It's like this
Chart Beat is Billboard magazine writer Fred Bronson's column. Each week, Fred includes
user question-and-answer sessions. This week, someone wrote in to ask why Mariah's new
single "It's Like That" is slipping on the Billboard Hot 100 despite its rise in airplay.
Hi Fred. I'm writing to you once more, this time concerning Mariah Carey's latest single,
"It's Like That". On Billboard's latest Hot Digital Songs chart the song has gone down
46-57 in its fourth week. For the first time that I can remember, Mariah's suffering from
a huge amount of airplay and little sales, as opposed to her usual huge sales figures (the
"Heartbreaker" single sold more than 200,000 copies in its first week by the time it was
released in 1999).
Do you have any idea why Mariah is selling so little despite so much radio support? Could
a song like that still make it to the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 under the chart's new
rules? Thanks, Gustavo Pessoa.
Dear Gustavo. It is ironic that radio is finally playing a Mariah Carey song, and her fans
aren't buying it in the numbers they have in the past. I can't tell you why that is, but
"It's Like That" would have a much easier time making it into the top 10 if more people
were purchasing the single.
Can the song reach the top 10 anyway, based on airplay? It's possible, but it's a rougher
road to travel. This week on the Hot 100, "It's Like That" backslides 19-20, but retains
its bullet. That means the song's overall point total increased from last week, even though
it was forced one rung down the chart.
(Billboard)
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