Posted on 08/05/2012 1:17:42 PM PDT by Olog-hai
… In the first half of 2012, catalog albums—the industry’s term for discs released more than 18 months ago—sold 76.6 million units. New albums tallied 73.9 units. It’s a narrow victory, but the margin will increase slowly, steadily over time. New will never top old again. …
There is a simple, straightforward reason so many catalog titles dot Billboard’s album charts this summer: price cuts.
Labels and retailers have slashed prices on catalog releases, making them, on average, $5 cheaper than new releases. This has had a dramatic effect. Phil Collins couldn’t be less hip, but last week, when Amazon’s MP3 store cut Collins’ “…Hits” to 99 cents, Mr. Sussudio popped in at No. 6, ahead of such contemporary stars as One Direction, Chris Brown and Maroon 5 on the Billboard 200. …
(Excerpt) Read more at bostonherald.com ...
vinyl rules.
Because what passes for music today sucks.....not saying that good music isn’t being made today, but you have to seek it out, but as far as the music that is popular, it blows.
My 10-year old son is totally hooked on classic rock, more than once he said to me, “Dad, you’re so lucky that you had good music in your day.” I agree 100%.
I’m with you there, even though I’ve never owned a linear tracking turntable or anything else so fancy.
Analog original recordings rule too.
“Everything that can be invented HAS been invented.” Charles H. Duell, U.S. Commissioner of Patents, in 1899.
“Every good song and every good movie and every good book that can be written HAS been written.” Me, 2012
The music died when disco was born.
“Rock n Roll’s been going downhill ever since Buddy Holly died.”
The reason is quality.
I can only think of two:
How often have you heard either of these songs on the radio in - say - the last five years?
100 years from now, they will still be playing The Beatles.
What songs from the last 20 years will they be playing 100 years from now?
All the great riffs have been done but there are still plenty left out there that suck and they are not being wasted.
But this guy hit the nail on the head....albeit 169 years too early:
Ref: Patent Office Commissioner, Henry Ellsworth’s 1843 report to Congress. In it Ellsworth states, “The advancement of the arts, from year to year, taxes our credulity and seems to presage the arrival of that period when human improvement must end.”
We’re now there.
RUSH was at number 1 on amazon the other day due to the 99 cent sale thing - with their album that just came out this summer - “Clockwork Angels”. Great music - available on vinyl as well.
I think a lot of the sales figures are due to folks just buying 1 or 2 digital songs. Heck, lots of groups are just putting out 1 or 2 songs. (Rush did that two years ago, and the two songs were precursors to the new album).
I think it is pretty hard for the artists to make any money just selling music nowadays.
I blame Michael Jackson and Madonna. They got to be hugely successful by emphasizing all the wrong things.
“John Milner”, owner of the “bitchinist car in the valley”.
“...on the radio...”
What is this thing “radio” that you speak of?
I’m sorry, I really don’t want to pay an outrageous price for a song I sort of like and 7-12 songs I hate, then watch liberal artists live like kings on my money and mock me from their lofty heights.
I’ll keep my money.
Two words: Antique Stores. Last weekend I took the Mrs. out to do her favorite thing: antique shopping. It was payback for her going to the Paul Rogers/Lynyrd Skynyrd concert a few weeks ago.
One of the antiqe shops we walked into had 20+ boxes of old albums. I spent more than 2 hours going through about half of them, and pulled out 40+ vinyl albums - all in reconditionable/cleanable/playable conditions that I wanted.
Classics from Boston, Queen, Peter Frampton (Frampton Comes Alive, standard issue when I was in high school) Paul Rogers, Queen, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, UFO (an album I lost during a move years ago..) and more.
Cost: $2 each. Ran them through the record cleaner and test played them all. Near perfect on my recently repaired Micro Seiki turntable.
I've heard Vinyl is outselling CD's in parts of Europe now, seems to be a resurgence in vinyl albums.
To some extent, we’ve gone “back to the future” with downloads being the new 45s, and albums becoming irrelevant. It took Sgt Pepper’s to make the album king.
I was about to say something similar. I believe the phrase is “forward to the past” though . . .
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