On the day of the premiere of her post-apocalyptic video “”Til the World Ends,” Britney Spears got another piece of news – her album Femme Fatale was number 1 on the Billboard Top 200.  This isn’t surprising though, as the album was highly anticipated by pop fans and its singles have been dominating radio.  It trended worldwide on Twitter for ages.

What is surprising though, is that the album only sold 276,000 copies.

To put that in perspective, it was the second lowest first week sales for a Britney Spears album ever.  Given that I think Britney Spears is barely talented and hardly deserving of the fame she has received, this made me smile at first.  Unfortunately for me and other Spears detractors, I don’t think the low numbers have anything at all to do with her popularity.

Rather, it seems that people just aren’t buying music anymore.

If the legions of Britney Spears fans can only scoop up 276,000 albums, what does that mean for less popular bands?  Simple – it means they are having a dang hard time selling albums.  I know that the economy is tough on everyone right now, but if you are a fan of a band, or even like just one of their songs, go ahead and purchase some music from them.  You can often get new albums for 10 dollars, which is the equivalent of two meals at Wendy’s or two drinks at Starbucks.  What is going to stick with you longer – the joy of music, or a coffee drink?

Maybe I’m crazy, but I think the music is a better investment.

Related – Warner Music Group Loses 18 Million

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