Music Sales Revival?
By Jon Iverson March 1, 2004 — What ails the music business? Stereophile reader Jim Steel, in an online poll last year, opined, "Most of today's pop and metal is lifeless, heartless, and crude. Over-produced, synthetic, and the core product (songs) are mind-numbingly dull and without imagination."

Another reader, Chris, added, "What music? Give me a break . . . the recording industry is wondering why people are refusing to pay for the overpriced, overhyped garbage they ceaselessly pour out. I'd almost rather drink from an open sewer line than submit myself to a couple of hours of the latest offerings from the likes of Britney or Ginuwine. Please, let's bring back artists who actually play instruments and write their own material!"

Perhaps the industry has taken Chris's advice. The music business caught a glimmer of hope in February, when Norah Jones' second album for Blue Note, Feels Like Home, debuted on the charts at the top spot, with sales in excess of one million copies in the US in its initial week of release. This is the first album to debut with this many sales since 'N Sync released Celebrity in 2001.

While it may be too early to declare an end to Britney's career, the strength of Jones' sophomore effort sends a signal to record execs that "adult" music can sell too. The album also debuted at number one in England with 235,000 copies shifted, and sold a respectable 395,000 copies in the US in its second week.

Have the RIAA efforts to sue music fans helped turn around record sales? BigChampagne, which tracks file sharing and its effects, says that it's not likely. The company's Eric Garland observes that Jones "is one of the most downloaded artists of all time, which disproves this idea that illegal downloads cannibalize CD sales."

Even Blue Note's Zach Hochkeppel went on record last week to suggest that downloading may be a positive force for sales of Feels Like Home. "People who download truly might be previewing it," says Hochkeppel. "They don't want to get burned by buyng a record with one good song. If they like what they hear, they'll probably go out and buy the record too."