One of the few ways to get an actual read on what is really selling is to look at the Vinyl chart. 2021 is a wake-up call for popular acts and the wake-up call is classic rock.
In the end of year vinyl chart of 2021 in the USA Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ was at no 7 with 179,000 sales.
The Top 20 featured The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ (1969, 154,000 sales) at no 11, Fleetwood Mac ‘Rumours’ (1977, 144,000 sales) at no 12, Queen ‘Greatest Hits Vol 1’ (1981, 139,000 sales) at no 13, Michael Jackson ‘Thriller’ (1982, 137,000 sales) at no 14 and even Artic Monkeys’ 2013 album ‘AM’ made Top 20 for 2021 with 113,000 sales.
Elsewhere down the Top 50 you’ll find albums from Metallica (22), Bob Marley (23), Pink Floyd (27), Amy Winehouse (28), Creedence Clearwater Revival (32), Nirvana (33 and 39), AC/DC (38), more Beatles (42), Miles Davis (44), Abba (45) and Jimi Hendrix (46).
Demographics speak louder than industry bullshit and The Big Lie of recently years in the music industry is that streaming figures added to figures of real physical sales just don’t add up. The music industry has discovered that merging the data of physical sales and streaming creates an inflated view of success. However, it is comparing apples with oranges. It is trying to make you believe that two completely different ways the audience absorbs music is the same. The music industry wants you to believe that listening is the same as purchasing. And the reason the music industry wants you to believe that is that it needs to make you believe The Kid Laroi, Lil Baby, Pop Smoke and Drake are bigger than The Beatles.
That’s just not true. In fact, it is complete bullshit.
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