Rock 'n Roll Dominance

[David Eaton]

In the run up to the 2010 Grammy Awards, the New York Daily News published an article that surveys the sales of both album sales and digital downloads. The article by Jim Farber lists the Top 10 music genres by total sales. The aggregate number for the three rock related categories is 44.4%.  Here’s the breakdown:

 

Digital Track Sales:

 

1. Rock-27%
2. Pop-25.4%
3. R&B-Hip Hop-21.9%
4. Rap-13.3%
5. Alternative Rock-12.2%
6. Country-9.9%
7. Hard Rock-5.2%
8. Dance/Electronic-4.2%
9. Christian/Gospel-3.2%
10. Christian-2.6%

 

Album Sales:

 

1. Rock-103 million
2. R&B-57 million
3. Alternative-53 million
4. Country-43 million
5. Heavy Metal-32 million
6. Rap-27 million
7. Christian/Gospel-24 million
8. Soundtracks-16 million
9. Latin Music-12 million
10. Classical-8.9 million

 

Much has been made about the influence of Rap Music but as these lists show, Rap’s dominance may be waning a bit. The Beatles catalogue now being available in iTunes certainly provided the “Rock” genre a serious spike in digital sales.

 

The sales of Jazz albums were just below Classical at 8.7 million. I’ve been reading Stanley Crouch’s fine book on Jazz, Considering Genius, and Reid Baddger’s authoritative biography of Jazz pioneer, James Reese Europe, A Life in Ragtime. It’s somewhat sad that Jazz, “America’s classical music,” according to Jazz pianist, Dr. Billy Taylor (who recently passed), doesn’t find more enthusiastic adherents.

 

Both Classical and Jazz, two market-challenged genres, provide a wealth of great artists and great music. As much as I enjoy the Beatles or Yolanda Adams or Anita Baker, the music of the great Classical masters and Jazz legends still stands apart from so much of the Rock/Pop/R&B realms in terms of musical intelligence, spiritual depth and emotional expressivity. It would seem that our increasingly materialistic and market-driven culture does little to encourage the exploration of all but the most superficial art forms---to our collective cultural loss. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ben Lorentzen]

Thank you for this interesting info. 

 

Just a few thoughts. There are several ways to read this info. One very interesting thing is the fact that pop and rock music combined "only" make up for 50 % (or just above) of total sales. It says to me that the "alternative" genres are just as important, making up the other 50%. Looking at it this way, I know for myself that I am mostly dealing with what would be described as pop/ rock music, both as a writer, performer and listener. But not only. And as I get older I find myself drawn to many different genres. I don't think I'm the only one. I think more and more people define their musical interests wider than just one or two genres. We take a little bit of everything. You go to see Iron Maiden and you will run into three generations; an old fan brings his son and his grand son to see a rock concert. You start talking to them and the grand son might like rap, but he also plays in the school orchestra, the son has just gotten his ears open to country (James Hetfield of Metallica is a great fan of country and often sits in playing with his country heros, opening it up to many of his fans, I am sure), and the old guy himself has just started to dig into his grandmas old jazz records... we consume music differently now then when many of these genres were created. 

 

Another thing that is very interesting to me is that older music, written hundreds of years ago, do not wither and die, but continues to find new listeners. 9 Million sales is substantial.

 

A third and last comment: sales do not speak solely for the way we consume music. Take a walk through NY Manhattan these days and there are more places advertising their jazz night, then their rock night, or country night or any other genre. The live scene seems to be thriving when it comes to jazz. That is not to say that jazz musicians get paid enough, that they have access to the same touring and promotion budgets that you will occasionally find in pop rock, but it says something about wanting to be different, to stick out. When something grows big, a counter culture is always created, and so it moves in waves.

 

On that note: Bob Dylan, who deals with traditional music (country, blues, jazz, swing, folk) never sold as many records as he did with his last; Together through life. He is doing more than 100 shows a year in 5-10.000 people venues, he is close to 70 and seeing his commercial prime...

[David Eaton]

Hi Ben,

 

Thanks for you reply. I believe you hit on something that's very pertinent. You said that "as I get older I find myself drawn to many different styles." As we mature it is somewhat natural to seek new experiences or view things with a different perspective. As musicians that curiosity leads us to styles or genres that we may not have listened to in our youth.

 

I'm currently listening to a lot more Jazz and as I survey the music of Miles Davis or Charlie Parker I'm gaining a new appreciation of their musical gifts. Their improvising skills are astonishing. I know that Miles was always re-inventing himself and moving into different musical realms. Some thought he was selling out when started getting into Fusion, but I believe he was just exploring, experimenting---sometimes successful, sometimes not. 

 

Also, when the early 20th century Classical composers first heard Ragtime and Jazz they started incorporating Jazz ideas (especially rhythms) into their compositions. Stravinsky, Copland, Hindemith, Blacher and others provide numerous examples of this. 

Interesting to hear about Dylan's current successes. Thanks.

 

DE

Ben Lorentzen said:

Thank you for this interesting info. 

 

Just a few thoughts. There are several ways to read this info. One very interesting thing is the fact that pop and rock music combined "only" make up for 50 % (or just above) of total sales. It says to me that the "alternative" genres are just as important, making up the other 50%. Looking at it this way, I know for myself that I am mostly dealing with what would be described as pop/ rock music, both as a writer, performer and listener. But not only. And as I get older I find myself drawn to many different genres. 

[Robert E. Hall, Jr.]

Hi Dave, Thanks for your thoughts. Through the years it seems like composers and musicians have always been "borrowing" from someone or someplace. As the global village becomes smaller, it seems, to me that exposure to different cultures can influence the "creativity" of the musician. He/she becomes exposed to something new which touches something inside. The creativity of the artist is always searching and can find the "pot of gold outside his/her genre" which can add to a wider expression. Hence the sometimes used word - crossover".

Gospel sounds are changing - The "contemporary" sounds of Yolanda Adams and one of the "Pace Sisters" - I think her name is LaShaun  - are jazz influenced) likewise some of the songs of Richard Smallwood Gospel Groups (I heard he studied classical piano). Sarah Vaughn wanted to sing with Leontyne Price (they didn't duet but sang on the same stage and Leontyne was a kind of heroine to Sarah), Denyce Greaves sang with Patti La Belle, Aretha, as she got older, explored the classical genre- She recorded "Nessun Dorma" and also sang "Drink to me only with thine Eyes" - a shocker for me, Bobby Mc Ferrin has conducted orchestras - not surprisingly , his Father was a famous baritone - Bobby McFerrin Sr (that's obviously where he got his early musical sounds from. More and more people (including children) are being exposed to different genres of music and I hope that Music programs in schools continue.

I saw a you-tube video of two young boys in Africa around ten years old singing "Santa Lucia" which they learned to sing from a CD. With training they can be good.

Ben Lorentzen said:

Thank you for this interesting info. 

 

Just a few thoughts. There are several ways to read this info. One very interesting thing is the fact that pop and rock music combined "only" make up for 50 % (or just above) of total sales. It says to me that the "alternative" genres are just as important, making up the other 50%. Looking at it this way, I know for myself that I am mostly dealing with what would be described as pop/ rock music, both as a writer, performer and listener. But not only. And as I get older I find myself drawn to many different genres. I don't think I'm the only one. I think more and more people define their musical interests wider than just one or two genres. We take a little bit of everything. You go to see Iron Maiden and you will run into three generations; an old fan brings his son and his grand son to see a rock concert. You start talking to them and the grand son might like rap, but he also plays in the school orchestra, the son has just gotten his ears open to country (James Hetfield of Metallica is a great fan of country and often sits in playing with his country heros, opening it up to many of his fans, I am sure), and the old guy himself has just started to dig into his grandmas old jazz records... we consume music differently now then when many of these genres were created. 

 

Another thing that is very interesting to me is that older music, written hundreds of years ago, do not wither and die, but continues to find new listeners. 9 Million sales is substantial.

 

A third and last comment: sales do not speak solely for the way we consume music. Take a walk through NY Manhattan these days and there are more places advertising their jazz night, then their rock night, or country night or any other genre. The live scene seems to be thriving when it comes to jazz. That is not to say that jazz musicians get paid enough, that they have access to the same touring and promotion budgets that you will occasionally find in pop rock, but it says something about wanting to be different, to stick out. When something grows big, a counter culture is always created, and so it moves in waves.

 

On that note: Bob Dylan, who deals with traditional music (country, blues, jazz, swing, folk) never sold as many records as he did with his last; Together through life. He is doing more than 100 shows a year in 5-10.000 people venues, he is close to 70 and seeing his commercial prime...

[David Eaton]

Robert E. Hall, Jr. said:

Hi Dave, Thanks for your thoughts. Through the years it seems like composers and musicians have always been "borrowing" from someone or someplace.

 

So true. Beethoven and Mozart incorporated Turkish elements in some of their music. Debussy and Ravel used Oriental elements. Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff wrote his "Capriccio Espagnole" after hearing Spanish music. When Goethe first read excerpts from the Q'ran he started to learn Arabic and wrote poems in the style of Q'ranic verse. The early Jazzers were influenced heavily by the Blues. Duke Ellington liked Tchaikovsky's "Nutcraker Ballet" and composed a Jazz version of it.  Walter Becker of the band Steely Dan once said, "We're the robber barons of Rock 'n Roll." (They were actually sued once for plagiarizing someone else's tune.) They should have followed Einstein's advice when he said, "The key to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."  Wise counsel!   DE