ok ill say they are selling well compared to everyone else, but they should be killing them all in sales

why? Record sales are going away. For good.

The next U2 record will be lucky to hit Gold.

And it'll be a top 10 seller.

because if it was U2 vs Lady Gaga ten years ago, they would have killed her, and had been winning by a lot...

so even if they are second, in the past, they would have been ahead of these guys by a lot....

im not one to get concerned with sales, but it questions relativity, and if there losing it slowly

I think if you looked back 10 years or so ago, they'd have been being outsold by the likes of the Spice Girls. There's always crap pop music out there that will sell more, this is not a new thing.

ok ill say they are selling well compared to everyone else, but they should be killing them all in sales

why? Record sales are going away. For good.

The next U2 record will be lucky to hit Gold.

And it'll be a top 10 seller.

because if it was U2 vs Lady Gaga ten years ago, they would have killed her, and had been winning by a lot...

so even if they are second, in the past, they would have been ahead of these guys by a lot....

im not one to get concerned with sales, but it questions relativity, and if there losing it slowly

I think if you looked back 10 years or so ago, they'd have been being outsold by the likes of the Spice Girls. There's always crap pop music out there that will sell more, this is not a new thing.

yea i guess your right..

the problem is U2 is looking at this as a Pop music thing.  this, in my opinion, is the greatest era in the history of music.  not for bands making it and making money in that sense.  but everyone can get their music out there without the use of radio.  sure they won't make money but i discovered new bands every week it seems just from going to a local show and chatting with people.  and these are bands that will never ever make it.  and their records are absolutely brilliant.  and i can go right home and find them on myspace or facebook and get their albums.  in the past you had to be at the little whole in the wall bar only in your town to ever have a chance to get a CD from an unknown band. what i'm getting at is U2 doesn't need this anymore, but there is still a sense that they are unwilling to give up the title of biggest band in the world.  No Line still has that desparate feel of the last two records of please like me.

The singles havent done very well at all in the Uk , the promotion for the singles [first 2] was awful , magnificent didnt get a cd release , get on your boots didnt have a music video until the single was acutally out. Crazy Tonight had the Blackberry advert so you cannot say the same about that one

Single downloading people [98.6 % of single sales are downloads] are mainly young [below 16]  , people who download basically dont give a damn about U2. U2 havent got a young audience anymore and that has reflected on the singles.

U2 have a massive fanbase but they aint going to be downloading singles unless there an avid fan.

As far as No Line being a failure goes  that is untrue , it hasnt lived up to expectations is the better pharse to use.

Its the biggest selling album released this year by quite a distance. Its the 2nd biggest selling album of the year behind Lady Gaga who does have the massive singles being played 24/7 on the radio and tv.

U2 have never had the biggest selling album of the year and nloth will proably come in 2nd this year , which maybe u2's best ever performance on an end of year chart [tjt and ab werent the biggest seller in the years they came out]

It would be a failure if it wasnt near the top of the list and other artists where selling loads more.

Compare the albums sales to the market not past album sales, cd sales are dying very quickly not just for u2 for everyone
Lady Gaga The Fame 3.811.000
U2  No Line On The Horizon 3.463.000
Michael Jackson Thriller (25th Anniversary Reissue) *since july 2009 counted together at "Thriller" 3.156.000
Kings Of Leon Only By The Night 3.037.000
Michael Jackson  Number Ones (since 2009) 2.962.000
Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. 2.784.000
Eminem Relapse 2.783.000
Taylor Swift Fearless 2.755.500
Soundtrack Hannah Montana: The Movie 2.597.000
Beyoncé  I Am... Sasha Fierce 2.584.000
Michael Jackson The Essential (since 2009) 2.433.500
Green Day 21st Century Breakdown 2.428.000
Soundtrack Twilight 2.194.000
Pink Funhouse 2.119.000
Michael Jackson King Of Pop 1.828.000
Nickelback Dark Horse 1.726.000
Michael Jackson Bad (since 2009) 1.628.500
Bruce Springsteen  Working On A Dream 1.622.500
Lily Allen  It's Not Me, It's You 1.584.000
Jason Mraz We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. 1.469.000
Coldplay Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends 1.466.500
Michael Jackson Dangerous (since 2009) 1.383.500
Jay-Z  Blueprint 3 1.372.000
Michael Jackson  Off The Wall (since 2009) 1.370.000
Soundtrack Mamma Mia! 1.328.000
Seal Soul 1.275.500
Kelly Clarkson All I Ever Wanted 1.271.500
Britney Spears  Circus 1.246.500
The Killers  Day & Age 1.145.500
Katy Perry One Of The Boys 1.120.500
Depeche Mode Sounds Of The Universe 1.079.500
Duffy Rockferry 1.078.500
Akon  Freedom 1.076.500
AC/DC Black Ice 1.069.500
Rascal Flatts Unstoppable 1.058.500
Whitney Houston  I Look To You 1.048.000
The Fray The Fray 1.010.500

Michael jackson outsold U2 and gaga 3 times over. the guy sold over 14,000,000 albums this year and now the movie's out it will be more. So saying that you can't a sell a lot of records these days is bull. You just have to make a damn good when you are U2 and don't blame the public but blame your ego and you declining lack of creativity. everybody's ( yeah including me) has been waiting for THE U2 record for a decade and they refuse to give it to U2. Yeah fals promises is what we get. see bomb:punk, hardcore rock metal album edge's guitar on fire bla blah blah Was not the case it ended up to be a horrible mess next No line: a totally different U2 sound, dancefloor shock, trance influences experimentation etc etc Well we didn't get that but more of the same bland boring trip. And they wonder how it comes they're records ain't selling that well anymore.

U2 too muc blah blah and a lack of focus and quality these days

the problem is U2 is looking at this as a Pop music thing.  this, in my opinion, is the greatest era in the history of music.  not for bands making it and making money in that sense.  but everyone can get their music out there without the use of radio.  sure they won't make money but i discovered new bands every week it seems just from going to a local show and chatting with people.  and these are bands that will never ever make it.  and their records are absolutely brilliant.  and i can go right home and find them on myspace or facebook and get their albums.  in the past you had to be at the little whole in the wall bar only in your town to ever have a chance to get a CD from an unknown band. what i'm getting at is U2 doesn't need this anymore, but there is still a sense that they are unwilling to give up the title of biggest band in the world.  No Line still has that desparate feel of the last two records of please like me.

Yes - Here's how it panned out for them big single wise:

Beautiful Day - great song - sold well, album did well

Vertigo - good (ish) - sold well, album did well

Boots - rubbish song - didn't sell that well, album isn't a huge seller.

They should stop worrying about trying to be part of 'pop culture' and being seen with the right people and just make great records.

As the writer above said 'No Line still has that desparate feel of the last two records of please like me.'

As for the promotion of NLOTH, they've been doing the (yawn) rooftop thing for a while now. Then there's the 4 nights on letterman. What's next chaps? 10 nights on Letterman? Playing on the moon?

As for blackberry - at least the ipod thing was original. But blackberry? blackberry? A lame portable device used mostly by bankers?

Who cares - make a good record!

Michael jackson outsold U2 and gaga 3 times over. the guy sold over 14,000,000 albums this year and now the movie's out it will be more. So saying that you can't a sell a lot of records these days is bull.

Um, he died.

Michael jackson outsold U2 and gaga 3 times over. the guy sold over 14,000,000 albums this year and now the movie's out it will be more. So saying that you can't a sell a lot of records these days is bull.

Um, he died.

Did you noticed that too? Anyway dead or not dead he outsold everybody this year

Did you noticed that too? Anyway dead or not dead he outsold everybody this year

How well did he sell in 2008?

Did you noticed that too? Anyway dead or not dead he outsold everybody this year

How well did he sell in 2008?

How good did u2 sell in 2007 and 2008? Who cares? Michael Jackson outsold everybody this year. And it's a good thing since a lot of kids finally get exposed to a real artist and one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived. I hear more of michael jackson on the radio than I hear U2 ( I'm actually glad when I finally hear one of the classic u2 tracks from their better days)

Comparing NLOTH's sales to mj's is a bit pointless when it is clear that the surge of sales of his albums were brought on by his untimely death. You can't beat a dead guy, especially not when he's a legend like Michael Jackson.

How good did u2 sell in 2007 and 2008? Who cares? Michael Jackson outsold everybody this year. And it's a good thing since a lot of kids finally get exposed to a real artist and one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived. I hear more of michael jackson on the radio than I hear U2 ( I'm actually glad when I finally hear one of the classic u2 tracks from their better days)

Um, he died. You seem to have forgotten that.

How good did u2 sell in 2007 and 2008? Who cares? Michael Jackson outsold everybody this year. And it's a good thing since a lot of kids finally get exposed to a real artist and one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived. I hear more of michael jackson on the radio than I hear U2 ( I'm actually glad when I finally hear one of the classic u2 tracks from their better days)

Um, he died. You seem to have forgotten that.

No really did he died? I just saw him sitting in the McDonald's

And it's a good thing since a lot of kids finally get exposed to

lol   

Michael Jackson has always been on the charts until he died...If anyone can really recall U2 Joshua Tree is really their top selling album compared to MJ who will always be there -even before he died....I mean for how many decades was MJ on the International Record selling chart...4 decades...How many platinums, collaborations, tours, sales, etc...I think what these U2 fanatics don't realize is that their idols admire those who come before them and seemed to know the game more than their own fans...MJ have done the same thing U2 has...the only difference is that MJ had a more diverse following of people, whereas U2 is still trying to make that bridge...check out this clip of Bono introducing Jay-Z at the concert...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNh4aHY8xUo   


I think U2 needs to stick to what made them who they are and stop making all these club remixes...play more of their B-sides and trust what the audience wants....MJ included everyone, whereas U2 (Bono) had to make the crowd come alive for some soul at the Rose Bowl...

What i dont get is how much media MJ took up when he died, but someone like Les Paul died and no one cared....Im wondering if Bono (knocking on wood) died would he take up that much coverage?