Albums are dead.

NY rapper tops charts with less than 1,000 sales

What I mean is physical(CD, vinyl) or even digital(iTunes, Amazon) is dead. Streaming is all the market cares about now.

 

All the proof you need that Billboard method of counting N streams of ANY tracks from an album as an album sale is ridiculous.

 

there isn't just one "market."

Of course, clearly the big industry outlets see it that way. They've seen it the same way for decades. It's all about dollars and cents to them. As far back as the 1980s, they were branding artists as failures if their last record didn't sell as much as the one before it, even if it went multi-platinum.

But there are all sorts of niche markets out there.

 

Okay everyone, it's official. Throw out all your LP's and CD's! Hahahahahaha!

 

There are albums on Bandcamp from fully independent artists that sell more albums than that yet won't top any of the Billboard charts.

 

I mean, sure - physical albums are dead.

I could have it on some physical format though I'm probably listening to it with foobar where I can start any album I want, no disc or tape needed.

However, the concept of a one whole piece of music to define an artist isn't completely dead. A lot of genres work better with a single only format, some don't. I don't really see digital only rock releases or even single only, we usually see albums in that area. Nearly every other genre save for things like modern classical don't require an entire album and never did, think of all your favorite artists pre 1970 and how many non-LP tracks you love.

 

That’s because music is dead.

 

Funny you should post this topic right after I wanted to buy a CD album of '80's German synthpop band C.C.C.P. on Amazon to get their one hit wonder "American-Soviets". It's all streaming or mp3. The only CD is a used one at $36. I mean I could just pay for the one hit song mp3 download for a little over a dollar, but NOOOOO! They don't want my $10 or so to offer an album on CD at a reasonable price.

Maybe it's not so funny. There have been other rare vintage pop albums I'ld like to buy on CD that are only offered as individual downloads or streamed.

 

Music has been fully hijacked by programming and mind manipulation

 

Weird, I still buy them.

The number of people shopping at my local record store is consistently increasing.
I guess I imagined that line of people on Record Store Day.

I’m sure the majority of casual listeners prefer streaming but music freaks seem to still like the real thing.

 

someone had to do it

 

Sorry for your loss. Mine live on.

 

This guy's total actual album sales amount to only around $11,000.

So basically he's pretty much broke yet his album is #1 on the Billboard charts.

Kudos!

 

"Hoodie SZN" is rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie's second full-length studio album

This totally reads like it was written by The Onion.

 

People stream these days, it is what it is.

 

Begs the question, why come to a place where people love albums, physical media and start a thread with that title?
Strange.

 

Also, thanks to "Friday, Friday", pop music is dead.
Thanks to Florida Georgia Line, country music is dead.
Thanks to streaming, ponds and lakes are dead.
Thanks to Slim Whitman, The Beatles and Elvis combined are dead.
Thanks to Huffington Post, The Daily Beast and Politico, The New York Times is dead.

Thanks to idiots who look at one week's sales chart and proclaim things are dead...dying is dead.

 

snark level 6.2

 

Maybe. For now.

I bought my step grandniece a CD player and a bunch of CDs for her 13th birthday and she was thrilled. Albums are not dead for her.

We sell some vinyl at my wife's used bookstore and many (I'd say a bit more than half) who come and browse and buy them are under 30. Albums are not dead for them.

Plus, I don't think selling a billion of something necessarily means it is better or even good.

As for music being "dead". I don't think so. It's just hibernating a bit. It's going to wake up again.

 

I'll have to try harder.

 

This is just posted to remind people you still need physical formats of music. Not everyone is Drake.

 

Billboard has always been a marketing tool for the record labels, nothing more and nothing less. They changed the metrics behind what constitutes a #1 album because the music industry's current target audience weren't buying albums and Billboard would lose all relevance to anyone under 30 if all it counted today were physical sales, which skew heavily toward older and established acts.

Billboard can't be a marketing tool to help sell an album if the top sellers have little appeal to the younger crowds. It was a way for Billboard to remain relevant. And yes, these post-2014 numbers mean almost nothing. People are hung up on it because the Billboard concept used to mean something to many people, especially music fans.

 

“I have even heard on good authority that I was dead ... the report of my death was an exaggeration.”
Mark Twain

 

Exactly...

 

Well said!