The 20 biggest flops of 2008 | Metromix Cleveland

The 20 biggest flops of 2008

Albums that made record execs cry, from GNR, R.E.M. and other underachievers

By Andy Hermann, Metromix

(page 5 of 20)

The 20 biggest flops of 2008
(Credit: WireImage.com)

You think you’re feeling the pinch of these troubled economic times? Try working for a record label. U.S. album sales for 2008 were down roughly 15 percent from a year ago, and 2009 looks even bleaker.

Which albums have been leading the charge for this ignominious race to the bottom? Here, based on Metromix’s quasi-scientific number crunching, are the 20 albums that were the best (worst?) representation of the music industry’s dismal year.

Usher, 'Here I Stand'

pick Usher, 'Here I Stand'

Critic's Rating:
4

You might think selling over 1.1 million copies is enough to get you out of the “flop” category, but not if your name is Usher Raymond IV. Usher’s last proper album, 2004’s “Confessions,” has sold over 10 million, so “Here I Stand” has to rank as a major commercial disappointment, despite its platinum-selling status—and despite the fact that, while it’s no “Confessions,” it’s still pretty good.

 

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