One of the hottest selling albums of the year.. again

Seth Goden wrote a book called "All Marketers Are Liars" and writes a weblog of the same name. He notes that one of the top selling albums(CDs for you guys under 30) of the year was.. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I remember reading Billboard during my years as a campus radio guy at Michigan State, marveling at that baby's staying power. And this was 1975. 30 years later, Dark Side still sells. It probably doesn't hurt that the same guys who bought the LP to play on their new Fisher systems back then are buying the high definition CD to play on their new digital surround systems now.

Seth thinks groups like Pink Floyd continue to be popular because, "..of worldview. Some people (most people) want to buy music they've heard before. It makes them happy to hear familiar music. The best new album in the world isn't going to change that worldview. Instead, what happens is that a great new album appeals to people who LIKE new music. Some of those folks work at radio stations or use Grokster. And they spread the song, playing it over and over (for free)to people who don't like new music. After awhile, it's not new to those people, so they buy it."

Don't know if I totally agree with this. I love Time Won't Let Me by the Outsiders. I like the Pietasters version too. But I also loved Stacy's Mom, 1985, What Would You Say and That Thing You Do. Sure, we love our faves. But good music is good music whether it's old or new.