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2000 Biggest Sales Year Ever!
SoundScan, Inc., the company that’s been keeping track of sales for the record industry and several major publications, including Billboard, since 1991, announced today that Y2K was the biggest year for sales ever. The previous record was set in 1999, when 784.8 million units were sold. With 785.1 units sold over the last 12 months, 2000 ekes past to set the new mark. …And over 13 million albums were sold online.
The biggest selling album of the biggest year in history was *NSync’s No Strings Attached which sold a mind-blowing 9.9 million copies. The album also set a record for first-week-of-release sales, when over 2.4 million units sailed from the stores. Furthermore, a staggering 6 albums broke the million-selling milestone in their first week. Previous to 2000, a mere 2 albums had pulled that off.
The remainder of SoundScan’s top-10 for sales looks like this:
2. Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP {7.92M}
3. Britney Spears: Oops! … I Did It Again {7.89M}
4. Creed: Human Clay {6.6M}
5. Santana: Supernatural {5.9M}
6. The Beatles: 1 {5.068M}
7. Nelly: Country Grammar {5.067M}
8. Backstreet Boys: Black & Blue {4.3M}
9. Dr. Dre: Dr. Dre 2001 {4M}
10. Destiny’s Child: Writing’s On The Wall {3.8M}
A total of 202 albums sold 500,000 or more copies last year, of which 88 sold at least a million. Of all the year’s best-selling albums, The Beatles’ had the biggest month-peak, moving over 5 million copies in the month of December. It is currently in its 5th week at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, selling a little under 500,000 more, which is pretty astonishing for a group that hasn’t played a note together in over 30 years.
As far as the labels go, the leader was Universal, whose market share was a full 28 percent. Next in line was BMG with 19.4%, Sony with 15.4%, Warner with 13.5%, and EMI with 8.7%.
Touring numbers were also record-setting in 2000, as $1.7 billion in ticket sales were tallied. It seems Tina Turner led the list, pulling in $80.2 million, followed by *NSync with $76.4 million.
SoundScan’s report also noted the best-selling albums of the past ten years. The list is led off by Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill {13.7M}, followed by Shania Twain’s Come On Over {13.6M}, Metallica’s Metallica {12.4M}, Backstreet Boys’ Millennium {11.6M}, and The Bodyguard soundtrack (11.6M}.
So what’s the industry griping about, huh? Sounds to me like things are looking pretty prosperous. How can anyone possibly use the argument that sales are being hurt? It’s obvious they aren’t.
User Comments
(These do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of this site)
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Heidi
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Date: January 4, 2001 @ 9:40 PM
milla, but think about how much MORE the greedy record companies could have made if Napster had never been invented. Duh!
Great article!!
~Heidi |
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doobybrain
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Date: January 4, 2001 @ 10:00 PM
DUUUUH! :)
[doobybrain] |
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doobybrain
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Date: January 4, 2001 @ 10:05 PM
wow, i didnt think Creed made it into the top ten. they really moved up from their standing before.
about the Beatles CD...i think it goes to show that the Beatles had a great influence on the crowds of their time and of today. The Beatles are one of the few artists i know who can pull off selling so many albums, yet they are no longer even around anymore. good job to them, i say.
and i sorta guessed that n*sync came in somewhere on top (i was actually guessing #1 and look where they ended up!) Ha! personally though, i would rather like to see a REAL band who creates their own music and writes their own songs become number one or somewhere near the top.
the recording industry relaly needs to stop complaining and start openning their eyes to the facts. CD SALES ARE NOT BEING HURT BY ONLINE TRADING!!! just shutup already with your damn complaints.
[doobybrain] |
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Anonymous
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Date: January 4, 2001 @ 10:08 PM
Correlation does not imply causation, no matter what most Americans think. :)
Since it wasn't mentioned, CD single and "maxi-single" sales are way down. |
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matt
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Date: January 4, 2001 @ 11:12 PM
Creed seems a bit surprisng at first, but not when you consider the phenomenon known as CHRISTIAN ROCK. Creed is barely "Christian," but enough to market themselves to a very select group of tight-minded individuals who eat this stuff up. Not putting anyone down here, but hey, "Christian Rock" music sells :)
`Matt |
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RyanS
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 1:15 AM
I totally agree with you |
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RyanS
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 1:19 AM
I have never concidered Creed as Christian Rock, but their music is pretty inspirational. Own their CDs, and seen them in concert. Gotta say, even if they wanna classify them as Christian Rock, more power to them. Definatly one of my favorite bands today! |
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RyanS
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 1:22 AM
Not surprising that Nsync, Britney, and BSB made the top 10. Creed was the surprise. But I agree with everyone, that I don't see where they say record sales are being hurt. |
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Anonymous
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 2:41 AM
I like how this works. Only stupid non-computer fools with too much disposable money pay for music now. Look at the that top selling list. 70% crapola.
These stupid people are the ones that keep the music industry in the money so we can continue burning full CDs of big artists for free. Thank god for the idiots out there!
It's just like warez.
Free and easy! |
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pohsib
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 3:37 AM
Correlation may not imply a cause, but I believe milla's article was trying to express exactly the opposite. The record industry has been arguing they are losing os so much money to napster and whatnot, when in actuallity it turns out they are making bank.
When Singles run $8-10 dollars are you surprised no one buys them? |
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pneuform
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 4:30 AM
The figures are misleading .. sure the sales have increased .. but to say that the music industry has nothing to gripe about from this one statistic is a bit short sited. I'd be interested to see how file sharing has affected the % GROWTH of sales .. thats more the point here. Perhaps it hasnt affected it - I dunno - I just wouldnt be surprised to see an 'industry' site reporting a contradictory story to yours using the same report is all. |
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Olw
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 4:49 AM
Cool to see that Creed sold more albums than BSB.. Sure, sales increased during 2000 but it's impossible to say if napster/mp3 has helped increasing sales, maybe sales would've increased even more without napster/mp3... |
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Anonymous
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 6:59 AM
Well I'll tell ya what, man. The record industry is all about control. They found something that distributes music to consumers over which they have no control. The sad part is that MP3 has been active for many years before Napster, and the record industry was clueless. Originally, CDs were supposed to sell for $4 to $5. They cost less than $1 to make today. The RIAA has had a monopoly over this industry forever, and no one cares. I'm sick of paying $18 for a CD that should have only cost me $5. There is no way for RIAA to stop MP3; if Napster goes down, someone else will follow with a better service that finds all the legal loopholes. Napster rules, and MP3 is here to stay. The industry needs to change before the whole thing goes under. |
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tobyslater
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 7:21 AM
Hey Anonymous, I agree that CDs are too expensive, but just because it only costs $1 to manufacture the shiny disc does not mean that the CD itself should only cost $5.
That's like saying that fruit and vegetable seeds cost nothing so a Big Mac should be free.
When you pay your $16 or whatever, you're paying for a number of things - profit margin/markup is one, but there's also the cost of recording the album (ie studios, instruments, payments to musicians, producers and songwriters, mastering etc) and the cost of marketing the album (including photographs, advertising, videos etc) as well as the cost of distributing the album (physically getting in to the shops).
I would say an album should be $10. But do you know how much money gets lost making albums? Just think how many bands get signed each year, all of them being given an advance of $20,000 - £500,000 dollars, sometimes more. Most of those bands never succeed- so even those costs are being written in to the price of an album.
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pressf8
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 9:38 AM
I don't even see singles anymore--they don't make as many anymore, so of course they're down.
Brian |
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milladrive
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 9:58 AM
Hahahaha, Heidi, that's funny. Hehe, some folk've already started ta pull out that crystal ball. ;) |
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milladrive
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 10:04 AM
Right on, guys.
That may very well be true, pacbell, but the sheer fact is that overall singles sales have been steadily declining for over 25 years. So much so that today, almost 50% of the Hot 100 is made up of songs available only as album trax. And if you'll notice, the report states that OVERALL sales set a new record. Albums have been the driving force in the industry for decades, and sales're so good that the industry has no business cryin' in their soup. :) |
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milladrive
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 10:12 AM
Many times, even when they succeed the band winds up in the hole. I'll always thank Simon for showin' us this: http://www.negativland.com/albini.html :) |
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Anonymous
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 10:44 AM
Two track CD singles are $2-$3 here. "EP" singles are $5-$6. Stop shopping at rip-off retailers. ;) |
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Frawgster
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 12:17 PM
"The previous record was set in 1999, when 784.8 million units were sold. With 785.1 units sold over the last 12 months, 2000 ekes past to set the new mark"
The numbers do incidate an increase in sales, but as far as percentage goes, between 1999 and 2000 sales increased a mere 38/1000 of a percent. Is this more or less than in years past? If it's less, the recording industry could use this to justify their idea that sales are being hurt.
-Frawg- |
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Anonymous
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 12:59 PM
I just read single sales are 50% of what they were last year. Viva la CD-R! :-) |
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Anonymous
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 1:05 PM
That's exactly how it should work! :-) |
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RyanS
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 1:37 PM
Well, the Creed album's been out for quite some time before the BSB came out. So it doesn't surprise me. The BSB album has only been out for a month or so. |
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milladrive
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 1:49 PM
You and pneuform make very valid points, perhaps because this is the slant that we fully expect the industry ta take. We're certainly aware that the industry expects a certain amounta growth thru osmosis or whatever demographic formula they use, but whether they use this argument or not, the fact remains that 2000 was a record-setting year for sales. None o'the suits are hardup fer cash. What kind of argument would they use if we were in the midst of a Depression and sales were ta plummet to nearly nuttin'? We just can't make up sales that won't take place. :) |
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milladrive
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 1:53 PM
But if that's our angle, we're imagining things that haven't happened. ;)
I don't purport the theory that Napster helps sales thru exposure as fact. It's simply a theory. Until someone can disprove it, tho, I'll adamantly defend file sharing, believin' that it's helpin' rather than hurtin'. |
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doobybrain
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 2:22 PM
Creed is somewhere in between i think. They arent totally Christian Rock, but they also arent exactly secular in their music.
i heard that their song "Higher" is really about Heaven or something like that. but its cool.
[doobybrain] |
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doobybrain
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 2:24 PM
poh, just to tell ya, i think you're paying a bit too muc for your singles. $8-10?!
like Anon said, they should be around $2-3.
[doobybrain] |
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doobybrain
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 2:25 PM
i think singles are pretty much gone these days. i hardly ever see them unless it is a VERY popular song.
[doobybrain] |
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doobybrain
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 2:28 PM
so you're saying only "stupid non-computer fools" buy music these days? you are making a pretty large assumption there buddy. in my opinion, its you ignorant people who DONT pay for anything that make the industry paranoid.
[doobybrain] |
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doobybrain
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 2:30 PM
i guess we'll have to wait 'till next sales quarter to end or possibly, even next year to have a definite theory of CD sales and how sharring apps affect it.
[doobybrain] |
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doobybrain
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 2:32 PM
the IDEA of mp3 is here to stay, but i dont think mp3 is going to last much longer. unless the creator decides not to charge people for having mp3s. i'm looking at the continued development of vorbis as an alternative.
[doobybrain] |
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Anonymous
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 3:43 PM
I know that personally, since I have started listening to mp3s I have bought many many more cds. As far as burning cds from mp3s, I'm always concerned about loss of sound quality, but the real reason I've been buying more is that I have been discovering new music and new bands that don't get much radio play, or that I never gave much credit. I would also like to say that I have been much happier with the cds I have bought, too. I used to be pissed off when I would buy a cd with one decent single, and a bunch of filler... now, though, I can have a better idea of what I'm getting. If you ask me, all mp3 does is help people weed out the sucky artists. |
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doobybrain
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 3:52 PM
"weed out the sucky artists"
thats one way to put it. hehe:)
i agree with you though, i get much more satisfaction out of buying cds now because i get to preview the entire cd before actually buying it.
[doobybrain] |
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Anonymous
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 4:55 PM
: Just think how many bands get signed each year, all of
: them being given an advance of $20,000 - £500,000
: dollars, sometimes more. Most of those bands never
: succeed- so even those costs are being written in to
: the price of an album.
Yeah, because I should have to pay for all those other crappy bands that the label stupidly signed, as well as the millions of dollars they spend on independent promotion to boost their insipid leading acts.
Sorry, I'm not going to cry for the industry that destroyed my favorite art form. If you really like an artist, do them a favor: buy direct. |
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Anonymous
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Date: January 5, 2001 @ 5:00 PM
There is a half store wall full of 'em at Tower Records here. And a decent import selection. |
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Anonymous
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Date: January 6, 2001 @ 10:58 AM
Eminem pissed on Napster.
Eminem was one of the most traded on Napster this summer.
Now his album is the 2nd most sold last year.
Does the word "free publicity" mean anything to him? |
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-X-
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Date: January 7, 2001 @ 1:52 PM
I have yet to see a direct sign in the sales figures that digital music is killing existing CD sales. It's all about control. Digital music, unlike physical products, does not have any limits on it's availablity. Meaning, if the demand was there, and there was a methods of ensuring the artists and production company involved is still making money, the potential world wide sales of this product kill that of existing CD sales. I mean, it really comes down to Supply and Demand doesn't it? |
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Anonymous
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Date: February 27, 2001 @ 9:21 PM
It seems perfectly logical you want to spend an hour or more's work on a song you could get not only on file sharing programs, but on the RADIO... what should we sue radio stations too? |
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