Originally posted by GreasyBruce

What is this fantasy, they are not

Originally posted by RobynYoBank

My hypothesis is that it's a case of more distributed sales to more artists.

Recording music was an expensive and difficult process in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, independent artists had few platforms to promote their music, and TV/radio were the dominant platform for exposure and only featured a small selection of artists and songs.

Today, music production is much more accessible: anyone can record and edit music digitally with easy-to-use software, take advantage of myriad free or inexpensive platforms for exposure, and sell their music without the aid of a label at the biggest music retailer in the world. We can look up any lyrics we hear on the Internet, and we have software that can identify any song. We have global discussion boards where people can talk about lesser-known artists.

Soundscan has only been around since 1991 when sales were speeding towards their all-time peak in the US, so all we ever hear about is how much sales have declined relative to that peak as a result of piracy, etc. But the past few years were comparable to the 1980s. I just think the landscape has transformed.

Originally posted by shayne

CTC's booklet will be great.
Those pics.

Originally posted by FatShady

Someone once said the only reason the Beatles were successful is that there was only one radio station and it just played the Beatles (?)

Originally posted by FatShady

Someone once said the only reason the Beatles were successful is that there was only one radio station and it just played the Beatles (?)

Originally posted by FatShady

Someone once said the only reason the Beatles were successful is that there was only one radio station and it just played the Beatles (?)

Originally posted by shayne

Both are smashes, though. Well at least in China, SLY was literally everywhere then. I'd say it's probably the biggest foreign smash after Poker Face in China.

Originally posted by MrPeanut

Centralized mass media kinda reached its greatest height of consistent success across each of the three main entertainment platforms (music, film, TV) over the course of the ten-year period between 1975-1985.

Originally posted by Chemist

are 2ne1 popular in china?

Originally posted by slobro

Comparing albums from different eras by raw sales is so useless
It's like comparing someone who scored a 9.2 in an elementary school test vs someone who scored an 8.8 in a Harvard test and conclude that the former is more impressive than the latter because 9.2>8.8

Originally posted by Guero

K-Pop is trying to move into China now that Japan is over it.