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That doesn't really change my point, we aren't in the era of super stars any more, for example, Florence + the Machine is talented, will she sell as much as the Rolling Stones? I think not.
Any album list is not only related to how talented the artists are, it's more a rating that underlines the relative important of the artist relative to its era, since we don't produce super stars any more, all that is left is old album and new albums of super stars in their fifties.
That is exactly my point. Why aren't there superstars now? Why aren't there groups as good as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc. Many old high quality albums are now on sale under $8, with some even $5 or less. These are probably cannibalizing sales of new albums. I am very resistant to paying over $10 for a CD. If it is over $10, I will buy a CD released long ago for under $10 instead, and wait for the $10+ CD to be put on sale for under $10. I am even starting to get resistant to paying over $8 for a CD, as there are plenty of old releases of high quality CDs under $8 that are worth buying instead.
With units of old releases outselling new releases for the first time, I would really like to see sales in units for new releases by artists who started their carrers after 2000. This might only be 1/4 of the units sold for older releases or new releases by older artists. I also wonder how the statistics are compiled. If old recordings are remastered, are they then counted as a new release? I guess so? It seems like remastering of old albums seems to be a major part of the CD recently released.