https://www.youtube.com/wa noooooo why you gotta pick that one! the bonus songs suckkkkkk!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegOnBoard 572 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 1D's on the decline and the rumours of Zayn leaving are getting more legit by the day Even if I'm not exactly a 1D fan, I can still asses this is not true. Nice try though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amix 12,096 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 noooooo why you gotta pick that one! the bonus songs suckkkkkk!!! i loVE THIS ONE NOOOOOOOOO WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS IS THE ONLY BONUS TRACK THAT'S GOOD but i digress, please disregard the above post and listen to this instead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayxalka 444 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 i loVE THIS ONE NOOOOOOOOO WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS IS THE ONLY BONUS TRACK THAT'S GOOD but i digress, please disregard the above post and listen to this instead [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v BETTER CHOICE omg but my sis and i were just talking about how out of all the bonus tracks, we thought Act My Age was the best out of the four. TUMBLR CAN MAKE FUN OF ACT MY AGE ALL THEY WANT, BUT THAT SHIT IS MY FREAKING JAM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imcoral 177 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amix 12,096 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 BETTER CHOICE omg but my sis and i were just talking about how out of all the bonus tracks, we thought Act My Age was the best out of the four. TUMBLR CAN MAKE FUN OF ACT MY AGE ALL THEY WANT, BUT THAT SHIT IS MY FREAKING JAM. sis........................act my age...............out of all the bonus tracks................. i still love u tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayxalka 444 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 sis........................act my age...............out of all the bonus tracks................. i still love u tho *strangles you with scarf* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amix 12,096 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 *strangles you with scarf* this mv is gonna kill me.........they even managed to make louis look somewhat presentable?????/ truly unbelievable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Your Juan and only 5,432 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 With how music and the internet is now compared to the 90s and 2000s its clear that they'll last longer making hits than past boybands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayxalka 444 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 this mv is gonna kill me.........they even managed to make louis look somewhat presentable?????/ truly unbelievable naw girl, they made pigeons look presentable. ok but anyways, im dying to know why louis got arrested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amix 12,096 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 naw girl, they made pigeons look presentable. ok but anyways, im dying to know why louis got arrested. what's supposed to go wrong with zayn's date? i saw the photos of harry falling on his ass ice skating and they killeddddddd me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkana 69 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 1 decline lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayxalka 444 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 what's supposed to go wrong with zayn's date? i saw the photos of harry falling on his ass ice skating and they killeddddddd me NOTHING. Zayn is perfection. Inside and out bby head to toe. Omg I cannot wait for Harry's... He legitimately looked like a real figure skater in some of the stills though. It must've been the cleavage and tight pants that did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariana Grande 800 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Honestly, I don't mind them. They're not doing shitty things and their fans aren't too shitty. I really beg to differ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnut 4 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I really beg to differ. Kpop fans are only slightly less shitty than one direction fans, honestly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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