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Re: Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history
So much for the Adele effect. This past year, catalogue albums outsold the current ones by 4.3 million copies.
Despite the massive success of Adele's album 25, which sold a whopping 7.4 million copies in only six weeks, 2015 marked the first time in U.S. history that new releases were outsold by catalogue albums. Seems like everyone's been feeling extra nostalgic lately.
The term "catalogue" refers to albums released more than 18 months ago. According to Nielsen's annual year end music report, catalogue albums outsold current releases by 4.3 million copies, something never before seen in the industry. Just 10 years ago, current music sales outpaced catalogue music by over 150 million albums. Keep in mind that these stats don't include album streams, but regardless, it's a significant turning point.
Digital sales of current albums still maintained a slight lead, but when it came to physical releases, more people opted for the oldies. And when it comes to individual tracks, not whole albums, catalogue outsold current in digital as well.
There are a number of theories as to how this came to be.
Perhaps it's due to the so-called vinyl revival. In recent years, the sales of vinyl records have significantly increased as young music lovers are discovering the physical LP. In the first half of 2015 alone, vinyl sales increased by 52%. If they're building a physical collection, it stands to reason that people would want to buy a copy of their favourite album on vinyl and not necessarily the newest release. It seems plausible, judging by the fact that, according to the same Nielson report, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon sold 50,000 records this past year, the third highest selling album on vinyl.
Or, maybe it's a sign that a growing number of people are choosing to stream newly released digital albums rather than purchasing them. With the increasing popularity of platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, consumers now have instant access to all the newest music for roughly $10 a month. And they're not limited by shelf space or budget.
Whether or not digital sales of catalogue albums will end up surpassing current releases is still yet to be seen, but based on the current increase in catalogue sales it's definitely a possibility. It seems as though artists are starting to take notice of the trend, too, judging by, for instance, Grimes' recent decision to release her back-catalogue on vinyl following her huge breakout. And the labels, too, judging by Record Store Day's annual parade of reissues.
Re: Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history
That is a bat shit crazy statistic right there. The industry is in deep shit and not just for the obvious reasons of downloading, streaming,etc. It shows that people are abandoning current music in droves. I haven't the slightest clue how they can fix it but obviously the current strategy isn't working.
I've said this before but the "reality culture" is ruining everything and until at least that issue is dealt with.....you're not going to see any changes.
- tejastech08
- Rep: 194
Re: Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history
James, you said on the other thread that you're too old. It's not that man. The music fucking sucks nowadays. I was born way after the heyday of bands like Zeppelin, Beatles, Floyd, Stones, Hendrix, Doors, etc. and I completely missed the heyday of GN'R/Metallica/Nirvana/U2 (born in late 1985). The music those bands created decades ago stands the test of time. Everything today is heavily influenced by computer technology to compensate for a lack of talent in the musicians themselves.
The movie industry has similar issues going on as the box office becomes more and more consolidated. Sequels and "franchise" movies are responsible for the vast majority of ticket sales. Basically it has all been done from an artistic standpoint both in the movies and in music. There is nowhere to go but down in terms of writing for songs and movies.
Re: Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history
Everything is spread too thin in this culture. Everyone wants to be a star. Do you realize that would possibly be the next Appetite for Destruction could be lying in obscurity on Spotify with 12 streams? There's nowhere for it to go. The labels don't even know what to push and if they did....how to push it. If they invest money in it and push it to the moon will anyone even care or will they spend their time on youtube watching a video of a dog farting instead?
The most idiotic shit imaginable gets millions of views on youtube. Any new legitimate artist like Adele getting massive is an anomaly which used to occur continuously in previous decades.
Any new music I hear(which isn't much) is drivel. I cant imagine that many young people enjoying it.....and these statistics show that they are not. Why listen to "_____" when you can stream Dark Side of the Moon, AFD, Rumors,etc. on Spotify instead? Why bother going to a club to see the latest, nameless act when you can go see some big act like GNR, SG, PJ,etc. instead?
If the young generation is abandoning its own current artists to listen to nostalgia acts.....the industry is FUCKED and possibly beyond all repair.
This would be like my generation abandoning GNR, SG,etc. and buying 70s albums from Aerosmith, Nazareth, etc. instead. CRAZY.
- tejastech08
- Rep: 194
Re: Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history
Very valid points. Hell, Appetite almost ended up like those 12 stream albums you reference. The Establishment (MTV and cable companies) did not want it to succeed and I don't even think Geffen really wanted it to succeed after they realized what a mess the band members were (drugs, tempers, booze, etc). Luckily Zutaut fought like hell for it or I'm guessing I would have no idea who GN'R is or what AFD is.
Re: Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history
I currently subscribe to Spotify + very occasionally buy an album for an artist I like. Either one I like a huge amount (GN'R) or a small budding independent artist I'd like to support - often in those scenarios if there's a vinyl option I'll buy it. When buying older music it's usually buying vinyl because I feel like owning that album on vinyl, which is more of a collecting for fun thing. Music sales are dead and the industry needs to either find a creative way to monetise music or stop clinging on to the past.
Also most new music isn't worth buying; It either sucks and isn't worth paying for or is good but is given away for free on youtube , soundcloud etc. (lots of artists do full album uploads etc.) Older music at least appears to be of higher quality (at least the stuff that got popular was - there's still good music made today it's just often only 100 people on a forum will ever hear it), and fans of it was more willing to pay for it.
Re: Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history
Everything is spread too thin in this culture. Everyone wants to be a star. Do you realize that would possibly be the next Appetite for Destruction could be lying in obscurity on Spotify with 12 streams? There's nowhere for it to go. The labels don't even know what to push and if they did....how to push it. If they invest money in it and push it to the moon will anyone even care or will they spend their time on youtube watching a video of a dog farting instead?
Nah, the problem isn't the overabundance of content out there, the problem is that the labels aren't willing to take any risks any more. Everything is designed by committee to appeal to as broad an audience as possible without being offensive. If it's not a safe bet, then the music business (or movie business, video game business, ...) isn't buying it. Unless that changes, the current decline will continue.
People are looking for something fresh, and paradoxically, the great music of the days of yore is actually fresher than the formulaic shit the labels are pushing these days. It's fresh not because it's new, but because it's out of the norm of what they're used to hearing on the radio. They're discovering this old stuff now, and to them it's exciting 'cause it doesn't sound like anything they've heard before.
This should be a major wake-up call for the labels. The only way they're going to be relevant again is if they get their heads out of their asses and reward risk and uniqueness in new bands/acts. Of every 10 new bands they sign, 9 should fail spectacularly and one has to set the world on fire. Now, of every 10 new bands they design somewhere in an office, 7 of them need to have a hit single or two and they're happy 'cause they haven't outright failed. They're not shooting for greatness and willing to fail along the way, they're covering their asses and afraid of failing.
A&R used to be a lot harder, you had to roam the clubs, try to pick up on the newest buzz in the scenes and make a ballsy decision to support a group of drunk nobodies that happened to be doing something special. Nowadays, everyone with a budget of 2000$ can create a pro-sounding album, and lots of talented people do. They self-publish, and have a decent fanbase. It's not extremely hard to find those bands, but the labels just aren't looking for that anymore.
Re: Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history
Very valid points. Hell, Appetite almost ended up like those 12 stream albums you reference. The Establishment (MTV and cable companies) did not want it to succeed and I don't even think Geffen really wanted it to succeed after they realized what a mess the band members were (drugs, tempers, booze, etc). Luckily Zutaut fought like hell for it or I'm guessing I would have no idea who GN'R is or what AFD is.
NOTHING was stopping that album. They were heavily influenced by Stones, Nazareth, Aerosmith,etc. but nothing like it had ever been heard before....at least not in the mainstream. When I first heard Jungle it was like a religious experience. Couldn't believe my eyes/ears were experiencing this. I literally ran to the mall(about a mile away) to buy AFD. After running back home to hear it....nothing was the same again. That album became my life...good and bad. EVERY song meant something to me. Only song I didn't fall in unconditional love with was You're Crazy but that song wound up redeeming itself big time on Lies. AFD(and Lies) was the soundtrack of my junior high years. Luckily for me my parents were liberal and didn't bother resisting it because lets face it...resistance was futile. Nobody was going to stop me from listening to them and I also thank my mom and dad for understanding it and allowing me to buy ALL the shirts back then although my mom wasn't too fond of the rape cover shirt. 
She also didn't like that Lies shirt with the censored nude pic but bought it for me anyways.
This might be one of the reasons I stayed away from it for so many years...not just the burnout on the music in the 90s but the fact that it was such a defining moment of a critical time in my youth. It takes me back to a place that no longer exists. No other album had such an impact on me. Yes there are other mind blowing albums but they didn't hit me on such a gut level at that magnitude.
This generation does not have such a band/album and that is a shame. Music has become disposable and I cant imagine growing up in such an era.
I currently subscribe to Spotify + very occasionally buy an album for an artist I like. Either one I like a huge amount (GN'R) or a small budding independent artist I'd like to support - often in those scenarios if there's a vinyl option I'll buy it. When buying older music it's usually buying vinyl because I feel like owning that album on vinyl, which is more of a collecting for fun thing. Music sales are dead and the industry needs to either find a creative way to monetise music or stop clinging on to the past.
I've had a subscription to Rhapsody for awhile. Only adds $10 to my phone bill and provides all my music needs. The era of downloading music(free or paid) is nearing extinction. Hell....I bought SG's Echo of Miles box set but NEVER whip it out. Why bother? If I want to hear it I can hear it on my phone or pc and since I bought it and have a paid subscription....its like I've paid for it twice. Don't even have to pretend to feel guilty about streaming music now. 
Only artists I'll support 100% by purchasing albums/singles is Soundgarden, GNR, and to a certain extent Bucket(I'm not buying ALL his albums). Everyone else can be streamed.
Streaming is where its all at now.
Also most new music isn't worth buying; It either sucks and isn't worth paying for or is good but is given away for free on youtube , soundcloud etc. (lots of artists do full album uploads etc.) Older music at least appears to be of higher quality (at least the stuff that got popular was - there's still good music made today it's just often only 100 people on a forum will ever hear it), and fans of it was more willing to pay for it.
I brought this up a few years ago but its even more relevant now....
The bizarre thing about today's musical climate is that its a singles driven era like the 50s.....just the technology has changed. No one generally cares about albums anymore....why should they? When SG released King Animal, people weren't buying it in droves(although it sold decent). They were buying its singles and of course on Rock Band. Albums and singles are simply promotional tools for your tour which is the opposite of how it used to be.
So on top of shitty music people are only interested in the shitty song on the radio and not the album that contains it. I predicted years ago that within 10 years the album format wont even exist. We're getting closer.
Re: Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history
Nah, the problem isn't the overabundance of content out there, the problem is that the labels aren't willing to take any risks any more. Everything is designed by committee to appeal to as broad an audience as possible without being offensive. If it's not a safe bet, then the music business (or movie business, video game business, ...) isn't buying it. Unless that changes, the current decline will continue.
People are looking for something fresh, and paradoxically, the great music of the days of yore is actually fresher than the formulaic shit the labels are pushing these days. It's fresh not because it's new, but because it's out of the norm of what they're used to hearing on the radio. They're discovering this old stuff now, and to them it's exciting 'cause it doesn't sound like anything they've heard before.
This should be a major wake-up call for the labels. The only way they're going to be relevant again is if they get their heads out of their asses and reward risk and uniqueness in new bands/acts. Of every 10 new bands they sign, 9 should fail spectacularly and one has to set the world on fire. Now, of every 10 new bands they design somewhere in an office, 7 of them need to have a hit single or two and they're happy 'cause they haven't outright failed. They're not shooting for greatness and willing to fail along the way, they're covering their asses and afraid of failing.
A&R used to be a lot harder, you had to roam the clubs, try to pick up on the newest buzz in the scenes and make a ballsy decision to support a group of drunk nobodies that happened to be doing something special. Nowadays, everyone with a budget of 2000$ can create a pro-sounding album, and lots of talented people do. They self-publish, and have a decent fanbase. It's not extremely hard to find those bands, but the labels just aren't looking for that anymore.
You make valid points but there IS way too much stuff out there and not only that, too many choices and ways to get it.
Average night in an average family household...
Daddy is watching the big game on his new big screen HD TV. Mommy is watching old Matlock episodes on netflix and after daddy's game is over, will watch Dancing with the Stars. Bobby is playing Civ5 on his tablet. Cindy is streaming Taylor Swift's hot new single through her phone on Rhapsody while doing homework. David is texting his gf continuously. Youngest child Joy is watching videos of cats jumping through hula hoops on youtube. Johnny is playing the new GTA on his ps4.
Now where exactly does this potential new big up and coming band fit into that equation and how do you get all those people to pay attention to it to the point where they all like it, will buy it, watch it, listen to it, and then buy concert tickets for it?
Have you heard of Sia? If the answer is no....why not? Her videos have literally BILLIONS of views. Wouldn't that make her bigger than Madonna, Whitney, Mariah, and GaGa combined? Nope. Her vids have billions of views because people heard about her on different reality/talent shows and a couple websites, and for five seconds people streamed her vids and moved on to the next youtube vid.....which was probably footage of a seal yawning before eating a sardine.
Like I said..... too many choices. There are bigger issues at hand than just the shitty quality of current music itself.
- tejastech08
- Rep: 194
Re: Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history
The bizarre thing about today's musical climate is that its a singles driven era like the 50s.....just the technology has changed. No one generally cares about albums anymore....why should they? When SG released King Animal, people weren't buying it in droves(although it sold decent). They were buying its singles and of course on Rock Band. Albums and singles are simply promotional tools for your tour which is the opposite of how it used to be.
So on top of shitty music people are only interested in the shitty song on the radio and not the album that contains it. I predicted years ago that within 10 years the album format wont even exist. We're getting closer.
The good thing about this technology situation is YouTube. I remember a time (early 2000's) when I was first getting into GN'R. YouTube didn't exist and it was very difficult to download the full video files for music videos of songs like November Rain and Paradise City. Dial-up Internet was brutal for downloading a 6-9 minute video. Never got into the whole bootleg trading thing for live shows during that time because of how difficult it was to obtain material.
YouTube came along in 2005 and allowed everyone a chance to see all the old live shows in addition to the music videos. By this point I was in college and had a very fast Internet connection, so YouTube streaming was a great way to explore bands like GN'R. Even if the industry completely collapses and we never see another truly great rock band, at least future generations can access all this material that used to be hoarded and kept secret (or in MTV's vault in the case of music videos/Ritz 88).
