Fleetwood Mac & Mick Fleetwood sales figures
 

This is from ask Billboard on Billboard's website.

MICK VS. FLEETWOOD

Hi Keith,

I check your column weekly and really enjoy the questions asked and answered, so thank you for that. My questions are regarding Fleetwood Mac and Mick Fleetwood.

Both have released albums this year. Fleetwood Mac with "Live In Boston," and the Mick Fleetwood Band's "Something Big." I was just wondering how well these two releases are doing sales-wise and whether or not you can provide us with any sales numbers for Fleetwood Mac's albums during the Nielsen SoundScan era.

Thanks for your time.

Peter Taylor

Hello Peter,

Since its release in June, Fleetwood Mac's "Live In Boston" (Reprise) has moved 50,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The Mick Fleetwood Band's Sanctuary album "Something Big" has shifted less than 2,000 copies since it bowed in late September.

Here is a list of Fleetwood Mac's other Nielsen SoundScan-era major U.S. releases, with their sales-to-date:

"25 Years: The Chain" (1995, 79,000)
"Time" (1995, 50,000)
"The Dance" (1997, 4.3 million)
"The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac" (2002, 958,000)
"Say You Will" (2003, 838,000)

Cool!!!!!

That question was asked by MEEEEEEEE.......

awww, say you will shoulda sold better. Although, i didn't buy my copy, hehe.

You WHAT? please tell me someone else bought it for you as a gift.

uh, sorry, downloaded as a gift? I was gonna buy it, then this guy brought it over...and i'm poor...I may still buy it, though! :sorry:

:distress:

For that... You must buy the limited edition! :eek:

oh, hush, Mr. No Votey. What was i supposed to do? be all "no, i'm sorry, i can't accept this thoughtful gift, it was dl'd"? ok, how bout this - you send me $15, and i'll buy Say You Will with it... :D Deal?

I wonder if the band and/or Warners broke even on those sales (in terms of recording expenses, and not counting touring).

I hope not!

It might be nice to see the big labels dump Fleetwood Mac entirely. They'd be forced to sign with a tiny label or an indie, & might even have to play clubs for $35 a ticket!

Remember, their loss is your gain.

Albums or not, I doubt Fleetwood Mac would EVER have to play clubs. They are known as such a great live band, which is why their tickets were so expensive this time around. SYW wasn't a huge success, and they could have been scared enough by that fact to say, "We'd better lower the tour prices." But I think they know that they didn't even have to make SYW in order to launch a successful tour. Maybe when they're 90 and can barely move will they have to play clubs, but their still good enough live to do the arenas.

Playing clubs does not connote poor performances.

Some would argue that the intimate setting of a club makes for a better musical show and a more intimate and fun fan experience.

You bet!! In total agreement here.

Somehow I have the feeling that Fleetwood Mac would retire before the members collectively agreed to sign with some tiny little label that wouldn't have the ability to front them a million dollars to record an album.

So I think their loss would be our loss in turn. :shrug:

No, it definitely doesn't connote poor performances, and, yes, it definitely does allow for a more intimate experience... but, then, it's also not exactly feasible when you have about ten thousand people, on average, attending your shows.

The dates on a Fleetwood Mac club tour would probably sell-out in a matter of minutes, and unless they did five shows in each city, then about 9 thousand+ fans would miss out on the opportunity to see them.

Stevie and Lindsey could do club tours as solo acts, but I have a hard time imagining Fleetwood Mac doing a club tour, without leaving thousands of disappointed people out in the proverbial rain.
Now, if FM toured more frequently, maybe it would be a different story. But their tours tend to be "events" that happen only every 5-6 years (or more).

Which is unfortunate for all those thousands of fans who find $100 or more for a ticket to be a financial strain.

Remember, their loss is our gain; & their gain is our loss. But that's the marketplace.

I kind of feel that way now, considering how tired I am of the big-time rock concert scene in all those vast halls. But I may just be a crank!

Precisely my point. That's a band/business consideration, not a consideration of how enjoyable it is for me, the fan/consumer, or an indication of my pleasure at paying $100+ for tickets & in general supporting the "big rock act" status of Fleetwood Mac.

Look, JS, Fleetwood Mac will do whatever it wants to do, & we're either along for the ride or not. In my own case, it doesn't matter any more. For others, it may be something worth the wringing of hands & the gnashing of teeth.
Yeah! You've got the idea now!

Trust me, David, I'm right there with you in thinking the ticket prices have gotten out of hand.
Even if I could have attended a date on the most recent tour, I never would have been able to afford it.
And I'm sure there are not just a few others in similar financial situations to mine.

I'm just not all that wild about the idea of a club tour for Fleetwood Mac. Which has nothing to do with thinking they're above it, or that it would be slumming... and everything to do with the fact that I just think a lot of people would miss out.

I guess I'm one of those people who are in the middle. I didn't fly across country to see this band, however, they came through Texas several times during the entire tour. I live in Austin, so I saw them in Dallas, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston, resepctively. I'm one of those fans who doesn't mind traveling around the state to see them. However, I'm not in a position to 'take to the sky' enough to catch them in other states. Were my fanancial situation a little more improved, then I may consider a flight or two to see them perfrom. It really is a function of economics plus a lot of loyalty that sets consumer behavorial actions.

According to Billboard, video longform sales of 50,000 units earn a Gold RIAA certification and 100,000 units earn a platinum. Anyone know if "Live in Boston" has been certified gold yet since it has sold 50,000 units?

How about this - if someone ever steals anything you are selling - I hope you are as willing to accept that lame ass excuse and not prosecute them. That you cannot afford $15.00 is complete and utter bullshi& and you damn well know it :mad:

Good point... And you are right... I suspect the next time WB pays to have their sales figures audited, we'll see a gold certification for LIB... Cool!!

My other question would be, since it is a DOUBLE dvd (and at $30.00 a pop, priced that way), does it get counted like double album sales in that each unit sold counts as 2? That would make it Platinum :]

Just wanted to say...
 

no, maybe when YOU can't afford $15 it's bull****. sometimes, i have less than $10 a week for food. I know it's hard to think about, when you make a lot of money, but try. I make $250 a week, and my rent is $650.
however...
could i have refused it? yes. was i stoked that someone got it for me? yes. would i have had to wait to get it, at the time? yes.
could i resist listening to it? no.
you know, of course you're right, in a way, but...I don't get stolen things as a rule...do i feel bad by "stealing" a cd from...
multimillionare's Stevie and Lindsey, et al?
a bit, of course, but, i bet they'd rather have me hear it, than not.
After all, they're consummate musicians. they really do,
want poeple to hear,
I think.
Especially with what i spent going to thier concerts.
have you ever read "Hustling, and other Hard Times"?
anyway, look...
I appreciate upper middle class liberal democrats as much as anyone. They are the ones with the time and money to get things done. because money does rule the world...i would gladly be one of you, if.. :shrug:

I was poor growing up, and am poor now. it's a harder cycle to break than people who have never been poor realize. Money really is a whole different Culture...
Yes, people do break it, but for most people raised in it, it is harder than it seems, and takes an incredible amount of will.
So, next time, send me some of that "i just got a massage (muh sahj) ", or "i stay in the best hotels" or "i just bought a $250 pair of shoes" or "I buy my pets"
money,
and i'll be happy to buy the CD.
Not that you should actually send me the money, or that you haven't earned your money...not at all...
but never presume that something is "easy" for someone, when you haven't walked in their shoes.
Try to think about that, before you judge my CD sharing...which was a gift that i didn't even ask for.
And for the record, i do plan on buying Say You Will, eventually.
And, P.S., there are a lot of psychological factors that come into play in families of people that have been poor for generations...which may take extra help to overcome...sure, there are those who can overcome...the few and far between.
but for the rest of us...who may not have had help with psychological barriers, but who are still trying their darndest, to the best of our ability...
I mean, you haven't been able to quit smoking, right? try to think of it like that...
Gaw, for someone to call me out like that, for being Poor...
really chaps my hide in a prime-evil way...it's like Republicans saying "pull yourself up by your bootstraps!"
When i have no bootstraps... :wavey: *




*yeah, as in, HEY :wavey: , over here, from the other side of the money... :)

Insulting, yes... But if you are hungry, how can you justify having a computer and an internet connection?... Sell your computer and cut off your internet connection - that's got to cost a few bucks a month!! Priorities......

Sorry bout that, should have been more clear... I was responding to Ambers situation, not yours. If she's hungry, or has no cash for food, then she probably shouldn't have a computer especially with an internet connection. :)

I don't really see how Jason was knocking being poor, he was knocking downloading a new album. To me it doesn't matter if the band are millionaires, that does not justify getting it for free, however you go about that. I understand being poor, I am not living paycheck to paycheck but I also am not floating in extra cash. Buying extras for myself is usually put on the back burner in order to pay bills, buy stuff for the kids, taking care of the house etc. I even had to take on a second job waitressing to pay for all the front row tickets I wanted this tour and to compensate for the days I had to take off from work to see them 12 or 13 times.
The subject of downloading new or commercially available material is a sticky one and I look at it like this. I love this band and i want to support them, not necessarily financially persay, but with their sales figures etc. I know they all have money, that is not the point for me, I want all their hard work and emotional investment in their album to be acknowledged. Unfortunately the only way they can really gage how people feel about their new album is by the sales figures and possibly the reviews. I am not knocking you Amber, I understand what you are saying. I know what its like, believe me and I hope you understand I am not directing my post at only you. I just know that thousands of people could really say the same thing, " I don't have the money so I will download it", myself included. I can see how that could lead to a drop in sales and that is not supporting the band, IMO.

First of all, how the hell do you know what I know or have experienced? For your information Miss know it all, I have flown halfway across the world more than once to do charity work for people who live in mud huts. I have brought them school supplies, medicines, etc. So, please do not hand me your opinion of what you erroneously think I know.

Next - Amber has often talked about little items that she clearly could have done without for two months or even a few weeks to get this record. But she did not. Instead, she chose to get it for free with little care or regard for whom it could hurt however so slightly. While clearly FM and Warner's can afford this, that does not make it right. The record industry loses millions a year because of theft (and that is what this is) and people therefore lose jobs. But, if you or anyone else is okay with that - so be it, but I think it is utter bullsh*& to call it anything but stealing :shrug:

Again, I do not think any of us would feel the same way if someone stole from us. But and alas, there is the hypocrisy of man.

P.S. I still adore you :cool:

No - I was saying that Amber apparently has a connection to the net and a comp. And she has talked about little items that she could have done without like cigs. So, I think it is bull**** for her or anyone to say they cannot scrape together $15 when all it would take is $2.00 a week or so. Again, she could have also done without until she could had afforded it. But, that concept is too foreign to people. They think "ah screw them and it - they have so much money they will never miss it and I am owed this because they are rich and I am not" - again, I hope no on e ever treats any onf you or me like that.

:distress:
you obviously missed the part where i did not take it, or ask for it. someone randomly brought it to me. I really think you don't understand where i am coming from. And i just got my very first computer with my school loan. Months and months after the "cd incident". And i am assuming, then, that you never downloaded all the things available to you for free from the mac.
And i never thought "screw them and it", or that i was owed anything. You live like me, then come and talk to me about it...
so glad you still adore Lux.. :)
Amber

Whatever - let's just drop this.

I just got my first computer. The cd was last year. I got the computer with my school loans, because i also need it for school. I'm in school to further my education to get a better job. As in, I have never had a computer until a month ago. And fyi, i did sell things when i was hungry. Except, all i had to sell was books. no car, no bike. nothing else. oh, I sold CD's as well. Now, I usually have enough for my basic, and i mean basic, needs. I still do not have a car or bike. I still rollerblade, walk, and take public transportation to get where i need to go. It's always so funny to me to hear people who have never been poor try to give advice about being poor. You absolutely cannot judge me or give me advice. You clearly have no real idea of what my situation was. Ha, true colors are shown...it's the same prejudice and judgment that it always was. Well, rock on, and try to tell me what i can and cannot do, and what my priorities should be. :wavey: Seriously, you have no grasp whatsoever...

I think Bush winning has made you guys irretible :laugh: .

ok. until the next time you come at me with "that is bull****" i'm happy to. And i look forward to seeing you fly to my neighborhood to do charity. Most of the people don't live in mud huts, but they certainly don't have adequate education, healthcare, food, or family life. It would be great to see you! :wavey: :nod:

:laugh: yup. Actually, someone who voted democrat but calls me out for being poor and accepting a gift which i never asked for makes me irritable. But i have said i will drop it, so i will.
Congrats - in the not being a bad loser vein.... :mad: but still :laugh:

I adore you my dear because you speak your mind and are, perhaps ;) - more didactic than I :xoxo:

I'm always amazed how Mac fans race to attack other fans in defense of a band operating in a greedy industry that doesn't give a crap about the fans. A poor person should never listen to copied music because the music industry says so? Ever read a book from the library? Thank heaven for Benjamin Franklin. If publishing were a modern invention lobbyists would have libraries outlawed. We'd all be forced to purchase every letter of the written word in the name of protecting intellectual property. Proprietary software developers expect every individual on earth to pay for every new idea in technology and music moguls expect the same for every note of modern music ever created or performed for the rest of eternity. Not charging every person for an individual copy of all the literature ever written has not stopped authors, scholars and journalists from contributing to the culture. If downloading were fully acceptable it wouldn't stop artists from creating music. It would only cut into the obscene profit margins in the music business. I'm not going to freak out over lagging sales for the Mac because some poor kid can't afford a commercial copy of a cd. That's my idea of bull****. If they could afford it most fans would give the band their last dime. The industry knows that's the case and capitalize on it in every possible way, so why begrudge fellow fans some nice music to listen to while wondering where their next meal's coming from?

If you want to see theft, look into the history of Mo-town (as just an example) and see how "The record Industry" screws over the artist time and time again. (Dixie Chicks had to sue most recently to get a fair hand) Talk about theft. I worked in the industry and all they care about is profits and short term cash. They don't care about allowing artists to develop, or the creative process....etc. It's all bottom line cash. They refused to adapt to new technology and whine and make excuses about the fans. When VCR's came out, some of the film industry whined the same way and said "NO one will buy movies anymore, they will just tape them...wahhwahhwahhh...." But now, more movies and DVD's are sold more than ever. Adapt or die music industry.
They need to give the industry back to the people that actually use to "collect" and "listen" to records and not some number crunchers. How many groups today have any albumns with more than 2 good tracks? The rest is garbage because the "industry" wants profits quick and put insane timelines on artists to finsih records. ITS THE MUSIC INDUSTRY'S OWN FAULT THEY ARE IN THE SHAPE AND POSITION THEY ARE IN! Oh by the way, the cost ($2.12 was the cost for a record albumn and now a cd cost less than 12 CENTS. Thanks for making cd's more economical and passing the savings on). Talk about greed and theft.
Add to this the corporate position of radio stations to only play a set program........it goes on and on.......Short term thinking, clueless, greedy, idiots.

Oh, one more thing. Most of a bands money comes from TOURING, not record sales. The label takes a HUGE chunk from the record sales. (To recoup studio time and anything else they can get away with - more accounting games mostly).

Time to get off my soap box and go get a cookie. Maybe two.