Post by Dan McGuireLast Friday USA Today did an article on box sets and listed the 100 best selling
boxes of all time. I missed the article - if it's available could someone
please post the list here? It's on the usatoday.com site, but available to
subscribers only.
FYI I heard the #1 seller is ... Jimmy Buffett (!)
Weekend; Cover story
Could Jimmy Buffett's Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads be the Titanic
of box sets?
While speculating on the viability of the expensive box set, we
wondered how much revenue boxes generate. So we asked Nielsen
SoundScan for sales figures (as of Nov. 16) on a number of prominent
box sets released since 1991 (when its computerized sales-tracking
system began). We determined an average retail price for each box, and
by multiplying the price by the sales, came up with an estimated
gross, just like you see in the movie box office lists.
It should be stressed that these are not official standings -- ours is
an average estimated price, and actual prices in stores and online may
vary. And factors such as the year of release and availability
obviously play a role in the sales totals. But it's interesting to
note Buffett and Bob Marley's supremacy, Metallica's impressive No. 3
placing after only a year in release, the number of people who sprang
for an expensive, 10-disc Led Zeppelin set, the power of TV in
boosting Ken Burns' Jazz, and the oddity of Rhino's surf, hot rod,
rockabilly and garage-rock boxes all amassing similar grosses.
Artist
Title (label, year)
Discs
Est. price
Sales
Est. gross (millions)
Jimmy BuffettBoats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads, (MCA, 1992)4$54
780,000$42.1
Bob MarleySongs of Freedom (Island, 1992)4$54 645,000$34.8
MetallicaLive S- - -: Binge & Purge (Elektra, 2002)5$54 548,000$29.6
Led ZeppelinComplete Studio Recordings (Atlantic, 1993)10$117
221,000$25.9
Eagles1972-99 Selected Works (Elektra, 2000)4$54 294,000$15.9
AerosmithPandora's Box (Legacy, 1997)3$36 426,000$15.3
Bruce SpringsteenTracks (Legacy, 1998)4$45 279,000$12.6
VariousKen Burns' Jazz (Legacy, 2000)5$54 194,000$10.5
Jimi Hendrix Experiencesame title (MCA, 2000)4$63 163,000$10.3
Patsy ClineCollection (MCA, 1991)4$54 185,000$10.0
DoorsBox Set (Elektra, 1997)4$54 178,000$9.6
Stevie Ray VaughanSRV (Legacy, 2000)3$54 166,000$9.0
Grateful DeadSo Many Roads (Arista, 1999)5$72 118,000$8.5
Tom Petty & The HeartbreakersPlayback (MCA, 1995)6$47 177,000$8.3
Bob DylanThe Bootleg Series, Vol. 1-3 (Legacy, 1997)3$36 229,000$8.2
KISSThe Box Set (Mercury, 2001)5$67 122,000$8.2
John LennonAnthology (Capitol, 1998)4$67 118,000$7.9
VariousThe Doo Wop Box (Rhino, 1994)4$63 119,000$7.5
Beach BoysThirty Years of . . . (Capitol, 1993)5$58 117,000$6.8
Grateful DeadThe Golden Road (Rhino, 2001)12$135 49,000$6.6
Stevie WonderAt the Close of a Century (Motown, 1999)4$54 118,000$6.4
AerosmithBox of Fire (Legacy, 1994)13$108 56,000$6.0
MonkeesMusic Box (Rhino, 2001)4$54 97,000$5.2
Who30 Years of Maximum R&B (MCA, 1994)4$54 92,000$5.0
Phil SpectorBack to Mono (Abkco, 1991)4$67 69,000$4.6
Alice in ChainsMusic Bank (Legacy, 1999)3$44 102,000$4.5
Fleetwood Mac25 Years: The Chain (WB, 1992)4$57 79,000$4.5
VariousHave a Nice Decade (Rhino, 1998)7$90 45,000$4.1
Elvis PresleyToday, Tomorrow & Forever (RCA, 2002)4$63 63,000$4.0
DoorsComplete Studio Recordings (Elektra, 1999)7$99 36,000$3.6
Aretha FranklinQueen of Soul (Rhino, 1992)4$49 72,000$3.5
Simon & GarfunkelThe Columbia Studio Recordings (Legacy, 2001)5$45
70,000$3.2
VariousNuggets Vol. 1 (Rhino, 1998)4$54 52,000$2.8
EnyaOnly Time: The Collection (Rhino, 2002)4$59 44,000$2.6
Elvis PresleyArtist of the Century (RCA, 1999)3$45 56,000$2.5
Otis ReddingThe Definitive (Rhino, 1993)4$54 45,000$2.4
Hank WilliamsThe Complete (Mercury, 1998)9$153 16,000$2.4
VariousBeg, Scream & Shout (Rhino, 1997)6$90 26,000$2.3
GenesisArchive #1 (Atlantic, 1998)4$63 35,000$2.2
Artist
Title (label, year)
Discs
Est. price
Sales
Est. gross (millions)
SantanaDance of the Rainbow Serpent (Legacy, 1997) 3 $36 62,000$2.2
Janis JoplinBox of Pearls (Legacy, 1999)5$40 49,000$2.0
TemptationsEmperors of Soul (Motown, 1994)5$67 30,000$2.0
Various80s Pop Culture Box (Rhino, 2002)7$90 22,000$2.0
Alice CooperThe Life and Crimes of . . . (Rhino, 1999)4$54 36,000$1.9
Buffalo SpringfieldBox Set (Rhino, 2001)4$54 31,000$1.7
CreamThose Were the Days (Polydor, 1997)4$54 31,000$1.7
Cat StevensBox Set (A&M, 2001)4$71 24,000$1.7
Iron MaidenEddie's Archive (Legacy, 2002)6$90 18,000$1.6
Ray CharlesGenius & Soul, 1949-1993 (Rhino, 1997)5$63 24,000$1.5
Creedence Clearwater Revivalsame title (Fantasy, 2001)6$90 16,000 $1.4
Jefferson AirplaneLoves You (RCA, 1992)3$45 32,000$1.4
Al GreenAnthology (Right Stuff, 1997)4$54 24,000$1.3
PoliceMessage in a Box (A&M, 1993)4$54 24,000$1.3
Pat BenatarSynchronistic Wanderings (Capitol, 1999)3$35 35,000$1.2
VariousThe Disco Box (Rhino, 1999)4$54 22,000$1.2
Grand Funk RailroadThirty Years of Funk (Capitol, 1999)3$34 33,000$1.1
Frank SinatraThe Complete Reprise Studio Recordings (Reprise,
1998)20$270 4,200$1.1
VariousCowabunga: The Surf Box (Rhino, 1996)4$54 20,000$1.1
VariousHot Rods & Custom Classics (Rhino, 1998)4$63 18,000$1.1
VariousLoud, Fast and Out of Control (Rhino, 1999)4$54 20,000$1.1
VariousNuggets, Vol. 2 (Rhino, 2001)4$59 19,000$1.1
VariousThe '70s Soul Experience (Rhino, 2001)6$90 12,000$1.1
Doobie BrothersLong Train Runnin' (Rhino, 1999)4$54 18,000$1.0
Herbie HancockThe Herbie Hancock Box (Legacy, 2002)4$63 16,000$1.
0Isley BrothersIt's Your Thing (Legacy, 1999)3$40 25,000$1.0
YesIn a Word (Rhino, 2002)5$63 14,000$0.9
Everly BrothersHeartaches and Harmonies (Rhino, 1994)4$54 15,000$0.8
VariousThe Funk Box (Hip-o, 2000)4$54 15,000$0.8
Kenny RogersThrough the Years (Capitol, 1991)4$46 16,000$0.7
Linda RonstadtBox Set (Elektra, 1999)4$72 10,000$0.7
Supremessame title (Motown, 2000)5$54 12,000$0.7
Electric Light OrchestraFlashback (Legacy, 2000)3$45 14,000$0.6
Deep PurpleShades: 1968-1998 (Rhino, 1999)4$54 11,000$0.6
VariousSupernatural Fairy Tales (Rhino, 1996)5$80 5,800$0.5
Miles DavisComplete Montreux 1973-1991 (Legacy, 2002)20$250 2,000$0.5
Elvis PresleyThe Collection (RCA, 1999)30$383 1,000$0.4
CarpentersEssential Collection (A&M, 2002)4$44 6,000$0.3
Rod StewartReason to Believe (Mercury, 2002)3$29 7,700$0.2
[Illustration]
PHOTO, B/W, Mike Segar, Reuters; PHOTO, B/W, Adrian Boot, Island
Records; PHOTO, B/W, AP; Caption: Buffett: $42.1M for Boats. Marley:
$34.8M for Songs. Cline: $10M for Collection.