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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Jan 19, 2014 20:49:20 GMT -5
When they count these, don't they only count the titles that appear in the Top 200 of the album chart? I read that once and then it kind of made sense. I think over the years, there have been fewer monster blockbuster albums but more moderately selling albums. So less albums reach that certain milestone but more albums actually sell? If that makes sense. Though speaking from personal experience, I might also suggest that album sales dwindle more as stores themselves close. My favourite record store downtown closed back in January and while there are other places around to buy music, they're not as accessible for me so while I have bought CDs this year, I haven't gotten as many as I probably would have. I'm almost wondering if I might go the Amazon route for buying CDs soon or if I'll even make the inevitable switch to digital-only. Store close because of low sales, not the other way around. It's cyclical.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Jan 19, 2014 21:07:29 GMT -5
Streaming being the primary way people consume music is inevitable. At least industry execs aren't fighting that like they tried to fight off the move to digital. It makes me wonder just how much album sales may decrease in the next decade, how they'll factor streams into certifications, and where music consumption could possibly go after streaming. Given current technology, it seems like that could be the last major format change. Doesn't the RIAA already count streamings for certifications or awards certifications based on streamings? I thought I had read something about that. The do for singles, but not albums. Yet...
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Jan 19, 2014 21:10:51 GMT -5
When they count these, don't they only count the titles that appear in the Top 200 of the album chart? I read that once and then it kind of made sense. I think over the years, there have been fewer monster blockbuster albums but more moderately selling albums. So less albums reach that certain milestone but more albums actually sell? If that makes sense. No it's *all* albums. 4.252 million albums were sold last week in the USA. If you add up #1-#200 on the BB200, you would get under 2 million (?) albums
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hitseeker.
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Post by hitseeker. on Jan 20, 2014 19:11:16 GMT -5
The do for singles, but not albums. Yet... Oh, right. Thanks. Yeah, I believe it's only a matter of time...
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Jun 9, 2014 19:57:50 GMT -5
Has anyone seen an article about last week being a SoundScan era low for album sales? www1.billboard.biz/bbbiz/photos/pdf/2013/current.pdf4,168,000 albums were sold in the USA last week. 1,840,000 albums were digital albums. 2,328,000 albums were cd/vinyl/cassette albums.
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Post by Push The Button on Jun 9, 2014 20:26:37 GMT -5
We're not far from all albums in a week selling less than what No Strings Attached sold in its debut week.
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Post by Adonis the DemiGod! on Jun 19, 2014 15:46:58 GMT -5
It's a singles market and an streaming market now. The youtubes and pandoras and spotifys and beats of the world now rule.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Jun 19, 2014 15:53:51 GMT -5
No need for dramatics, people.
Album sales are down 15%, NOT 50%. 15 percent...
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CookyMonzta
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Post by CookyMonzta on Jun 26, 2014 19:14:40 GMT -5
No need for dramatics, people. Album sales are down 15%, NOT 50%. 15 percent... ...But 15% PER YEAR really adds up. The industry needs only to lose 15% every year for a little less than 4Β½ years to be down 50% from 4Β½ years beforehand. If I'm not mistaken, album sales have dropped somewhere between 10% and 15% per year for the last 4 years.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Jun 27, 2014 8:07:47 GMT -5
^But, it doesn't mean it's going to be down 15% each year after this. None of us have a crystal ball.
2014 has had a light release schedule which has hurt sales.
And you are mistaken about the sales decline:
2013's album sales fell by 8%.
2012's album sales fell by 4%.
2011's album sales grew by 1%.
2010's album sales fell by 12%
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imbondz
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Post by imbondz on Jun 27, 2014 9:57:54 GMT -5
How much are labels making from streaming? That will dictate if labels care. I would assume tho no where near as much as selling albums.
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Jun 27, 2014 10:36:00 GMT -5
The whole album sales hitting historic lows thing does not mean much to me. It just means that the purchased album (whether it be physical or digital) is taking on less significance. It also does not mean purchasing albums is doomed either. (Vinyl never went away, in fact it is starting to grow again; the album should do the same)
People will always get their music and artists will always find ways to get their music out. This trend indicates that things are changing in how it is delievered. Whether that is for the better or not is a matter of opinion.
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Post by Adonis the DemiGod! on Jun 27, 2014 10:47:14 GMT -5
No need for dramatics, people. Album sales are down 15%, NOT 50%. 15 percent... 15% since last year or 50% in the last 10 years?
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Post by Adonis the DemiGod! on Jun 27, 2014 10:47:58 GMT -5
The whole album sales hitting historic lows thing does not mean much to me. It just means that the purchased album (whether it be physical or digital) is taking on less significance. It also does not mean purchasing albums is doomed either. (Vinyl never went away, in fact it is starting to grow again; the album should do the same) People will always get their music and artists will always find ways to get their music out. This trend indicates that things are changing in how it is delievered. Whether that is for the better or not is a matter of opinion. It's easy to grow when numbers are so low they don't even matter and is not even a blip on the radar the total numbers are so low.
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Jun 27, 2014 10:50:26 GMT -5
I think the point of the vinyl statement was, you can still buy them, they did not disappear completely.
If purchased albums follow the same path, you will still be able to buy albums regardless, labels will always take your money if you are willing to give it to them.
Streaming is growing right now, that too will eventually peak and start to decline when the next big thing comes out
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Jun 27, 2014 20:50:37 GMT -5
Based on the figures for this past week: Through Week 25 of the 2014 Calendar Year www1.billboard.biz/bbbiz/photos/pdf/2013/current.pdf116,601,000 albums have been sold. 572,070,000 digital singles have been sold. --------------------------------------------------------------------- How much does a label make from an album? How much does a label make from a digital single?
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CookyMonzta
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Post by CookyMonzta on Jun 28, 2014 2:21:11 GMT -5
No need for dramatics, people. Album sales are down 15%, NOT 50%. 15 percent... 15% since last year or 50% in the last 10 years? 50% drop in the last 10 years is more accurate. More than 785 million albums were sold in 2000. We're on pace for something less than 250 million at the end of this year.
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CookyMonzta
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Post by CookyMonzta on Jun 28, 2014 2:29:59 GMT -5
Store close because of low sales, not the other way around. It's cyclical. Aye. People don't like the product that's being put out, they refuse to buy or limit themselves to singles. Album sales drop, stores close and that drags down album sales for artists and music that people do like. More stores close. Murder/suicide for the industry, unless streaming services pick up fast and the indies gain ground... ...But then again, I keep reading about the possibility that YouTube wants to get rid of the indies from their service. Which is the easiest way to cause users to abandon it in massive droves, and head for a site like DailyMotion.
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YourFaveIsAFlop
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Post by YourFaveIsAFlop on Jun 28, 2014 3:07:18 GMT -5
I think the price point for albums needs to change too. There's no reason why I should pay $11.99 for a CD or $11.99 for a digital copy. What is the overhead for the label on digital distribution? Zero. IMO, a new release digital album should never be over $9.99.
I think what we will start seeing is more digital only releases (at least in the first weeks) and keeping full albums off streaming services for several weeks post release. These certainly didn't hurt beyonce's sales in the first weeks.
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Post by K. on Jun 28, 2014 4:33:55 GMT -5
^I want to start a boycott of artists who do that. It's not as if Beyonce needs those extra sales....
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YourFaveIsAFlop
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Post by YourFaveIsAFlop on Jun 28, 2014 7:43:28 GMT -5
Coldplay isn't available for streaming either
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2014 8:05:21 GMT -5
^But, it doesn't mean it's going to be down 15% each year after this. None of us have a crystal ball. 2014 has had a light release schedule which has hurt sales. And you are mistaken about the sales decline: 2013's album sales fell by 8%. 2012's album sales fell by 4%. 2011's album sales grew by 1%. 2010's album sales fell by 12% You can thank Adele for 2011.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Jun 28, 2014 8:12:43 GMT -5
^And 2012!
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mluv
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Post by mluv on Jun 28, 2014 12:05:13 GMT -5
^I want to start a boycott of artists who do that. It's not as if Beyonce needs those extra sales.... In one of the interviews Hits did with major label heads, they talked about Beyonce's album sales. He said that she sold over 2 million albums for $15.99 with the price never discounted. The price didn't seem to stop people from purchasing her album so that's probably not the real reason people aren't buying albums. People are willing to pay the $15 for movies and $100 to go to a Disney World theme park so it seems the public has no trouble spending on entertainment. I think the real reason people aren't paying for albums is because they can get it and listen for free. Look at Sam Smith vs Lana Del Rey for instance. Lana's album can be streamed on places like Spotify whereas Sam Smith has not put his up for streaming as yet. That might be one reason he's getting a softer drop in album sales than she is.
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85la
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Post by 85la on Jun 28, 2014 15:20:53 GMT -5
^I want to start a boycott of artists who do that. It's not as if Beyonce needs those extra sales.... In one of the interviews Hits did with major label heads, they talked about Beyonce's album sales. He said that she sold over 2 million albums for $15.99 with the price never discounted. The price didn't seem to stop people from purchasing her album so that's probably not the real reason people aren't buying albums. People are willing to pay the $15 for movies and $100 to go to a Disney World theme park so it seems the public has no trouble spending on entertainment. I think the real reason people aren't paying for albums is because they can get it and listen for free. Look at Sam Smith vs Lana Del Rey for instance. Lana's album can be streamed on places like Spotify whereas Sam Smith has not put his up for streaming as yet. That might be one reason he's getting a softer drop in album sales than she is. No, price absolutely affects whether or not not people buy. Any Intro to Economics student learns the simple cost principle that the lower the price, people are more willing to buy. Though, of course this is only a tendency and isn't true in every case. In Beyonce's case, it was largely driven by the unique hype/marketing blitz and it only being available on iTunes the first week. You can find other exceptions, of course, like Lana and Sam last week, which also means it is highly dependent on artist, album, genre, demographics of fan base, etc.
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Post by Adonis the DemiGod! on Jun 28, 2014 20:05:27 GMT -5
In one of the interviews Hits did with major label heads, they talked about Beyonce's album sales. He said that she sold over 2 million albums for $15.99 with the price never discounted. The price didn't seem to stop people from purchasing her album so that's probably not the real reason people aren't buying albums. People are willing to pay the $15 for movies and $100 to go to a Disney World theme park so it seems the public has no trouble spending on entertainment. I think the real reason people aren't paying for albums is because they can get it and listen for free. Look at Sam Smith vs Lana Del Rey for instance. Lana's album can be streamed on places like Spotify whereas Sam Smith has not put his up for streaming as yet. That might be one reason he's getting a softer drop in album sales than she is. No, price absolutely affects whether or not not people buy. Any Intro to Economics student learns the simple cost principle that the lower the price, people are more willing to buy. Though, of course this is only a tendency and isn't true in every case. In Beyonce's case, it was largely driven by the unique hype/marketing blitz and it only being available on iTunes the first week. You can find other exceptions, of course, like Lana and Sam last week, which also means it is highly dependent on artist, album, genre, demographics of fan base, etc. People will pay for entertainment they like. That's the bottom line. I think record companies should raise the price on streaming. It should also be tiered in terms of advertising and non-advertising. Saying a cheaper product won't automatically guarantee more sales if the person isn't in the market for it anyway.
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Post by ListenToItTwice on Jun 28, 2014 20:25:01 GMT -5
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Jun 28, 2014 21:29:06 GMT -5
Different artists can get away with charging more for an album than others. There was the whole thing with Artpop being overpriced when it was released because it was assumed her label thought people would buy the album at the price they listed it as. I'm willing to pay more for a Gaga record than I am for a Katy Perry record for example. Different people will feel different ways. I think price is a big thing and labels need to be in tune with that when delivering their product. Perceived higher quality and better marketed music can go for higher prices. Run of the mill one hit wonders can't.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Jun 28, 2014 21:35:21 GMT -5
Thanks! So 60% of a $1.29 digital single is 77.4 cents? Aren't most album sold to retailers for $8 something??
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Post by tommymonster44 on Jul 9, 2014 18:27:53 GMT -5
I think the price point for albums needs to change too. There's no reason why I should pay $11.99 for a CD or $11.99 for a digital copy. What is the overhead for the label on digital distribution? Zero. IMO, a new release digital album should never be over $9.99. I think what we will start seeing is more digital only releases (at least in the first weeks) and keeping full albums off streaming services for several weeks post release. These certainly didn't hurt beyonce's sales in the first weeks. Beyonce is perhaps the biggest female in music, though. She's an exception to the rule..people who don't normally buy albums are willing to spend money on her. I don't think that withholding albums from streaming will make much of an impact. Jessie J still hasn't released her album to streaming and I still haven't listened to it. Sam Smith hasn't released his album to streaming, so I haven't heard that album either. The sales trend has shown that people just aren't interested in buying albums. If labels don't release albums to streaming services, the result is that the album will be ignored. All in all though, the shift to streaming is obvious. Spotify costs $10 dollars a month and I can listened to an unlimited amount of music without taking up storage space. Even buying one album per month costs more. With the exception of a few in demand artists, people are going to continue to move to streaming.
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