Old Albums Outselling the New for the First Time

While many of the older generation are content to sit about on their rocking chairs and PlayStation 1′s, complaining about the state of music these days, recent figures have revealed that, for the first time since Nielsen Soundscan has been measuring US album sales, old albums are outselling the new.

No, there hasn’t been a resurgence Chuck Berry, and Elvis hasn’t risen from the dead (or returned from his palace on the moon, if you buy in to conspiracy theories). Simply put, catalog albums (those released 18 months or longer ago) are outselling more recent releases. Even more simply put, f***k you Adele.

As far as figures are concerned, the first half of this year has seen 76.6 million “old” albums sold, in comparison to 74 million “new”. The past was given a big boost by the likes of 80s giants Guns N’ Roses and the late Whitney Houston, who are apparently ever-so-slightly more talented than Adele, who remains queen of the new generation.

However, it’s not yet time for fans of the classic to proclaim victory from their rooftops, as it seems that this truly comes down to a simple matter of money. 2012 has seen retailers decrease prices for older records, $6.00 being typical, while new releases are consistently priced at around $13.00, or, in Josh-speak, one large meat lovers pizza.

With this news coming alongside a simultaneous rise in digital sales, a resurgence of vinyl and a full-on recreation of 80s cinema, the entertainment industry has become, to let loose my inner British cynic, bloody topsy-turvy!