Record sales

A Virgin Megastore in Brisbane, Australia in 2007

Record sales or music sales are activities related to selling music recordings (albums, singles, or music videos) through physical record shops or digital music stores.[1][2][3] Record sales reached their peak in 1999, when 600 million people spent an average of $64 on records, achieving $40 billion in sales of recorded music.[4][5] Sales continued declining in the 21st century.[6][7] The collapse of record sales also made artists rely on touring for most of their income.[8] By 2019, record sales accounted for less than half of global recorded music revenue, overtaken by streaming.[9] Following the inclusion of streaming into record charts in the mid-2010s, record sales are also referred to as traditional sales or pure sales.[10][11][12]

Although an accurate worldwide sales figure is hard to determine, it is widely acknowledged that the Beatles have sold more records than any other artist in the history of recorded music.[13][14][15][16] Michael Jackson's 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album in history, with an estimated 70 million copies sold worldwide,[17] recognized by the Guinness World Records.[18] "White Christmas" (1942) performed by Bing Crosby is believed to be the best-selling single, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.[19]

  1. ^ "Music Sales Measurement - Nielsen". nielsen.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Albums decline but digital rises". BBC. 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Record sales for 'cheap' albums". BBC News. 19 August 2003.
  4. ^ Rogowsky, Mark. "The Cruel Math Behind Why Streaming Will Never Save The Music Industry". Forbes. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  5. ^ "The Price of Music – pakman.com". pakman.com. 18 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  6. ^ Roettgers, Janko (22 March 2016). "Streaming Overtakes Downloads, CDs as Top Music Revenue Driver". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  7. ^ "IFPI Global Music Report 2016". ifpi.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  8. ^ Sisario, Ben (22 May 2010). "With V.I.P. Pricing, Fans Buy Their Way Closer to the Band". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  9. ^ Childs-Young, Laura (May 4, 2020). "IFPI issues annual Global Music Report". IFPI.
  10. ^ Leight, Elias (July 10, 2018). "Why Charts Matter, and What It Means When Drake Dominates Them". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  11. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (23 May 2020). "Gunna's 'Wunna' Album Set for No. 1 Debut". Complex.
  12. ^ "Eminem was the only solo artist to sell 500,000 "pure" albums in 2018". NME. January 21, 2019.
  13. ^ Porter, Eduardo (7 July 2010). "Opinion - Ringo Starr Is 70". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  14. ^ "The Beatles Get Back to No. 1". E!. 22 November 2000. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Best-selling music act ever: The Beatles". heart.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  16. ^ "A Timeline Of Opening Acts Who Became Bigger Than The Headliner". VH1. Archived from the original on 30 April 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  17. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa (November 23, 2023). "Seven Top 10 hits. Eight Grammys. 'Thriller 40' revisits Michael Jackson's magnum opus". USA Today. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  18. ^ "Best-selling album". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  19. ^ "Best-selling single". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 14 November 2020.