Travis McClain

The problem with albums is that only the lead single generally builds any interest because it's something we haven't already heard. Once the album is out, most copies are sold during the time it takes the second single to finish charting. By the time a third single is released, fans have already gotten burned out on the album and have moved on to someone else's music. Considering that albums are often released bi-annually these days, that's an awful lot of time and money to tie up in something the general public buys and loses interest in so quickly.

I suspect we'll see a heightened emphasis on digital EP's. They can be issued more rapidly than an entire album, and are less likely to have filler songs. Artists who still craft albums will continue to do so, but let's face it. There are a lot of recording artists out there who are little more than glorified karaoke performers. They will be better served just recording songs and getting them out to the public quickly than to hold on to songs long enough to build an album, or to rush an album to the shelves by filling it with mediocre choices and rushed production.

Dan

we're a dying breed.

Norm de Plume

Is it too late to turn the tide? Problem is, the people who download music illegally aren't going to pay for it, no matter how cheap it is - unless there's a major increase in enforcement and penalties. So, yeah, even if the prices were strictly under $10, it might not make a substantial difference. Another thing to consider about today's market compared to 5-10 years ago is that many listeners nowadays are just looking for stuff to add to their ipods, so they have no use for CD inserts and cases. I, like you, have an old-fashioned collection of CDs. The excitement of paying for something and receiving a physical entity is totally lacking with a download, at least for me.

nothingfails

I think there's a generation gap with purchasing. Younger audiences have no recollection of going to the record store and picking up a cd they've been anticipating because they're so used to either downloading it weeks before it's release or using Mommy's credit card and downloading it off iTunes. It's mainly people 25 and up which still care about buying albums. You can tell the difference between albums and singles these days when vets like Metallica and AC/DC still sell well with no airplay, while a "pop superstar" like Rihanna has barely broken 2 million copies despite the fact that her album has spawned as many hit singles as "Thriller" has and has been out for 18 months. Rihanna's audience buys singles, not albums

rw2516

There has always been a distinction between album and 45 artists since the mid '60s. Several rock bands sold more albums than the Beatles because most people bought the Beatles 45s. A huge chunk of Beatles hits were non-lp. While bands like Zeppelin, Cream, Jefferson Airplane solds lps like they were singles. An album from a rock band could make platinum within a year or two while it took a couple decades for the albums from artists with huge AM hit singles to make platinum. Bands like Traffic or Yes would have top ten albums with no singles or airplay.

nothingfails

There has always a distinction been "singles artists" and "albums artists", but I have never seen an album launch as many hits as Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad (three #1's, several other top 10's, a few more top 40's) and take TWO Christmas seasons to finally break 2 million. There were always people like Sheena Easton and Laura Branigan who had one or two hits off a gold album in the 80's, but never an album that has spanned SEVEN top 20 singles in an 18 month period and still wind up only barely selling more than an AC/DC album with zero radio/tv exposure has in two months. When you think of albums that have launched seven hit singles, you think albums like Born In The USA, Thriller, Rumours, Saturday Night Fever and so many others which are well beyond the ten million mark, not one that finally broke two million eighteen months into it's release.

rw2516

Granted. Unusual. Seems people are buying her album, but on the installment plan, one song at at time.

Daytripper

We've been in a recession for several months now and albums off and on during that time have told upwards of 500,000 to 700,000 at number one.

PopcornTreeCt

Maybe Billboard ought to start including torrent leeches into their numbers.

The Bus

The labels already do this through BigChampagne.

islandclaws

I completely agree. If all CDs were $10 I'd be dropping cash on them all the time, but I won't take a chance on an artist or album for $17.99 plus tax.

big whoppa

Yeah, a remarkably long time to reach double platinum. On the positive side, Rihanna's had a few of her digital singles sell through the roof.

While there are big artists in recent years like Rihanna and Beyonce, they aren't the phenomenon like those albums you listed--the ones played everywhere on the radio AND more importantly become part of our culture. Many were spawned in the era of early MTV like Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", Madonna's "Like a Virgin", Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", Flashdance just to name a few.

nothingfails

I think a big factor in the demise of music sales is the fact that MTV/VH1 care more about shitty reality shows than music. I mean, there have always been problems with those networks, but there are a lot of people who 1. aren't in a big city with a huge scene and/or 2. still are on dial-up or :::gasp::: don't have the internet that rely on those stations to play for them what is popular. I still think MTV airplay goes a long way with making a mere pop star an "icon". When you think of the last batch of pop culture icons such as Eminem, N'Sync/Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, they all managed to slide in the radar when music videos were on it's last legs on MTV, and ten years on, they're (well, maybe not Eminem) still more popular than today's "current" artists who aren't getting exposure on those outlets.

Rocketdog2000

Exactly. Once again, you've hit it bang on.

Travis McClain

To wit: Elvis Presley's best-selling album of all time is...Elvis' Christmas Album, certified at 9x platinum.

wm lopez

I remember that time. Music was very mellow and the british bands were about to really hit the scene around the time THRILLER came out. 1983 & 1984 had great albums come out and of course MTV played videos and that helped boost music sales.

Lateralus

I may be giving them more credit than they deserve but maybe the American public is wising up about purchasing music as paying above $8.00 for a Taylor Swift or Jonas Brothers album is just silly fucking stupid!