2006
1/HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3.2M
2/RASCAL FLATT 2.6M
3/JAMES BLUNT 1.9M
4/CARRIE UNDERWOOD 1.8M
5/NICKELBACK 1.8M
6/MARY J BLIGE 1.7M
7/DIXIE CHICKS 1.6M
8/NOW21 1.6M
9/TI 1.5M
10/RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS 1.4M

2005
1/50CENT 4.7M
2/MARIAH CAREY 3.5M
3/GREENDAY 2.7M
4/KELLY CLARKSON 2.5M
5/COLDPLAY 2.3M
6/THE GAME 2.2M
7/GWEN STEFANI 2.1M
8/BEP 1.9M
9/THE KILLERS 1.8M
10/KANYE WEST 1.8M
[Edited 11/2/06 17:29pm]

I just threw up lookin at those lists...

Sdldawn said:

look at the decline in record sales... when are record companies gonna start changing their ways? promoting no talent artist such as Paris Hilton or the Simpson girls just isn't working,,,,shit start promoting some veteran acts to top 40 radio at least those albums still sell cuz what they are doing now sure isn't working

the sad news.

its all going country, i bet next yr some nascar guy will have a cd coming out.

those numbers got to be wrong somewhere...

I saw today for the first time that HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL album in a store here in Portugal...we are doomed!

missfee said:

I believe that the actual Soundscan numbers indicated a little bit higher sales for the top artists, since both 50 Cent and Mariah sold over five million copies of their albums last year, and Kelly Clarkson sold 4.5 million in 2005, and Carrie Underwood has sold 3.3 million copies of her album this year, and the High School Musical soundtrack has sold 3.7 million copies, but the overall trend is correct. Album sales are plummeting fast, and not even superstars are immune from this. The record companies can't blame poor sales this year on a lack of big artists, because Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Rascal Flatts, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Evanescence, The Killers, and My Chemical Romance have all released new albums this year, and Jay-Z and Keith Urban are releasing new albums in the next couple weeks, but none of these people are even close to approaching the 4 million sales mark, let alone 5 million. I believe that we are seeing a permanent shift in the buying patterns for music that not even the best artists, labels and marketers can control.

No these numbers r rite on the dot!!!

the 2005 numbers r from jan to 1st week nov and not the whole year so 50s and mariah numbers werent the total for the whole year


similarly these 2006 numbers r for sales from jan to date carie underwood /mary j blige released thier albums last yr so the sales of 2005 werent included

plus if u saw the soundscan numbers for high school musical for this week its exactly 3.2million

here r numbers for albums released this yr from this weeks charts

26 Rascal Flatts, Me And My Gang 33,383 -5 35,171 2,669,87
45 High School Musical, Soundtrack 18,520 -5 19,469 3,200,566
70 Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stadium Arcadium 12,764 -9 13,950 1,479,742
90 Dixie Chicks, Taking The Long Way 10,666 39 7,658 1,677,360
178 VARIOUS NOW 21 5,058 -7 5,458 1,604,596
159 T.I. KING 5,613 -6 5,994 1,527,945
[Edited 11/3/06 7:58am]

The top 10 album sold 17.5million copies combined

purple rain sold 13million in the US and 18million worldwide
how times have changed

asg said:

I thought PCD did at least 1.5 this year, I know overall its 2.4 in the states, but i didnt think it did a million last year from sept - dec.

One other thing to notice, with the exception of Now 21 and TI, those are all artists aimed at an older crowd, those are not artists aimed at young listeners, which proves a point that Bill Maher on his show, "We all know kids dont buy music, they steal it" so maybe labels should stop aiming for them, and devote it to others. (Even though High School High is basically kids, its a musical and older people are buying it)

others beyond top 10
Pussycat Dolls at #12
Justin Timberlake (#13)
Ne-Yo (1.3m) at #14
Tool (#17)
Johnny Cash’s greatest hits (1.2m) at #18


its not only about stealing ppl just download hit songs only and not buying the album at all!!

The downloads r selling alot these days!! shakira and timberlake songs sold like 250k in a week for downloads
[Edited 11/3/06 8:26am]

asg said:

Another good point is that artists NEED to start working on their followings overseas, this goes mainly for younger artists who even want to have a chance of staying around. America is not the market it once was at all, its no longer important to break in America, especially if you do well overseas.

One fact i just saw

The Pussycat Dolls
CD sales worldwide 6.1 million (2.3 US) Singles sales worldwide 16.3 million (1.8 US)
Total 22.4 million sold, 4.1 of that is US.
[Edited 11/3/06 18:03pm]

VOMITOUS.

Guess that Japan is now the only country where an album can debut will 900.000 sales

BeatsPerMinute said:

Whose album did that??!!

I haven't heard any of those 10 albums

where da fuck is Aeriel by kate bush from 2005

2.1 m

and artistically better than all those albums, course in my opinion... lol

EmbattledWarrior said:

I'm pretty sure those are sales figures for the U.S. only.

Aerial may be better than all of those albums combined!

Sdldawn said:

not beige enough for you?

728huey said: