Billboard Album Chart - Look at the Weak Sales Figures

[jobeterob]

27,000 copies will get you into the Album Chart Top 10 these days:


LW TW artist / album label power index % change
-- 1 TOBY KEITH SHOW DOG 69,527 --
BULLETS IN THE GUN
1 2 KENNY CHESNEY BNA/RCA NASHVILLE 64,008 -65%
HEMINGWAY'S WHISKEY
-- 3 BRUNO MARS NEW ELEKTRA 55,083 --
DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS
5 4 EMINEM SHADY/AFTERMATH/INT 52,782 -11%
RECOVERY
3 5 ZAC BROWN BAND ATLANTIC 41,943 -40%
YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE
7 6 LINKIN PARK WARNER BROS. 38,345 -10%
A THOUSAND SUNS
-- 7 WAKA FLOCKA FLAME ASYLUM/WB 36,424 --
FLOCKAVELI
16 8 KATY PERRY CAPITOL/EMI 33,146 +20%
TEENAGE DREAM
8 9 TREY SONGZ ATLANTIC 32,901 -21%
PASSION PAIN & PLEASURE
17 10 JUSTIN BIEBER ISLAND/IDJMG 27,413 0%
MY WORLD 2.0
9 11 SELENA GOMEZ & THE SCENE HOLLYWOOD 27,269 -31%
A YEAR WITHOUT RAIN
-- 12 FAITH EVANS EONE 25,119 --
SOMETHING ABOUT FAITH
10 13 MAROON 5 A&M/OCTONE 25,070 -36%
HANDS ALL OVER
18 14 NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 35 CAPITOL/EMI 23,986 -10%
VARIOUS ARTISTS
-- 15 DAVID ARCHULETA 19/JIVE/JLG 23,675 --
OTHER SIDE OF DOWN
-- 16 BRING ME THE HORIZON EPITAPH 23,502 --
THERE IS A HELL BELIVE ME I'VE
2 17 LIL WAYNE CASH MONEY/UNIV MOTOWN 23,293 -79%
I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING
-- 18 GUSTER UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC 22,105 --
EASY WONDERFUL
13 19 JOHN LEGEND WITH THE ROOTS COLUMBIA 20,384 -33%
WAKE UP
4 20 GUCCI MANE ASYLUM/WB 20,142 -67%
APPEAL: GEORGIA'S MOST WANTED
-- 21 JOHN LENNON CAPITOL/EMI 19,685 --
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
12 22 SANTANA ARISTA/RMG 18,567 -39%
GUITAR HEAVEN: GREATEST GUITAR
25 23 MUMFORD & SONS GLASSNOTE 18,515 -4%
SIGH NO MORE
6 24 ERIC CLAPTON REPRISE 16,587 -65%
CLAPTON
-- 25 PIMP C RAP-A-LOT 16,313 --
NAKED SOUL OF SWEET JONES
23 26 JAMEY JOHNSON MERCURY NASHVILLE 16,268 -23%
GUITAR SONG
21 27 BILLY CURRINGTON MERCURY NASHVILLE 15,029 -37%
ENJOY YOURSELF
31 28 LADY ANTEBELLUM CAPITOL NASHVILLE/EMI 13,951 -13%
NEED YOU NOW
27 29 DISTURBED REPRISE 13,370 -25%
ASYLUM
30 30 FANTASIA J RECORDS/RMG 13,172 -23%
BACK TO ME
-- 31 JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONE CAPITOL/EMI 12,129 --
DOUBLE FANTASY STRIPPED DOWN
36 32 DRAKE YM/CASH MONEY/UNIV MOTOWN 12,128 -11%
THANK ME LATER
-- 33 JASON MRAZ ATLANTIC 11,907 --
LIFE IS GOOD - EP
-- 34 LADY GAGA INTERSCOPE 11,290 --
FAME MONSTER [[EP)
15 35 NEIL YOUNG REPRISE 10,386 -63%
LE NOISE
40 36 KEM UNIVERSAL MOTOWN 10,383 -13%
INTIMACY
14 37 LIL BOOSIE ASYLUM/WB 10,294 -64%
INCARCERATED
-- 38 KT TUNSTALL VIRGIN/EMI 10,264 --
TIGER SUIT
42 39 USHER LAFACE/JLG 10,045 -15%
VERSUS
39 40 ZAC BROWN BAND ATLANTIC 10,042 -16%
FOUNDATION
-- 41 JOE SATRIANI EPIC 9,572 --
BLACK SWANS & WORMHOLE WIZARDS
-- 42 CHIODOS EQUAL VISION 9,144 --
ILLUMINAUDIO
44 43 RICK ROSS DEF JAM/IDJ 9,125 -13%
TEFLON DON
46 44 MIRANDA LAMBERT COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 9,080 -8%
REVOLUTION
43 45 SARA BAREILLES EPIC 8,782 -24%
KALEIDOSCOPE HEART
-- 46 BLACK KEYS NONESUCH 8,693 --
BROTHERS
50 47 AVENGED SEVENFOLD WARNER BROS. 8,304 -5%
NIGHTMARE
47 48 KIDZ BOP KIDS RAZOR & TIE 8,280 -14%
KIDZ BOP 18
49 49 USHER LAFACE/JLG 7,946 -11%
RAYMOND VS. RAYMOND
22 50 ICE CUBE LENCH MOB 7,832 -63%
I AM THE WEST

[soulster]

I wonder what use there is in being in the music business anymore, other than for your 15 minutes of fame. It also makes you realize why some artists have to resort to the antics and outlandish clothes they use.

I can't help but be reminded that the record industry wouldn't be in such a bad shape if they had only embraced the internet when it was young, before Napster and Grokster showed billions of people how to download music without paying for it. They chose to fight it instead of using it for too long. All those artists would have sold a lot more copies if people hadn't had a way to get them for free. I can't blame the music because there's some quality stuff in there.

The only solution for them to stay afloat is for the labels to find a sound carrier that people will accept and they can use copyright restriction on. Unfortunately, people want to do what they wish with the music they buy unrestricted, like they have always done.

A lot of this blame goes to the hardware manufacturers who kept downsizing and cheapening their products. Somewhere in there, the idea of sound quality got lost, and consumers no longer understood what it was. It goes back to the 80s when companies started using cheap materials, and cut costs to meet profits. The technology advanced, but the implementation of it wasn't there. Soundesign and Lloyds vs. Pioneer and Sony. Now mastering engineers find themselves mastering to...cell phones?

The era of music, as we knew it, is over!

[jobeterob]

I think Soulster is right. The record companies resisted and while they resisted, a whole new system of listening to music for free became engrained in the public mind. Now, it is almost pointless running a Top 200 album chart and the specialty charts could easily be cut from 75 to a Top 30 because they are selling very little.

All that matters now is touring and the revenue from it.

This is also what provoked many artists to stand up against their former bandmates, fake groups and tribute groups ~ because royalties have all but evaporated and the only way to make a living and maintain the standard they got used to is to tour. That is why there is such intense competition for gigs.

It is a sad state of affairs for a business that used to roll in the dough.

[skooldem1]

Technology and high prices are two of the main reasons for the decline. But, I also feel that we are comparing sales to those in the 90's/early 00's when sales I feel were inflated. The market is what it is now. If it only takes 60K to make it to number one, then so be it. The chart still shows who sold the most and that is what the chart is about.

[soulster]

There is something very wrong when a major label CD by a major artist retails at the same price today as it did in 1985.

A lot of people are upset that the album concept is slowly being destroyed by the single. The single is what started the rock & roll ball rolling, but to kill it in order to squeeze more profit was a big gamble and mistake. Not that it's back, people don't have to pay for it. They can just use bittorrent or a file sharing site to get what they want. And, the worst part is that they can get lossless files, more than what iTunes offers.

So far, the only major label that will offer lossless downloads is Warner through the online Rhino store. But, it's mostly restricted to catalog titles, but rarely is any artwork or any liner notes offered. You can get all that, and more if someone lovingly creates it and uploads it to the internet. Then, you tell someone you bought the new Usher CD and they laugh at you like you're a chump, because you could have had it for 100% free.

[nomis]

October is a quiet month in the industry..all the labels are holding their releases for November,Theres a ton of releases next month from big names,Michael jackson leading the way [[if The Jackson Estate gets its a into g with Sony)

[soulster]

That's right! They bank on holiday sales. But, the albums that are out now aren't doing well at all. It's on a curve. even in the 70s, no one could have thought that a mere 27,000 units sold would be a sign of success.

Even a new MJ album isn't a guarantee of a million units sold. Shipped, maybe...most people will buy one or two hyped songs on iTunes, at the most.

[marv2]

Recession aside, but I don't think that many people know how and where to buy an album these days.

[soulster]

How? Yes. Where? No. If retailers like best Buy, Wally World, and others keep reducing their CD inventory to almost nothing, people will have no other choice but to buy online if there are no indie stores around. And, seeing as how a lot of people don't know how to order things online and don't have a credit card, [[and a lot of people don't know what computer security is), they won't be buying any music.

[jobeterob]

In large Canadian cities like Vancouver and Calgary [[2 million and 1 million people), there are maybe 3 retailers in each City and the inventory keeps getting smaller. That doesn't help the situation.

I think I am on the same wavelength as Soulster about this; I think this cake is already baked; I don't think there is a way back from this. The young crowd downloads their music and movies, watches Youtube and goes to concerts. They won't start paying for music again; it's too late now.

The sales figures are bad; they get worse and worse every year; last year, Taylor Swift and Susan Boyle created some excitement; I'm not sure anyone is this year; maybe Lady Gaga.

[soulster]

Well, you now have a whole generation who only knows downloading music for free. They think people who pay for anything are suckers. And, we can't blame just the kids because adults do it too.

One more thing that has hurt the industry: the use, or overuse of compression/limiting on CDs. There was never, ever a need for it, and it screws with the sound. It causes listening fatigue.

[pshark]

Damn, I never heard of most of these artists.
Tobey Keith #1? Great now the Tea Party are paying off radio stations

[marv2]

Damn, I never heard of most of these artists.
Tobey Keith #1? Great now the Tea Party are paying off radio stations

hehehehehehehehe....!!!!!!

[drlorne]

Those of us who moved from vinyl to tape to CD were discarded by the Record companies who went after the the very young generation. Our artists were left without recording contracts and we had nothing to buy except endless re-issues. Of course the younger music listners are tech savvy and beat the record companies at their own game. I still buy CDs, usually from Amazon or CD universe. I buy from ITunes as well, but it needs to offer more CD booklets with the purchase --- people of the vinyl vintage like to know who wrote the song, who plays on the song and who produces the song --- all of that information, which is rarely offered on ITunes.
That's enough of my rant.
Lorne

[arrr&bee]

The sad thing for me is that i hardly know any of these-so called artist...nor do i care....then again maybe it's not so sad at all!!!

[soulster]

Damn, I never heard of most of these artists.
Tobey Keith #1? Great now the Tea Party are paying off radio stations

They want their country back.

[soulster]

Those of us who moved from vinyl to tape to CD were discarded by the Record companies who went after the the very young generation. Our artists were left without recording contracts and we had nothing to buy except endless re-issues. Of course the younger music listners are tech savvy and beat the record companies at their own game. I still buy CDs, usually from Amazon or CD universe. I buy from ITunes as well, but it needs to offer more CD booklets with the purchase --- people of the vinyl vintage like to know who wrote the song, who plays on the song and who produces the song --- all of that information, which is rarely offered on ITunes.
That's enough of my rant.
Lorne

Lorne, you might be assuming that all of us older people aren't tech savvy.

I went from vinyl to CD, and got into computers the minute I could and never looked back. I do download quite a bit, but I also miss the artwork and liner notes. Most of what I buy are reissues, and, for R&B, I am happy that I have access to an inde store that carries the CDs. I can certainly order things online, but I don't like the wait.

Periodically, I do listen to the new stuff, and, lately, i've found quite a bit that I really like. However, it is stuff I know the older cats here at SDF would turn their nose up at. Good music comes from any place.