Kiwis prefer classic rock over current artists

[Joe]

Last year's figures, which were compiled for the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), saw the British rock group Led Zeppelin's 'Mothership' top 2007 CD sales ahead of Hayley Westenra and Justin Timberlake.

It's been a big Christmas for heritage artists," RIANZ chief executive Campbell Smith said.

Album sales were "strongly filtered towards hard copies" which were often bought by people aged 30-plus.

Stephen Small, a lecturer in popular music and jazz at the University of Auckland, said Mothership's DVD footage had also attracted buyers.

"A lot of people will buy this to add to their collection of Led Zeppelin albums," Small said. "People like Justin Timberlake will sell a lot of records but in 25 years time they probably won't be - Led Zeppelin still will."

Read the entire article at stuff.co.nz.

Joe

[milewalker]

Hi Joe,

I think this trend also affects Hayley elsewhere as well. I live in America, so of course, I am most familier with how this translates over here - but I have the distinct impression that the people who are supposed to be drifting towards her are in fact much more interested in the stars of their youth - the likes of Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Tony Bennett, and Johnny Mathis.

Jon

[martindn]

Surely it is the KIDS that are buying the old stuff. Older people already have it if they want it.
There is nothing new on Mothership that any self-respecting Led Zeppelin fan won't already have.

Hayley is making new music, and is still developing, which is more than can be said of the stars of my youth, who if they make new music at all, make stuff that is a pale reflection of what they were at their best.

Martin

Martin

[milewalker]

Hi Martin,

Not in America they arent - at least the primary demographic buying the records in the US arent young at all. Actually it isnt always old stuff either. All of the artists I mentioned have had a release in the past few years - all of them have placed very high on Billboard with those releases. Many of them also have had wildly successful concerts on PBS or another widely seen venue - which is largely the way they market those releases.

Also, in many cases the albums were not recreations of their greatest hits material at all - Stewart for example simply choose a seletion of mainstream ballads.

Jon