You know how you've heard people say "They don't make music like they used to?" Well, apparently music consumers believe that, too.

For the first time ever, consumers are buying more old music than new music. Nielsen Soundscan (formerly just Soundscan) reports that in the first half of 2012, "catalog" music releases (CD releases more than 18 months old) sold 76 million units, while newly released music sold only 73 million.

This is a watershed moment: it is the first time there was such a wholesale rejection of new music in favor of older stuff.

Catalog sales were driven by strong showings of artists such as Adele (her first album 19), Queen, Guns N Roses and, especially, Whitney Houston, who re-charted several albums after her February death.

And record companies, seeing the trend, are releasing long out-of-print music at tremendous rates (see Your Favorite Old Album is Coming Back...Really).

Even with the strong catalog sales, overall music sales so far this year are down by 3% from 2011, which shows just how bad things are for new releases. There was a time when literally a couple hundred gold albums were released each year. Now a gold album is a cause for extended celebration and major label artists are routinely selling 75% less than they would have just a few years ago.
Is it that the overall quality of new music is down? Is it piracy? Probably yes and yes, but that's not entirely it. I think one major factor is that the oft-ignored music fans age 35 and over who have the love of music and the money to spend simply aren't connecting with what modern, oligopoly-controlled radio is pushing. And while those who search hard can continue to find gems of new music out there off the beaten path (and we consider SoulTracks to be off the beaten path), more casual fans who rely on their car radios for music discovery have, in many cases, given up on the safe, sound-alike, inorganic new popular music dominating the airwaves and are instead spending their time and money on the familiar tunes of The Beatles and Anita Baker or are simply finding other forms of entertainment.
What do you think?

http://www.soultracks.com/story-old-...ells-new-music
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Maybe now we'll see some long out of print classic hip hop released.

But it should also signal the labels to stop churning out bullshit music.
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I miss Tha D... But I'll never move back there.


R.I.P. Disco D

>Maybe now we'll see some long out of print classic hip hop
>released.

won't happen... its sample clearance issues

you'll see the stuff re-released that came after BIZs case...

but you will not see the stuff from before it

http://howardlloyd.bandcamp.com

>You know how you've heard people say "They don't make music
>like they used to?" Well, apparently music consumers believe
>that, too.

I buy old CDs because I really don't like CDs anymore... but for certain older titles, it's the only format in which the music is still available so I have to buy the CD.

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http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/287/6/c/the_wire_lineup__huge_download_by_dennisculver-d30s7vl.jpg
The man who thinks at 50 the same way he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life - Muhammed Ali

.

but besides the whole "quality of music" argument, which is completely subjective, the fact is that younger people largely dont view the cd as a relevent medium anymore. so it makes sense for the older fucks to be buying a larger share of the cds due to their technological cluelessness/nostalgia, just as it makes sense for them to buy more old music because its the shit they like just as older folk always have.

me, i buy shit in vinyl and the occasional used cd for the whip.

>but besides the whole "quality of music" argument, which is
>completely subjective, the fact is that younger people largely
>dont view the cd as a relevent medium anymore. so it makes
>sense for the older fucks to be buying a larger share of the
>cds due to their technological cluelessness/nostalgia, just as
>it makes sense for them to buy more old music because its the
>shit they like just as older folk always have.
>
>me, i buy shit in vinyl and the occasional used cd for the
>whip.

Couldn't disagree more. "Older fucks" are "technologically clueless" because we/they actually want something physical (ie more) for their money when they purchase something? I think some music fans actually read lyrics, credits, photos, whatever which you don't always get with a download. It would be interesting to see how much major labels get in terms of profit per unit with a physical release vs. a download. There's already lots of info out there about artists getting screwed on royalties with downloads. So...

the physical packaging liner notes and art is the whole reason you buy a physical release. thats why i buy vinyl. my point was that for alot of young fucks, its not important. they didnt grow up doin it like that.

my pops buys cds. my nephews have never owned a cd in their life. and my pops buys alot of rereleases and shit. so this makes sense to me.

http://www.youtube.com/user/gumzization
twitter: @BrosefMalone

it sucks feelin like alot of youngsters dont have enough respect for the old shit but alot of them do

everyone 'young' is on Youtube or Spotify.

young folks still buy CDs...evident by folks like Taylor Swift selling so much

http://www.youtube.com/user/gumzization
twitter: @BrosefMalone

This shit is unreal.. we all got caught up in the download, let me snatch that mentality. Its our fault we fucked the game up. Lol

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...so that doesn't mean much unless they actually separate the albums people are buying by decades instead.

Not everyone buys or knows about a release sometimes and will purchase an album by a certain artist even though it might have been their last release in the past two years, then you have artists who put out so much stuff that a person might have missed a release or two in that artist's catalog even though the album probably dropped less than a few years.

So saying that people are buying more old music than new doesn't surprise me at all.

https://tinyurl.com/y4ba6hog

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"We in here talking about later career Prince records
& your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine
trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak

and oldies never go out of style.

if the acts now had the songs and goods they would sell.

bottom line if a act hits they hit period.

bottom line ain't nothing moving folks on a whole now.

alot of faceless tacky turkeys calling themselves artists and producers with no real skills.

ain't nobody in 5 years time going to be thinking about a lame turkey like kayne West or Justin Bieber.

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

Music isnt what it used to be period. its been that way since 1993 when me and my uncle used to shop at the used record stores for rare Prince 12" and go to red beans & rice to pick up 80's r&b and funk and ever since they got rid of video soul on bet, it went downhill.
shoot, my uncle just bought the new Zapp 4 U cd at booknook since it is such an 80's banger especially computer love and you have much better cd quality in the older albums than what is being put out today.

I shop for older used funk cassettes that I know havent made it to cd releases yet.

thats what i like to see

addition, at least with older albums you can hear all the hard work and time that was put into them especially with Prince lps like 1999 and signs o the times.