Album sales have dropped

LP have another #1 album on billboard.com, but their album sales won't have Warner celebrating as 241,000 units sold pales in comparison to the 623,000 that MTM sold in its 1st week. Obviously, the band still has many fans, but they have definitly lost a significant amount. I think we should also acknowledge that a portion of the 241,000 people who bought ATS don't like the album.

I think that LP needs to either improve their new sound so it can hold its own or start producing albums that cater to their entire fanbase. I think ATS is a What Ive Done or two short of being a great album and if the band wants to leave their past behind they got to write better ballads. Their best ballad/mid-tempo songs (Iridecent and Waiting for the end) fall short of being great imo and aren't good enough to make many fans forget about their older stuff. The band set the bar high with HT and will need to write better songs before they can move on from that. I think that most people would agree that neither Iridecent or Waiting for the End are in the same class as the best ballads that come from U2 or Cold Play. So until that bridge is gapped, they should cater to their entire fanbase.

The faster songs, which are probably aimed at their older fans, leave don't quite deliver and I fail to see what's wrong with including 2 or 3 songs that sound like stuff from HT or Meteora in addition to their new stuff. You can have it both ways and keep everybody happy while experimenting at the same time. I don't see the point of intentionally making many fans unhappy. Who cares what the critics think.

1 member likes this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brandonium on September 29, 2010 at 2:57pm

well yes i do agree with album sales dropping since Minutes To Midnight and Meteora and Hybrid Theory. But also u gotta remember, its not just the fact that not alot of people dont like the new album but Piracy is at an all time high right now in this time of decade. Alot of people dont buy music anymore, u have Limewire, Frostwire, Torrents, all these P2P sharing programs who will have all the latest music the day it comes out. Even converters for youtube is how most people get there music. Its sadden to see how hard it is nowadays to make money when your a musician, and your new music is being put all over the internet where people can get it for free. Back in the Hybrid Theory/Meteora times none of that stuff was around not even youtube, eventually it came up but not alot of people knew about and people were still buying physical albums. Around Minutes To Midnight piracy was growing and digital downloading was growing aswell, even tho Minutes To Midnight still had a better 1st week album sales than A Thousand Suns. Now To set the record straight, Linkin Park isn't going back to NuMetal theyve already made that loud and clear since Minutes To Midnight. A Thousand Suns was a different but great album being that it was a concept album, the unfortunate side to this is that concept albums are rarely made and US audience loves heavy music. When LP starts working on there next album, i think they should look on a more heavier approach on the music so they can get some of their fan base goin back and album sales could increase a little more.

Good Post btw people dont really know about this and deserve to know how sales are going :)

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Spanish Latin on September 29, 2010 at 4:54pm

I think them not putting an album out earlier hurt them as well.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brandonium on September 29, 2010 at 7:01pm

yes i agree, i feel they take a little too much time doing there albums. but i guess in order to make such great albums, it takes that amount of time. Also forgot to mention how albums leaking on the internet way before there release date is another big reason to sales dropping, since i happen to hear both MTM and ATS when they leaked. I still bought the albums tho since i liked the music.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by British Anderson on September 30, 2010 at 12:10am

I love A Thousand Suns. It's a great album and the songs are awesome as well. I LOVE LP!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Spanish Latin on September 30, 2010 at 10:02am

I realized awhile back that the REASON I respect Linkin Park as TRUE artist is due to their lyrics. Myself being a lyricist and a former member of 2 bands, I tend to be drawn to artist who's lyrics either move me or have a message. Many artist' song are about LOVE (or the lack thereof), it REFRESHING to encounter a band who's lyrics speak of (or ABOUT) all Mankind. Refreshing indeed.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rome on October 4, 2010 at 1:42pm

Yup piracy is at a alltime high, i also heard ATS and MTM before they came out. im thankful for that, cuz i didnt buy either. Id hate to waste money on albums I dont like. But i heard HT and Meteora online then went out and bought the album to support the band so they can make more music. I think they shoulda just do somethin more leaning toward their old stuff, maybe it would bring back a couple hundred thousand fans back. i know i'd buy, but right now I dont think they can release anything good lol.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Spanish Latin on October 4, 2010 at 3:35pm

I do not, nor will I contribute to piracy of any kind. Apart from it being against the law, I wish to support a band through proper "channels". The reason LP changed their style was due to their new producer. Their song "What I've Done" was completed with his assistance. I just finished watching Fuse's Network "Linkin Park Takeover" and learned quite a bit about my now FAVORITE band. The new producer thought that with the success of "What I've Done" (thanks to the Transformers Movie) the band's fans were ready to embrace their new sound.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brandonium on October 4, 2010 at 8:49pm

but see thats the thing, if they wouldve stayed to there "minutes to midnight" sound then the fans and the audience wouldve embraced it i believe. Theres a thin line to exactly how different a band should make there albums. Linkin Park wanted to make a master piece of art, (which in my opinion they did with ATS) something they never done before. The only flaw they have with that is, They just made an album that was already different from there early sounds, now u wanna start fresh again and make something else new? ATS could be embraced to most people, if Minutes To Midnight was never made. The fans and people who just got into them wouldve saw this as "oh okay i see the new sound theyre doing" and opinions will follow through, but if ur a band and u plan on making ur albums completley different from eachother then in some cases thats not really what mike shinoda stated "keeping a bigger thread of consistency". If your previous album attracts alternative rock fans and your next album attracts electronic industrial rock fans, the alternative fans may not like it, they thought that alternative rock was gonna be there new sound. They need to stick to a specific type of sound, its okay that they dont want to do numetal anymore, but dont go into other rock genres and then abandoned it just because your afraid every song might sound alike.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bryant White on October 5, 2010 at 2:53am

they better at least put some of their older style in there next album,ATS is not that good AT ALL,not caring what fans think will result in the downfall and decline of LP,really really dont want it to happen cuz their still my fav band and im jus waitin to hear some songs like their old style

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Spanish Latin on October 5, 2010 at 10:43am

Brandon, I agree with you.. "If your previous album attracts alternative rock fans and your next album attracts electronic industrial rock fans (CAN YOU SAY 80's HOUSE TECHNO?), the alternative fans may not like it, they thought that alternative rock was gonna be there new sound." Chester they were taken the instrumental away from the back and making it a pivotal point in their new sound. Thing is, IF I WANTED TO LISTEN TO 80's HOUSE-TECHNO then I would. Get me? I'm all FOR trying new things and moving forward, but Rick Ruben (their "new and improved" producer") not ONLY asked them to CHANGE their sound but INSISTED if they searched deep down inside, they wanted to. (Rick...are you SERIOUS? You've brainwashed our fav. band and they, through record sales are paying the price.....as are the FANS.) I understand the album debuted at number ONE, but the sales were FAR, FAR less than their previous albums. Far less. *And, yes I KNOW it debuted in one other (I don't remember the name of the country) country at number ONE as well....BUT.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by D'Artagnan on October 5, 2010 at 3:07pm

I consider it not bad since they are at # 1 on the Billboard charts as stated by them a while ago and besides i think that once people start listening to the songs with more depth and concentration, THEN they will understand.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Spanish Latin on October 5, 2010 at 4:31pm

Mr. Gutierrez, that is EXACTLY what Chester (lead vocalist) and Mike (vocalist) are saying. *Referring to Fuse's cable network interviews from "Linkin Park Takeover" **