Apparently no1 is buying albums any more, and artists aren't even really bothering 2 release new albums.

Combine the downward trend of album sales with a week of no major releases and what do you get? The fewest number of total album sales, 5.3 million, in a single week since Nielsen SoundScan started its tracking in 1991.

I am not sure what this means. I feel like you could either say 'music is worse than ever', or that 'people just download music illegally now.' Maybe people finally realize that 'mainstream artists release crappy records that aren't worth buying.' I feel like the indie band chillwave buzzosphere is 'strong', but I don't always know how that translates into album sales. Older mainstream indie bands seem to have the most success.

I read that the indie band The National 'charted' at #2 with their debut. I think they are one of those generic guitar bands with a singer bro who has a deep voice.

The top new album was “High Violet” (4AD) from the National, selling 51,000 copies, good enough for No. 3. Other new releases in the top 10 were Dead Weather’s “Sea of Cowards” ( Warner Bros. ), and Charice’s self-titled album (Reprise). “The Oracle” (Universal Republic), by the metal band Godsmack, dropped from its top spot last week down to No. 9, with sales of 43,000, 63 percent less than the week before.

Feel confused about 2k10 being the year of 'mainstream indie bands' charting with their efforts, even when the albums are mediocre. Maybe the people buying the albums aren't influenced by 'reviews' and just trust magazines that say everything is cool. I don't really feel like 'indie' bands can outsell the most popular rock & hip hop acts, but it does feel like indie band fans have grown into middle aged professionals and are willing to buy songs for their iPhones in order to reconnect with their past. There seems to be a demographic of 'wannabe indie bros/cool dads' who don't know how to download leaks for free.

Everytime u download a leak, are you taking a loaf of bread out of a band's mouths?
Why do u think 'indie bands' are charting so high now?
Less mainstream competition?
The rest of the world 'finally understands indie music'?
Do indie musicians have more marketing dollars than ever?
Is it important to 'support indie bands' so that they get more resources by selling tons of iTunes albums/digital singles?
Is Middle America is starting to have 'refined taste'?
Are older indie bands forced to dumb down their sound in order to write an album for the entire country/world?
Will MGMT's flop make mainstreamers more reluctant to purchase indie band albums that are marketed down their throats?
Whenever there is a headline about an indie band 'coming in at #1-20 on the billboard charts', should we take it with a 'grain of salt' because it really isn't that hard to sell that many records if you are moderately covered by 40% of the biggest music blogs in the world?