Re: The Who Mailing List Digest V8 #327

[John Hughes <john@pureneasy.fsnet.co.uk>]

Lela, re

> > Really, every musician over forty years old must be quaking in their 
> > boots right now at the performance of Mick and Paul's latest 
> > releases.
>
>   I poked around at a couple of the major online stores, and it looks 
>   to me like these are actually doing okay.  Mick was a #6 at Cdnow 
>   and Paul was at #16 (Pink Floyd at #1).  Against all the other 
>   possible cds to buy these days, that's not too shabby.  Maybe the 
>   critics expect them to rival the Backstreet Boys (currently at #38)?

Your point is well made. The reality is the sales figures - at least in
the UK - that critics and the media base their stories on are drawn from
chart shops whose sales figures are collated to present the weekly "top
40" in both album and singles. (I believe American charts are drawn from
different sources, rather than actual sales figures)

As you may guess or know, they are geared to the teen buyer who buys
"chart music". Their stock, and the charts, are thus a self fulfilling
prophecy.

Jagger's new album is reputed to have sold 954 copies on the first day
it was released. But, I know an indie store owner who sold 20 the first
day and nearly 100 in the first week. Repeat that across the UK and
sales figures for Mick's new album would be reputable, if not making it
a "chart" album.

You know that the online stores are selling it in some fair numbers.

No matter what the media think, there is a very big sales world out
there beyond the "charts", and we for one are proof of that; the
proportion of purchases from online or indie stores compared to retail
chain/chart stores for this group would almost certainly depress the
chain stores:-)

I doubt I've bought more than 20% of the CD's I have bought in the last
year from Tower, Virgin, HMV, Andy's and none whatsoever from Woolies or
Smith's. 

Probably 30% of my CD's have been bought online, and 50% from a range of
indie stores in the UK.

Cheers,

John