Fewer debuts see stars in 2008

10:09 | Monday January 12, 2009

Source: MW

 

Just six new acts attained platinum status with 2008-released debut albums last year, down from a decade-best of 14 in 2006

 

A drop in the number of debut acts achieving platinum albums in 2008 has not dampened the optimism of labels aiming to break the same sales barrier with new artists this year.

 

Despite a late surge in the final quarter of last year when inaugural albums by N-Dubz, The Priests and The Script were all certified platinum by the BPI, less than half the number of debuts released during the year were recognised for 300,000 sales or more compared to the trend just two years ago.

 

Six debut albums issued in 2008 made the grade, led by Duffy’s five-times platinum Rockferry, which finished as 2008’s top seller overall, while Adele and The Ting Tings also reached platinum status.

 

Debuts by Amy Macdonald and Scouting For Girls, both issued in 2007, also secured platinum status during the year, while Rhydian’s self-titled debut sold more than 350,000 units at retail, according to the Official Charts Company, but had not been certified platinum by year’s end.

 

This left 2008’s platinum tally for debut acts narrowly down on 2007, when eight debuts issued in the year reached platinum status, but sharply down on 2006 when Arctic Monkeys and Corinne Bailey Rae were among a decade’s peak of 14 making the grade.

 

Universal UK chairman and CEO David Joseph, whose group’s own platinum interests were led last year by Duffy, believes 2008 was “a good year for blockbuster sellers” but tougher for new artists.

 

“We were very happy about Duffy – the fact that the biggest album of the year was a domestic signing. It wasn’t the greatest year for breaking new artists, but I feel very optimistic about the names for this year,” he says.

 

Among Universal’s new priorities is Lady Gaga, whose Interscope/Polydor single Just Dance was yesterday (Sunday) expected to replace at number one the debut release by Alexandra Burke, herself one of Sony’s priorities for the coming year.

 

Joseph says, “When I look at the list of new acts, there is an additional excitement that feeds into the market. There is more energy and edge. The job that we face is driving sales. Lots of people are saying, ‘Here are acts that are going to sell 100,000, our responsibility is to take them to 600,000, 700,000 sales’. That is what the next six months are going to hold.”

 

Epic managing director Nick Raphael, who scored a platinum seller last December with The Priests’ first album having already reached double-platinum status with the first Scouting For Girls album earlier in the year, also enters 2009 in a positive frame of mind.

 

“I always believe there’s going to be a minimum of eight to 15 new platinum acts in any year because historically that’s been the case and I always have to work on that basis,” he says. “Our job at Epic is to have at least one or two of these and I hope 2009 brings us all opportunities to break platinum acts, but until you start hearing the music for these artists you can’t make a judgment.”

 

With consumers now easily able to download the specific track or tracks they want by an artist, it is arguably harder now to convince them to upgrade to the album, but Raphael suggests the criteria for getting an act to platinum remains exactly as before.

 

“Adele and Duffy, The Script and The Priests and Scouting For Girls and any of these other acts have done well because they’ve been up to the required standard,” he says. “The standard doesn’t change: to be successful you’ve got to be bloody good and above anybody else.”

 

One act who the public clearly did not need convincing about beyond a first hit single was Duffy, whose album Rockferry debuted at one with 183,874 sales last March as her first Top 40 hit Mercy sat at the top of the UK singles chart.

 

Duffy topped the albums chart little more than a month after XL act Adele’s debut 19, the only debut released last year to have reached platinum status not to have been issued by either Universal or what was then Sony BMG. It sold 479,328 units by the end of the year to finish as 2008’s 16th biggest artist album.

Take That crowned top albums act of 2008

09:44 | Monday January 12, 2009

By Ben Cardew

 

Take That earned bragging rights as 2008’s biggest-selling albums act, despite The Circus just missing out to Duffy’s Rockferry for top-selling album of the year.

 

As we outline in our market round-up of the year, The Circus shifted 1.45m copies in just four weeks to become the year’s second biggest artist album, behind Rockferry’s 1.68m. However, the Mancunian group’s back catalogue sold a further 600,000 units in 2008, earning them the title of the year’s top act. The Circus also recorded the year’s four highest weekly sales.

 

And the vintage boy band were not the only veteran act to report strong sales: Neil Diamond chalked up sales of 0.92m – including his first number one album in 16 years in Home Before dark – to finish as the year’s 10th best-selling artist.

 

Meanwhile, Elvis Presley was the year’s 19th most popular artist, with sales of 0.58m from 63 albums represented in the year’s 10,000 biggest sellers. Similarly, Johnny Cash had 53 titles among the top 10,000, Bob Dylan had 45 and David Bowie and Frank Sinatra had 33 apiece.

 

Overall, album sales for 2008 totalled 133.6m, according to Official Charts Company figures, down just 3.2% on 2007, while singles sales grew 33.0% to hit 115.1m – some 26m more than the previous record of 89.1m shipped in 1979.

 

“It was a very positive end to the year,” says Universal UK chairman and CEO David Joseph, whose company again came out on top of market share statistics for both singles and albums.

 

“The year was feeling OK but then came the terrible retail news. There were a couple of weeks where we were trying to sort that out, to make sure that the releases people wanted were in stores.

 

“When the direct supply and distribution was established we started to see the numbers coming in and we thought, ‘This could be amazing.’ When people are cutting down on their expensive, luxury spending, records can benefit. Also, there was a very good release schedule. The two combined.”

Great review, Martin. :D

Thanks. Lack of big releases will push sales down this year, as big releases this year inflated the true value.

 

New acts aren't big album sellers. Singles wise its been fine, they'll always be someone to fill the void long term.

You left out epic album sales for AC/DC and Metallica!

 

Edit: nvm, thought you were talking about worldwide sales, not just UK ones.

Edited January 12, 200916 yr by ags_rule