With 2008 behind us we can look back on another year of music and remember the songs and the albums that we loved and hated. We all have our own personal ideas about what were the best and the worst of the year but it’s always interesting to see what was the most successful. Granted, technology has vastly altered our conceptions of what makes music “successful” these days. In addition to physical album sales, tour earnings and merchandise sales there are ring tones, digital downloads (purchased or not), Pod casts, myspace visits, etc. to account for. Is success measured by the amount of money earned or by the number of fans reached? What about artistic merit and critical acclaim? 

It is difficult to pin down who was the most successful overall so let’s just review the top album sellers. Before we began it is worth noting that since Nielsen Soundscan began tracking sales in 1991, the best selling album has never sold less thn 3 million copies… until now.

01. Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III (Cash Money / Universal) [2.88 million]

02. Coldplay – Viva la Vida (Capitol / EMI) [2.15 million]

03. Taylor Swift – Fearless (Big Machine / Universal) [2.11 million]

04. Kid Rock – Rock N Roll Jesus (Atlantic / Warner) [2.02 million]

05. AC/DC – Black Ice (Columbia / Sony) [1.92 million]

06. Taylor Swift – Taylor Swift (Big Machine / Universal ) [1.6 million]

07. Metallica – Death Magnetic (Warner) [1.57 million]

08. T.I. – Paper Trail (Grand Hustle / Atlantic / Warner) [1.52 million]

09. Jack Johnson – Sleep Through The Static (Brushfire / Universal) [1.5 million]

10. Beyonce – I Am… Sasha Fierce (Music World / Columbia / Sony) [1.46 million]

 

All told, 428.4 million albums were sold in 2008. That is 14.4% less than 2007’s 500.5 million albums sold. Of the albums sold this year, digital downloads accounted for 65.79 million (15.4%). In 2007, only 10% of the sales were digital.  

 

2008 also saw an intersting change in sales of vinyl. Almost 1.9 million albums were sold which is more than any other year since Nielsen Soundscan began its tracking in 1991. It is also the first time since 2004 that more than 1 million vinyl albums were sold in the calendar year. The top selling vinyl album this year was Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” which sold 26, 000 copies.

 

Digital track sales exceeded the billion mark this year for the first time reaching a total of 1.07 billion sold. This is 26.7% more than 2007. The top selling track of 2008 was Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love” which sold 3.37 million.

 

With all of this said, 2009 should be a very interesting year. There are a number of highly anticipated releases in stock regardless of where your tastes lie. From U2, Bruce Springsteen, and Morrissey, to Marilyn Manson, Green Day and Mastodon, to No Doubt, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Amy Winehouse, to Dr. Dre, Eminem and Jay-Z… These are just some of the big titles to be expected and even more exciting is all of the new music out there to discover this year. Happy Hunting.

Source: www.billboard.com