These global album sales numbers from 2018 underscore how much the music industry has changed.
Album sales continue to crater as more and more of the planet moves to streaming. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which keeps track of how things are going around the world, has released a list of the best-selling albums for 2018.
Again, these are global sales figures. If these numbers don’t underscore how much we’ve moved away from buying albums, nothing will.
- Original Cast Recording – The Greatest Showman soundtrack – 3.5 million
- BTS – Love Yourself: Answer – 2.7 million
- BTS – Love Yourself: Tear – 2.3 million
- Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born soundtrack – 1.9 million
- Johnny Hallyday – Mon Pays C’est L’amour – 1.7 million
- Ed Sheeran – ÷ – 1.3 million
- Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack – 1.2 million
- Pink – Beautiful Trauma – 1.2 million
- Eminem – Kamikaze – 1 million
- Original Cast Recording – Mamma Mia!: Here We Go
Again soundtrack – 0.9 million
That’s right. The tenth-best-selling album in the known universe in 2018 sold less than a million copies. Wow.
(Via Forbes)
Crazy crazy crazy. Streaming is measured by plays/streams, which is going to show the popularity of singles I can’t think of an equal measure to album sales to streaming “albums”. Perhaps saving an album to your library?