"Recovery," the new album from rapper Eminem, could not be more aptly named for a music business facing an alarming fall in sales so far this year. The Detroit star's seventh studio album hits shelves on Monday, a day earlier than planned after tracks leaked on the Internet. It comes about a week after the release of Canadian artist Drake's debut "Thank Me Later," which is also expected to perform strongly.
But the duo are unlikely to lift the gloom hanging over the music business for long, with year-to-date U.S. physical and digital album sales by early June down 11 percent year-on-year to 130.6 million, extending a decade-long decline.
According to Nielson Soundscan, which tracks sales, 4.98 million albums sold were sold in the week ending May 30, possibly the lowest figure since the early 1970s. By comparison the record one-week tally set in December 2000 was 45.4 million.
Analysts put the low figure down to a weak lineup during that particular week, and Drake's record is forecast to be one of the largest launches of the year so far while Eminem, another "tentpole" album, follows hot on his heels.
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