We all knew Michael Jackson and the Beatles couldn’t do it alone. Nielsen SoundScan third quarter numbers show that album sales are 11.1 percent lower than they were at this point last year. This marks the eighth time in nine years that record industry sales have fallen.
Per Rolling Stone…
According to Reuters, 2009’s biggest seller so far has been Michael Jackson’s Number Ones compilation, which sold 1.8 million copies since the King of Pop’s death on June 25th. Sluggish sales can’t be blamed on a lack of marquee releases, though, as artists who have generally gone multiplatinum in the past — like Green Day, Eminem, Dave Matthews Band and U2 — have all put out high-profile releases this year. Eminem’s Relapse has led the charge with 1.4 million copies since its release in May. After 30 weeks on the Billboard chart, U2’s No Line on the Horizon reached platinum two weeks ago, while Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown and DMB’s Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King have yet to pass the million copies sold mark.
Of course, many factors are to blame. With iTunes and other mp3 services, users can download songs individually, which will hurt flavor of the month bands who are hoping to cash in on their album. Also, you can listen to millions of songs on YouTube, usually streamed with artistic photo collages in the background of the videos. Torrents are still popular, despite the arrests of a few operators. Lastly, let’s not forget the rebirth of vinyl. It seems like younger generation are slowly realizing that music was better in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. They’re trying out their parents’ old vinyls and rummaging for more at record stores. Many labels have taken notice, and are now issuing new releases from their acts on the format. I’ve even seen the new Dinosaur Jr. album on vinyl. Unfortunately, it was around $20.
I’m one of those kids that became fed up with popular music. I already appreciated labels like Matador and Drag City, but I wanted to delve into these bands’ influences. After initially buying CDs, I quickly noticed how much cheaper old vinyls were. As time went went on, my dad slowly gave me his entire record collection. Overwhelmed, I have chosen to listen to them by artist in alphabetical order. Below is a recent gem I’ve unearthed. I’ll post more songs (courtesy of YouTube) in my vinyl journey when relevant. I’m grateful to the people that make these videos. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t have the time.
Big Brother & the Holding Company — Call on Me
