Even after decades have passed, the classic rock music genre still holds nearly all the top all-time album sales records. The Eagles lead the way in the category (with a surprising selection selling 38 million certified albums), by hard rockers AC/DC (who overcame death to sell 27 million certified records with 1980’s Back In Black). Other acts in the mix include Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Fleetwood Mac (whose Rumours album sold 21 million certified copies amidst extreme internal band turmoil).
In observing the overall list of LPs with the highest sales, it quickly becomes evident just how many of these entries feature bands or solo acts of the past (especially in classic rock) compared to the heavy-hitting contemporary artists present and popular in our modern era. What’s changed in the way that we consume and collect music in 2025? Will it ultimately prevent creative talents from approaching these types of sales numbers ever again? There are certainly plenty of thought-provoking questions involved in evaluating this topic.
Streaming Has Made It Impossible For Classic Rock's Sales Records To Be Outdone
Or At Least Very Close To Impossible
One of the biggest changes we’ve seen in mega-sales of albums from years past compared to the numbers of today easily has to be with the rise of technology, specifically when it comes to streaming music. In earlier decades, physical media was king of the castle, with the only way to obtain new LPs coming in various formats (depending on the time period), such as vinyl records, cassette tape, 8-track, or compact disc. With the rise of the 2000s, however, also came the ascension of streaming music services.
Instead of strictly buying records to hear and enjoy the melodies behind them, listeners could instead join services offering digital libraries of creative musical works for merely a monthly fee. Nowadays, streaming titans like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music have become the often-preferred outlet for interested fans, which has changed the face of the music industry as we know it compared to previous decades like the ’70s and ’80s.
Music Sales Peaked In The '70s & '80s In A Way We'll Never See Again
A Festival Of Formats
The ’70s and ’80s were a unique time period for record sales in that the two decades had several different types of physical formats for albums that peaked at different points. Vinyl LPs dominated the music industry until the late ’80s during their lengthy history, selling for billions of dollars annually. Meanwhile, 8-tracks had a brief breakout (largely due to their inclusion in vehicles of the time) from the mid-60s until establishing a peak revenue of $900 million in 1978.
Cassette tapes ultimately overtook 8-tracks by the ’80s due to their ease of use, hitting a maximum sales level of $3.7 billion in 1989. The compact disc would eventually take over and surpass the cassette as the ’90s began and progressed. While some physical types of music (like vinyl) have been making a vintage-inspired comeback, mixing the peaks of vinyl records, 8-track, and cassette sales with prime artist breakouts (especially in classic rock) during the ’70s and ’80s likely won’t be surpassed in today’s primarily digital/streaming era.
Streaming Has Done A Lot Of Good For Music, But Also A Lot Of Bad
Convenience Can't Pay Creative Bills
The digital era of streaming has proven itself to be a double-edged sword for the music industry. Services like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music can give bands and solo acts a type of reach and exposure to audiences that would never have been possible in prior decades. Instead of being solely reliant on record labels, radio airplay, and physical distribution, artists can upload their material directly to these sources and potentially reach millions. They’ve also given older groups like Queen, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd access to a new generation of listeners, providing their classic work with additional life.
On the other hand, the payment model for artists from streamers has a rate of compensation that’s vastly lower compared to the sale of physical media formats. It’s been estimated that Spotify pays musicians $0.003 to $0.005 per song streamed, theoretically requiring acts to receive millions of streams to equal one $10 album sale. While larger, legacy artists or regular chart-toppers might be able to sustain a profitable margin based on this system, newcomers and indie musical talents have struggled with this, requiring alternative revenue streams to help keep their livelihood afloat.
With how far technology has advanced, it’s impressive to see the ways streaming can help musicians from all walks of life find a way to gain access to greater exposure and notice. However, until these platforms can find a more equitable way to compensate the talents who use them, it should bother us that we aren’t supporting musical art the way that sales of decades ago once looked. We’ve made gains with new technology, but there are just as many flaws that can’t be overlooked.
