It's official: Nobody, from the mighty executive to the humble songwriter to the savviest analyst, has a clue what's going on in the music industry. Chaos continues to be the guiding principle in every facet of the pop landscape, as veterans and upstarts alike grapple with the unraveling of old business models and a deeply uncertain future.
The turmoil, of course, cuts both ways.
First, the good news. Indie labels and bands had a banner year. Spoon and Arcade Fire (both on Merge), the Shins (on Sub Pop), and Bright Eyes (Saddle Creek) all scored top-10 Billboard albums in 2007, carving out niches in the mainstream with the sort of individualism and integrity that's been in short supply.
But for the major labels and overall retail sales, however, news was bad. Record companies slashed their rosters of artists and executives in 2007, which marked the fifth consecutive year of decline for recorded music. (We got the first clue early, as the year began with Tower Records shutting its doors nationwide.) Album sales were down 15 percent from 2006, according to Nielsen SoundScan - tripling last year's decline of 5 percent compared to 2005.
Factor in a slowdown of digital growth and the picture is undeniably bleak - although the year is closing with a nice surprise for Josh Groban. Thanks to four straight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, Groban's Oprah Winfrey-endorsed "Noel" is now the top-selling album of 2007. Not only did "Noel" outpace Disney's "High School Musical 2" and "American Idol"-spawned "Daughtry," the year's other big sellers, but Groban also broke the 50-year-old record held by Elvis Presley (and his "Elvis' Christmas Album") for a chart-topping holiday collection.
Of particular note is the one thing that all three of the year's biggest albums have in common: Each of these success stories began on television, not the radio, a phenomenon that boldly underscores the shifting playing field of the music business.
In another dramatic move away from the status quo, a handful of veteran artists forsook traditional label deals for partnerships with
In dollars and cents, 2007 delivered the biggest blows to the touring industry. After a blockbuster box-office take in 2006, North American concert grosses were down more than 10 percent from last year, according to Billboard Boxscore, and concert attendance dropped a staggering 19 percent. Timing is partly to blame. Superstar acts that hit the road in '06 - the Rolling Stones (whose "A Bigger Bang" was the top-grossing tour in the history of live music), U2, Madonna, and Barbra Streisand - stayed home this year. While trusty Justin Timberlake, the Hannah Montana concert juggernaut, and reunion tours by the Police, Genesis, and Van Halen were among the strongest draws, it wasn't enough to pump up the seriously sagging numbers.
There was plenty of juice, though, for the music world's sadly healthy tabloid presence; 2007 was the Year of the Meltdown, which dovetailed nicely with the rise of music-obsessed gossip blogs. From Britney Spears's parenting gaffes, late-night head-shaving, and disastrous performance at the MTV Video Music Awards to Amy Winehouse's alleged drug troubles, marital battle scars, and incoherent concert appearances - chronicled breathlessly by uber-blogger Perez Hilton and others - pop stars' personal troubles made more waves than their songs. To its credit, however, perezhilton.com also did its part to turn the huge reader base on to a slew of young unknown artists.
Locally, it was a year of highs and lows. The music world, and especially the local community, mourned the death of Boston singer Brad Delp, who took his own life in early 2007. That tragic event sparked an unlikely one-off reunion of the (famously feuding) original Boston lineup, which played at a tribute concert to the late frontman. The live music scene dimmed - if only temporarily - when the popular nightclub Avalon closed this fall in order to transform itself into the forthcoming entertainment complex called Lansdowne Street Music Hall, slated to open next spring.
On the bright side, Stoughton singer-songwriter Lori McKenna struck gold when Faith Hill and Tim McGraw took her out as opening act on their Soul2Soul tour; McGraw also co-produced the artist's excellent major-label debut. Local emo-rockers Boys Like Girls and Receiving End of Sirens broke out nationally, while local musician Marissa Nadler became an indie darling on music blogs. Best of all for faithful fans, a few beloved Boston bands reunited: Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Extreme, Dinosaur Jr., and Buffalo Tom.
