«--Previous Post | Blog Index | Next Post--»
"Black Friday" Not So Great for Music Industry
Is that still an "industry," even? Billboard is pointing out that while many retail sectors are breathing a sigh of relief after post-Thanksgiving weekend sales rose slightly, the world of music you pay for didn't do so well. First up, high profile album releases from Guns N' Roses and Kanye West both underperformed expectations, with G N' R's Chinese Democracy selling around 250,000 copies (compared to expectations of 300-700K), and Kanye's 808s and Heartbreak moving 425,000-450,000 units (while many expected double that). Maybe people just don't like those albums? Unfortunately, it looks like music sales in general suffered as well: stores like Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart showed declines of up to 40% compared to last year.
Online retailer iTunes doesn't release specific sales figures (although big discounts on Apple merchandise over the weekend might suggest there are more people out there to buy their music now). ITunes did give out a list of the biggest-selling albums and singles of the year, though, with Coldplay's Viva la Vida and Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" taking the respective top spots. A representative for Coldplay estimated at least 25% of their 2,000,000 US sales came through iTunes. Here are the full Top 10s:
Albums
1. Coldplay – Viva la Vida
2. Jack Johnson – Sleep Through the Static
3. Various – Juno OST
4. Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III
5. Sara Bareilles – Little Voice
6. Various – Once OST
7. Various – Across the Universe OST
8. Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things
9. OneRepublic – Dreaming Out Loud
10. Leona Lewis – Spirit
Singles
1. Leona Lewis – "Bleeding Love"
2. Coldplay – "Viva La Vida"
3. Flo Rida – "Low"
4. Katy Perry – "I Kissed a Girl"
5. Rihanna – "Disturbia"
6. Rihanna – "Don't Stop the Music"
7. Lil Wayne – "Lollipop"
8. Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown – "No Air"
9. Sara Bareilles – "Love Song"
10. Natasha Bedingfield – "Pocketful of Sunshine"
Hmm. Well, I guess the Lil Wayne album is pretty good, and that Juno soundtrack has Sonic Youth on it. Focus on the positive!
Comments
ARCHIVE
RECENT COMMENTS
The Best Albums of 2008 (1)
SecretCode wrote:
If you thought Kanye had something to bring to the SNL tab...
[more]
Melissa Etheridge Meets with Rick Warren, Responds to Controversy (1)
a wrote:
Etheridge is out of her mind. Obama is no real friend to ...
[more]
Some Writerly Advice (2)
earledj wrote:
the problem is that professional writers always need some...
[more]
Why Tina Fey Had to Get All Tarted Up (1)
earledj wrote:
Tina Fey didn't become popular from being a sex symbol. M...
[more]
The Best Singles of 2008 (1)
Lea wrote:
Well, well. I do adore LES Artistes - it's amazing, and it...
[more]
CD Review: Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III (15)
reid allmaras wrote:
well the carter album is seriously overrated and weezy doe...
[more]
NPR Lays Off Staff, Cuts Shows (1)
Old Hand wrote:
PBS and NPR are both ridiculously underfunded by the gover...
[more]
Coldplay Deny Plagiarism Accusation, Get Dissed By Reuters (2)
Old Hand wrote:
PS - Thanks for that. I've been sleeping on indie rock sin...
[more]
Thoughts on Milk (1)
electriclady281 wrote:
I'm not gay, but I fail to understand the callous way that...
[more]
YouTube Wrapup: Kermit Sings LCD Soundsystem, Pole Dancing Robots, Mashup Mayhem, Walrus Saxophone Action (1)
Old Hand wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjTBH4_4pO0&feature=related...
[more]
RSS
Feed
Movable Type 3.33
