No Lady Gaga. No Beyonce. No (new) Adele. No major rap act. And it shows…
Despite top acts like Madonna, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Frank Ocean, and more managing to score impressive debuts this year, it seems their combined efforts have paled in comparison to a number of old releases.
So much so, reports are now indicating that 2012 has seen – for the first time in U.S. history – albums released before January 1st of this year have outsold new releases in this year…
“So far, 76.6 million catalogue records have been sold this year compared to 73.9 million recent releases.’
Albums like Adele‘s ’21’, Whitney Houston‘s entire catalogue post her untimely death, Guns N’ Roses, and more have seen substantial sales in the past 6 months.
While the year’s most anticipated releases, Madonna and pop acts, Usher and other premium R&B acts, and more have seen their efforts report their worst numbers in years. Ironically, most of whom boast top 10 singles. And, while we are barely beyond the halfway point of the year (with many high profile releases slated for later), the news still comes as a troubling truth.
As the introduction of digital sales has greatly caused the declination of albums (and the rise of singles), we ask:
Is this report a sign of the times? Or just a coincidence?
Your thoughts?
![Whitney Houston's 'The Concert for a New South Africa' Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Live Album Release & New Song 'Love Is' [Stream]](https://thatgrapejuice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/whitney-concert-live-south-africa-album-2024-stream-thatgrapejuice-houston-464x260.jpg "Whitney Houston's 'The Concert for a New South Africa' Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Live Album Release & New Song 'Love Is' [Stream].")
![Movie Trailer: 'Beyond the Likes' [Starring Matt Rife, Don Benjamin, Terrence J, & King Bach]](https://thatgrapejuice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/beyond-the-likes-terrence-j-trailer-2024-thatgrapejuice-464x260.jpg "Movie Trailer: 'Beyond the Likes' [Starring Matt Rife, Don Benjamin, Terrence J, & King Bach].")
BEYONCE AND BLUE IVY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lev7nRGCCJI&feature=g-all-c
U SLAYED ME AND THOSE HOODRAT HIVE MEMBERS!! LMAO RIGHT NOW!!
BOW for hoodrats or I’ll C** UP YO’ SWEET LIL’ WYY ASS
@ china that was so stupid and pathetic. You seem like a s***** person.
HILLARIOUS!q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_W_xLWtNa0&feature=fvwrel
KING RIH!! I LOVE IT!! RIHANNNNNNA NAVVVVVVVVVY!!!!!!
RIH IS H**’S KING
SORRY???????????????????
CALLING BEYONCE ALL LEVELS OF A “THUG” AND YOU’RE THE FIRST.
THE FIRST.
THE FIRRRRRRST TO STEAL THE “KING” TITLE?????
GO CHOKE ON A HOME-MADE BLACK D**** FOR F***’S SAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It just proves again that this today’s music is garbage and pointless. Point Blank. Music died after 2006. There are only a few artist left fighting to keep real music alive.
INCLUDING FLOPONCYE!!! BUT NOT KING RIH!!!
ihadafakepregancy(just like bey) since when has rihanna made real music, you are really crasy. Ahahahahah
She make garbarge music not real music.4 is real music fool. King rih doesn’t exist or he foreheads’s king.
“INCLUDING FLOPONCYE!!! BUT NOT KING RIH!!!”
Because we ALL know “Talk That Talk” sold 11.3 million copies more than “Four”.
Take an entire seat that’ll fit for Rihanna’s forehead + Your ass together. I always said.
@all the above,
rated r was real music and was praised more than 4 and sold more than 4!!!!!!!!
No it proves that illegal downloads kills sales…it’s not about “REAL” music…all music is real music to somebody…all genres of music see declines in sales…from heavy metal (which i can bet you would considered not “REAL” music) to R&B
before it was just bootlegging but even with that you had to buy the real cd first…now it’s leaks…1 tweet and a brand new album is available to millions across the world
this is also why concert tickets’ prices have gon up…what they don’t make in album sales they make in concerts because you can’t illegally download a ticket
so you guys can call nicki minaj, beyonce, rihanna, etc flops if you want but them selling 1 million is like them selling 5-10 million in the 90’s
Mariah still puts out great music…many on the caliber of her 90’s work….but she will never see those types of sales again….not because she isn’t a good artist anymore…only because illegally downloading is what most choose to do
Absolutely believe it. People are looking for that REAL music we use to have prior 2003. Destiny’s Child, old version of Usher, Aaliyah, No Doubt, 90’s Brandy, Missy Elliot etc. I remember being excited going to the record store to buy the latest albums….Now I’m lucky if I get excited to purchase a .99 single..
I agree, to be honest i spend my time listening to older albums of my fav artists as the new music either all sounds the same, has rubbish lyrical content or has someone talentless chick/dude with limited singing ability making noise over music, but flashing a sixpack or half naked in the latest fashion.
I can pump classic whitney all day long, most of the newer stuff is just disposable and will be listened to for a week and then be deleted.
i agree with both of yall .. last song i listened to today on iPod was More than a Woman Aaliyah . i really dont find the music nowadays as good as back then ; musically im still stuck in 90`s and early 2000`s . some stuff like jill scott / tweet / etc are keeping it real but nah , peeps juss making music now so they can have food on their table and to stay relevant . no heart put into it
I agree with everything you both said!
& yall please follow me now: http://twitter.com/shynlownoam
Back In the day people put their HEART and SOUL into their music.
Now X person is paid to write the music, Y person is paid to create the image, Z person is created to do EVERAYTHING else.
People are singles artists, they got 3/4 good songs and an album full of garbage.
Last night I listened to TLC’s Fanmail album. Some of the BEST songs were ne’er singles or features.
These days if you hear the singers 3 singles then that’s the best they got and if you want to buy an album off that – whatever.
Some things need to change in the music industry, all the games they’re playing to try and get money aint working.
this applies to alot of late 90s/early 00s artists including christina aguilera, britney, n sync etc
things wont change until program directors and record companies get behind real music!!!
What real music? Do you think that ppl who set this mess in motion and making the most money off the backs of actual artists and cheap media driven gimmick acts (e.g. Justin Bieber, 1 Direction, Selena Gomez, Rebecca Black, Carley Rea Jesep, etc.) are going to change their MONEY MAKING SCHEME TO APPEASE YOU PPL? 🙂
>Those ppl are the Program Directors who are in bed with Industry Excs who are in bed with mainstream Media outlets (you see the same ppl perform on every talk show, award show, talent show on the cover of every magaizine blah, blah blah) WAKE UP PPL!
Agreed !!!! To the people complaining about music died in the 2000’s. Great music is still out there, we are just not paying enough attention. Don’t depend on the biased media and people with their own agendas to continue to shove the select few down our throats.
we need another I’ll Make Love To You…that’s NOT from ne-yo, usher or trey
The state of music is deplorable. But fear not b******. Ritus Christ will save us in August. #Ora
LOL THAT B**** RITA ORAL S** IS PART OF THE PROBLEM!!!
i hear that lol
@ I had a Face Surgery (Unlike Bey)
DEATH @ RITA ORAL S**
It’s a consumer driven market. If people are more interested in old music than today’s music, that’s not a coincidence. That ‘s a wake up call. Get rid of the b******* over sound effects and make something worthwhile.
Real music has nothing to do with it cause suck ass people back in the day were still selling…… illegal download have alot to do with it…i know nas is considered real music but look at his numbers
How’s yo’ friday @AHAHAHAHHAHA / @BEY / @RIH IS A C***
Young Money is killing music.They need to go.
I remeber when music use to be godd.Now we got wack @ss Nicki Minaj.
HAHAHA b******!! I seen this s*** happening about five years ago!! Most people hold on to dear life, saying that these Generic Era Artist are good, they’re not!! If people are buy albums that were the s*** back in the day, and rejecting the music that is out now!!! That says ablot!!! Like the other poster said, until a b**** start bringing the funk, making music that your granny will listen, and it’s current, then these record companies, will forever suffer!! This auto tune s*** is dead, finally off life support!! I hope that this trend keeps up, then finally real artist will emerge!
Amen!
Amen n°2
Want real music,
but “channel ORANGE” by Frank Ocean
and then “19” by Adele.
I always buy most.albums years after they have come out. For me, I get the albums after the hype is gone so that I can enjoy the album without hearing the.songs on the radio every 5 minutes. In other cases I just want something old school that I know is good. I recently bought Mariah’s early albums as well as old MJ records. Music like that was timeless. Nowadays after the hype is gone I’m no longer interested in the music or artist.
“I get the albums after the hype is gone so that I can enjoy the album without hearing the.songs on the radio every 5 minutes”
Me and you, we should marry
I miss having many mainstream artisits. I miss not having stupid bull s*** stan wars. I mean whats the point of that? Your “fave” dont pay your bills or dont even know your name or existence. I cant deal with listening to the same 5 artist on every radio station.Its sad when you have Katy Perry or a generic pop record playing on a hip and r&b station.
Thank god i have my ipod so i can listen to real music
Hop*
I honesty feel technology has a lot to do with it. People can get most music for free if they want to. Only the older generation play CDs in the car or house. While most use pandora and m** players. I do the same. I only buy albums of artist I really like. For everybody else I’ll find a way to get it for free. Back then You buy the whole album not a single. Most of today’s artist would fail because they can’t sell albums.
I think it’s more of the fact that music is much more available elsewhere to us these days, unlike back in the day.
Paying for music almost seems pointless because there are so many available ways to listen to it online for free. And why buy an album when more than likely you won’t listen to it that much? Most music being put out these days, isn’t worth listening to after awhile.
Of course you get people like Adele, who people emotionally invest into and really do enjoy the music she puts out, and people will go out and support artists like her because they really do enjoy the music and plan on listening to it more than 2 times, like with most other music.
Artists need to focus on making a worthwhile album more than a worthwhile single. The single only does so much. You want people to get invested into you and you want big sales? Put an album out that the masses will enjoy and go out and get. Make an album that will get people talking about you. Make the music get you the attention, not the fashion, the stupid acts, etc.
It’s really not that complicated, but the music industry makes it complicated.
i feel the white man caused all of this illegal downloads, they knew Pop music wasnt going to be the big seller and they knew music was becoming more influenced with HIpHop&r&b…they dnt want too see black to rule the charts, so this was they way to get some of the money…& i also feel hiphop&R&b is not dead, are music just became Popular music..Beyonce, jayz, kanye west, wiz, chris BRown, Nicki etc, has all became Popular music, which is Pop music..so HIpHOP or real R&b music is not dead, just the white man found someway to control or keep the black music money in there pockets….
Thanks for the laugh!
THANK YOU!
When ppl tell the TRUTH beyond stan wars and bullsh** folks get mad. Whenever you can see what’s really going on folks get mad. All of a sudden in order for Black men to gain success in R&B they has to admit to doing WHAT? Why can’t you simply make music without shock value to sell it? Why is it that the WHITE OWNED & DUMB FOLLOWING behind what white owners tell them, BLACK MEDIA OUTLETS, insist that all BLACK MEN in music be viewed as VIOLENT or NO GOOD or NOW, BI or GAY? Sure ppl make mistakes no matter the skin color but why only constantly highlight the flaws and shortcomings of BLACK MEN (& BLACK WOMEN for that matter)?
“Popular music” for the “popular society” is what has killed the music industry. They have cut the life blood of the industry which is SOUL MUSIC, to it’s core and now look to blame the artists! When you spend so much time TEARING DOWN BLACK ARTISTS or only supporting a handful, you have what we currently see. STOP TRYING TO BLAME THE ARTISTS PPL, IT’S THE INDUSTRY!
**1 or 2 ppl cannot carry a GENRE, even they need competition to GROW as artists!
Lmao I love how people always find a way to blame the white man for problems. Illegally downloading music as effected pop, rock, and country music as well. Not just hip-hop and R&b
has*
well the standard of music is rubbish these days and has been getting progressively worse in the past 10-15 years. the only album worth buying to come out this year was nas “life is good” and maybe frank ocean “channel orange”. another reason is that we treat artists like GODS when we dont even know them.
I guess I’m not the only one who longs for a music artist that can actually sing and or dance. -_- sigh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl0_gL5EXIM
Relace Katy Perry with Rihanna or Nicni Minaj and u have the answer!
THAT IS
Fast food music industry! Quality = 0%
Note that 2:3 albums used in this post as examples are catalog greatest hits albums. When you consider the number of catalog albums for sale, compared to the miniscule number of new releases this year (by comparison), you can see why old releases are outselling new ones. This is in conjunction with the fact that albums just don’t really sell anymore unless you’re appealing to really broad demographics (e.g. Adele).
Consider this: Twenty years from now, some yet-to-be-born 19 yo might decide to purchase a download of Nicki Minaj’s greatest hits . . . This trend will continue.
I rarely post but…
To me, everyone is so interested in scandal and gimmicks but not actual talent. I’ve seen people actually say on blogs “oh she can sing good but she needs to cut her hair or do something edgy” and pay no attention to the talent presented. I look at these blog sites and everyone comments on the SAME people on posts but on the other hand the folks with talent no gimmicks are overlooked..why because they are going about their careers the old way NO Gimmicks. Trying to be a mega star with no gimmick just ain’t happening. Lady gaga is as talented as can be..if you strip all the costumes and s*** off…would you pay attention? The woman is talented she can play the piano, sing well and dance… but her image and s*** is what got her to where she is…she got us by all of the crazy outfits. no shade. just truth. In this day and age in the music industry to sell albums you have to have a scandal or a gimmick. exception being Adele.
Next, music is so easily accessible. Of course artist aren’t going to sale well if, by the snap of a finger their album can be downloaded off the internet for free. FAN BASE plays a major role too. If you are a true fan to your artist, you will make sure you purchase their album. Times are rough for some and people aren’t going to spend their money on an album where there are only three good songs. Album leaks, youtube and file sharing sites can either make you or break you.
The passion in music isn’t there anymore. Everything is for the club. All the rnb has to have rap on it for the radio or else it won’t do well. The same people are on every song…like damn.. I don’t know about you but i’m tired of rnb acts making a record and putting the same rap artist on it. It’s getting out of hand. All the songs are sounding the same.
But thats how they are surviving in today’s music industry.
Hey there!
Please check out the video Afrodisiac by soul siren Teni and comment, rate and subscribe! She’s the new generation Sade! Afrodisiac the debut album by Teni out on iTunes 5.9.12! Follow her on twitter @teniofficial! Thank you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PM2YoiU-_Y
The really sad part is that there are a lot of good up and coming artist, but they never get the shine they deserve. Especially when it comes to real R&B. Its lIke you have to be really pop or really ratchet to get air play. And without airplay and top 10 singles on Billboard hot 100 people ( as in the young trend following fans) don’t wanna buy your music. I keep saying that artist like Elle Varner, Bridget Kelly, and Stacy Barthe who deserve much success because fans today are so fickle and are only wanting to support faves that won’t flop instead of supporting good music.
In my opinion, @King of BeyHive, R&B music is still selling good.
But it’s just that ….. It comes and goes. Remember how the 1990-2000’s decade end charts were FILLED with Beyonce and Destiny’s Child?
This is why i stay listening to Retro music. I only spend my money on 1 or 2 artist out today…The rest i get it for free. I love new wave, rock, anything with quality i will buy.
“artists”
This just proves longetivity is important. All the albums that were released this year had extremely front-loade sales. Madonna, Justin, Nicki and Usher debuted at #1 and then started having 50%+ declines each week to the point that they’ll be out of the main chart very soon. Chris Brown and Frank Ocean will follow suit. The only saving graces of the year so far are Maroon 5, Linkin Park, Zac Brown Band and Carrie Underwood who seem to have consistent sales. Everyone else is flopping.
But I don’t think we should worry just yet. The standards are obviously lower and now selling more than 200k first week is considered an achievement, but there are many high profile releases coming up, including Nas, No Doubt, Christina Aguilera and possibly Lady GaGa and Rihanna, so I’m not worried yet.
Is this REALLY a SURPRISE?
When you have an AMERICAN INDUSTRY that ONLY PROMOTES a HANDFUL of CHOSEN FEW, this is what happens! In the past, artists could just be ENTERTAINERS! Now the media tearsdown the ARTISTS THEY DON’T WONT PPL TO SUPPORT and CODDLES those they want music buyers to see as GREAT! The fixed music industry and media work IN TANDEM to to ELEVATE the chosen few to the DETRIMENT of all others!
The media decides to support certain ppl like JUSTIN BIEBER (Michael Jackson’s MEDIA PICKED REPLACEMENT). No matter what, Justin Bieber is promoted over all others. Now the BRITISH boy band 1 DEGREE….1 DIMENSION….0_o? I never heard of these kids however, they have been MARKETED as the MOST WANTED BOY BAND in America since the BEATLES – John, Paul (both of whom BEAT women), Ringo & George !!! Really, WTF happened here people?
ADELE, is a good singer and has made the best out of her soulful, SOUL SINGING voice BUT COME ON. ’21’ is a good CD BUT COME ON! The media has promoted her CD ’21’ over any and every other person singing soul music to date including BEYONCE, JILL SCOTT, LEDISI, ALICIA KEYS, MJB, MONICA BROWN, BRANDY, and so! Let’s stop pretending as if something isn’t going on in the music industry. And let me not get on the so called instant “success” of Frank Ocean. His personal life is his own. No one should have to tell all in order to succeed in the music industry! Whose next to bare their soul about s**, abuse, drug addiction, prison, etc? Damn really ppl just to sell a CD?
FIXED, CONTROLLED, LYING, NO GOOD MEDIA & MUSIC INDUSTRY = DEATH OF ALL MUSIC IN ALL GENRES!
Technology has a lot to do with it but not EVERYTHING. People will buy REAL MUSIC. Adele’s album is proof of that. That’s why its so big. I mean it’s good, but part of its success is because it makes u feel what music used to make u feel back in the day.
Wait, GUNS N’ ROSES ….the great GNR?
LOL, I seem to recall the FIXED, BIASED media glossing over the RACIST RANTING and VIOLENTLY ABUSIVE behavior of GNR’s lead singer AXL ROSE!
> Funny how the media did not then NOR do they now, discuss the years of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE a grown ass man by the name of AXL ROSE administered to ex-fiance SUPERMODEL STEPHANIE SEYMOUR!
> No they can’t tell men about a VIOLENT ADULT WHITE MALE AND HIS CONSTANT ABUSIVE OF AN “INNOCENT, DEFENSELESS WHITE FEMALE”.
>They can however, tell me EVERYDAY, ALL DAY that teenage Chris Brown had 1 fight 3 years ago with Rihanna Fenty now that they can discuss! Let’s make sure he never sells a CD & never has a successful career in music. Let’s shove him out of the industry so we can continue welcoming old head LONG-TERM DOMESTIC ABUSERS like Axl Rose, Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Nicki Sixx, Alan Jackson, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul McCarrtney, Jackson Browne, James Taylor etc. back into the industry!
Well I am glad to see GNR selling so well. I love the hypocrisy of it all!! 🙂
Wow and I thought I was the only one who spend my day listening to old music for the most part, compared to the new music. I mean, old albums selling more than new ones, that´s pretty HUGE. I suppose Whitney played a big part but still
Right now, as I´m writing this I´m listening to “Thtiller” album, can u believe it? And Michael is not even among my very personal favorites
There are not albums like before. I can understand Adele´s success. People are missing that. There are very few albums in the last 10 years that can be considered huge and that never get old compared to the big amount of those type of albums in the 80´s and 90´s
Some of Michael, Whitney and Mariah´s albums are perfection and even if 20 years have gone by they sound like you are in heaven. I don´t know, albums like Alanis “Jagged little Pill” or Celine´s “Falling into You” from the late 90´s are everything, memorable vocals and true music, such classics. Even madonna offered her best music around that time
Don´t want to hear a single Beyonce fan trying to put that girl on that level cos her albums are mediocre compared to that greatness. Rihanna and Britney… need I say more? At least Screamtina tried to offer big albums with Stripped and Back to Basics (and I don´t like her much). And then the rest is just generic mediocre s***: JLo, Pitbull, Kesha, nicki Minaj, David Guetta, etc, etc
I supposse downloading era and labels are to blame
honestly , if the album is good , ppl will buy it and SUPPORT it completely ” see : Adele’s 21″ , if they gonna buy it cuz of the artist , ” regardless of the content” , it will be big for a minute and will fall off after a week or 2 ” see generic albums released recently” !!
it is all about the content !! firstly and mostly !! at least for me !
and J.LO had albums like ” on the 6 , J.Lo and that spanish album she made ” those were great !!
Tbh, there hasnt been any major releases this year. I didnt expect much from Madonna or Justin’s albums and Nicki flopped like I predicted. I think this will change once major acts start releasing their music. I can bet Whitney’s death is a main cause in this also.
the death of major acts is what really sparked this, i mean millions sold because they died, and just a few million off in sales do the math.
but i will say people are so blind now a days, people keep saying music died or is nothing but crap, no it is not!!!!!! maybe if all you listen to is the radio artist then yeah for you it might be. how about you take the time to listen to something else. it use to be you had all these great artist on the radio now its whose ever song is catchy enough, so now you just search for it, i mean common go listen to jjmaz , foxes, mr. little jeans, kimbra and so on they are all great, they don’t get the recognition but still great music.
also let us admit that the music that has been released today is not anything special, i mean all the major releases had one thing in common and that was the dance music, i mean all major releases did the dance type music, it gets repeatitive which is why it isnt selling like it use to, dance music hit its peak as of last year, now people want something else.
I think people deserved the decline so they can appreciate good music. When “Loud” came out people lied and called it fast food pop music. Now that #TTT is out they finally have a representation of what microwave pop is.
music is not dead , but mediocre music is poisoning the atmosphere.
thank god we have “adele” , “lana del rey” and other artists like them !! rihanna is commercial , but she doesn’t have any option to show growth , cuz when she do , she flop ! some artists put themselves inside of the box and rihanna is one of them.
all of this happened because most the artists are greedy. they sold out !!!
yeah JLO’S on the 6 JLO and this is me then ,,, nice albums
As someone who hates about 95%+ of the current music scene, I can’t help but take vindictive satisfaction in this. All these so-called “It”-girls can only have popular microwavable singles, but can’t sell albums to save their careers. Blaming it on technology only goes so far; the bottom line is that few people have enough faith in a Katy Perry or Rihanna to make buying their whole album a priority, so they just download singles, then forget where they stored the m** file…and that’s about it.
I hate to sound old, but “in my day” artists actually sold millions. Historically, many adults have felt like the music of their youth was better than today’s generation. I’m no different, and in the meantime I actually have the sales statistics to back it up. “In my day,” a hit album didn’t stall at 800k-1.5 million. When I was coming up, my faves were going 5,6,7,8,9,10x platinum. Heh.
Glad I was a 90’s t***, and thrilled I wasn’t a 90’s baby.
I was born in 92 but I could give two shits about today’s music it sucks I’m not going through the best times of my life right now and I need music that makes you feel what I’m really into right now is Jim Hendrix and nirvana and Toni braxton. To be honest other than frank ocean I haven’t really seem to care about new music from ppl like Beyonce and Rihanna cuz nowadays it just sucks!!
REAL MUSIC IS DEAD….
real music is dead and jloon the 6 album is very good and jlo and this is me then
Hey and even though jlo can’t sing at least to me her on the 6 CD was okay even back then the ppl who had disadvantages had okay music today the best singers and bad singers have crappy music smh