Posted October 16, 20159 yr Would they have picked up a significant amount of sales, do you reckon? I'm talking about the likes of Cheerleader, See You Again and Uptown Funk. Edited October 16, 20159 yr by Hassaan
October 16, 20159 yr The obvious answer here is no. Physical singles just don't sell anymore except niche releases/boyband singles.
October 16, 20159 yr The obvious answer here is no. Physical singles just don't sell anymore except niche releases/boyband singles. That's largely down to lack of availability though.
October 16, 20159 yr The obvious answer here is no. Physical singles just don't sell anymore except niche releases/boyband singles. ISTM that's a bit of a circular argument. ;)
October 16, 20159 yr But the theory was (inadvertently) tested circa 2000-2008, when physical singles remained pretty consistent in availability but sales dwindled.
October 16, 20159 yr most older people are savvy enough to download now and don't want a cd case hanging around getting scratched and taking up space. Even big event singles like X Factor & Band Aid 30 didn't sell much on CD.
October 17, 20159 yr But the theory was (inadvertently) tested circa 2000-2008, when physical singles remained pretty consistent in availability but sales dwindled. But that doesn't alter the notion that if they were still available, they'd still sell - after all, CD albums *do*...
October 17, 20159 yr But that doesn't alter the notion that if they were still available, they'd still sell - after all, CD albums *do*... You can't compare CD singles to CD albums. For 1-2 songs people wouldn't buy a CD (apart from some special editions and big fanbased acts as already mentioned), so CD singles wouldn't add much if at all to the sales. People rather go to their computer and download that one song. Faster, comfortable and also cheaper. It's not a question of availability. If someones doesn't realise this, must be blind.
October 17, 20159 yr To people who even ask these questions, I'd say "would YOU buy a current hit on a cd single really"... Collectors and djs are only people who I can think of... Edited October 17, 20159 yr by SKOB
October 17, 20159 yr You can't compare CD singles to CD albums. For 1-2 songs people wouldn't buy a CD (apart from some special editions and big fanbased acts as already mentioned), so CD singles wouldn't add much if at all to the sales. People rather go to their computer and download that one song. Faster, comfortable and also cheaper. It's not a question of availability. If someones doesn't realise this, must be blind. But convenience isn't the be-all & end-all of it, otherwise the vinyl market wouldn't be reviving... ;) For myself, I'll buy CD albums (and would buy singles if I could) for my favourite artists, but will download for more casual purchases.
October 17, 20159 yr But that doesn't alter the notion that if they were still available, they'd still sell - after all, CD albums *do*... Nowhere near as much as they used to, mind you. I'm sure most of this year's big hits would sell a number greater than zero CD singles. It's unlikely that many would sell enough to recoup the cost of the sleeve artwork though. Not to repeat myself too much, but almost every major hit in, say, 2007 was released on CD single and yet sales of the format were nowhere near what they had been in 1997 [even accounting for the distortion of 'Candle In The Wind '97'] which very strongly suggests that a lot of people had stopped buying them (or at least reduced the number they bought). I know I did.
October 17, 20159 yr But convenience isn't the be-all & end-all of it, otherwise the vinyl market wouldn't be reviving... ;) For myself, I'll buy CD albums (and would buy singles if I could) for my favourite artists, but will download for more casual purchases. Let's be honest, the revival of the vinyl doesn't mean, it shakes up the sales, it just means there is a certain demand for this kind of product, because there are a lot of people who collects them. But it will be never again interesting for a casual customer. vidcapper, I'm fully aware that you still like physical singles and albums, but you're not representing the casual customer. And I believe you're not working in marketing either :)
October 19, 20159 yr Author I suppose The X Factor could trigger some bigger CD sales. Last year's winners single sold 47,001 on physicals, 208k on downloads and 214k in total.
October 20, 20159 yr I suppose The X Factor could trigger some bigger CD sales. Last year's winners single sold 47,001 on physicals, 208k on downloads and 214k in total. Don't you mean 255K in total?
October 21, 20159 yr I don't know if it's still the case now, but Cologne in Germany last year have a major music store (Saturn) which had, to my huge surprise, a whole wall of CD singles of every song in the chart from Taylor Swift to The Avener. It was like stepping back in time a decade or so! That was in November 2014 but might still be there, so I'm not surprised at the 6m figure above. I find the decline of CD singles oddly fascinating, mostly because there was a lot of press coverage of it around the mid-noughties and then everyone just seemed to completely lose interest in them eventually, and they began an extremely slow, prolonged fizzle-out. The last time I remember seeing a whole wall of CD singles in this country was the (now long gone) Zavvi megastore in Piccadilly Circus in early 2008, and that didn't even last to the summer. HMV in Oxford Street (also gone!) kept a fairly hefty section of their store to singles until around August/September 2009, when they got relegated to one shelf, then half a shelf, then just a handful tacked onto the end of one. I often wondered what the last song released as a CD single would be but it looks like we might never know, they'll just stop one day and only have the occasional one-off release. Vinyl should generally stay around and even cassette singles have a novelty retro charm to them which has helped a few indie releases on the format in recent years, I can't see CDs getting the same treatment though.
October 21, 20159 yr Author Don't you mean 255K in total? Ben Haenow's X Factor winners single sold 214k in its first week last year, broken down as: Total: 214,239 - CD's: 47,001 - Streaming: 5,637 - Downloas: 208,602 Edited October 21, 20159 yr by Hassaan
October 21, 20159 yr Ben Haenow's X Factor winners single sold 214k in its first week last year, broken down as: Total: 214,239 - CD's: 47,001 - Streaming: 5,637 - Downloas: 208,602 But that doesn't add up. That would make 261,240. Do you mean it's total paid for sales were 208,602 - comprised of 47,001 CD's and 161,601 downloads?
October 21, 20159 yr Ben Haenow's X Factor winners single sold 214k in its first week last year, broken down as: Total: 214,239 - CD's: 47,001 - Streaming: 5,637 - Downloas: 208,602 The CD total was 47,001 the Download total 208,602 so that adds up to 255,603. If you add streaming that takes it to 261,240. Or do you work for the Official Charts Company as the head of fiddling the sales figures for every record? I have been after this guy for ages! He must be out there somewhere cause they do reduce the sales figures for every record going. Can I out you! :dance:
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