|
Post by areyoureadytojump on Oct 20, 2014 9:24:20 GMT -5
Coldplay could hit a million if they were discounted around the holidays And I wouldn't doubt 1D's ability to scan a million with Christmas sales. There are a lot of teenage girls in America, and a lot of parents with stockings to stuff. Coldplay has to sell 268,000 in the next 11 weeks. I forgot about One Direction! But, they are likely to scan 1 million in January.
|
|
|
Post by areyoureadytojump on Oct 20, 2014 9:30:44 GMT -5
www.wonderingsound.com/news/no-platinum-albums-in-2014-not-so-fast/No Platinum Albums in 2014? Not So FastBy Marc Hogan Lead News Writer on 10.17.14 in News @marchogan Music sales numbers for the first nine months of the year came in earlier this week, and they’re not pretty. Notably, no single artist’s album has sold 1 million copies yet through September, as Billboard reports, citing Nielsen SoundScan. A post by a Forbes.com contributor, grimly titled “Not One Artist’s Album Has Gone Platinum In 2014,” has since been making the rounds. But is it accurate? And should music listeners be worried? The basic depressing point is sound enough. Disney’s Frozen soundtrack has sold 3.1 million copies. No individual act’s full-length has cracked the million mark during the calendar year. At the same time last year, five artists’ albums had each moved a million units. (Justin Timberlake‘s 20/20 Experience was out in front, with 2.3 million.) And the next-best-selling albums of 2014, like Frozen, are from 2013: Beyoncé‘s self-titled album, with 776,000, and Lorde‘s Pure Heroine, with 754K. That’s a dismal bit of data. Still, there are a couple of reasons the notion of no platinum albums by a single artist in 2014 could be misleading. And the million-seller drought coincides with a broader shift away from buying albums toward streaming tracks, which raises a whole other set of issues but doesn’t necessarily mean people have stopped wanting to hear new music. First, there almost certainly will be at least one artist with a 2014 platinum album. Billboard cites predictions that Taylor Swift‘s 1989 will sell more than 750K in its first week alone; another projection is even higher. Eric Church‘s The Outsiders, the top-selling album released this year with 722K, and Coldplay‘s recent Ghost Stories, with just short of that, are also close to the million mark. And 2014 albums could still be on the way from such big names as Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West. What’s more, technically speaking, artists have had platinum albums this year. The Recording Industry Association of America, not SoundScan, bestows gold and platinum certifications. And the RIAA tells Wondering Sound it has certified 27 total platinum albums in 2014, though it’s true that none yet were released in 2014. Of albums certified platinum this year, 10 became available in the last three months of 2013, including not just the Frozen soundtrack and Beyoncé but Eminem‘s The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Miley Cyrus‘s Bangerz and One Direction‘s Midnight Memories. Other 2013 artist albums, among them Pure Heroine, Daft Punk‘s Random Access Memories and West’s Yeezus, also took until 2014 to go platinum. Older releases, such as Lana Del Rey‘s 2012 Born to Die and Trey Songz‘s 2009 Ready, hit platinum status for the first time this year, as well. Clearly, these certifications aren’t what people mean when they say no artists’ albums have gone platinum in 2014. But they’re examples of artists’ albums that literally have gone platinum in 2014. A technicality? Sure. But it may be only a matter of time before an album actually released this calendar year goes platinum. The RIAA has certified 42 gold albums in 2014, including 11 that hit shelves (physical or virtual) since January 1. Naturally, Church and Coldplay’s albums are among them. Will Miranda Lambert‘s gold-certified Platinum (479K) be denied the honor of one day earning its title? Even within the the category of traditional albums, other factors may diminish the importance of selling a million copies. U2‘s Songs of Innocence only went on sale this week, but how should we account for the 26 million people that downloaded the album, according to an Apple exec speaking with Billboard? Thom Yorke isn’t exactly a platinum-seller these days, but his Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes boasted 1 million paid or free downloads in its first week. And what about Beyoncé’s Beyoncé? The surprise release hasn’t sold a million copies in this calendar year, but it has easily exceeded that in the 10-plus months since it appeared on iTunes on December 13, 2013. Beyoncé was last year’s No. 8 seller, with 1.8 million units. The fact that the No. 8 album of 2013 still sold almost 2 million copies does show how much further the industry’s marquee releases have fallen in 2014. At the end of last year, every album in the top 10 had more than 1 million in sales. That’s probably not going to happen this year. But the decline has been long in the works. Even including Frozen, this year marked the third straight year that just one album had sold more than 1 million copies at the midpoint. Last year, it was Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience. Before 2012, multiple albums had managed to cross the million mark by the end of June every year since 1991. The album remains a go-to way of thinking about music, but it’s not necessarily the most relevant gauge for the health of the industry anymore. Streaming keeps making up a bigger and bigger portion of music revenues: $859 million in the first six months of the year, a 28 percent increase, according to the RIAA. The industry’s revenues overall slid 5 percent to $3.2 billion. Since last year, the RIAA has counted streams toward its totals for gold and platinum singles. The 2014 platinum releases that tend to get celebrated on the industry group’s Gold & Platinum Facebook page — Charli XCX, Meghan Trainor — are singles, based on streams as well as sales. The RIAA says it has certified 133 digital songs platinum this year, and 27 of them are from 2014. Given listeners’ ongoing shift toward streaming, how long might it be before platinum album certifications also take streams into account? There’s room for debate about royalties, but streaming had better pick up the slack if listeners want the industry to stay in somewhat decent health. Download sales, which got off to a dramatically slow start this year, keep falling. Digital album sales were down 11.5 percent in the first nine months of 2014, according to SoundScan, while digital track sales skidded by 12.9 percent. The statistic about a lack of million-selling artist albums so far this year, then, is just that: A statistic. It’s an interesting piece of a trivia, and it’s indicative of the bigger changes for music, but it’s also somewhat arbitrary. And it doesn’t tell us much we couldn’t already have learned. Listeners willing to put in the work will keep being able to find albums outside the million-seller category. Listeners who care about their favorite stars going platinum had better heed the tongue-in-cheek advice sometimes given to voters: Stream early and often.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2014 10:38:24 GMT -5
It truly bums me out to see these dismal sales numbers. I've always loved buying albums and having copies to keep in my collection.
I could never survive by simply streaming albums and singles, honestly.
|
|
kanimal
3x Platinum Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,043
|
Post by kanimal on Oct 21, 2014 12:53:01 GMT -5
Not really feeling that article.
It tries to dismiss the notion that no 2014 album has gone platinum only to then admit that no 2014 album has gone platinum. So, why even bother?
It also makes some other weird points. While it is true that streams now count towards the RIAA's digital single certifications, both Meghan Trainor and Charli XCX crossed the million *sales* marks for their respective hits as well (I believe Trainor is at or over 3M at this point). So they would be platinum under any definition.
And in talking about streaming and the changing music market, it's completely missing the point. When people wrote the articles about how no albums were going platinum, they weren't saying "no one listens to music anymore" or "the music industry is dead." They were saying people don't really buy albums anymore. Which is true.
As far as marquee releases go, what 2014 proves it that you can be a marquee *star* without being a marquee album seller. When you consider how visible Ariana Grande is within the industry, her album had a lackluster first week and has had absolutely terrible follow-up weeks. Same can be said for Florida Georgia Line. There is no way to say these acts aren't marquee. But marquee doesn't guarantee sales in this environment.
|
|
dbhmr
Diamond Member
>
Joined: January 2005
Posts: 23,301
|
Post by dbhmr on Oct 21, 2014 13:17:21 GMT -5
This is extremely subjective, but I would chalk much of this year's lackluster sales up to the quality of releases. I would argue that most high-profile releases in 2014 and 2013, both from new and established artists, just weren't particularly good albums. Most major albums that have dropped in the last year are ones I listened to once, then quickly forgot about apart from a song or two. I realize there are other factors such as streaming, illegal downloading, etc. But ultimately, with few exceptions, I feel like artists, labels, and other industry players aren't taking enough risks to create works fans want to invest in. I don't know, Beyonce's album didn't play it safe in any capacity, and there have been a lot of strong albums from artists that just don't have the mainstream momentum (largely in the form of radio support) of Lorde and Sam Smith (e.g., Lana Del Rey, Tove Lo, Banks, Janelle Monae...plus a whole host of artists I haven't given any time or attention to). I think this idea may kind of work if you're just looking at the small subset of Pulse favorites who have released albums over the last year (though, Beyonce and Lana qualify, and their albums were risky and fantastic), but I don't think this "quality" model works as well because material is there, it's just not getting the kind of attention necessary to move a million units. Though some of them are getting a lot of streaming attention. I really think streaming is far and away the biggest culprit.
|
|
CookyMonzta
Platinum Member
Joined: March 2006
Posts: 1,362
|
Post by CookyMonzta on Oct 24, 2014 15:53:48 GMT -5
I. Am. Not. Surprised. One. Bit. Now, I thought I saw a SoundScan report where at least one album released this year or last year has sold a million copies this year. I would think that might be the Frozen soundtrack... ...Whether something released this year alone sold a million, I don't know; but if it did, I would imagine once again that the fat cats are too stingy these days to pay that $350 certification fee... ...But then again, who needs the RIAA when SoundScan figures are certification enough? Scary to think that my prediction, at the beginning of this decade, may become reality, where the average of the top 10 albums of the year 2019 will be around 850,000 copies (an enormously far cry from the average of 6 million copies in the year 2000), where perhaps only one of them will sell a million that year.
|
|
|
Post by areyoureadytojump on Nov 2, 2014 11:11:26 GMT -5
|
|
jma
New Member
My happiness, some kinda f*cked up mess
Joined: April 2006
Posts: 442
|
Post by jma on Nov 2, 2014 13:03:15 GMT -5
Yea Sam will definitely be platinum soon
|
|
|
Post by ListenToItTwice on Nov 2, 2014 19:25:04 GMT -5
I'd call Jason Aldean a maybe, as well
|
|
YourFaveIsAFlop
5x Platinum Member
Catch me in the fridge, right where the ice be
Joined: April 2014
Posts: 5,464
|
Post by YourFaveIsAFlop on Nov 2, 2014 21:26:10 GMT -5
He'll get a CMA boost, but not sure if he can maintain strong enough sales to sell another 500k in 8 weeks. He'll definitely get there next year though if he can't do it in 2014.
|
|
|
Post by ListenToItTwice on Nov 2, 2014 21:49:21 GMT -5
He'll get a CMA boost, but not sure if he can maintain strong enough sales to sell another 500k in 8 weeks. He'll definitely get there next year though if he can't do it in 2014. Oh I meant in general for albums released in 2014, not necessarily during 2014
|
|
|
Post by areyoureadytojump on Dec 17, 2014 17:33:23 GMT -5
We now have 3 "Platinum" sellers in 2014: www.billboard.com/articles/6406670/sam-smith-in-the-lonely-hour-million-sales?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=biz_breakingnews&utm_campaign=Breaking%20NewsSam Smith's 'In the Lonely Hour' Hits 1 Million in U.S. SalesBy Keith Caulfield | December 17, 2014 Sam Smith's debut full-length album In the Lonely Hour has surpassed 1 million in U.S. sales, according to Nielsen Music. It's the third album to sell more than a million in 2014, and continues to be the year's biggest-selling full-length debut by an artist. The album -- released on Capitol Records -- moved another 60,000 copies in the week ending Dec. 14, just pushing the album over the 1 million mark (to 1.05 million). The year's other million-sellers are the Frozen soundtrack (3.4 million) and Taylor Swift's 1989 (3 million).In the Lonely Hour is also in its 19th non-consecutive week in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart, where it dips 4-8 on the list dated Dec. 27. The album has generated two top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 thus far: "Stay With Me" peaked at No. 2 on the Aug. 16-dated chart, while its latest hit, "I'm Not the Only One," rises 7-5 on the Dec. 27 tally.
|
|
|
Post by areyoureadytojump on Dec 24, 2014 12:51:35 GMT -5
We now have 4 "Platinum" sellers in 2014: www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6415138/penatonix-thats-christmas-1-million-sales Pentatonix's 'That's Christmas To Me' Surpasses 1 Million in SalesBy Keith Caulfield | December 24, 2014 Pentatonix gets an early Christmas gift, as their album That’s Christmas To Me surpassed 1 million in total sales in the week ending Dec. 21. With another 203,000 sold, its cumulative total now stands at 1.02 million. That's Christmas To Me (released through RCA Records) is just the fourth album to sell a million copies in the U.S. in 2014, following the Frozen soundtrack (3.46 million), Taylor Swift’s 1989 (3.34 million) and Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour (1.13 million). That’s Christmas To Me continues to be the a cappella group’s best selling effort, well ahead of PTXmas, which has moved 356,000. Also of note: That’s Christmas To Me is the first holiday album to sell a million copies in a calendar year since 2011, when both Michael Buble’s Christmas and Justin Bieber’s Under the Mistletoe managed the feat (with 2.45 million and 1.25 million, respectively).
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2014 12:56:50 GMT -5
We now have 4 "Platinum" sellers in 2014: www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6415138/penatonix-thats-christmas-1-million-sales Pentatonix's 'That's Christmas To Me' Surpasses 1 Million in SalesBy Keith Caulfield | December 24, 2014 Pentatonix gets an early Christmas gift, as their album That’s Christmas To Me surpassed 1 million in total sales in the week ending Dec. 21. With another 203,000 sold, its cumulative total now stands at 1.02 million. That's Christmas To Me (released through RCA Records) is just the fourth album to sell a million copies in the U.S. in 2014, following the Frozen soundtrack (3.46 million), Taylor Swift’s 1989 (3.34 million) and Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour (1.13 million). That’s Christmas To Me continues to be the a cappella group’s best selling effort, well ahead of PTXmas, which has moved 356,000. Also of note: That’s Christmas To Me is the first holiday album to sell a million copies in a calendar year since 2011, when both Michael Buble’s Christmas and Justin Bieber’s Under the Mistletoe managed the feat (with 2.45 million and 1.25 million, respectively). And you are so happy now correct? :)
|
|
|
Post by areyoureadytojump on Dec 24, 2014 13:08:34 GMT -5
^I guess. We had 13 million sellers in 2013. Only 4 this year...
|
|
jjose712
4x Platinum Member
Joined: October 2012
Posts: 4,372
|
Post by jjose712 on Dec 24, 2014 13:28:34 GMT -5
I think it's absolutely amazing Pentatonix get their million selling album. I hope their label work for them having a radio hit
|
|
|
Post by areyoureadytojump on Jan 16, 2015 23:35:48 GMT -5
Guardian of the Galaxy sells 1 million copies this week and is certified Platinum. Barbra Streisand's Partners has also been certified Platinum. www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6443614/guardians-galaxy-soundtrack-million Billboard 200 Chart Moves: 'Guardians' Soundtrack Surpasses 1 Million in SalesBy Keith Caulfield | January 16, 2015 -- Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy - No. 8 -- The Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack skips ahead of the 1 million sales mark, as the all-oldies compilation sold another 35,000 copies in the week ending Jan. 11, according to Nielsen Music. (On the Billboard 200, it falls 5-8 with 35,000 in overall equivalent units, including SEA and TEA.) The former No. 1 set's cumulative sales stand at just over 1 million: 1,003,000 to be more precise. It's the most recently released soundtrack to sell a million copies since, you guessed it, Frozen, which jumped past the million mark nearly a year ago (in the week ending Feb. 16, 2014). Frozen has moved 3.9 million copies in total since its release on Nov. 26, 2013. Both Guardians of the Galaxy and Frozen were released by the Disney Music Group (Guardians on Marvel/Hollywood and Frozen through Walt Disney Records).
|
|
CookyMonzta
Platinum Member
Joined: March 2006
Posts: 1,362
|
Post by CookyMonzta on Jan 26, 2015 0:47:48 GMT -5
HEY!! Where's the entire 2014 year-end top 200 chart for sales? I'm just as interested in how many copies the #200 album sold, as I am with the top 10... ...<Ahem>; not to mention that I want to compare the whole thing to the 2000 year-end top 200, where every last album surpassed gold.
|
|