It's All Relative

So I click on this link because the headline makes me curious: "Madonna Sets Humiliating Record". 

 

And the humiliation? Her newest release sold a measely 46,000 copies last week.  After selling 337,000 the previous week. This makes it a 'commercial failure'.

 

See, she goosed her album sales by pairing the album with ticket sales. And the 'problem' is that all her shows are sold-out or nearly sold-out now.

 

...

 

I am not a particular Madonna fan (I generally like the songs I've heard by her, but I don't own any of her work), but I would just like to note that if I ever have 46,000 people pay money for something I've made, I'll count that as a success. Also, if an almost completely sold-out tour is a sign of commercial failure, you may need to reconsider your touring costs.