It was no surprise to learn in Nielsen SoundScan’s new report that overall recorded music sales were down once again. Despite the decline, companies such as Live Nation continue to find new ways to monetize proven artists. Pictured is a branded ear buds display found in a neighborhood convenience store. Prominently displayed is RUN DMC’s brand right along those of other iconic acts such as Kiss, The Who, and Def Leppard. Current mega-stars such as Lil Wayne and Shakira are also obvious options. The placement of such music products in convenience stores puts band-related products in nearly every other corner, versus just a few major outlets.
Music company’s are finding ways to pick up the slack of sagging music sales by tapping into their existing resources, that includes the tried and true. A walk into Best Buy will reveal a slimmer selection of music titles, however, throughout the last few years, music for veteran bands such as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, David Bowie, The Beatles, and Metallica has continued to seep its way into video games through serial titles for Rock Band and Guitar Hero. As well, interesting displays showcasing prints for many of those same bands’ images are also popping up in outlets such as the electronic superstore.
The Nielsen Soundscan report shows that the phenomenon of growth in vinyl album sales persists. Continuing the trend seen in the last few years, the report confirms that sales for that format are higher “than any other year in the history of Nielsen SoundScan.” The value of the classic act is further evident in the fact that four of the top ten positions for biggest vinyl selling acts for 2010 belong to iconic bands, including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Metallica, and Jimi Hendrix. -images and article by Israel Vasquetelle
Other interesting facts straight from the Nielsen Soundscan report include:
-The Rap genre was the only genre that experienced growth over the previous year; an increase of 3% in sales.
-Eminem’s Recovery finishes the year as the biggest selling album with more than 3.4 million in sales.
-Eminem is the biggest selling digital artist in 2010 with more than 15.5 million track sales during the year. This marks the biggest one year digital download track total by an artist for one year.
-Music purchases reached the 1.5 Billion mark for the third consecutive year. 1.5 billion in 2010; 1.6 billion in 2009; 1.5 billion in 2008 (1.4 billion in 2007; 1.2 billion in 2006; 1 billion in 2005).
-71% of all vinyl albums were purchased at an independent music store during 2010.
-Digital music accounts for 46% of all music purchases in 2010; up from 40% in 2009 and 32% in 2008.
