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Re: New album (92,139) (92,156) by Timothy from USA Andrew: Although you make valid counterpoints, is it not a reasonable observation that the top of the charts in the 70s and 80s had a lot more middle aged singers (both male and female)? *This is not meant to be antagonist* I just want to be clear about the underlying sentiment for the ageism argument. (Sunday 5 January 2020; 03:43)

Mariah's original Christmas in one album for 2020 (92,155) by Rashidi Rahim Rick from Malaysia By the end of the year of 2020, if the Billboard does not change the current rules, AIWFCIY may be able to top the Hot 100 chart again. So I would hope to help promote the song, might as well Mariah would compile all the original songs written and produced by her in one album, plus one or two new songs. The trackslist as below: 1. All I Want For Christmas Is You 2. Oh Santa 3. Christmas Time Is In The Air 4. Miss You Most At Christmas Time 5. When Christmas Comes 6. Jesus Born On This Day 7. One Child 8. Lil Snowman 9. The Star 10. Where Are You Christmas 11. New song 12. New song (Sunday 5 January 2020; 01:48)

Ticket sells (92,154) by Gee from U.S.A. (New York City) We are definitely in a different time, and era touring is a major way for many artists to make a living besides side projects because album sells have continued to diminish throughout the last decade. Honestly a lot of these newer artists are trying to keep their money flowing just as established artists are trying to do. But we should not compare an established artist like M to Ariana because there fan bases are two different demographics, and even if we compared them at 26 it would be unfair because it is two different eras and Ariana will never see those sells numbers because they will never happen in the music industry again. But there is room for both. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 22:30)

Re: I Had A Vision Of Love (92,146) (92,153) by Andrew from the United Kingdom I think Mariah's autobiography should be based upon positivity and not become another woe-is-me fest. She's done that and it's old. I think it should relate bad times but be spun positively and try to inspire people. The best autobiographies do, e.g., Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela (we_are_lambily - these are examples of "books"). Mariah is obviously very poetical and has written a plethora of insightful and inspiring songs, so the book should be like that. It should make young women strive to make something of themselves rather than listening to snowflakes tell them not to bother trying because they will always be held back. That was always her strongest message. She needs to look inside herself and find it again (ha). If the marketing of the book is simply "Mariah reveals shocking things about some people who did some stuff in the past - get the latest shock snippet here, folks" then it will turn people away from her. She has an opportunity to put out something as profound and inspiring as some of her songs. She should grasp that opportunity. "Looking In" is a good song, but rather depressing. "Prepare To Fly" - I'm telling ya, a stone winner. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 22:10)

Re: New album (92,145) (92,152) by Andrew from the United Kingdom "Depending on wheter [sic] you watch CNN or Fox News, you have two different mindsets." (You base your viewpoint on which news channel you have allegiance to? Read some books, kid.) "And the fact that he tried to dismiss the pay gap is laughable." (Read books? You can't even read posts. I referred to the fact that the majority of respected economists have debunked the politically-approved theory of the gender pay gap citing different choices man and women make. E.g. education, physicality of positions, years of experience, hours worked, not taking breaks to raise children, and so on. Seriously, read posts properly. And read some books.) "Mariah has nothing left to prove." (Vacant people like you often have stated this. And it's true. She doesn't have anything to prove but only if she doesn't want to sell records and concert tickets, again. If she does, then she absolutely has to prove herself worth the expense.) "[T]he fact that she is more successful than every male artist is enough for me." (Ugh. I believe Eminem has sold more than Mariah despite releasing his first song 9 years after VOL. Ed Sheeran has sold 3/4 of her sales despite releasing his first song under a decade ago. I believe this to be fairly accurate. But who care about accuracy around here?) (Saturday 4 January 2020; 21:59)

Re: Madonna accuses BBC of ageism (92,148) (92,151) by Andrew from the United Kingdom "The vast majority of people who like Madonna, who like her music now, are over 30 and frankly, we’ve moved on from Madonna.” Some people on this board are rather simple. Madonna is calling the radio station sexist. The point in this quote reiterates what I stated. The radio stations play to their demographics. If Madonna wants to throw around accusations of "-isms" I suggest she do it to British people between the ages of 16 and 30 (to whom the radio station is aimed). Because it is they who do not want to hear Madonna's awful new music. If they did, BBC Radio1 would play it. But Madonna won't do that. She hasn't got the balls. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 21:48)

Article: Carey struggling to sell tickets in Las Vegas (92,150) by Betty from Canada Oh, and of course, I forgot to mention that they also will have to factor in inflation if they do try to compare Mariah's world tour numbers from way back then to Ariana's world tour numbers now. Anyway, shame on the person who wrote this low quality article on Radar Online. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 21:15)

Article: Carey struggling to sell tickets in Las Vegas (92,149) by Betty from Canada First of all, I don't think it is fair to compare a world tour with a Las Vegas residency. Nor is it far to compare artists that are so far apart in the length of their careers like Ariana and Mariah. They should compare Mariah's residency numbers with other Las Vegas residencies or Ariana's world tour numbers to Mariah's world tour numbers when she was Ariana's age (Saturday 4 January 2020; 20:59)

Madonna accuses BBC of ageism (92,148) by 123 from USA Ima leave this right here. Funny how Madonna and her manager, who are in the industry, state differently than people's imagination around here. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 20:57)

Not for long (92,147) by Gee from U.S.A. (New York City) After all the great things that happened to Mariah to end the year, and a decade that saw a lot of twists and turns to say the least. I see that our dysfunctional family is back to being an angry, and negative majority again. It is sad when it becomes the supporters who are betting against you many times after feeling like you have to prove yourself constantly as Mariah does mostly all the time. We are not going to like or love everything that Mariah does, however we do not have to continue to be apart of the negative circus either. As long as she gives us great music which is what we love for in the first place what she decides to do in her personal life outside of entertainment we should allow her to live her life as long as she is happy, and healthy, and more importantly that her children are doing well and she is being the best mother to them that she is allowed, and blessed to be. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 20:48)

Re: I Had A Vision Of Love (92,132) (92,146) by Bill from the UK I don't think it's necessarily a bad title. Vision of Love means so much to Mariah. It's virtually the only number she sings 100% live to this day, and is always on her setlists. She said whenever she sings it, it transports her back to those early days, and the feeling of optimism she had ("sweet destiny" indeed). The song was a thank you letter to God for helping her succeed "in finding the place I conceived". And as she wrote in the Emotions album liner notes, when thanking God for her success and talent, "I'll be eternally grateful, holding you so close to me." It's what started it all. The first song she wrote after getting her record deal, written in celebration and gratefulness, it was the song that introduced the world to her unbridled talent, and started what would be an incredibly long and successful career. I was gritting my teeth thinking she'd call it "Memoirs of an elusive chanteuse" or something along those lines, so I'm not upset if this does "turn out to be" the title. But, there are plenty of other options that would work. I would have simply called it "Looking In". (Saturday 4 January 2020; 17:23)

Re: New album (92,139) (92,145) by We are Lambily from USA There is no point in tryna convince someone like Andrew, America proves that best. Depending on wheter [sic] you watch CNN or Fox News, you have two different mindsets. Sexism is proven in every male dominated work field. And the fact that he tried to dismiss the pay gap is laughable. Mariah has nothing left to prove and the fact that she is more successful than every male artist is enough for me. Queen of music and Michael Jackson is the king. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 16:39)

Re: Article: Carey struggling to sell tickets in Las Vegas (92,142) (92,144) by RibbonB from USA I threw it because I knew you would. But let's try to "be best" in the new year. We have a whole nut in the Casa Blanca, there is so much more to consider like WWIII. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 15:59)

Re: New album (92,138) (92,143) by MusicfanJ from Germany Yup, great post. Very long, but it was interesting to read. Everything was on point. Thumbs up. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 13:44)

Re: Article: Carey struggling to sell tickets in Las Vegas (92,127) (92,142) by Licia from USA I caught all that shade Ribbon and I loved it. Lmao. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 12:02)

Correction (92,141) by Dove from United States And now I know I've succeeded in finding the place I conceived. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 11:52)

Re: I Had A Vision Of Love (92,135) (92,140) by Andrew from the United Kingdom *** Preparing To Fly: Notes That Need To Be Sung A Memoir by Mariah Carey *** The title "Preparing To Fly" obviously references Butterfly. But it's also very self-help-y and positive. As is the byline, "Notes That Need To Be Sung" - obviously referencing music, but also the memoir being literal notes on momentous events in her life. That they "need to be sung" adds an air of intrigue as the stories have not yet been told but must be heard. It references Mariah's songs and music career, her desire to reveal truths as she sees them, but also suggests you can learn from her story yourself in a self-help manner. I swear I should be on Mariah's staff. Or perhaps just get some sleep. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 04:32)

Re: New album (92,133) (92,139) by Andrew from the United Kingdom "With You and A No No were... no We Belong Together or Shake It Off, but they were much better than and stood out from many of the songs that were released at that time." In your opinion. The majority of the music purchasing world disagreed with you. "A No No" was hardly anything special and, suffice is to say, Mariah has been rehashing her sound for a long time so I think the wider public does not care if Song X Part 7 is released. Parts 1 to 3 were fine and all paid for. "Besides, quality has always been more of a bonus than a prerequisite for a chart-topping song." I am almost certain you would not have said the same thing during the 90's when Mariah ruled the Hot 100. Or during TEOM. Nonsense. "But ageism still plays into this somehow." Instead of saying "somehow", explain *how*. I hope you do. But I have already read ahead and, well, you do not. "Cher's Believe... happened at a period when the listening public was more welcoming of artists in their 40s and 50s and hence were still able to chart more often than they can today." Really not worth the electricity it's beaming out of my screen on. People, for the most part, don't decide to become music artists and shoot for the big time in their mid to late life. They start out younger, bold, fresh and driven, and, if they reach success and don't throw it away or become jaded, and attain the financial prize of longevity, they reach their middle to later years having the luxury of being able to continue with output. I would say that is true of any era. There is nothing to show that this is any less true today than it was 20 years. Michael Buble sells reasonably well for an old timer in his, that's right, mid 40's. "The success of these hits..." All very interesting but not relevant and kind of muddled. "As for sexism, let's just throw in a bunch of random facts." Again, I've read ahead but I like your confidence in using the word "facts" at this point. "It's gonna be a more difficult road for a woman who isn't seen constantly near a piano or a guitar to be taken seriously." You have, I think changed 2 comparators instead of 1 which is, on the face of it, a manipulation of a debate. The question should be: is a woman who does not play an instrument viewed as less praiseworthy than a man who does not play an instrument? I see nothing to support this. "Men, on the other hand, are almost automatically assumed to write and produce their own material." I thought you were going to do "facts"? This is conjecture. Where is the evidence? Do you have results of a poll? "Very few women producers are ever awarded, let alone nominated for their work, and that's clearly not just because there are less of them than their male counterparts." "Facts", please? I do miss them. And logic, for that matter. For if there are significantly less members of group B than of group A and it is fairly assumed that talent is evenly distributed across both groups, it is axiomatic that more people in group A would be recognised and awarded than group B. You could question as to why group B is significantly smaller in number and debate whether or not attempting to bolster its membership would be realistic, necessary or productive but it's not relevant here. "But for every woman that makes it big, trust that there already is a 'man behind the woman' piece already written to help justify her success." Where are these "facts" you were going to talk of? This is just conjecture, again. And nonsensical, again. You can't just insert the word "trust" and think it makes something convincing. All artists' rises to the top are charted, discussed, broadcast and published to promote the artists' output and increase sales - often by the artists themselves. The public likes a backstory, whatever the backstory is. I would never have heard of Scooter Braun 10 years ago were it not for a young artist he discovered and pushed into stardom. Mariah's very first song was about her personal struggle. I believe she also had no shoes upon her feet. "The gender pay gap also exists in the music industry." If you read a lot of economists, they do not think it exists at all. "When it comes to the top players, the biggest record deals in history (upwards $150 million) are all signed by male artists." I seem to recall Mariah Carey once signing the biggest record deal of all time. Followed by Whitney Houston. Let's go for the most recent biggest signing: Adele signed a $130m record deal in 2016. Nobody has beaten that figure since. Madonna signed a $120m dollar deal in 2012 (and she's no spring chicken, despite drooling into the mouths of young men who were not even born when she was their age (would the press be so blasé were a 62yo man sleeping with a 25yo woman? I think not, and that is sexist, right?)). But higher than this you have the likes of Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Jay Z and U2. Were Bieber on the list I would be on your side. But to pick $150m dollars so that women just fell short of the mark smacks of playing games. "So if you still think that sexism and ageism are merely convenient excuses that fans of affected stars tell themselves to sleep at night, then sure, you're entitled to that opinion. That's what's true to you and that's all the validation you need." Validation? Has your thesaurus got a virus? Sexism and ageism naturally exist. Indeed, to name a male artist and say that he has only been, or would otherwise not have been, recognized over a particular woman because he is, or were he not, male, is, in itself, definitively sexist. It would need factual support or it would, to most moral standards, be morally unpraiseworthy. The issue is that claims of ageism and sexism are too often made without merit, are frequently based on hyperbole and can simply play fast and loose with truths. They seem to increasingly be made with convenience in petulant annoyance at things which are completely natural, and, as such, shouldn't be seen as issues. That is to say, some people like you and some people don't and, further, as you continue to age, young people tend not to want to associate themselves with you. Because you're not "cool" and they want people to whom they feel they can relate. Just like all the current older people did when they were younger. Just as your parents and their parents did. What is natural and not bothersome should not invoke a faux fury. "But you also can't fault the fans who notice and acknowledge the increasing evidence pointing to the contrary and that Mariah is not an exception to that." Evidence? Must have missed it. "This goes for any female artist out there who is past her prime, a former chart titan, and still doesn't get the credit she deserves in the music industry after all of her years in it." Mariah doesn't get credit? Oh, for the love of facts. To reiterate, and not to be too "reductive": the main radio stations are not "ageist" in any kind of morally reprehensible form of the word. They play the music younger people (or, if you will, the majority of the record buying public) will purchase - music from fresh new artists with new sounds and new ideas; artists who are, therefore, mostly young. And in 10 or 20 years time perhaps they'll be on websites dedicated to those artists the artist they have journeyed through all that time with, well into the early hours of the morning, bashing away at their keyboards, trying to convince the world it has gone totally mad. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 03:32)

Re: New album (92,133) (92,138) by Timothy from USA This was really well written. Especially the section on the rare late career hits of those other artists. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 01:14)

Re: Article: Carey struggling to sell tickets in Las Vegas (92,130) (92,137) by Timothy from USA Smh. Vegas shows typically sell the bulk of tickets the day before or day of as visitors make selections on entertainment upon arrival, based upon hotel concierge recommendations and local promotion. There was so much factually incorrect about that article that it would take too long to dissect. There are complex algorithms used to anticipate demand for artist shows and if there was any real threat that Mariah's show would lose money, Ceasar's would not renew her. She is on the same pre-sale pace of Celine her last time around. To compare a residency show in a tourist town to a national tour is not apples to apples. The author seemed biased and pot stirring. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 00:55)

Re: Article: Carey struggling to sell tickets in Las Vegas (92,127) (92,136) by We are Lambily from USA I honestly want her to focus on other ventures but she will sell a lot more tickets as we get closer to the date. Work on that album, Mariah needs documentary’s [sic]. The new generation has to know Mariah in order for them to love Mariah and the older generation gotta fall back in love with her. Her image has gotten better but we need more. Her team gotta book her on networks she has never been on. I’m done with the same media routine. I’m hopeful for the future but miss Melissa gotta work harder than ever before. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 00:44)

Re: I Had A Vision Of Love (92,132) (92,135) by Rashidi Rahim Rick from Malaysia Yup. I don't like the title as well. Too much "the woe is me" type of thing. I'd prefer if she named it "My All" meaning that she gave her all story, honest and brutal, in the book. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 00:29)

Re: I Had A Vision Of Love (92,132) (92,134) by Dove from United States I like that title because I interpret that song being about her life and music career. She envisioned making music for a living and the universe/God gave her the desire of her heart and in abundance. Everything that has happened in her life needed to happen and took her to where she was meant to be. She's grateful for all of it. One of my favorite lines is: And now I know I've succeeded in finding the place I'd conceived. (Saturday 4 January 2020; 00:09)

Re: New album (92,087) (92,133) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines While I do agree that the ageism and sexism are terms that tend to be carelessly thrown around more often than they should be, to imply that applying them to Mariah is merely an example of bitter fans blaming everything and everyone else to make her look like the victim all the time is just reductive. Let's talk about quality first. If everything was down to the quality of output, then Mariah shouldn't have had any problems competing with the younger artists and much of their comparatively subpar output that were filling the top 10 when With You and A No No were released. Those songs were no We Belong Together or Shake It Off, but they were much better than and stood out from many of the songs that were released at that time. Besides, quality has always been more of a bonus than a prerequisite for a chart-topping song. You said it yourself, the radio plays by demand to cater to a certain age demographic - that is true. That listeners would tend to gravitate towards artists closer to their age - that also is true. That a genuinely great song released by the right artist at the right time will resonate with the public and be a hit - that's true (although not always what happens). But ageism still plays into this somehow. Take Cher's Believe - that excellent song's success was, while phenomenal, clearly a rare thing that also happened at a period when the listening public was more welcoming of artists in their 40s and 50s and hence were still able to chart more often than they can today, where "more often" still isn't saying a lot. The success of these hits by older artists were also a result of luck, perfect timing, spot-on promotion or benefited from collaborating with younger, then more popular artists. Aretha's last hit was with George Michael, who could do no wrong in 1987. Barbra's last hit was a off of a soundtrack for her successful self-directed and produced movie in 1996, Elton's last major hit was a remake of an old song as a tribute to the beloved late Princess Diana. It took a virtual father-daughter duet remix of Unforgettable (uncommon at the time) for the Nat King Cole song to become a chart hit and be showered with Grammys 4 decades later. J.Lo's last hit largely owed its success to its interpolation of Lambada, its popular music video and her AI stint. Believe was quite possibly the first mainstream pop song to incorporate the blatant use of Autotune, which was new technology and a fresh sound at the time. Michael's last posthumous hit was a shelved Paul Anka composition redone as a duet with Justin Timberlake. Madonna needed a Bond soundtrack in 2002, a cleverly used ABBA sample in 2005, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland in 2008 and Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. as well as a Superbowl headlining deal in 2012 to get her most recent major chart hits. Most of the audience responsible for making Old Town Road the blockbuster that it was had no idea who Billy Ray Cyrus was before the song became a smash. AIWFCIY is a holiday standard that could have taken even longer to reach the top spot if not for streaming and the progressive perennial promotion it has received. This is not to take away from these tracks' merits as hits or their respective artists as hitmakers - it just shows that these songs haven't exactly been the usual regular releases from their artists, and the fact that they were few and far in between shows that their successes were of a rare, special kind. It can't be coincidental that the only thing that these hits have in common are the fact that their artists were over 40 when at the time of their release/resurgence. As for sexism, let's just throw in a bunch of random facts. Men are more easily inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame while it takes women several years of (questioned) nominations just for a select few to get in. Paul McCartney and other male songwriters are more frequently acknowledged than Mariah who has written at least 95% of her charting songs. It's gonna be a more difficult road for a woman who isn't seen constantly near a piano or a guitar to be taken seriously. Men, on the other hand, are almost automatically assumed to write and produce their own material. Very few women producers are ever awarded, let alone nominated for their work, and that's clearly not just because there are less of them than their male counterparts. When male artists are on top, less attention is paid towards the machine that helped propel them there and they are pretty much painted as self-made successes. But for every woman that makes it big, trust that there already is a "man behind the woman" piece already written to help justify her success. We of all fans should know that. If Mariah didn't have such a standout, rare prodigious talent, then she likely would have been lumped together with all the other female artists whose achievements have been credited to every other thing first before their actual talent and creativity. The gender pay gap also exists in the music industry. When it comes to the top players, the biggest record deals in history (upwards $150 million) are all signed by male artists. So if you still think that sexism and ageism are merely convenient excuses that fans of affected stars tell themselves to sleep at night, then sure, you're entitled to that opinion. That's what's true to you and that's all the validation you need. But you also can't fault the fans who notice and acknowledge the increasing evidence pointing to the contrary and that Mariah is not an exception to that. This goes for any female artist out there who is past her prime, a former chart titan, and still doesn't get the credit she deserves in the music industry after all of her years in it. (Friday 3 January 2020; 23:57)

I Had A Vision Of Love (92,132) by Will from Australia I've read online that the memoir is called "I Had A Vision Of Love" and is due in September 2020 but I hope that's not true as the title is a bit meh for me (Friday 3 January 2020; 23:46)

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