This Week's Top Album Marks Low Point

[mjzee]

In the latest sign of waning consumer demand for recorded music, the Billboard 200 album-sales chart just registered a dubious distinction: The No. 1 position was held by an album that sold fewer CDs and downloads than any predecessor since at least 1991, when accurate weekly tallies first became available.

The 44,000 units sold by the band Cake's sixth album, "Showroom of Compassion," marked the second week in a row that the No. 1 album notched a new low-water mark. Last week's chart was dominated by Taylor Swift's "Speak Now," which sold just 52,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan.

More here:

WSJ

[paul secor]

This probably speaks to the quality of the music as well as the public's buying habits.

[GA Russell]

Here in Raleigh, a number of FM stations are now mostly talk radio (in addition to the many AM stations). I get the impression that nowadays people aren't listening to music on the radio as much anymore.

A month ago I saw former Sony exec Tommy Mottola say that music used to be a 50 billion dollar industry, and that it is now a 25 billion dollar industry.

The way the RIAA goes after pirate uploaders, I get the impression that they think their problems are due to piracy. But if I am right that people aren't listening to music on the radio much anymore, then I would guess their biggest problem is that they are making records people just don't want to buy or listen to.

[clifford_thornton]

This probably speaks to the quality of the music as well as the public's buying habits.

Indeed. I remember that band from radio play at least 15 years ago and they were TERRIBLE.

[Hoppy T. Frog]

I wonder how many units number 200 shifted...

[Jazzmoose]

People are sick and tired of recorded music. You can't get away from the crap any more. Rip those damned speakers out of every business in the world and stop making music something to be dreaded and avoided. I'm on a week's vacation this week, and I can't wait until around Wednesday when my brain dries out and starts wondering why it's so quiet. THEN I can listen to some good stuff!

[BERIGAN]

But the good news is Cake had the number one album...cd...ummm, whatever, for a week!

[.:.impossible]

People are sick and tired of recorded music. You can't get away from the crap any more. Rip those damned speakers out of every business in the world and stop making music something to be dreaded and avoided. I'm on a week's vacation this week, and I can't wait until around Wednesday when my brain dries out and starts wondering why it's so quiet. THEN I can listen to some good stuff!

I think that there is a lot to this statement. Over-saturation.