Album Sales Continue to Plummet

Lowest weekly sales recorded since Soundscan began in 1991!

http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6236365/album-sales-hit-a-new-low-2014

So that's why Ace Frehley's album was able to crack the top ten.

I just noticed Accept went #1 in Finland.

Only in the record industry can nearly 4 million units sold in a WEEK be a failure...

Fat Freddy wrote:

So that's why Ace Frehley's album was able to crack the top ten.

That said, he still did sell MORE copies than Anomoly! 

Rolling Stone is clueless as usual.......

I would also venture to say that the fact that economic never recovered from the 2008 crash has something to do with it too

thejokeriv wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

So that's why Ace Frehley's album was able to crack the top ten.

That said, he still did sell MORE copies than Anomoly! 

Rolling Stone is clueless as usual.......

I would also venture to say that the fact that economic never recovered from the 2008 crash has something to do with it too

Also the fact that if you wanted to buy a physical copy of CD, good look in finding a store near you that sells CD's and if they bother, have a selection big enough to make it worth your time.

manny wrote:

thejokeriv wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

So that's why Ace Frehley's album was able to crack the top ten.

That said, he still did sell MORE copies than Anomoly! 

Rolling Stone is clueless as usual.......

I would also venture to say that the fact that economic never recovered from the 2008 crash has something to do with it too

Also the fact that if you wanted to buy a physical copy of CD, good look in finding a store near you that sells CD's and if they bother, have a selection big enough to make it worth your time.

Yep, HUGE issue... the coked up label execs desperately want buying a soft copy to be the only way you can get music.. since they can sell music for the same price, but not have incur the cost of a CD pressing plant.

manny wrote:

thejokeriv wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

So that's why Ace Frehley's album was able to crack the top ten.

That said, he still did sell MORE copies than Anomoly! 

Rolling Stone is clueless as usual.......

I would also venture to say that the fact that economic never recovered from the 2008 crash has something to do with it too

Also the fact that if you wanted to buy a physical copy of CD, good look in finding a store near you that sells CD's and if they bother, have a selection big enough to make it worth your time.

Not only that but they make it too hard to find what you want. They are not stocked correctly, I might be looking for Megadeth and find a George Strait CD in the Megadeth section... It's like a leftover yard sale. Then they have a bargain bins where CD's are just thrown in on top of each other and there is no way you'd ever make it to the bottom. It just isn't worth the effort anymore. The only time I pick up a CD these days is if something on the TOP on the pile catches my eye. Found South Saturn Delta for 5 bucks and it was on top of the pile as I was walking by.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Only in the record industry can nearly 4 million units sold in a WEEK be a failure...

From the article above:
"What can I say about this week's sales," says yet another distribution sales executive. "I remember when album sales fell under 10 million units and the industry reacted like it was a tragedy."



... now I bet they refer to the 10-million-unit era as "the good ol' days."

Gone are the days when an album would sell 950,000 copies in the first week of release like Pearl Jam did with Vs.

S.D. wrote:

Gone are the days when an album would sell 950,000 copies in the first week of release like Pearl Jam did with Vs.  

Thanks to the inter-web thingy and folks with entitlement issues.

In even more disturbing/hilarious news: that country-music Motley Crue tribute album ("Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Motley Crue") sold 31,000 (!) copies last week and charted at #5.

Humanity is doomed.

Blabbermouth wrote:

"Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" sold around 31,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No 5 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on August 19 via Big Machine Records.

"Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" features covers of 15 MÖTLEY CRÜE hits dating back to the early '80s by such country stars as FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, Justin Moore, Brantley Gilbert, LeAnn Rimes and HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH frontman Darius Rucker.

The first single from "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" is Justin Moore's version of "Home Sweet Home" featuring Vince Neil.

"Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" track listing:

01. RASCAL FLATTS - "Kickstart My Heart"
02. FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE - "If I Die Tomorrow"
03. LEANN RIMES - "Smokin' In The Boys Room"
04. JUSTIN MOORE - "Home Sweet Home"
05. CASSADDE POPE WITH ROBIN ZANDER - "The Animal In Me"
06. AARON LEWIS - "Afraid"
07. BIG & RICH - "SOS"
08. SAM PALLADIO AND CLARE BOWEN - "Without You"
09. ELI YOUNG BAND - "Don't Go Away Mad"
10. LAUREN JENKINS - "Looks That Kill"
11. THE CADILLAC THREE - "Live Wire"
12. THE MAVERICKS - "Dr. Feelgood"
13. BRANTLEY GILBERT - "Girls, Girls, Girls"
14. GRETCHEN WILSON - "Wild Side"
15. DARIUS RUCKER - "Time For Change"

Fat Freddy wrote:

In even more disturbing/hilarious news: that country-music Motley Crue tribute album ("Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Motley Crue") sold 31,000 (!) copies last week and charted at #5.

Humanity is doomed.  

Blabbermouth wrote:

"Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" sold around 31,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No 5 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on August 19 via Big Machine Records.

"Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" features covers of 15 MÖTLEY CRÜE hits dating back to the early '80s by such country stars as FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, Justin Moore, Brantley Gilbert, LeAnn Rimes and HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH frontman Darius Rucker.

The first single from "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" is Justin Moore's version of "Home Sweet Home" featuring Vince Neil.

"Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" track listing:

01. RASCAL FLATTS - "Kickstart My Heart"
02. FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE - "If I Die Tomorrow"
03. LEANN RIMES - "Smokin' In The Boys Room"
04. JUSTIN MOORE - "Home Sweet Home"
05. CASSADDE POPE WITH ROBIN ZANDER - "The Animal In Me"
06. AARON LEWIS - "Afraid"
07. BIG & RICH - "SOS"
08. SAM PALLADIO AND CLARE BOWEN - "Without You"
09. ELI YOUNG BAND - "Don't Go Away Mad"
10. LAUREN JENKINS - "Looks That Kill"
11. THE CADILLAC THREE - "Live Wire"
12. THE MAVERICKS - "Dr. Feelgood"
13. BRANTLEY GILBERT - "Girls, Girls, Girls"
14. GRETCHEN WILSON - "Wild Side"
15. DARIUS RUCKER - "Time For Change"

It's got country Hootie on it. So there's that.

James B. wrote:

S.D. wrote:

Gone are the days when an album would sell 950,000 copies in the first week of release like Pearl Jam did with Vs.  

Thanks to the inter-web thingy and folks with entitlement issues.

There is a lot more to the story than that, the way the record labels responded to the internet (head in sand, praying it would go away) is as much to blame for the current state of things.

S.D. wrote:

James B. wrote:

S.D. wrote:

Gone are the days when an album would sell 950,000 copies in the first week of release like Pearl Jam did with Vs.  

Thanks to the inter-web thingy and folks with entitlement issues.

There is a lot more to the story than that, the way the record labels responded to the internet (head in sand, praying it would go away) is as much to blame for the current state of things.  

Looking out my window, the labels lack of response to the internet falls under the inter-web thingy umbrella. Why ? Because if you didn't have the inter-web thingy....there wouldn't be nuthin to stick head in sand over nor pray would go away. Suppose I wasn't specific enough ?

Regardless, even if they anticipated things and adjusted to the coming technology. Would that still have eliminated those with entitlement issues ? There are not very many music listeners (notice I didn't state consumers) who are gonna purchase a download if they can visit www.musicthieves.net and get it for free. They (the labels) did drop the ball regarding streaming. The business model currently adapted should have been designed for more revenue generated/dispersed appropriately.
They allowed the entities providing the service dictate the business model when in better business sense, the ones making the product should determine market value or lack thereof.

I want to check out that Country Crue tribute...probably the only way a tribute album for them could be interesting...as I don't need to hear Dee Snyder, with Bruce Kulick, Rudy Sarzo and Fred Coury have a go at "Home Sweet Home".

And have the cover proudly exclaim "Tribute to the most kickin' ass band ever featuring members of Twisted Sister, KISS and Cinderella!

Also, I read somewhere once, maybe last year or the year before, that country music is one genre that still sells comparatively high numbers of CDs, against other genres. Which makes sense. I could see the average country fan grabbing the new Brad Paisley CD at Wal-Mart over getting it from torrent blog or something.

Given the sheer proportion of musicians who were utterly screwed by their labels over the course of DECADES - I mean, we're talking "I worked my ass off for these guys and ended up in debt and having medical issues due to depression because I didn't know where my next meal was coming from while they cashed millions on my stuff" levels of ripped off here - and how much better individual musicians in an independent capacity are doing these days.. Eh, my heart ain't exactly bleeding for the industry.

This is a sea change we're witnessing. There were scads of hangers on, execs, middle men, and associated "gophers" who were probably just collecting "lunch" and/or "dry cleaning" for said execs and middle men who were high on the hog for decades while even successful artists had to scrape to get by. Ditto for stupid institutions like the R&R HoF, which is still struggling to remain relevant by inducting anyone (regardless of credential or genre) with a sizeable fanbase in order to attract viewers.

The next era is going to belong to the musicians who take the time to put out good product and treat their fans well and we're already seeing the proof of this in action. Sadly, we may never see a Beatles level mass hysteria over one band, but music isn't what it used to be. Hell, Twitter celebs get more creedence than music or movie stars anymore. That kind of mob attention has moved on and, honestly, music is probably the better for it.

Quote :

The next era is going to belong to the musicians who take the time to put out good product and treat their fans well and we're already seeing the proof of this in action. Sadly, we may never see a Beatles level mass hysteria over one band, but music isn't what it used to be. Hell, Twitter celebs get more creedence than music or movie stars anymore. That kind of mob attention has moved on and, honestly, music is probably the better for it.

I agree

I remember buying Anomaly the day it came out. I went to Best Buy and they were out. I asked the sales clerk and he said they only got one copy. Really??? One copy of a new release from a legend? Ended up going to Walmart. That said, I very rarely buy physical copies of music anymore unless it's signed or is something I cannot get on mp3. Can't handle having all the stuff anymore.

S.D. wrote:

Gone are the days when an album would sell 950,000 copies in the first week of release like Pearl Jam did with Vs.  

And I bought one of those copies that week.......

(by far, their best album)

Technology changes and you either adapt or perish. The labels didn't adapt quickly enough and they are in deep shit. However, they ignored the possibility of streaming, they tried to pretend downloading didn't exist, they refused to lower their prices on CDs which cost pennies to produce but were somehow still worth a $17.99 retail price and basically stayed at least 5 years behind any change in the marketplace. In addition they also offered huge deals to massive retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, Best Buy, etc. who in turn killed off the entire mom & pop record store market because they couldn't compete with the price point offered by these behemoths. So the record labels themselves basically assured their own destruction by closing most stores in the country where you could actually buy their products.

It seems the labels felt just about as safe as the buggy whip manufacturers at the beginning of the 20th century, guys who felt that these new-fangled horseless carriages were just a fad and would never impact their bulletproof business model.

This is yet another reason I really believe digital copies of purchased music should be counted along with physical copies.

I mean, both CDs and cassettes were counted when CDs and cassettes were competing against each other, so why can't they do the same with physical and digital music? Besides, it gives the musicians that much more credit.

Required Fields wrote:

This is yet another reason I really believe digital copies of purchased music should be counted along with physical copies.

I mean, both CDs and cassettes were counted when CDs and cassettes were competing against each other, so why can't they do the same with physical and digital music? Besides, it gives the musicians that much more credit.

Nielsen SoundScan does count digital sales...

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/legal-and-management/6041328/nielsens-q1-numbers-sales-down-streams-up

2014 Q1: 27,8M downloaded albums + 31,9M CDs = 59,7M albums sold

That equals to about 4,6M per week total

Correct. Purchased downloads are counted as record sales and just like other formats (except vinyl) they are in decline because of the rise of streaming services. Why pay $.99 or $1.29 to download 1 song when for $9.99 a month you can have access to millions of songs on Spotify? That's the mindset driving the increase in streaming.

Runicen wrote:

Given the sheer proportion of musicians who were utterly screwed by their labels over the course of DECADES - I mean, we're talking "I worked my ass off for these guys and ended up in debt and having medical issues due to depression because I didn't know where my next meal was coming from while they cashed millions on my stuff" levels of ripped off here - and how much better individual musicians in an independent capacity are doing these days..  Eh, my heart ain't exactly bleeding for the industry.  

This is a sea change we're witnessing.  There were scads of hangers on, execs, middle men, and associated "gophers" who were probably just collecting "lunch" and/or "dry cleaning" for said execs and middle men who were high on the hog for decades while even successful artists had to scrape to get by.  Ditto for stupid institutions like the R&R HoF, which is still struggling to remain relevant by inducting anyone (regardless of credential or genre) with a sizeable fanbase in order to attract viewers.  

The next era is going to belong to the musicians who take the time to put out good product and treat their fans well and we're already seeing the proof of this in action.  Sadly, we may never see a Beatles level mass hysteria over one band, but music isn't what it used to be.  Hell, Twitter celebs get more creedence than music or movie stars anymore.  That kind of mob attention has moved on and, honestly, music is probably the better for it.

All of this. I do think that music is all the better for it, far fewer bands taking the radio friendly route due to pressure from labels.