Despite sales, Ciara's music is built to last

You might not be able to tell from record sales, but Ciara’s catalog of music, spaced out over her handful of albums so far, will likely have more staying power than, say, Rihanna’s and maybe even Beyonce’s.

Even as her most potent video to date, “Ride” faces ostracism from both video music powerhouses on TV, VH1 and BET, Cici has managed to communicate her musical message to the fans.

While Beyonce and artists like Monica and Keri Hilson have capitalized on the sound of Now, Ciara’s sound is futuristic, robotic even. Of course, her greatest success was with producer Jazze Pha, who produced her debut single, “Goodies.” But since then her music has evolved, even as her following hasn’t.  Her music is sonically closer to Aaliyah’s than any other artist. CiCi isn’t the only female artist out there with lackluster sales though.

Her debut album sold more than 5 million copies. Her second album, “Evolution” clocked in at 2 million in 2006, not stellar but decent for a music business that was in full decline by then. Her third album, the many-times-delayed  “Fantasy Ride” sold a pitiful 200,000 copies in the States and caused people to question her sound.

While music will continue to get more computerized, and less organic, her sound prove more durable over the long haul. Now, that won’t do her any good in the short term, as newcomers continue to eat up ever-shrinking market share around her, but people will one day appreciate her for what she was. In other words, those Goodies may last forever.

Related posts: