Oldies but Goldies
Just ten years ago, current releases outsold classic material by 160 million units, a fact that illustrates how big of a change the industry underwent within the past decade. There are several factors that likely contributed to this trend. Online retailers and digital music stores have given consumers much easier access to older releases, allowing music fans to catch up with their favorite artists’ earlier work. Then there is the rise of music streaming, which has probably also tipped the scale in favor of catalog album sales. While the youth, more interested in current music than classic rock, has turned to streaming services, older music fans, i.e. those who still purchase albums, are more likely to buy old Rolling Stones records.

Description
This chart shows a comparison of current versus catalog music album sales in the United States.