Sounds like we’re going right back into that “sales = greatness” argument, which is bullshit.
Guys like Em and MC Hammer would’ve be Kings of Hip-Hop is that was the case.
No. Sales does count, but only about 25%. You have to have a discography worth listening to, a commercial appeal anyone cares about, and a legacy people will remember, or at least revered.
That’s why I dropped the National Registry of Recordings list. THOSE artists may not have the most sales, but it’s clear the impact on their work has had its long-lasting effect not only on the culture but on music as a whole.