Chinese Democracry No Boon for Best Buy

Sony blamed for UK price hike, now reversed

(NEWSER) - On Saturday, a Whitney Houston greatest-hits album cost about $8 in the UK iTunes store; but shortly after the singer was found dead, it had jumped to a little more than $12.50. The changed sparked a customer uproar. "It is just a case of iTunes cashing in on the singer's death, which in my opinion is totally parasitic," said one, according to DigitalSpy . But the Guardian reports that it was Sony, not iTunes, that was responsible for the change—which has now been reversed. More»

Amazon deal helps album hit milestone

(NEWSER) - Lady Gaga's new album Born This Way has zoomed to mega-hit status with sales of 1.11 million copies in its first week, making it the hottest-selling debut for an album since 50 Cent's The Massacre in 2005, according to Billboard . Only 17 albums in the last 20 years have hit a million in their first week of sales, although Gaga had a huge boost from an Amazon promotion, notes the Wall Street Journal . More»

Independent record store owners see a way forward

(NEWSER) - The last decade was not kind to the independent record store owner, as digital downloads—legal and illegal—and online retailers cut deeply into sales. But there's hope on the horizon, and it comes from the past—vinyl albums. Nielsen SoundScan says 2.8 million vinyl records were sold in 2010, the most since it began keeping tabs in 1991. USA Today looks at the experience of one independent store owner: Tim Cretsinger, who owns Groovacious in Cedar City, Utah. More»

It's the biggest seller in 5 years

(NEWSER) - Nice week for Taylor Swift: Her Speak Now album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, racking up 1,047,000 sales. (That includes iTunes and the like.) Billboard rounds up some of the milestones:

• It's the biggest single sales week for an album since 50 Cent's The Massacre sold 1,141,000 in 2005. (And the LA Times notes that Swift's feat may be more impressive given the state of the music industry.)

Late start to concert irks Irish audience

(NEWSER) - Maybe all they needed was a little patience? Irate Irish fans booed Guns N' Roses and pelted the band with plastic bottles and cups after the rockers started a concert in Dublin 40 minutes late, the Irish Times reports. Axl Rose warned the audience: "One more bottle and we go home"—and left the stage to boos when another missile hit soon afterward. The band returned an hour later to play a full set. More»