My dear Hanson fans:
You are a devoted group but you’re not buying CDs.
According to Nielsen Soundscan, the new Hanson album, “Shout it Out,” has sold a paltry 31,000 copies.
The most recent one before that was called “Walk.” Total sales to date from 2007: 54,000 copies.
The days of “MMMBop” are long since passed. This doesn’t mean Hanson are not talented musicians. It’s just that their day in the sun has come and gone. This can be said for plenty of acts. I wish them well in all their endeavors.
And I loved the Fans comments:
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:40 pm Um… they’re a COMPLETELY independent band. COMPLETELY. They’re not even signed to an “independent label” like a lot of other artists who claim to be “indie.” They do everything themselves, which means they use only *their own* money to promote the album.
Their main source of income is not the sale of albums – it’s touring and merchandising. Their fan base may not be the size it once was, but they spend a lot of money on the band.
So “their day in the sun has come and gone” is a sad little diatribe without much substance. The industry isn’t what it was in 1997 either. When the guy that has the #1 song on the Top 40 chart hasn’t even broken 100,000 copies of his album (this being his SECOND top 5 hit), then it’s pretty evident that Hanson, who shares profits with no label or management, is going the smart route.
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:02 pm No one “buys” cds. Hanson has such devoted fans because they go out on the road and perform. “Stardom” and “success” can no longer be gauged by Soundscan records. Regardless, it’s not a popularity contest. The Hanson brothers have been busting their butts ONSTAGE for a decade now. They’re working musicians with an avid, loyal fanbase.
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:13 pm Thia may be true but give Shout It Out more time. Anyway, my friends and I bought the SIO CD album and we’re from the Philippines. lol. I buy every album Hanson produce.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:04 pm You cannot compare sales from “The Walk,” which is three years old, to “Shout it Out,” which has only been out since June. “Shout it Out” has already sold more than half of what “The Walk” made overall in the not-quite 3 months it’s been out.
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:00 pm I guess that depends on what you consider a “day in the sun”. Not too many artists sell tons of CDs anymore; especially not independent artists. Hanson own their own label, so they profit more off of each of those 31,000 CDs than most of the major label artists would. Hanson also tour a lot, and sell merchandise. Touring and merchandise are where most artists make their money now, and Hanson is no exception to that. They have been in the industry for well over a decade, and show no sign of slowing down. Their concerts are generally sold out, or pretty close to being sold out. AND, journalists write about them all the time. Some of them write two or even three articles about them in a matter of a couple of days!
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:13 pm Your wrong, It’s the dedicated fans that ARE buying their CDs even if the amount isn’t as big as you want it to be. Hanson hasn’t even released the CD internationlly yet,the numbers will go up once they do.
It’s the people that burn the songs off the internet instead of paying for the actual CD that cause Hanson to lose money and sales. But the interest in them keeps growing and their first single called, Thinking bout somethin’ has been creating a buzz. Don’t count them out just yet.
Not many bands stay at the level of popularity they had 13 years ago but Hanson still has a core fanbase that will always love the music they continue to make for us.
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:50 pm