Vinyl
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Taylor Swift is the queen of vinyl, as the superstar is by far the top-selling artist in 2023 in the U.S. when it comes to vinyl albums sold. So far this year, through Nov. 2, her catalog of albums have sold 2.484 million copies on vinyl in 2023, according to data tracking firm Luminate. That equates to 6.43% of total vinyl album sales (38.585 million) — or, nearly one out of every 15 vinyl albums sold.
A healthy chunk of Swift’s vinyl sales this year come from her latest release, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which debuted with 693,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 2, following its Oct. 27 release. That sum also broke the record for the single largest sales week for an album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991. It surpassed the high-water mark previously set by Swift herself, with the debut week of Midnights in 2022, with 575,000 copies sold.
Swift’s impressive vinyl sales figures are bolstered by her catalog generally being made available in multiple collectible variants, including five different versions of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – each in a different color vinyl with a different cover. (It’s not uncommon for artists to release multiple versions of an album on vinyl — Swift is not alone in this practice.)
2023’s second-biggest-selling artist when it comes to vinyl albums is Lana Del Rey, with 501,000 sold across her assorted albums.
In 2022 and 2021, Swift was the year’s top-selling vinyl albums artist in the U.S. In 2022, she sold 1.69 million (of the market’s total 43.46 million) and in 2021 she sold 1.093 million (of the market’s total of 41.717 million). In total, from January 2021 through Nov. 2, 2023, there were 123.762 million vinyl albums sold. Of that sum, Swift sold 5.273 million vinyl albums – equaling 4.26% of the vinyl market.
So far in 2023, Swift has five of the top 10 biggest-selling albums on vinyl, with four of those among the top five. Her latest release, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), is the year’s biggest on vinyl, with, as noted above, 693,000 sold in its first week. At Nos. 2, 3 and 5, respectively, are Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (406,000), Midnights (367,000) and Folklore (201,000). Lover is Swift’s fifth title among the year’s top 10-sellers, at No. 9 with 151,000 sold.
“When I saw that you were going to call from Billboard, I was reminiscing about the first time I was on the charts,” Nancy Sinatra tells Billboard over the phone. “I think I was No. 89 or something. It barely made it. [It was called] ‘So Long Babe.’”
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The 83-year-old pop legend has a sharp memory. Her first Billboard Hot 100 hit, “So Long Babe,” hit No. 86 – just three spots away from her guess. Of course, that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who follows her on X (formerly known as Twitter). Sinatra regularly weighs in on everything from politics (she’s NOT a fan of the guy who tried to reverse the results of a democratic election, FYI) to AI to her celebrity pals’ birthdays.
Although she’s effectively retired from music, she’s more than happy to reflect on her lengthy career as Light in the Attic releases a new compilation of her work, Keep Walkin’: Singles, Demos & Rarities 1965-1978, on vinyl and CD. “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,” she jokes, making a Godfather reference which is doubly funny, considering that her father Frank famously berated series author Mario Puzo.
Here, Nancy Sinatra chats with Billboard about everything from finding her voice on the Hot 100-topping “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” her up-and-down acting career and how her daughters’ “tenacity” keeps her music alive.
When you started releasing music, you had a string of singles that didn’t chart. Eventually, working with Lee Hazelwood yielded you a career-defining breakthrough, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” Did working with him feel different?
Very much so. That early stuff was what we used to call bubblegum. I was a nervous wreck [on “Boots”]. I was eager to please because I knew I was going to be dropped from the label if I didn’t do something important enough to make the charts. It was nerve-racking.
After working with him for a bit, were you able to relax?
It got better. The fact that we had a chart record right away was the impetus to keep going. It gave me the confidence to know I was going in the right direction.
With “Boots,” you’re singing in a deeper register than on your earlier stuff. That must have been a conscious decision with your new direction.
Absolutely. Each song dictates the vocal approach. The fact that the music was so completely different, the vocals just followed suit.
You and Lee had another classic with “Some Velvet Morning.” It’s a very strange song – what did you think of it when you first came across it?
I had no idea what it was about. I don’t know if Lee even had an idea either. Later on, in retrospect, he said something about Phaedra [from Greek mythology], that he wanted to pay tribute to Phaedra. That’s a bunch of bull. That never came up in all the years we’d performed. Never once. It was a lucky marriage of vocal sounds, strange as it may seem, and arrangement. He dictated the change in time signatures that occurs in the song. Lee asked Billy [Strange] to do that.
How was working with the Wrecking Crew’s Billy Strange? He’s a legend in his own right.
He was like a big brother. He was one of the best people I’ve ever known in my life. I still miss him so much.
Light In the Attic has done a few reissues of your material. I gather your daughter was the impetus behind that connection.
It’s incredible how my kids have helped me so much. Both of my daughters are very much responsible for these incarnations of mine. I keep bouncing back and it’s because of their tenacity, AJ and Amanda. I’m very blessed.
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Do you think about these songs a lot in your day-to-day life?
I don’t, but I’m on Twitter constantly to keep in touch with the public, and they remind me every day of the songs. But the funny thing is they don’t know the half of it. There’s so much they’ve never heard. I’m hoping if we’re blessed enough to succeed with the first couple projects, they will dig deeper into my catalog because there are so many songs that should be heard. They have access to all of my master tapes. Between the Light in the Attic reissues and the book, I feel like I’m reborn again, again. The book is called One for Your Dreams, the phrase from “You Only Live Twice.” David Wills is the author. It’s a picture book with all of the iconic photographs by Ron Joy and stories to go with them.
Since you mentioned the Bond theme, I’m curious, do you keep up with the film series?
I love Daniel Craig. I’m crazy about him. He’s so good, he’s such a good Bond. Did he really die in the last one?
In No Time to Die? I feel like… no.
They blew him up, for heaven’s sake!
Yeah, but he can get out of anything.
I hope so.
When you said people on Twitter don’t know the half of it, what are you referring to? What era?
There was an album called Nancy Sinatra that had artists like Kim Gordon, Morrissey, Pete Yorn — that was another gift from my daughter AJ. She put that together. She said, “Mom, I know so many people who love your music and we should take advantage of that and get songs written by them.” And they did, they came up with songs, which was so sweet. Whether I like it or not, they’re bringing me back all the time. But the songs people are not talking about are very versatile. There’s my California Girl album; I did an album called Cherry Smiles that was a lot of rare singles nobody’s heard. There’s a lot of interesting music that’s recorded that hopefully Light in the Attic will discover. I guess we have to be pretty successful with what we’re doing before they commit to doing anything else. But I’m grateful and humbled. It’s such a gift to me at this time in my life.
Do you miss recording or performing?
Every day of my life. It’s true what they say about how it’s in your blood.
Would you ever get back into it?
No, I’m too old now. I wouldn’t be able to tour. I suppose men can do it but I don’t know about women my age who tour. Do you? Dolly Parton is a lot younger than me and she does still tour.
You also did movies back in the day but didn’t stick with it. Were you less passionate about acting than music?
I was such a crappy actor. It never grabbed me. I made what I like to call my epic films and I stopped. (laughs)
I caught one on TCM that featured you performing, a movie called The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini from 1966.
Oh, that is so horrible. I made a couple of fun ones. The Last of the Secret Agents? was a fun movie. The Wild Angels made me No. 1 at the box office. I had a run-in with a couple of fun movies. I’m very lucky.
Do you have any personal favorites of your own songs?
I like a song called “100 Years,” it’s a Lee Hazelwood song. I also like a song called “Cuando calienta el sol” which is on my California Girl album which is just me and a guitar player called Daryl Curaco. I do lean toward the guitar/vocal duets, I think they’re quite lovely and special. “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” was one of them.
And that song, of course, got a second life thanks to Kill Bill.
Isn’t that the truth? That’s what I mean. In spite of me, I keep getting brought back. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
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The legacy of Jean-Michel Basquiat will be brought to life in a special way for Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary. His estate will be releasing his “Beat Bop” single on vinyl.
Hype Beast is reporting that the late great artist’s music will be available. This week the estate announced it will be dropping his very rare “Beat Bop” song in partnership with The Drop Shop. In 1983 the Haitian and Puerto Rican creative founded Tartown Records Co. and recorded the gritty Rap song which featured an almost 10-minute battle between K-Rob and Rammellzee. In 2013 Profile Records founder Cory Robbins detailed how the record came to be with Spin Magazine. “It didn’t follow any rules. It was long and it didn’t have a hook. It was so free-form. There’s no record like it” he said.
According to the press release the forthcoming sale will feature 50 copies of the original 500 test pressings Jean-Michael Basquiat had created. “The Drop offers 39 of the original 50 copies that remained in Basquiat’s personal collection. All are factory-sealed and come in a numbered, handmade commemorative leather case with a signed certificate issued by the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat” it read. “The release marks the first time the Estate has offered any pressings from the artist’s personal collection for sale.”
In the past “Beat Bop” has sold for over $100,000 at auction. The limited-edition vinyl will be available starting November 2 at $4,000.00 each. You can find out more about the drop here.
BMG said on Thursday (Oct. 18) that it will use Universal Music Group’s (UMG) commercial services division for the distribution of its physical recorded music, in what BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld described as the first project of a burgeoning “alliance.” Last month, BMG announced it was winding down its agreement with Warner Music Group’s ADA […]
Halfway through 2023, the U.S. recorded music industry has set a record for first-half retail revenue, generating $8.4 billion, according to the new RIAA mid-year 2023 report released Monday (Sept. 18). But within that headline number, there are several trends and statistics that are worthy of their own exploration, from increasing revenue to slowing growth figures and the factors behind them. Digging deeper into the numbers, here are four takeaways (and a bonus fifth) from the mid-year report.
Ad-Supported Revenue Flatlines
The RIAA reported that ad-supported on-demand streaming revenue came in at $870.1 million — just a 0.6% bump over the $865 million it generated in the first half of 2022. Looking at the 2022 mid-year report, the ad-supported revenue figure was $871.5 million, up 16.4% from $748.5 million midway through 2021. (The RIAA regularly adjusts and updates figures each year as more data becomes available, hence the discrepancies.) What it points to, at best, is a stagnant advertising market; and at worst, one that risks going backwards.
On one hand, it’s not surprising, given the adverse advertising market across the board in 2023 so far. On the other hand, it’s yet another blow to a part of the model for services like Spotify and YouTube that has been maligned for years and considerably detracts from the value of music. Still, revenue from the “other ad-supported streaming” category grew 56.8% year over year for an increase of $58 million after a few years of negligible growth at best.
The Big Pricing Shift
In the past two weeks, a lot of conversation in the industry has revolved around how royalties from streaming services should be divided moving forward. But the broader issue that many executives are, and have been, pointing to has been about pricing. Music streaming services have fallen behind the times in keeping the price of a monthly subscription largely static over the past decade-plus, while video streamers (with fractionalized offerings) have raised prices regularly.
That’s now starting to change — and it’s being reflected in the numbers. Apple Music and Amazon Music both raised prices for their streaming services at the turn of the year, and that has translated into paid subscription streaming revenue growing 12.4% in the first half of 2023 — even as the average number of subscriptions grew at a much slower rate, increasing just 6.4% from 90 million to 95.8 million. With YouTube Music and, most critically, Spotify increasing prices over the summer — numbers that were not reflected in the first half of this year — the additional value realized will be something to keep an eye on moving forward.
But It’s Not Just Streaming
Those streaming service price hikes get a lot of attention — and rightly so. But the industry is seeing increased revenue from consumers in more than just streaming. The physical product market has continued to grow in revenue, up 5% overall, with vinyl revenue rising 1.3% year over year (up $8.2 million) and CD revenue growing 14.3% (up $29.6 million). What’s more interesting — apart from, perhaps, the winding down of the “vinyl explosion” double-digit increase narrative of the past several years — is that both formats grew in revenue while being down in unit counts.
Vinyl, overall, seemed to be a little static year over year. The number of records sold dropped by about 400,000 or so, even as revenue ticked up. But the discrepancy in CDs was stark: despite the type of double-digit revenue growth that’s been associated with vinyl in years past, there were actually 3.2 million fewer CDs sold in the United States in the first half of 2023 compared to 2022. Whether that’s a reaction to the hyper-fandom of artists who tend to do well in the physical market raising prices significantly or a marker of an industry-wide price hike there, it’s another example of how pricing is shifting across the industry and changing the revenue picture as a result.
Subscriptions Slowing Down?
As noted above, the average number of paid music streaming subscriptions grew by 5.8 million in the first half of the year to 95.8 million. That represents the slowest level of growth — both in raw numbers and in percentage — since at least 2015, when the U.S. streaming industry was still in its nascent phases. The growth in the number of subscribers has been slowing down now for about five years straight, as those who haven’t already gotten on board with paid music streaming slowly sign on. But it’s unclear how much room for growth remains — and, either way, the focus will continue to shift from acquisition and retention to growing value.
As subscriptions continue to near critical mass in the United States, the industry will need to continue its growth rate by convincing digital service providers to get more from the subscribers they already have. Whether that comes from price hikes or finding new ways to monetize fans on platforms — or, more likely, some combination of both — is an area to watch.
And, Finally…
A last word for our favorite sector of the RIAA report each year: ringtones and ringbacks. U.S. consumers spent $6.0 million on them in the first half of 2023 — down slightly from $6.2 million halfway through last year — while the unit count also slightly declined. We are a long way away from the Billboard Ringtones Chart of 2004, yet they continue to hang on as a line item year after half year. What a blessing.
Taylor Swift is continuing the rollout for 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which is set to release on Oct. 27, and the star announced on Wednesday (Sept. 13) that an exclusive bonus track will be available on the tangerine edition of the vinyl. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
In September 1947, Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson founded Atlantic Records with a $10,000 loan from Ertegun’s dentist. In 1948, Atlantic began putting out its first releases. Seventy-five years later, Atlantic remains one of the most storied labels in American history as home through the decades to such artists as Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Stevie Nicks, Matchbox Twenty and Crosby, Stills & Nash; and, more recently, Twenty One Pilots, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran and Lizzo.
This year, Atlantic is paying homage to its rich heritage with a multi-pronged, year-long campaign that celebrates some of its most iconic titles. Already started is the release of 90 classic titles, many on crystal clear, colored or recycled vinyl, curated by Atlantic Records chairman/CEO and noted audiophile Craig Kallman.
Among the releases in the 75th-anniversary commemoration are John Coltrane’s Olé Coltrane, Yes’ Fragile, Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis, Phil Collins’ No Jacket Required, Hootie & the Blowfish’s Cracked Rear View and Crosby, Stills & Nash’s self-titled album. More recent titles in the collection include Mars’ 24K Magic, Gucci Mane’s Mr. Davis, Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You, Sheeran’s Divide and Gayle’s A Study in the Human Experience. All titles are for purchase through Atlantic Records’ site and a number are available through various brick-and-mortar retailers.
Kallman began working on the project, which is running in conjunction with Rhino Entertainment, a number of years ago, printing out spreadsheets highlighting every significant title of the past 75 years. “It was stacks of paper making sure we didn’t miss anybody. It was painstakingly done. There was a lot of internal debating,” he says.
His mission was to cover the “breadth and scope of Atlantic’s history by genre,” he says. “We tried to include records that were culturally significant, that were groundbreaking for the company, that were blowout sales successes. It was about records that defined the label and the culture of the company.”
Though painstaking and extremely time-consuming, Kallman says the process “was a lot of fun and brings back a lot of memories because I was here for 32 years of it.” Kallman joined Atlantic in 1991 when the company purchased his dance label, Big Beat Records, and, in many ways, he had unintentionally been preparing for this moment. When he started at Atlantic, “I thought part of my responsibility was to really know and understand the history and legacy of the company so I can’t think of any [release] I didn’t already know about, but we wrestled with making sure that the depths of the early catalog were there,” he says. “My DJ’ing background also came in handy in making the selections.” Kallman’s personal collection numbers more than 2 million LPs.
While titles started rolling out a few months ago, forthcoming releases include Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams (including The Chainsmokers and Coldplay’s 2017 hit, “Something Just Like This,” as a bonus track) on Oct. 20 and Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin IV on Oct. 27. The collection includes a number of titles that have been out of print, like Lil Uzi Vert’s Luv is Rage 2, as well as releases that have never come out on vinyl. All releases are tagged with a 75th-anniversary logo.
Kallman tried to keep the releases to 75, but ultimately, he could only whittle it down to 90. “We’re like, ‘Oh my God, this is too tough to narrow down,’ and we figured we could err on the side of going beyond 75 titles,” he says.
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The anniversary has several other components. Atlantic has partnered with high-end audiophile label Acoustic Sounds to release 75 classic titles in 180-gram, 45RPM black vinyl and SACD versions. That offering includes such Genesis albums as Selling England by the Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Coltrane’s Giant Steps and My Favorite Things, Otis Redding’s The Dock of the Bay and Buffalo Springfield’s self-titled set.
Another tie-in is with vinyl subscription service Vinyl Me Please (VMP), through which Atlantic will offer several titles through VMP’s record of the month program. Five titles will be available to VMP members as November selections, including Charles’ Ray Charles in Person, Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor and Stone Temple Pilots‘ No. 4. Kallman says the deal could extend beyond the initial five titles depending upon the response.
Another component is a collection of remixes, available exclusively for streaming via DSPs. Among the selections are DJ Nora En Pure’s fresh take on Donna Lewis’ “I Love You Always Forever,” DJ Spinna’s remake of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly” and Italian DJ Luca Olivotto’s version of Yes’ “Owner of a Lonely Heart.”
The anniversary also includes a coffee table book from luxury art book publisher Taschen, which is expected to come out in 2024. “That’s been a labor of love,” Kallman says. “We’re excited to have a fitting chronicle of the history of the company with extraordinary photos and great essays.”
In August, Travis Scott fans on Reddit sprang into action. “$5 VINYL GO!” one user wrote in r/travisscott (234,000 members). The call-to-arms post came with a photo of a discount code that made buying the rapper’s double-LP Utopia — once $50 — about as costly as a gallon of milk in New York City. That price point proved irresistible: “This gon be my first vinyl why tf not,” one devotee responded. “Travis … gonna be selling 100k [in] his 4th week,” another added.
That fan wasn’t far off: Scott sold 88,500 vinyl copies of Utopia — 161,000 album-equivalent units overall — in the U.S. through his web-store in his fourth week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart, according to Luminate. Between the July 28 release of Utopia and Sept. 7, fans have snapped up more than 331,000 double LPs.
Vinyl album sales have been growing for 17 straight years, and in 2022 they accounted for $1.2 billion in revenue in the U.S., according to the RIAA. As the format has become more popular, a growing number of stars have moved to capture fan demand by releasing LPs of their own, often leading to eye-popping first-week numbers. What made Scott’s record rollout unusual was that some Utopia vinyl was available for $5 — both through bundle deals, where fans could get a record at that low price if they bought more than $120 worth of merchandise, and some stand-alone copies via discount codes.
At that price, many in the industry believe the rapper was not making a profit. One manager who spoke on the condition of anonymity says he was recently quoted around $7 a unit to manufacture an order of double vinyl. In a senior executive’s experience, “it costs $4 to make a single LP if it’s super bare-bones and you’re making a high quantity,” and more for a double LP. Throw in mechanical royalties, typically paid out on records at a rate of 12 cents per song, and it’s hard to imagine that a $5 double-record could make any money.
Even if Scott were selling some records at a loss, he’s not losing money overall: The rapper is famous for moving mountains of merch, some of which goes for a good deal more than $50. But the ability to offer up some records at $5 — $4.99 is the lowest price an album can be sold at and still count towards the Billboard 200 — shows the extent to which stars with fervent fan bases and formidable merch operations operate in a different world than most artists. And since an album’s streaming numbers usually dip as listener enthusiasm begins to wane after debut week, it’s possible that more artists might start to mark down records to help bolster demand and chart placement.
Luminate only receives data on total record sales, not the number of Utopia LPs sold at different price points. Scott’s label partner, Epic Records, directed questions about the rollout to the rapper’s manager, David Stromberg. Stromberg declined to comment on the record about vinyl pricing or sales strategy.
Executives say that selling some copies of Utopia at a 90% discount makes sense in certain circumstances. “We’ve lost money on individual album sales for chart position,” notes one marketer at a rival major label. A star could “spend $200,000 on ads and hope they convert [into streams],” the marketer continues. Alternatively, he suggests, “sell discounted albums, you lose money on those, figure it out on the back end, and hope the chart visibility helps with the overall story.”
“It’s a marketing exercise: In a genre [hip-hop] where streams dominate, be the only one to have a huge physical number,” adds another senior label executive not involved with Scott’s rollout. The price cut leads to a “sales bump and fan engagement.”
Sure enough, many rappers have ignored the vinyl wave. Steve Harkins, vp of sales and marketing at the distributor Ingram Entertainment, told Billboard earlier this year that “labels have said they’ve had challenges convincing artists and management to release their titles physically in some cases,” leading to a shortage of new albums on vinyl from rappers.
There are exceptions to this rule: Tyler, the Creator, has sold more than 360,000 LPs from across his catalog already this year, according to Luminate, while Kendrick Lamar has sold close to 270,000. But Luminate data show that at more than half a dozen rap albums that earned more than 500,000 album-equivalent units in 2022 had no vinyl component, including a pair of Drake releases, Lil Durk’s 7220, and Polo G’s Hall of Fame.
In August, Stromberg explained to Billboard that rap faces “inherent disadvantages” when it comes to “manufacturing physical music product.” “Due to the fluid nature of rap collaboration, leak culture and last-minute changes, vinyl lead time always far exceeds album delivery dates for rap,” he continued. “Pop artists are usually able to turn in their albums five to six months early and manufacture a significant amount of vinyl with a robust retail plan in place. Vinyl often ends up accounting for well over 50% of these pop artists’ first-week totals, whereas hip-hop is judged entirely on streaming.”
Key components of the Utopia rollout, Stromberg added, were “manufactur[ing] our own vinyl” and crafting “an e-com plan to leverage day-and-date physical music for the first time in modern mainstream rap.” So far, so good: Utopia recently passed Taylor Swift‘s Midnights (around 318,000 copies) to become the second biggest-selling vinyl album of 2023, behind only another Swift release, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (roughly 368,000).
And the big discount on Utopia helped some first-time vinyl buyers pull the trigger, according to their Reddit comments. “I am such a cheap ass,” one fan wrote on r/travisscott, “… but I actually bought a vinyl today because you can’t even get crappy vinyls for $5 nowadays. What a steal.”
“I don’t even buy vinyls,” another fan responded. “But $5 is $5.”
Greatest hits albums were once a key facet of the record business — a way for labels to repackage existing copyrights, for artists to make a statement about a body of commercial success and for consumers to get all their favorite hits by an artist in one collection.
The development of streaming hobbled that format. If a fan can create a playlist of all their favorite songs, why would they need to buy an album of those hits?
Best-of albums, though, are quietly hitting back — especially in the country format. MCA Nashville released Josh Turner’s Greatest Hits on Sept. 8, and Valory has Thomas Rhett’s 20 Number Ones scheduled for Sept. 29. Encore Music Group likewise issued Ricochet’s Then & Now on Aug. 18, with rerecordings of its four top 20 singles from the 1990s among the package’s 16 tracks.
“It’s kind of a milestone moment for me,” Turner says.
Indeed, in the old-school music business, hits albums carried a certain status. In their original, purest form, they signified that an artist had accrued enough successful individual titles that they could fill both sides of a vinyl release with familiar music. They sometimes expanded a fan base, too, as consumers who hadn’t necessarily kept tabs on a specific act suddenly recognized their accomplishments more fully.
“The greatest-hits aggregate, whether it’s physical or even just a digital collection, is kind of a marketing banner for the body of work,” says Fisher Entertainment Consulting founder Pete Fisher.
If the hits package has a throwback vibe, that’s appropriate since nostalgic vinyl is the format that’s most likely driving its return. Fans who want to hear the hits from the turntable at home can’t mix and match the songs for a 12-inch disc as they could on Spotify. The disc needs to be manufactured in a fixed order, and the best-of package offers real value.
“We’ve been selling a lot of vinyl on the road at my shows, so that’s a good sign to show that people really want the physical product,” Turner says. “Everybody’s familiar with the digital stuff now. Sometimes it’s kind of cool to just unplug and go to the record.”
There’s an irony to the development. Producers have been known to add programmed needle scratches to digital music to give it a ’60s or ’70s atmosphere. Avoiding those pops and crackles were one of the supposed benefits of shifting to CDs. The digital disc’s rise pretty much ended a 30-year reign for 12-inch pressings around the early 1990s. Now the sonic imperfections add a new dimension to several generations of music.
“Vinyls are making a comeback, and [they’re] making a comeback among the younger generation,” says Ricochet founder Heath Wright. “It’s the thing now.”
That shift is opening up new possibilities for most of the music from the last three decades as it appears on a warmer, less brittle configuration.
“It’ll be the first time I’ve heard Ricochet music on vinyl,” Wright says, anticipating the release of the band’s material on black and yellow plastic.
Plenty of recent hits projects marked the first time the songs were available in the format. Among the best-of collections unveiled in the last two years are Heads Carolina, Tails California: The Best of Jo Dee Messina, Luke Bryan’s #1’s Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 and a Justin Moore Greatest Hits originally offered in translucent red vinyl at Walmart. Much of Dolly Parton’s Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection — including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “Coat of Many Colors” — was initially issued on vinyl back in the day.
But vinyl isn’t the only point. Digital service providers have created their own playlists dedicated to specific artists. However, that same act may prefer a different set of songs as a career overview, and the makeup of those titles on a hits compilation aren’t subject to revisions by DSP managers.
“It’s a nice way to roll up an era and curate the hits from a label-centric perspective for all time,” 615 Leverage + Strategy partner John Zarling says. “Apple constantly updates their Essentials playlists and prominently features those for every artist of note. But if you think about 10, 20 years removed, are those playlists going to properly document a specific era for an artist?”
Hits projects also give the act’s team a chance to elevate a song that was overlooked publicly. “Desperado,” for example, was never a charting single for The Eagles or Linda Ronstadt, but it rose in significance after being featured on both acts’ best-of compilations.
“Think about the songs that might have been important,” says Zarling, “but were never big chart successes, that because they were placed on greatest-hits records, it became a part of that artist’s repertoire.”
Plenty of artists who would have qualified for best-of albums in a previous era have never issued one during the last 20 years. That includes Brad Paisley, Cole Swindell, Taylor Swift, Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert. As the hits album hits back, a template has been established that makes a best-of compilation a good bet again.
In addition to making a statement about the act, it’s also a good way to enhance the experience with fans. Turner and Rhett are both offering special packages that combine hits albums with other merchandise. Rhett’s 20 Number Ones can be purchased in two different collectible versions, including one with an autographed box set with a booklet for $125. Turner’s Greatest Hits is available in several configurations, including signed copies and/or Turner-branded clothing for up to $185.
“That’s a trend that’s not going to go away,” Fisher suggests. “The entertainment industry as a whole is just continuing to try and find very high-touch experiences and high-quality products for that premium consumer. There’s profit opportunities with the superfan, and I don’t think they’re disappointed to pay that way. It’s a way they vote in support of their favorite artists.”
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Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost finds its way back to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Sept. 9), as the album vaults 76-1 following a new vinyl release of the set. It’s the album’s third week at No. 1 in as many years, following one-week visits to the top in 2022 and 2021.
The album’s return is owed to the Aug. 25 release of the first vinyl pressing of the deluxe edition of the album, dubbed Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale. The deluxe edition was originally issued via streamers and digital retailers in March 2023. The triple-LP set was pressed on blue-colored vinyl. In total in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 31, all retail versions of the album combined – old and new – sold just over 29,000 copies (up 1,397%), according to Luminate. Vinyl sales comprised nearly all of that sum.
Call Me If You Get Lost previously hit No. 1 for one week in 2022 (April 30-dated chart) after the original album’s release on vinyl, and for one week in 2021 (July 10, its debut frame).
In total in the U.S. through the week ending Aug. 31, Call Me If You Get Lost has sold 328,000 copies on vinyl across its multiple vinyl editions.
Elsewhere in the top 10 of the latest Top Album Sales chart, Zach Bryan’s self-titled set launches at No. 3, and The Turnpike Troubadours’ A Cat In the Rain debuts at No. 5.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Travis Scott’s chart-topping Utopia falls to No. 2 after four weeks at No. 1 (selling 29,000 copies; down 68%), while Bryan’s self-titled album bows at No. 3 with 17,000 sold (all from digital downloads, as it has yet to be released on any physical format). NewJeans’ former No. 1 2nd EP ‘Get Up’ rises 7-4 with 13,000 (down 17%), while The Turnpike Troubadours’ A Cat in the Rain starts at No. 5 with nearly 13,000 sold.
Taylor Swift’s former leader Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) rises 8-6 (nearly 13,000; down 19%), NCT DREAM’s ISTJ: The 3rd Album falls 6-7 (12,500; down 49%), and J-Hope’s Jack in the Box falls 2-8 (12,000; down 74%). Swift’s former No. 1 Midnights climbs 11-9 (10,000; down 12%), and JIHYO’s Zone (The 1st Mini Album) falls 4-10 (10,000; down 73%).
In the week ending Aug. 31, there were 1.666 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 12.6% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.333 million (down 15.3%) and digital albums comprised 334,000 (up 0.1%).
There were 552,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Aug. 31 (down 18.9% week-over-week) and 773,000 vinyl albums sold (up 12.6%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 23.283 million (up 1.8% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 31.147 million (up 20.4%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 67.201 million (up 6.9% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 54.788 million (up 11.6%) and digital album sales total 12.414 million (down 10%).