With an average of seven versions per top 10 album in mid-2024, labels and artists have upped their variant game in recent years. But some consumers are starting to push back.
The average number of physical variants in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 rose from 3.3 per week in 2019 to 8.9 per week in 2023, according to Luminate.
Ingram Entertainment plans to close its music division by the end of the year.
The legendary record man didn't want to leave the label he co-founded. He also predicted a major issue with the new-fangled format that supplanted vinyl.
"We have better opportunities and things to focus on on the digital side," says president Scott Williams.
Color variants, autographs and formats make the new album a collector’s dream.
A coalition of label marketers worked with MTV, radio stations and music stars to sell skeptical executives on the format — and delivered a boom that lasted for nearly 20 years.
