Claudia
12-09-2002, 10:18am
From The NY Daily News:
Country music had a good year, taking three of the year's top 10 entries, and 25% of the entire top 20. Credit Alan Jackson's "Drive" (at No. 5), the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (No. 7) and "Home," from the Dixie Chicks (No. 9).
Jackson, in particular, was boosted by his big 9/11 song ("Where Were You [When the World Stopped Turning]"), which appealed to a larger audience than just country fans.
By comparison, 2001 saw just one country album in the year's top 10: "O Brother," which sold 3.4 million copies last year compared with 2.6 million copies in 2002. In 2000, there wasn't a single cowpoke in sight.
Even better news for country is coming before year's end. The figures wracked up by Shania Twain in just the first two weeks of release for her new blockbuster, "Up!" (over 1.5 million), suggest she'll barge her way into the year's top 20 by next week.
"Country music is purchased by a slightly older audience," explains Entertainment Weekly music critic David Browne. "Its success this year attests to the fact that older people are still buying records, as opposed to younger ones who are increasingly snatching them off the Internet."
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/42022p-39390c.html
Country music had a good year, taking three of the year's top 10 entries, and 25% of the entire top 20. Credit Alan Jackson's "Drive" (at No. 5), the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (No. 7) and "Home," from the Dixie Chicks (No. 9).
Jackson, in particular, was boosted by his big 9/11 song ("Where Were You [When the World Stopped Turning]"), which appealed to a larger audience than just country fans.
By comparison, 2001 saw just one country album in the year's top 10: "O Brother," which sold 3.4 million copies last year compared with 2.6 million copies in 2002. In 2000, there wasn't a single cowpoke in sight.
Even better news for country is coming before year's end. The figures wracked up by Shania Twain in just the first two weeks of release for her new blockbuster, "Up!" (over 1.5 million), suggest she'll barge her way into the year's top 20 by next week.
"Country music is purchased by a slightly older audience," explains Entertainment Weekly music critic David Browne. "Its success this year attests to the fact that older people are still buying records, as opposed to younger ones who are increasingly snatching them off the Internet."
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/42022p-39390c.html