# RS_MAG: On the Charts: Adele Ruled a Dismal Year for Record Sales



## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/n...ruled-a-dismal-year-for-record-sales-20120104




> *LOSER OF THE YEAR:* The record industry, as usual. But wait, you say – didn't we just mention sales were up for the first time in seven years? Yes, but that 1 percent sales increase refers to albums in general, both physical and digital; CDs themselves were down 6 percent. So the product with the greatest profit margin continues to slide while the product with the lowest profit margin (digital songs, up 8.5 percent) continues to grow. Plus, the 1 percent uptick may be due to a variety of deep discounts, from Amazon to big-box chains. "When you're selling $5 discs at Walmart and Best Buy, music revenue is actually down," a source at a major label told us recently. "The idea that the industry has somehow hit bottom, and might be hitting an inflection point, I think, is a mistake." *To sum up, things that are booming: Adele and digital songs in general. Things that are not booming: pretty much everything else.*



Seems apropos to the bar music scene thread.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

"When you're selling $5 discs at Walmart and Best Buy, music revenue is actually down,"

Really? I think this major-label source needs to check his/her definitions.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

There is probably that. What I read was more a shift in peoples comfort zones for musical tastes as well as fiscal priorities.

Adele is an amazing singer. Equally amazing is the number of pre-teen girls that can cover her music and do a really good job of it.

People with money will not ask "how much is that" but people that have to budget against household income will. That the reduced prices sold and infact vaulted some performers into top seating suggests that the will for music is there, just not the pocket book.

At least that is how I interpreted the article


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Women in their 30's and 40's buy more CDs than just about any other demographic (with the exception of guys in their 40's and 50's who might otherwise be buying comic books, but buy obscure albums instead). So when the top-selling performers of the year are female singers (Gaga, Adele, Swift, Florence, et al), it's no surprise that album sales are up, because those performers appeal to that demographic.

I think we would also be remiss on NOT mentioning that Rick Rubin produced Adele's most recent album. He's right up there with the best.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Yes I think Adele has succeeded with the mix of soul-felt and reachable that is a great mix. I have a few women friends spanning new teen to early 30's that really adore her music.


 I'm in my 40's and I am thinking to treat myself to a live show this year. This band will be in Toronto come April. Maybe they are a tad obscure  though not so much so, this one was on The office. Unlike Adele no way I could interpretively follow what they are saying, I treat it and like it same as instrumental music  As to comics well  http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php I am woefully behind, will need to purchase the paper version of the last year to catch up again  Which is fine, I have the first four, one every year or so, in time I will have them all 

[video=youtube;A7fuuDc2hH0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7fuuDc2hH0[/video]


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## NGroeneveld (Jan 23, 2011)

keeperofthegood said:


> Unlike Adele no way I could interpretively follow what they are saying, I treat it and like it same as instrumental music


Something about needing a Soy latte I think?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I was asked to learn the big hit Adele had and teach it to my daughter on piano. I think the title was "Someone Like You".

I'm sorry to be a hater, but I thought it was a pretty boring and uninspiring song.

It was hard to tell the verses from the chorus.

I'm referring specifically to the writing. The voice is ok, not brilliant, but good enough.

If that's the best out there, I think popular music is in real trouble.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

On the way into work this morning, it occurred to me that Adele could make a fabulous tribute to Dusty Springfield album. I can hear it now, her doing "Wishin and hopin", "Son of a preacher man", "You don't have to say you love me". She's got the big voice for that, and a decent re-imagining of Dusty's tunes would be interesting. Who knows? Maybe she could get Carol Pope on board for it.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

> soul-felt and reachable


This is one of the 'things that make it popular', when your kid can sing along with the performer and do it quite well with songs that make you (as cracked.com said) want to stand at a window and watch rain fall I think you've got something that will simply be popular almost no matter the performer.

I think she could do very well covering Dusty too!!

Now, if she breaks out of the mould she is in and stretches out or becomes just another Mariah Carey time will tell.

For the writing, it isn't as strong as it was 40ish years ago that I think is true, but then language itself has so dramatically changed in 40 years it is hard to emotionally metaphor current phrases because of the time discrepancies in comparative analysis. The patois is different for sure, but I think if you take a 20 something from 1970 and a 20 something from today and analysed their emotive interpretation to these two songs in their set times that analysis would be the same.

[video=youtube;hLQl3WQQoQ0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLQl3WQQoQ0[/video]

is thematically the same as

[video=youtube;FPu_G-T28iU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPu_G-T28iU[/video]


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

If I never heard Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" or anything off that album again, it will be too soon. A girl at work here listens to Virgin Radio and (i'm not kidding) They played Adele once every single hour. I just about went Mental. Thank Gord for iPod's! I really like what The Black keys had to say about the Situation: 
_Rock & roll is dying because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world,” he says, blowing cigarette smoke out the window of his rented East Village loft a few days &shy;before the band heads to L.A. “So they became OK with the idea that the biggest rock band in the world is always going to be shit – therefore you should never try to be the biggest rock band in the world. F&ck that! Rock & roll is the music I feel the most passionately about, and I don’t like to see it ****ing ruined and spoon-fed down our throats in this watered-down, post-grunge crap, horrendous shit. When people start lumping us into that kind of shit, it’s like, ‘[email protected] you,’ honestly._
​


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## NGroeneveld (Jan 23, 2011)

Adele's voice is like a good tube amp; rich and powerful and starts to crack and break up when pushed. I think what makes her songs great, other than her being a fantastic singer, is that there's no auto tuning, they sound really genuine. She's a singer who only needs a mike, not a full array of backup dancers and staging. Yes, the songs are mostly about one thing 'breaking up' which gets repetitive after a while, but that just makes me look forward to her next recording even more.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

keeperofthegood said:


> This is one of the 'things that make it popular', when your kid can sing along with the performer and do it quite well with songs that make you (as cracked.com said) want to stand at a window and watch rain fall I think you've got something that will simply be popular almost no matter the performer.
> 
> I think she could do very well covering Dusty too!!
> 
> ...


LOL, I wouldn't hesitate to use those clips to reinforce my opinions about Adele. The Croce clip is a beautifuly written song.

I listened to about two thirds of the Adele song again just to make sure it wasn't a mood I was in at the time I learned it. I think she's a better singer than I thought at the time, but I learned the song from a live clip. The song still makes me shudder, but not because of the lyrical content.

It's the music.

meh, maybe I'm just being an old dickhead, but there are probably a thousand albums from the 60's, 70's and 80's I'd rather spend money on, again.

Here's one

http://youtu.be/Jn3iybtxNZw


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

I would like to throw in a little social commentary to it. It seems apparent to me, after raising two kids (now in their mid to late 20's) and having two living with me now 17 and 16 that love (as defined by this generation) and broken hearts has changed hugely since I was that age. The 16 year old I have here has had more lovers in her short career than her Mother has had in her lifetime. This is not uncommon today, its pretty normal. If you sift through the FB pages of kids today you will see nonsense that we never dreamed of. Maybe its because we never had a public forum to share our deepest thoughts but somehow I doubt it. I dated plenty and I never had a girl telling me that without me she would kill herself, nor did she hear it from me. None of my friends heard it either. We took it day by day, month by month.

Today, they celebrate their "anniversary" every month, if not every week. Breaking up has become a public and ugly affair. The need for "stroking" by peers has increased 1000 fold. 

So I see in these songs and lyrics just a mirror of how it is today. The songs are targeted (as they were when we we young) at how the youth are feeling and their experiences. That's why the songs have gotten filthier as time has gone on and more sex has been injected into them. There is nothing that disturbs me more than a 15 year old acting and "trying" to talk like they are 30 and pretending that they understand the things that only time can teach you. How many of us over 40 can say we went through the kind emotional train wrecks that these kids are going through today?

In my time this song would have sufficed after a breakup, and I am talking when I was 20 not 12, I was still popping zits in the mirror and getting into rock and roll

[video=youtube;u5fuizV-nes]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5fuizV-nes[/video]


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## Shark (Jun 10, 2010)

Actually, I kinda like Adele, though I wouldn't buy her songs. But she has skill and heart and a humble attitude. Her lyrics are better than average, though average is pretty crappy; and they don't really grab me. But her voice is great, IMO. Not just the timbre and ability, but she really pours herself into her singing. She has a passion that you almost never hear anymore. You also have to remember that her first album was written and recorded while she was still a teenager. There's an obvious reason her lyrics are not super-mature. But compare her to other teen singers and I think she's miles ahead of most of them, regardless of genre.

Sadly for her, her throat is a problem and after having surgery on it recently her doctors told her to stop singing for maybe a year. I hope she does something better than drown her sorrows for the next few months.


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

Mark P said:


> Actually, I kinda like Adele, though I wouldn't buy her songs. But she has skill and heart and a humble attitude. Her lyrics are better than average, though average is pretty crappy; and they don't really grab me. But her voice is great, IMO. Not just the timbre and ability, but she really pours herself into her singing. She has a passion that you almost never hear anymore. You also have to remember that her first album was written and recorded while she was still a teenager. There's an obvious reason her lyrics are not super-mature. But compare her to other teen singers and I think she's miles ahead of most of them, regardless of genre.
> 
> Sadly for her, her throat is a problem and after having surgery on it recently her doctors told her to stop singing for maybe a year. I hope she does something better than drown her sorrows for the next few months.


I totally agree with this. I may hate her songs, but I have to admire her deliverance. Being a large girl, it can't have been easy for her in emerging markets. When Rolling Stones asked her about losing weight, her retort was "i don't make music for ears, I make music for eyes" I loved that! One thing I can't believe is that she smokes!


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

NGroeneveld said:


> Adele's voice is like a good tube amp; rich and powerful and starts to crack and break up when pushed. I think what makes her songs great, other than her being a fantastic singer, is that there's no auto tuning, they sound really genuine. She's a singer who only needs a mike, not a full array of backup dancers and staging. Yes, the songs are mostly about one thing 'breaking up' which gets repetitive after a while, but that just makes me look forward to her next recording even more.


Well said. I totally agree with your statement


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

I do like a couple of her songs and I think she has a pretty amazing voice. I bought my wife 21 for Xmas and in my opinion it's overly repetitive and boring with a couple of good tunes on it. I've posted about Kimbra before and I think she's just so much better on all fronts. Voice, interesting music, presentation, the whole package. Will likely never be as popular though  Keep in mind this video is live, no autotuning crap.

[video=youtube;ewMTRN9So88]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewMTRN9So88&amp;feature=relmfu[/video]


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

This thread reminds me of one a few years ago, where everyone was gushing about how Amy Winehouse was the real deal,rising star, etc...hopefully things turn out better for Adele.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Mark P said:


> average is pretty crappy


To quote Mr. Hetfield, "Sad but true".


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## Guest (Jan 17, 2012)

Hey Dave, nice pick with Kimbra but...

All of Kimbra's stuff from the Sing Sing sessions is top notch. But have you heard the "album" versions of these tunes? They're terrible. They turned them into Katy Perry type pop songs to try and push units. You can just see a suit making that decision. These songs don't work at all in that style.

Here's a comparison....Settle Down done in the Sing Sing sessions:

[video=youtube;u1mUwwuw4Ik]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1mUwwuw4Ik[/video]

Versus how it was released to the North American market via her first album here:

[video=youtube;rBxmidwDy2Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBxmidwDy2Y&feature=related[/video]

Eww.

Check out the differences in Cameo Lover for an even starker contrast.

It's stupid decisions like that that are sinking album sales.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Um...

Those two videos sound like they were sung by different women. The first has a lot of undertone buzz it is pretty accent free, while the second has an accent and no buzz. Noticeable with the way the word Nebraska is said. First vid has a long accent on the last syllable sounding like gaw, the second has a short emphasis on the final a sounding like ah.

A singer I stumbled on last night that has captivated me today is Eivør Pálsdóttir a pretty strong female voice. I do enjoy Kate Bush, and this cover of her song Hounds of Love is I think well done.

[video=youtube;cVimRZ3jScU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVimRZ3jScU&amp;feature=share[/video]


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I am somewhat surprised that even a couple of people do not like Adele. Now I don't put her cd on and listen to every song, I just know the ones that got heavy rotation (not because I am exposed to those stations but because of the associated buzz). 

I am the most critical (regarding music) of anyone I know and when I heard 'Someone Like You' I was stunned. When I got home I found it on Youtube and listened to it about 15 times and about 4 different versions (the live ones are better than the album version). I got chills, I was overwhelmed by the delivery of emotion, I was enthralled by the texturally rich voice. Furthermore, I was impressed that she writes (or co-writes) her songs as well - automatic cred for me. The last time a song hit me like that was 'Dogs And Thunder' by Sarah Harmer when she was in Weeping Tile.

She's 22 or something...that her songs are about her personal relationships doesn't matter to me. I think she is this generation's Patsy Cline.

Winehouse never impressed me.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

I think she's ok, but dont really get the hype...Is she better than Norah Jones or Amy Lee, for example? I dont think so.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Diablo said:


> I think she's ok, but dont really get the hype...Is she better than Norah Jones or Amy Lee, for example? I dont think so.


I think that she could do Norah's style but I doubt Nora could do her style. I don't know if she plays any instruments but Norah plays piano pretty well. Amy Lee...come on man!! She sings one note really well. I thought she was good when she first came on the scene too but after that same note a million times? Not hard to see why she dropped off the scene.

To those who have the stomach to watch this video, it gets better (not much but it does improve as they go on):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahAQxFrEK3Y


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

smorgdonkey said:


> I think that she could do Norah's style but I doubt Nora could do her style. I don't know if she plays any instruments but Norah plays piano pretty well. Amy Lee...come on man!! She sings one note really well. I thought she was good when she first came on the scene too but after that same note a million times? Not hard to see why she dropped off the scene.To those who have the stomach to watch this video, it gets better (not much but it does improve as they go on):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahAQxFrEK3Y


For what it's worth, I'd take Amy Lee or Norah Jones over Adele any day of the week.

The songs are just much better to me.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Never been much of a fan of Evanescence. I just don't like the sound of Amy's voice. Norah on one-song-hearing is nice, but to me repetitive and dull by the third song on a play-list (by which time my mind is wandering far from paying any attention to the song playing).

As I say, if they can get out of their mould, their comfy spot, their "_oh I fit here and only here and will stay here forever_" mindset and expand and stretch etc then I might say they were great musicians. I would like to hear them sing songs completely not in the line of what they have done. Lets hear Adele sing Waltzing Matilda, or Nora sing Passenger or Amy sing Ball Of Confusion (without it sounding like Baa Aaa aHH Allll ooo ooo OOO OOO ooovv Cooonnn fuuuu sion just no ugg no thanks no) or even the three of them get together and play out as a trio with Bei Mir Bist Du Chien and then I may begin to think them more worthwhile. Till then they are just self limiting round pegs in round holes; sure its cool Adele can hold a note while sounding like she is giving birth but what else can she do? or that Nora can whisper loudly but what else can she do? or that Amy can do whatever it is Amy is doing (not really sure what) but can she do something she hasn't done before?


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

smorgdonkey said:


> I think that she could do Norah's style but I doubt Nora could do her style. I don't know if she plays any instruments but Norah plays piano pretty well. Amy Lee...come on man!! She sings one note really well. I thought she was good when she first came on the scene too but after that same note a million times? Not hard to see why she dropped off the scene.To those who have the stomach to watch this video, it gets better (not much but it does improve as they go on):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahAQxFrEK3Y


 I think the opposite...I find Adele's style to be very generic, almost American Idol-esque, whereas Norah is distinct, to my ears. I could imagine any number of singers doing Adele's stuff quite well. Colby Caillat, Vanessa Carlton for example. I can't think of very many that could pull off a Norah jones tune with as much soul.As for Amy Lee, I think Adele would wish to have her power and range.Not saying she's (adele) a bad singer, she's great, just over rated.It's kind of a silly debate i started though, it's like who is the better guitarist, Clapton or Hendrix? No one is going to change anyone elses mind.

Fwiw, evanescence just came out with a new cd, that sounded pretty good....but they're brand of music isn't likely to be a perennial chart topper....in the same wy as a Bruno Mars, Maroon5, Coldplay, or lady gaga.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

keeperofthegood said:


> Never been much of a fan of Evanescence. I just don't like the sound of Amy's voice. Norah on one-song-hearing is nice, but to me repetitive and dull by the third song on a play-list (by which time my mind is wandering far from paying any attention to the song playing). As I say, if they can get out of their mould, their comfy spot, their "_oh I fit here and only here and will stay here forever_" mindset and expand and stretch etc then I might say they were great musicians. I would like to hear them sing songs completely not in the line of what they have done. Lets hear Adele sing Waltzing Matilda, or Nora sing Passenger or Amy sing Ball Of Confusion (without it sounding like Baa Aaa aHH Allll ooo ooo OOO OOO ooovv Cooonnn fuuuu sion just no ugg no thanks no) or even the three of them get together and play out as a trio with Bei Mir Bist Du Chien and then I may begin to think them more worthwhile. Till then they are just self limiting round pegs in round holes; sure its cool Adele can hold a note while sounding like she is giving birth but what else can she do? or that Nora can whisper loudly but what else can she do? or that Amy can do whatever it is Amy is doing (not really sure what) but can she do something she hasn't done before?


Interesting points...anyone come to mind that meets your criteria of being infinitely versatile/dynamic?
Fwiw, I. Not an Evanescence fan either, aside from a couple tunes....they're just a little too "serious" for some of my moods....but I do appreciate her talents.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Diablo said:


> Interesting points...anyone come to mind that meets your criteria of being infinitely versatile/dynamic?Fwiw, I. Not an Evanescence fan either, aside from a couple tunes....they're just a little too "serious" for some of my moods....but I do appreciate her talents.


Interesting way of wording it. Yes.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Milkman said:


> For what it's worth, I'd take Amy Lee or Norah Jones over Adele any day of the week.
> 
> The songs are just much better to me.


For what it's worth, didn't you say that you had a difficult time telling the verses from the choruses?

HAHA!


Hey, to all of us...we like different stuff and that goes from Nickelback to whatever singer. Adele is the first female singer that I have been impressed by in a long time...or should I say 'artist' because she writes too(?). There have been plenty of great singers but karaoke stars are different than creative people.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I was happy to see Adele get her first Grammy this evening...she is supposed to sing for the first time in 5 months tonight after having surgery for ruptured vocal cords in 2011.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I thought they said she won best new artist in 2009?


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Norah's great when she plays the piano.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

keto said:


> I thought they said she won best new artist in 2009?


Perhaps...but it has been awfully lean for new artists so maybe they gave it to her for a couple/few years in a row!!


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