Album Sales Hit a New Low Last Week

The struggling music industry hit a new low last week: Only 4.95 million albums were sold in the U.S. between August 8th and 14th — the lowest total since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking numbers in 1991. The one other time album sales fell short of five million copies? Earlier this year, during the week ending May 30th, when 4.98 million albums sold.

Sales ebbed despite another big week for the Number One album, Eminem's Recovery, which moved 133,000 copies, becoming 2010's second double-platinum. (Lady Antebellum's Need You Now has still accumulated more sales.) But Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, which dropped to number two in its second week, fell dramatically, from 156,000 to 52,000 copies. The Camp Rock 2 soundtrack, which came in at number three, sold only 41,000 copies.

Next week is looking up, slightly, with new albums from Ray LaMontagne and Iron Maiden. Albums due from Taylor Swift, Kanye West, T.I., Susan Boyle and Michael Jackson should also boost the rest of 2010.

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Song Stories

“My President”

Young Jeezy | 2008

Young Jeezy teams up with Nas on this track, in which he compare his own success with the idea of an African-American winning the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2008 presidential election. "When I pulled up in my car, that s--- was unbelievable to people in my neighborhood because they were like, 'We grew up with him. How the hell did he accomplish this?'" he told Rolling Stone. "I feel like it was the same way with Obama. I grew up all this time, but I've never seen a black man this close to running this country."

More Song Stories entries »

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