Luddites and baby boomers, rejoice!
The Nielsen SoundScan folks, who track music sales, airplay and digital streams in this sector of the universe, have released their data on the top-selling music of the past year and the past decade.
With apologies to that music critic Mark Twain (who noted there are three kinds of lies -- "lies, damn lies and statistics"), the SoundScan statistics clearly indicate that today's music is crap, and the music of yesteryear rules.
What was the top-selling album of the past decade? A set by a group that hasn't recorded a track since 1970 -- "Beatles 1," a greatest hits set by the Beatles, with 11.56 million sold.
Who was the top-selling artist of 2009? Michael Jackson, with 8.3 million albums sold.
Following Jackson as 2009's top-selling artist were Taylor Swift in second, and the Beatles third (a ranking spurred by the remastering of the Fab Four's entire catalog).
For the record, country pixie Taylor Swift had the top-selling album in 2009 with "Fearless," followed closely by Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" and Jackson's "Number Ones." Other top 10 albums in 2009 included works by Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Hannah Montana, Eminem and Jay-Z.
Following the Beatles in the decade's top 10 albums list were N' Sync's "No Strings Attached," Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me," two albums by Eminem plus sets by Britney Spears, Usher and Linkin Park.
The decade's top-selling artist was Eminem with 32 million albums sold, followed in order by the Beatles with 30.2 million and country guys Tim McGraw (24.8 million) and Toby Keith (24.5 million).
As those T-shirts covering beer bellies on the beach proclaim: Old guys rule!
Sure, Jackson's success once again proves that old adage (likely coined by Twain): "Death is a good career move."
But how do we explain the Beatles' rule over past decade? OK, OK -- aging boomers and ex-flower children have mucho disposable income and lap up any repackaging of the Fab Four, the better to relive the 1960s.
But consider this: Will Eminem, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, N' Sync or any other artist cited above sell 11.56 million albums 40 years after they record their last work?
Will Eminem, though he's a wickedly clever rapper, or Taylor Swift sell even 10 albums four decades from now? Wanna bet?
On the Luddite front: SoundScan reported that digital music accounted for 40 percent of all music purchases in 2009, and digital track sales set a record with 1.16 billion sold.
However, more vinyl albums were bought in 2009 -- 2.5 million -- than in any single year since Nielsen SoundScan was founded in 1991.
The top-selling vinyl release of 2009: the Beatles' "Abbey Road" with 34,800 copies, followed by Jackson's "Thriller" with 29,800 copies.
Back in 1983, one of my college professors proclaimed the Beatles were "the classical music of our time" -- meaning that the Fab Four were serious musicians and composers who were creating music that would speak across the ages.
Timothy Leary famously said: "I declare that the Beatles are mutants -- prototypes of evolutionary agents sent by God, endowed with a mysterious power to create a new human species, a young race of laughing freemen."
I believe both my college prof and Mr. Leary may be right.
The Nielsen SoundScan folks, who track music sales, airplay and digital streams in this sector of the universe, have released their data on the top-selling music of the past year and the past decade.
With apologies to that music critic Mark Twain (who noted there are three kinds of lies -- "lies, damn lies and statistics"), the SoundScan statistics clearly indicate that today's music is crap, and the music of yesteryear rules.
What was the top-selling album of the past decade? A set by a group that hasn't recorded a track since 1970 -- "Beatles 1," a greatest hits set by the Beatles, with 11.56 million sold.
Who was the top-selling artist of 2009? Michael Jackson, with 8.3 million albums sold.
Following Jackson as 2009's top-selling artist were Taylor Swift in second, and the Beatles third (a ranking spurred by the remastering of the Fab Four's entire catalog).
For the record, country pixie Taylor Swift had the top-selling album in 2009 with "Fearless," followed closely by Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" and Jackson's "Number Ones." Other top 10 albums in 2009 included works by Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Hannah Montana, Eminem and Jay-Z.
Following the Beatles in the decade's top 10 albums list were N' Sync's "No Strings Attached," Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me," two albums by Eminem plus sets by Britney Spears, Usher and Linkin Park.
The decade's top-selling artist was Eminem with 32 million albums sold, followed in order by the Beatles with 30.2 million and country guys Tim McGraw (24.8 million) and Toby Keith (24.5 million).
As those T-shirts covering beer bellies on the beach proclaim: Old guys rule!
Sure, Jackson's success once again proves that old adage (likely coined by Twain): "Death is a good career move."
But how do we explain the Beatles' rule over past decade? OK, OK -- aging boomers and ex-flower children have mucho disposable income and lap up any repackaging of the Fab Four, the better to relive the 1960s.
But consider this: Will Eminem, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, N' Sync or any other artist cited above sell 11.56 million albums 40 years after they record their last work?
Will Eminem, though he's a wickedly clever rapper, or Taylor Swift sell even 10 albums four decades from now? Wanna bet?
On the Luddite front: SoundScan reported that digital music accounted for 40 percent of all music purchases in 2009, and digital track sales set a record with 1.16 billion sold.
However, more vinyl albums were bought in 2009 -- 2.5 million -- than in any single year since Nielsen SoundScan was founded in 1991.
The top-selling vinyl release of 2009: the Beatles' "Abbey Road" with 34,800 copies, followed by Jackson's "Thriller" with 29,800 copies.
Back in 1983, one of my college professors proclaimed the Beatles were "the classical music of our time" -- meaning that the Fab Four were serious musicians and composers who were creating music that would speak across the ages.
Timothy Leary famously said: "I declare that the Beatles are mutants -- prototypes of evolutionary agents sent by God, endowed with a mysterious power to create a new human species, a young race of laughing freemen."
I believe both my college prof and Mr. Leary may be right.
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