When do most of an album's sales occur

[rghammo]

Can anyone help me with a research question I'm working on? I wonder how long after an album is release do most of its sales occur. Does anyone have an idea on how to guess at how fast sales slow down following an album's release date, after say one week, one month, or three months. Thanks for any thoughts or anecdotes,

 

Bob

[rogi]

i guess it all depends on how popular a single gets, like with nirvana's nevermind album it was out a few months before it reached it's peak in sales as smells like teen spirit became more and more popular.

[jff]

i guess it all depends on how popular a single gets, like with nirvana's nevermind album it was out a few months before it reached it's peak in sales as smells like teen spirit became more and more popular.

 

That's kind of what I was thinking.

 

There are so many variables. Sticking with Nirvana as an example, In Utero probably flew off the shelf immediately upon release thanks to Nevermind being such a huge hit. Bleach probably sells more copies now than it did when it came out.

 

These days, an album might hit it's sales peak during pre-order, before the record has even been released.

 

Considering the state of the music industry, it's an interesting time to be asking a question like this.

[LouieB]

Every album is different, obviously. Most will sell quickly within a few weeks of release while others get word of mouth sales, while others are perenial sellers (Kind of Blue sells thousands of copies a week still.)

 

Contact some record companies for better info.

 

LouieB

[kathyp]

judging by Billboard's charts, a lot of albums do well the first week, and drop off after that. (Excluding mega blockbusters -- the Lady Gagas of the world -- that keep on selling a full year after the release date.)

[tinnitus photography]

or there are distinct events which bump them (award ceremonies, movie soundtrack tie-ins, deaths, etc)

[Vacant Horizon]

Every album is different, obviously. Most will sell quickly within a few weeks of release while others get word of mouth sales, while others are perenial sellers (Kind of Blue sells thousands of copies a week still.)

 

Contact some record companies for better info.

 

LouieB

 

i remember in rolling stone a few years ago they interviewed randy miesner and bernie leadon from the first incarnation of the eagles. they live off their share of the royalties of those albums as they go platinum every year or something. i assume beatles and led zep are like that too.

[LouieB]

i remember in rolling stone a few years ago they interviewed randy miesner and bernie leadon from the first incarnation of the eagles. they live off their share of the royalties of those albums as they go platinum every year or something. i assume beatles and led zep are like that too.

For sure. Dark Side of the Moon was on the charts for years.

 

LouieB

[Doug]

Sales spike like crazy when a musical artist dies, especially when he/she dies relatively young and/or is out of the mainstream. It happened with Elliott Smith, Jay Reatard, Warren Zevon, Jay Bennett, Dio, and tons more. Very strange...

[LouieB]

Not really strange at all. Death is often a great career move, sad to tell.

 

LouieB

[bigshoulders]

I was working at a now-defunct Camelot Music the week that John Denver died. It must have been handed down from Camelot HQ, but the very next drop shipment included a shit-ton of John Denver--mostly greatest hits albums--and people just gobbled it up. Made me kind of sick to my stomach to see how the average music consumer behaves when an artist dies.

[tinnitus photography]

found this tidbit of interest in one of Bob Lefsetz's emails, around sales of records:

 

That drop after the first week?

 

It just got worse.

 

Was 33.9% in 2000, it was 62.8% in 2009.

[moxiebean]

Interesting article at Billboard.biz:

Only 2.1% of the 97,751 albums released in 2009 – or about 2,050 unique titles – sold more than 5000 units.

[rghammo]

Thanks for all the replies!