Rock bigger than pop in album sales now.

ESBlonde

'Rock music' takes the lead.

Mind you the latest number one albums are doing like 20,000 compared to the 200,000 they have done in the past.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26139327

mike_l

Ah, yes, but the likes of Rod Stewart and Arctic monkeys are classed as "Rock".

So it really depends on the definition of "Rock", "Pop" Etc.

Personally, I'd class both the above as "pop" rather than "Rock"

lustycourtier

you class the AM as pop? Wow. Loud guitars and louder drums. Yes, real pop.

guitarfishbay

Part of this is probably down to the fact that most rock fans prefer to buy an album over a single, whereas the same isn't always true of people who listen to pop music.  At least historically that was the case IIRC.

Kebabkid

Rock proof with a bit of pop thrown in

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10629578/Queens-Greatest-Hits-is-first-album-to-sell-6-million-UK-copies.html

mike_l

lustycourtier said:

you class the AM as pop? Wow. Loud guitars and louder drums. Yes, real pop.

I class GNR and Love/Hate as Rock.

Iron Maiden as "Heavy Rock"

Edit -  I did say "I class", so the whole thing is subjective.

vasselmeyer

He might be considered a massive knob by many people but Bono's quote on rock v pop has an element of interest here. He said "Pop music often tells you everything is OK, while rock music tells you that it's not OK, but you can change it"

ICBM

mike_l said:

Ah, yes, but the likes of Rod Stewart and Arctic monkeys are classed as "Rock".

So it really depends on the definition of "Rock", "Pop" Etc.

Personally, I'd class both the above as "pop" rather than "Rock"

I'd class most of the "R&B" and some of the "dance" as pop too, so then pop would easily overtake rock again. Although I do think Arctic Monkeys are rock, I don't think Rod Stewart has released anything that counts since the 1980s at the latest. Iron Maiden are metal.

It's all just a BBC reporter in search of something to do, anyway. Music that generally appeals to over 30s 40s selling more albums than music that generally appeals to young people who download individual tracks? Wow… who would have thought!

viz

ICBM said:

mike_l said:

Ah, yes, but the likes of Rod Stewart and Arctic monkeys are classed as "Rock".

So it really depends on the definition of "Rock", "Pop" Etc.

Personally, I'd class both the above as "pop" rather than "Rock"

I'd class most of the "R&B" and some of the "dance" as pop too, so then pop would easily overtake rock again. Although I do think Arctic Monkeys are rock, I don't think Rod Stewart has released anything that counts since the 1980s at the latest. Iron Maiden are metal.

It's all just a BBC reporter in search of something to do, anyway. Music that generally appeals to over 30s 40s selling more albums than music that generally appeals to young people who download individual tracks? Wow… who would have thought!

Exactly. "Album sales have plummeted over the years. The only people left buying albums are 40-something rockers."

JAYJO

My daughter laughed at me when she noticed i was ripping my cd collection to the lap top. She said she done that years ago but now you just pick the songs you like and make your own albums. 

No one buys albums anymore she said just songs.

PolarityMan

Is that because so few people make an album of songs worth hearing i wonder?

PolarityMan

Oh and Iron maiden are classic rock, or maybe dad rock.

guitarfishbay

PolarityMan said:

Is that because so few people make an album of songs worth hearing i wonder?

Well now you can preview them, so there is no hiding.

Back in't day you heard the singles and bought the album based on the strength of the singles and any reviews, assuming you hadn't already heard the material live.

I think it is a good thing but however it isn't something that applies to other forms of media.  You don't watch a whole film, or parts of every major scene before buying it.  Well, unless you're watching several trailers for a bad comedy - then all the good jokes are usually in the trailers anyway )

Drew_TNBD

JAYJO said:

My daughter laughed at me when she noticed i was ripping my cd collection to the lap top. She said she done that years ago but now you just pick the songs you like and make your own albums. 

No one buys albums anymore she said just songs.

This is probably true if you're 12.

If you're over the age of 24 and have a real interest in music - other than just doing the washing up to it - then albums are still what you look for.

holnrew

PolarityMan said:

Oh and Iron maiden are classic rock, or maybe dad rock.

Soft rock.

scrumhalf

I remember an interview with Angus Young years ago when he said there were two types of music - disco and rock & roll.

viz

It's changed the way albums are constructed. Now every song on an album has to be designed to be an individually downloadable track. Before, the songs were more coherent. A "record" was a "record" of an event, that usually took place in a recording studio in Switzerland with real people in a real month. Now it's a random collection of useless 3 minute bits of candyfloss.

EricTheWeary

mike_l said:

Ah, yes, but the likes of Rod Stewart and Arctic monkeys are classed as "Rock".

So it really depends on the definition of "Rock", "Pop" Etc.

Personally, I'd class both the above as "pop" rather than "Rock"

yes, the definitions are arbitrary. Pop is still very much in the 3 minutes single format (even if with downloads that's actually quite nonsensical) which is where the AMs and Rod Stewarts are at even if there are 10 or 12 of them making up an album.

In that sense its only really ROCK when you get into music that doesn't fit typical radio formats such as longer peices of music, largely instrumental music, very short peices of music,sweary words,etc.

Loud guitars and drums is perfectly pop in some circumstances just as samplers and nose flutes could be rock in others.

But, y'know, I think I was having this argument when I was 12.

chillidoggy

viz said:

It's changed the way albums are constructed. Now every song on an album has to be designed to be an individually downloadable track. Before, the songs were more coherent. A "record" was a "record" of an event, that usually took place in a recording studio in Switzerland with real people in a real month. Now it's a random collection of useless 3 minute bits of candyfloss.

Years ago, an album was a snapshot of where a band was at that point in time, musically.

chillidoggy

vasselmeyer said:

He might be considered a massive knob by many people but Bono's quote on rock v pop has an element of interest here. He said "Pop music often tells you everything is OK, while rock music tells you that it's not OK, but you can change it"

If he thinks that's true he's clearly never listened to a lot of pop songs! 

 

 

 

 

And yes, he's a massive knob.

ICBM

chillidoggy said:

If he thinks that's true he's clearly never listened to a lot of pop songs!

Or a lot of rock songs...

Possibly even some of his own.