R.I.P. – Folk legend Odetta dies at 77

Folk legend Odetta passed away yesterday. Check out the full story at Billboard. You can also check out her performances at YouTube. If you can find her version of Bruce Springsteen’s “57 Channels,” performed at a tribute show a few years ago at Carnegie Hall, you are in for a treat.

Stop the presses – album sales still slumping

USA Today reports that album sales for 2008 are way down, but the slump doesn’t seem as bad as last year.  Record industry types are crossing their fingers in hope that sales have bottomed out, but others aren’t so sure. 

Each week, the No. 1 album sells fewer and fewer copies — the story says people are more interested in downloading individual songs.  Maybe it’s because CDs typically have one or two good songs and the rest suck.  So why not download only what you like?

Here’s a business model to emulate: The Eagles, with their Long Road Out of Eden CD, have sold something like 7 million copies since last October.  They put that thing out at Wal-Mart, and casual shoppers are still snapping it up.   Now I hate the Eagles and wouldn’t use their crummy album for a beer coaster, but you gotta admit they came up with a good way to move product.

USA Today: Album sales decline, but is the slump slowing?