Nuns soar in US record sales. All else sinks.
mainDecca’s Benedictines of Mary occupy two of the top three slots in Nielsen Soundscan’s trusted weekly sales list.
Bocelli apart, no-one else sold diddly-squit.
UPDATE: Nuns ask Slipped Disc to show their lighter side
We’ve had a note from the convent saying they don’t like this dark pic.
Happy sunflowers, then.
Since “The Sound of Music” members of religious communities aspire to spiritual heights.
But seriously, this success reflects a broadly-felt need in Western society for spiritual meaning, as an atnidote to an increasing quasi-scientific world view which reduces humans to bags of neurons and fate to random particle sprawling.
“Since the Sound of Music?” Religious communities have always aspired to spiritual heights –it’s the very reason they exist. The singing of the Divine Office is part of religious life, especially for the Benedictines who chant and practically invented our system of notation.
I agree with the rest. There’s only so much narcissistic self- worship that a culture can take.
I was rather thinking of another type of soaring.
In classical terms, what is “soaring” in sales?
Possible to get a general range of numbers for the Nuns and Bocelli? Between this and that for example?
“Soaring in Sales” = Sold 200 copies. All the rest? 50 People actually touched the CD (in the stores?).
Nielsen is a widely used marketing source for shampoo, deodorant, shoes and other consumer goods. To predent to extrapolate ANYTHING meaningful from it its beyond anachronistic.
The week that Hillary Hahn was the ‘Top Seller’ in the US with the 150 copies of her ‘Encores’ CD, a friend of mine sold 200 CD’s playing at weddings.
I told him the news: he’s the top selling classical musician in the world. He was super happy.