Taylor Swift’s #1 Sold More Than Billboard’s #2 – 107 COMBINED
Taylor Swift was responsible for 22% of albums sold in the US in the last seven days. The sales of her "1989" exceeds the combined sales of albums at No 2 to No 107 in Billboard chart, according to the number crunchers at The Guardian.
But as impressive as those numbers are, particularly given the steady decline in overall music sales, the story that could really shape the near future of the music industry and music consumption is her label's decision to pull all her music off of Spotify.
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She made the right move. The same business model does not work the same way for every artist.
For a major artist it makes good sense to hold your new release back from streaming services. (unless they are going to offer you a really good deal to do otherwise).
I hope that more major artists follow suit. Without the content, streaming services are nothing.
#TJR: which you think is a good thing for all smaller artists? So people will just start using downloads again (not that so many actually ever did buy downloads) or buy CD’s?
These selfish major artists hurts the smaller guys in regard of streamingservices. The services can never reach the proper amount of users if its halted all the time.. The only winner is major artists who might earn more for themself in shortterm.
@James, You can’t seriously believe that streaming services are beneficial to small artists. The only way you can possibly put that view forward is if 1. You’re only tangentially connected to the music industry or 2. You have a stake in streaming services. It isn’t a question of streaming becoming more widespread. It is a question of adequate compensation. First of all, the breakage fees and equity being paid to major labels may account for a large amount of the “payment to rights holders” that companies like Spotify claim. Additionally it seems obvious that an entire series of industries cannot possibly depend on advertising dollars, music even less so. As for the small artists I am connected with, they’re all making some money selling CD’s and vinyl and a negligible amount of money off streaming royalties. They’re mostly on small labels and people step up to claim, “the label is keeping the money!” Sorry, not true.
It cost me more to stream my music than I make. I pay it because I want to be heard.
Janie March ( independent singer/songwriter)
@Janie,
Of course you’ve surely taken gigs where they don’t pay you anything, and your friends and family come out and consume their alcohol and food. Imagine for a second if we were to reverse the trend. Write a brewery or restaurant, “Looking for someone to provide food and beverage at my gig. I can’t pay anything, but it will be great exposure.”
In all of the creative fields people want you to work for free. I did for 10 years. No one started respecting me until I started respecting myself. I charge.
-Studio Ilalo