Its finally here; the album everyone has been anxiously awaiting; Taylor Swift’s release of 1989! Even though the hype has been through the roof, it may be the last album to go platinum.
According to SoundScan’s third quarter numbers, not a single album has achieved platinum status in 2014. Albums have gotten close, but none have earned the prestigious status. Listed below are the top selling albums this year, yet they were all released last year.
- The Frozen Soundtrack : 3.12 million
- Beyonce’ : 776,000
- Lorde : 754,000
Singles are being sold much more, however, it is a noticeable decrease from last year. More than sixty tracks have sold over one million units this year compared to the eighty three songs that went platinum in 2013.
Does Taylor Swift have it in her? According the Billboard, 1989 was scanned approximately 727,000 within the first two days of availability between iTunes, Target and Walmart. The debut week sales forecast is projected at 1.2 million units by November 2. If 1989 sales go as planned, it will be the largest selling album in 2014.
It’s unfortunate that albums have to compete with streaming, piracy and other factors that hurt their sales. Less and less hard copies are being sold because people can share them among each other. Regardless of all the hype and anticipation, instead of every individual having to purchase the music themselves, today’s society makes it extremely easy to share music, decreasing the albums that would typically be going platinum.
music soothes the soul 