There's a lot of talk recently about how Taylor Swift can potentially "save the music industry" with her new album, 1989, which is set to be released October 27, 2014.
The overall album sales volume, according to Nielsen Soundscan, is down 14.6%, and single sales are down 12.8%. Ariana Grande, for example, was expected to have one of the biggest albums. While the pop singer's album sold 169,000 copies in its first week, making it earn the No. 1 spot on the charts, the album quickly dropped sales. This has nothing to do with Grande, it has to do with what poor shape the music industry is in right now.
But if the music industry is in such bad shape, what is it about Taylor Swift that could salvage the suffering business?
Ish Cuebas, vice president of music merchandising for Trans World Entertainment says, "She will be the big fish. The overall release schedule this year has been weak compared to last year. The big title last year for the fourth quarter was Eminem - Taylor will more than make up for Eminem."
The country-turned-pop singer has previously released four albums, three of which made it to the No. 1 spot on the charts. Her 2008 album, Fearless, sold 6.8 million copies in the U.S., 2010's Speak Now sold 4.4 million copies in the U.S., and her 2012 album, Red, sold 4 million copies in the U.S.
If those sales continue with Taylor's new album, surely it will help the music industry, but will it be enough to "salvage" it?
Surely, the immediate success of her single "Shake It Off" makes her album look promising, but nowadays it's hard to base future album sales off of single sales. Ariana Grande's singles "Problem" and "Break Free" from her album My Everything gave hope to her and her fans that her album would be a huge success. Two months later, and her sales are at 300,000, with more than half being in the first week.
So it's hard to tell if Taylor Swift's album will be a taking off point for the industry again. Her previous success could definitely point things in the right direction, but the industry will most likely make all of their money with the live performances of the biggest stars.
The overall album sales volume, according to Nielsen Soundscan, is down 14.6%, and single sales are down 12.8%. Ariana Grande, for example, was expected to have one of the biggest albums. While the pop singer's album sold 169,000 copies in its first week, making it earn the No. 1 spot on the charts, the album quickly dropped sales. This has nothing to do with Grande, it has to do with what poor shape the music industry is in right now.
But if the music industry is in such bad shape, what is it about Taylor Swift that could salvage the suffering business?
Ish Cuebas, vice president of music merchandising for Trans World Entertainment says, "She will be the big fish. The overall release schedule this year has been weak compared to last year. The big title last year for the fourth quarter was Eminem - Taylor will more than make up for Eminem."
The country-turned-pop singer has previously released four albums, three of which made it to the No. 1 spot on the charts. Her 2008 album, Fearless, sold 6.8 million copies in the U.S., 2010's Speak Now sold 4.4 million copies in the U.S., and her 2012 album, Red, sold 4 million copies in the U.S.
If those sales continue with Taylor's new album, surely it will help the music industry, but will it be enough to "salvage" it?
Surely, the immediate success of her single "Shake It Off" makes her album look promising, but nowadays it's hard to base future album sales off of single sales. Ariana Grande's singles "Problem" and "Break Free" from her album My Everything gave hope to her and her fans that her album would be a huge success. Two months later, and her sales are at 300,000, with more than half being in the first week.
So it's hard to tell if Taylor Swift's album will be a taking off point for the industry again. Her previous success could definitely point things in the right direction, but the industry will most likely make all of their money with the live performances of the biggest stars.
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