Interesting stats from Nielsen:
http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/22/10816404/2015-album-sales-trends-vinyl-catalog-streaming

Soundscan does not pick up the whole market, but the trends seem credible. Interesting that Adele
fans are also vinyl fans in such a pronounced way. I wonder if the back-catalog trend was just a
blip because so much of it is now in print either as downloads or physical media, just about every
"golden age" audiophile favorite is not out in new-remaster vinyl, and what CDs are left in the
pipeline are heavily discounted. But, that said, the market to create great new music is not really
there -- artists make more just touring and releasing a song here and there via download or video
streams. So why get in a studio and create great art? There was also an interesting interview in the
latest issue of TapeOp magazine with the Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree. One thing they
said that stuck in my mind is that there is a penalty today for taking the time to write great,
meaningful lyrics. The music-buying public wants catchy phrases and well-worn stereotype statements
set to music, they want simple ditties, and simple sells.

This report looks at unit sales for the first half of 2015:
http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/us-album-sales-fall-4-in-first-half-of-2015-as-cd-rules-market-just/
The problem that isn't documented in unit sales is that copyright owners, artists and everyone else
with a stake in making quality music get pennies on the dollar from these streaming services, and
that's the main growth area as far as consumer uptake (yes, the vinyl niche is thriving, but it's a
tiny niche compared to overall music sales, and does not produce enough revenue to float any artist
or major copyright owner). I think it was very foolish for the record companies to surrender to
streamers on the cheap. They should be charging royalties like radio, plus a download fee, and the
streamers should be forced into a model where everyone who streams pays a monthly fee. Most of the
streaming is freebie streaming, and that just doesn't produce enough revenue. If I were an artists,
I'd say you get nothing for free streaming, and if I'm a hit-making artist I'd say you get nothing
without paying me regular download fees.

-- Tom Fine