Musical saturation

An interesting article about why you see so much of certain artists in the used CD bin at the record store:

Borrowing a little from 9th-grade chemistry, we can say that a significant number of any given artist’s records will end up in a used CD bin if the number of records in circulation (our “substance”) exceeds the capacity of that artist’s popularity (our “solution”) to absorb them within a specific regional economy.

It isn’t all about the health of a band’s reputation. It’s about their ability to balance their success with their fan’s ability to absorb that success. You can be the most beloved artist in the world, but if there’s too much of you out there, you’ll end up in the bin stuffed between Frank Black and The Replacements.

(via Bjork: Why Bjork is the Queen of Used CD Bins from Music and Culture)

In our area (or at least at Boo Boo Records) it’s all about Bruce Springsteen. His saturation here is mighty high. I am not one to complain, though, as I’ve recently become a big fan thanks to my lady.

Coincidentally, I just bought two Bruce albums at Grimey’s on my recent visit to Nashville to visit the girl. Expect a full rant about airlines soon.