Reality bites.
Hitsdailydouble.com just posted the top 25 albums in sales so far for 2022.
Number 1 is the soundtrack to “Encanto” with 1.5 million copies. Of those, 203K are actual albums– CDs, downloads, LPs. The bulk of sales came from streaming.
Ironically, Adele’s “30” album sold just as many actual albums, 203K. But it lacked in streaming, bringing the total to just 567,000. “30” finished at number 16 of the top 25.
This time around, despite lots of hype, Adele didn’t have a massive hit. But we knew that. The album never produced more than one actual radio hit, “Easy on Me.” It paled in comparison to Adele’s previous outings. (I keep asking where producer/writer Paul Epworth has gone. If anyone knows, send me an email at showbiz411@gmail.com).
Adele may have also cut sales by cancelling her 13 Weekends with Adele in Las Vegas. Fans were screwed. The shows have never been rescheduled. Adele, meantime, is sailing around Sardinia this week.
Only four albums have sold more than 1 million copies in the last six months. They are from Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, Morgan Wallen, and Encanto. All the other “names” we hear on the hype machine– Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, etc– are well below that bar. You wonder how all the record companies can stay in business this way. The numbers are daunting.
Not on the list at all: Justin Bieber. Number 25 is Kid Lario with 468,000.
Coming to the rescue, maybe, next Friday: Beyonce. Let’s see if her “Renaissance” is one for the whole business.
