Strong tours proved a winning factor in Calendar's Ultimate Top 10 list of performers in 2010, with Bon Jovi, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift leading the pack.

The last year reinforced the fact that a good year on the road remains more lucrative to pop music performers than a great year at the cash register, as Bon Jovi claims the top spot in Calendar's annual Ultimate Top 10, which combines the money pop and rock acts earned on tour with their take from CD and digital music sales in 2010 in North America.

The New Jersey band tallied a little more than $120 million, the vast majority from what was the highest-grossing concert tour of the year. Still, the figures also shine a light on the music business' overall struggles, since that year-topping combination is among the lowest totals since Calendar began pooling pop acts' different revenue streams in 1997, derived from Nielsen SoundScan retail sales reports and Pollstar magazine's figures on North American concert tour results. The record still belongs to 'NSync, which racked up $212.9 million back in the heady days of boy bands and teen pop in 2000.

The usual proviso: the Ultimate Top 10 isn't meant to be the final word on artists' total financial picture. With merchandising, product endorsements, song placements in movies and TV shows, ringtones, website subscriptions and myriad other income sources, musicians today have seemingly limitless ways to bring in money.

But by combining two of the biggest revenue sources, the Ultimate Top 10 is a good indicator of which artists fans are most willing to open the purses and wallets for. Music sales revenue is calculated using an average price of $13 per album and 99 cents per digital track.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo: Bon Jovi / Credit: Reuters

 
Digital music sales, which over the years have provided optimism for the music industry in the face of crumbling CD sales, are starting to flatline as consumers turn to a growing number of free and legal ways of listening to hit songs whenever they want.

Sales of individual digital songs grew just 1% in 2010, down from 8% in 2009 and 27% in 2008, according to a report released Wednesday by market research firm Nielsen SoundScan.

The slowing digital numbers are a sign that the market for digital music is maturing, said Eric Garland, chief executive of Big Champagne, a digital music consulting firm. Garland believes the numbers point to another change in the market -- the emergence of free and legal alternative sources to music online, such as YouTube, Vevo and Pandora.

“What's changed is that people are listening to vastly more free music without breaking the rules,” Garland said. “That can have a cannibalization effect.”

The decline in the growth rate of digital song sales occurred as record labels pushed for iTunes to raise the price of top-selling songs 30%, to $1.29 from 99 cents, on the company's iTunes store, which accounts for the majority of digital music sales. That's preventing a corresponding slowdown in revenue growth.

“The vast majority of the top 200 digital tracks are now $1.29,” said David Bakula, a Nielsen music analyst. “So while sales of singles are flat, their revenue is absolutely going up.” Nielsen does not report dollar sales.

The increase in the price of singles has made the cost of $9.99 albums look more attractive, boosting digital album sales 13% last year compared with 16% in 2009 and 32% in 2008.

Apple continues to account for most music sales online, commanding a more than 60% market share, according to industry research firm NPD Group. Amazon.com, which generated numerous headlines in 2010 for deep-discounting albums by the likes of Taylor Swift, Kanye West and the Arcade Fire to $3.99, is a distant second. Fire-sale pricing aside, albums are still about one-third of overall digital music sales.

Though you may not have noticed amid the avalanche of strong drinks, loud explosions and soon-to-be remitted resolutions, the rap world made pledges of its own last week. But instead of vows, there were symbolic gestures to send the year stepping in the right rhythm.

In what's shaping up to be an auspicious tradition, several rappers and groups are offering free downloads that will help you survive your first day back at the office/school/monastery -- a worthy successor to last year's harvest from the Cool Kids, Yelawolf, XO, The Knux and Kendrick Lamar.

Below is a bluffer's guide to what will help prop up your caffeine high. Note: Some, if not all, of these downloads contain cussing.

The Jet Age of Tomorrow -- "The Journey to the 5th Echelon"

Even if you are a committed skeptic to the expanding cult of Odd Future, you cannot deny the genre name ascribed to the sophomore album of the space funk travelers the Jet Age of Tomorrow: electric sex music -- what you would expect from a group that channels a cosmic slop of N.E.R.D., Sa-Ra and Dam-Funk.  Highly recommended for those inclined toward Afro-futuristic funk, sunbursts and sundry Alpha Centauri swag.

As OFWGKTA claims: "this Is A All Around Upgrade From The VOYAGER Release. The Quirky Spaced Out Sounds Will Have Your Ears Mind [Screwed] For Days, So We Advise Not To Do Drugs While Listening." Or at least not until 5 p.m.

Download: (via Odd Future)

ZIP: The Jet Age of Tomorrow -- "The Journey to the 5th Echelon"

 
 
It happens to every critic, every year. After agonizing over your annual best list and turning it in, a realization arrives that a selection left behind really, really should be included. Careless omission or ill-considered compromise has created a glaring hole in the last assessment of the year, and regret sets in. Sometimes it lingers until the next list comes along.

The Times asked a select group of music writers to identify the one release of 2010 (or two, some couldn’t resist) that they felt bad about omitting from their top 10 lists. What follows are second-chance tips on the albums you should hear that didn’t get as much attention as Arcade Fire or Kanye West did; and for the musical authorities whose love can’t stay within the limits of an even number.

—Ann Powers

Alex Ross, New Yorker magazine music critic and author of the recent “Listen to This”: Tristan Perich’s “1-Bit Symphony” — an electronic composition coded into a homemade electronic circuit — certainly should have made my list. It’s a striking piece of technology and a no less striking piece of music — a harsh landscape of minimalist sound that on successive listenings might bliss you out or drive you mad.

Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune music critic and cohost of the radio show “Sound Opinions”: Sam Phillips is an absolute treasure, one of the best songwriters and singers of the last 20 years, and certainly one who doesn’t get nearly the recognition she deserves. She released a series of five EPs in 2010 collectively titled “Long Play” that are wonderful — little gems of carefully observed wordplay and haunting melody. Every word and note counts; Phillips has a knack for saying exactly what needs to be said in the most concise way possible. She’d make a helluva of an editor. I’ve finally caught up with most of these EPs and they rank with her best work. But because they weren’t collected in a tidy little album, I waited too long to really dig into them and give them proper consideration for my year-end, best-of list. I urge everyone not to make the same mistake.

Rob Harvilla, Village Voice music editor: Katy Perry somehow got left off all my lists this year, though “Teenage Dream” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” are as deadly an album-opening tag-team as my heart could possibly stand 2010 producing. I apologize to Katy for not liking her quite enough, and to feminists everywhere for liking her at all.

Here's a track that'll make your Shazam iPhone app explode: DJ Earworm's annual collection of the year's biggest hits, mashed up into one catchy (synthetic, faux-rave) hit. Since 2007, the San Francisco based producer and DJ has collected Billboard's top 25 songs of the year and blended them together into one song. This year he tweezes out selected melodies, rhythms, synth-washes and choruses from Katy Perry, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, B.o.B. and a few dozen others and carefully weaves them into something resembling a hit song. The end result offers a snapshot moment of 2010, one that will either torture or tease you. Question for the rock fans: Is there any guitar in this thing? Any rockers other than, um, Train make the cut? Is rock dead?

-- Randall Roberts

The concert business was hit in 2010 by some of the same tough economic times that have been gripping other factions in the music industry in recent years, but New Jersey rock group Bon Jovi has reason to pop the Champagne anyway.

The band posted the highest grossing concert tour of the year not only in North America, but across the globe, topping the $200-million mark worldwide, according to figures released Tuesday by Pollstar, the concert-tracking publication.

Bon Jovi posted total concert revenue of $201.1 million, a little over half that figure -- $108.2 million -- from the North American dates on its world tour.

Behind the group on Pollstar's worldwide ranking is AC/DC with gross ticket sales of $177 million, followed in the top 5 by U2 ($160.9 million), Lady Gaga ($133.6 million) and Metallica ($110.1 million).

Looking only at North American tour numbers, Roger Waters and his remounting of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" was second to Bon Jovi with a tour gross of $89.5 million, followed by the Dave Matthews Band ($72.9 million), Canadian pop crooner Michael Bublé ($65.7 million) and the Eagles ($64.5 million).

The big guns, however, couldn't bring up the entire concert business over last year's numbers. The top 50 North American tours combined for an overall take of $1.69 billion, down about 15% from $1.99 billion in 2009. The story was only marginally better throughout the world, where the top 50 total tour gross of $2.93 billion was off about 12% from $3.34 billion a year earlier.

Numbers were down almost across the board: total ticket sales dropped 12% in North America, from 29.9 million in 2009 to 26.2 million last year, and decreased 7% worldwide, from 45.3 million in 2009 to 38.3 million in 2010.

The only increase reported by Pollstar was in the average ticket price worldwide, which went up by $2.86 per ticket, or about 4%. Tickets in North America actually dropped by about $1.55 or 2%. Even Bon Jovi's field-leading $108.2 million for North America was the lowest figure in recent years for the No. 1 spot. The record high belongs to the Rolling Stones, who took in $162 million on their 2005 "A Bigger Bang" tour.

"Artists worked fewer shows in a tough business climate and those that overreached suffered the consequences," Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni said in a statement that accompanied the numbers. "In general, the international concert business was stronger than in North America, where overbooked and overpriced shows at outdoor amphitheater venues made it an especially difficult year for Live Nation," a reference to the world's largest concert promoter.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney has received consistent praise for his stamina, still typically delivering three-hour performances while touring at age 68. But he generally worked fewer nights for more money than most of his peers. His average gross of $3.86 million per night over 21 dates in 2010, and an average ticket price of $138.49, gave him the highest per-concert average in North America, followed by Bon Jovi ($2.85 million), Waters ($2.49 million), Alejandro Fernandez ($2.4 million) and Elton John-Billy Joel ($1.97 million).

Popularity-wise, however, Dave Matthews Band reigned, selling 1.27 million tickets in North America for the year. Bon Jovi was second with 1.18 million, Justin Bieber with 987,000, John Mayer with 894,000 and Brad Paisley with 880,000.

Rounding out the top 10 grossing North American tours were McCartney, who took in $61.8 million over 42 shows in 38 cities. Lady Gaga finished No. 7 with total ticket sales of $51 million, followed by the James Taylor-Carole King "Troubadour" reunion tour that nipped at Gaga's 6-inch spiked heels with a $50.7 million total gross, the Black Eyed Peas at $50.5 million and singer-songwriter guitarist John Mayer at No. 10 with $49.9 million.

Bublé also performed well around the world, finishing at No. 6 behind Metallica with $104.2 million, the "Walking With Dinosaurs" animatronics tour ($104.1 million), McCartney ($93 million), the Eagles (92.3 million) and Waters ($89.5 million).

"Walking With Dinosaurs" attracted more patrons than any other tour, logging almost 2.06 million visitors. But the spectacle's overall gross finished farther down the list because the average ticket price was a comparatively modest $50.56.

Billboard's concert business rankings, which cover a slightly different, non-calendar year -- Nov. 22, 2009-Nov. 20, 2010 -- and factor in worldwide tour revenues, also place Bon Jovi at the top of the heap, with a gross during that period of $146.5 million from sales of nearly 1.59 million tickets.

The rest of the magazine's top five touring acts were largely consistent with Pollstar's, with the No. 2 slot taken by U2 ($131.5 million, 1.31 million tickets), then AC/DC ($122.6 million, 1.16 million tickets), Lady Gaga ($116.2 million, 1.36 million tickets) and Black Eyed Peas ($81.6 million, 1.26 million tickets). U2 scored its penultimate finish with only 22 stadium shows, compared to 69 performances for Bon Jovi.

U2 was tops on Pollstar's list of 2009's biggest tours, posting $123 million and another 1.31 million tickets sold. The Irish quartet was the only act to top the $100-million mark last year, with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band coming in second with $94.5 million, Elton John and Billy Joel's duo tour pulling in $88 million, Britney Spears at $82.5 million and AC/DC fifth with $77.9 million.

Among Pollstar's Top 100 North American tours, the crown for highest average ticket price of 2010 goes to Waters, who charged an average of $126.14 per ticket. That's considerably less than last year's high of $173.89 for Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks Live" tour.

Pollstar will release a full Top 200 early next month in its 2010 Year End Special Edition.

 -- Randy Lewis

Top photo: Jon Bon Jovi led the concert word with over $200-million in concert revenue. Credit: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images.

Bottom photo: Michael Bublé also had a good year, including finishing at No. 6 internationally. Credit: Associated Press.

 
I have always been vocal in my opposition to year-end Best lists, but lately I find myself becoming somewhat addicted to them. My change in attitude, I think, is related to the realization that my list really doesn’t matter -– it’s just a blood drop, spreading out until it’s imperceptible within the busy, empty space of the hive mind. 

I’ve presented the world with my pop Top Ten, and I’m not worrying about it anymore. What follows is not a “best” list, but a scrapbook of sonic memories from a seemingly bottomless musical year. It features efforts that made an impression on me, though most never came anywhere close to the mainstream.  These songs are available on those old things called “albums” as well as via the newfangled “Internet download.” Seek them out.

Sharon van Etten, “A Crime,” from "Epic": A fearless woman bares what matters -– her soul -– in this confessional lament.

Chocolate Genius Inc., “Lump,” from "Swan Songs": Many hits used profanity this year. This song by Marc Anthony Thompson, seasoned examiner of viscera, meant it.

Ryan Bingham, “Depression,” from "Junky Star": That word has a few meanings; this young Academy Award-winning country outlaw gets to all of them.

Champagne Champagne and Thee Satisfaction, “Magnetic Blackness,” from the split single with “Bird Lives!”:  Seattle, formerly ruled by messy-haired hard rock boys, has found its hip hop soul in super-fresh crews like these.

While constructing my Top 10 List of Best Albums for 2010, I couldn’t help but think about all the psychological factors that go into such an exercise. I’m not saying my Top 10 Motives exactly mirror my real music Top Ten, but it’s an example of some of the identity-building, bet-hedging criteria I use to make my list every year. So here's a companion Top 10 to go along with my Top 10 albums list.

Top 10  Motives at Work in Constructing My Top 10 of Any Given Year:

1. Album that I listened to all the time that might define me as a traditionalist on some level (which feels weird because that’s not how I think of myself -- but oh well, what can I say?).

2. Album that I didn’t listen to nearly as much but I deeply respect.

3. Some kind of wild-card pick, big and bold. I’m no chicken, people!

4. The album that might be closest to my heart, the one I listen to in my car on repeat when I’m crying about, you know, stuff.

5. Album that will show the obscurists that I, too, troll the underground with unremitting fine taste. “Dude, this really cool DJ I know sent me this download and it totally blew my mind! You’ve never heard of it? Oh.” Cue internal self-satisfied smirk.

SoundExchange has been writing checks like it's going out of style. Luckily for musicians, money never gets old.

Charged with collecting royalities from digital music streams on Internet, satellite radio and cable television, the Wash., D.C., based non-profit group distributed $155 million to artists in 2009, up 55% from 2008 when it handed out $100 million.

Each time a song is played on Pandora, KCRW's website or XM Satellite Radio, the virtual sound of fractions of pennies are heard dropping into SoundExchange's pocket. Multiply that by billions of songs heard over the Internet each year and, voila, a new income stream for musicians is born.

This year, SoundExchange is expected disburse $252 million, according to unaudited estimates from SoundExchange.

In this day and age, critical consensus is hard to come by in the world of popular music. There are as many musical subgenres in 2010 as there were album releases four decades ago, and even the most plugged-in fan can’t help but miss essential recordings.

As a further service to those looking for musical guidance, what follows are numerous highlights from a very fruitful year, as well as the complete top 10 albums list from each of The Times' pop music writers. Chief pop critic Ann Powers went first, and her year-end pieces can be read here.

Randall Roberts

Brian Eno, “Small Craft on a Milk Sea” (Warp Records). An instrumental album that walks the line between passive and active listening, Eno’s “Small Craft” offers a genius connecting the dots between a few of his many strengths. Within “Small Craft” are the patient flourishes of his ambient works and rhythmic excursions of his rock albums. But most important, Eno, with the aid of collaborators Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams, has made music for the present: immediate, transgressive and utterly modern.

Ariel Pink and Haunted Graffiti, “Before Today” (4AD). Few artists in 2010 are able to say they’ve created a new sonic template, but Ariel Rosenberg, whose stage name is Ariel Pink, has, over the last decade, created a uniquely Arielian sound. Is it prog rock? Post-punk? Beefheart for a new era? It’s a mystery, what exactly Pink and his band Haunted Graffiti have made on “Before Today.” But whatever its genesis, it’s unlike any other rock album you’ll hear this year.

Junip, "Fields" (Mute). Singer José González, best known for his gentle ballads as a solo arist, found a groove this year with a rhythmic, percussive, utterly infectious batch of songs on "Fields." They feel universal and multicultural without feeling forced: You can hear the pop sensibilities of González's Sweden, the Tropicalia percussion of Brazil, early "Autobahn"-era Kraftwerk and the mantras of French-British guitar band Stereolab. Each song on "Fields" gets a running start and then, like a hang glider reaching the edge of a cliff, takes to the air and floats on the wings of harmonious momentum. 

 Randall's complete top 10:

1. Kanye West, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (Def Jam)
2. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, “Before Today” (4AD)
3. Brian Eno, “Small Craft on a Milk Sea” (Warp)
4. Joanna Newsom, “Have One on Me” (Drag City)
5. Janelle Monáe, “The ArchAndroid” (Bad Boy/Wondaland Arts Society)
6. Big Boi, “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” (Def Jam)
7. Various artists, “Apparat DJ Kicks” (K7!)
8. The Black Keys, “Brothers” (Nonesuch)
9. Junip, “Fields” (Mute)
10. MGMT, “Congratulations” (Columbia)