CSPC: Bob Dylan Popularity Analysis
Pulitzer Prize, US Presidential Medal of Freedom, French Légion D’Honneur, Spanish Principe de Asturias… only the Nobel Prize was missing to the immaculate collection of awards received by Bob Dylan. I don’t even mention the infinite list of purely musical prizes.
Exactly 50 years after publishing the cult Blonde On Blonde, 40 years after the global smash Desire, 10 years after his Rolling Stone Magazine Album of the Year Modern Times, the iconic singer-songwriter turned out to be the new recipient of the most coveted prize in the world a few days ago. In the meantime, he just keeps touring as nothing happened. At 75, Bob Dylan printed his name all over the music history. The godfather and the main origin of the Rock branch that exploded thanks to the Beatles to become the main music genre for decades, he dropped nothing less than 37 studio albums. As it wasn’t enough, he also released a dozen of live albums and as many bootlegs. Plus, his discography includes more than a quarter of century of compilations. All those records came out from 1962 to 2016.
All those numbers and awards are outstanding but Bob Dylan has never been famous for being a huge selling act. Among solo male acts Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley are the firsts to be quoted. Even thinking more about it, the general public will name Elton John, Phil Collins, Frank Sinatra and Bob Marley before him. We can add Julio Iglesias, Robbie Williams, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks and more.
Where does Bob Dylan sits in comparison to all those top selling acts? With his sales being spread over so many studio albums, which ones surface on top after factoring in all compilations and live albums?
As a reminder for users who are not yet familiar with the CSPC idea you do not need to worry, it is quite simple as it only consists in merging every format sales an artist has been getting and attributing them to respective studio albums. We will start by focusing on raw data, setting how much each Bob Dylan album sold. Then, we will check sales of each track from those albums on each format – physical, digital and streaming – and weight them to value those figures on a par with album sales. To complete the study, we will study sales of the all compilations, live albums and music videos he dropped to distribute those sales into studio albums. Once all the raw data is set, we will only need to apply appropriate weighting to get the overall picture of the rock legend career results.
Let’s go!
“Bob Dylan” is most collected record of 1962 in whole world. (Discogs). (33801 copies
and( reissues 265 times). 1962-2022 year. It is 60 years. And Chartmasters say it is sold 1,2 million worldwide . It is staple record for many fans and it is very good record, of course. What Chartmasters say about that.
Hei. When this Dylan analysis was done in 2016, i think that Discogs wasn’t in use yet. Dylan first album “Bob Dylan” was released in 1962 and it is the 12th most collected of his albums with 33000 collected and 260 reissues, estimated sales was put 1,2 million copies pure sales. Probably sales can be near 3 millions. 1994-2013 (9 year period) it got silver award from UK, can assume 0,3-0,5 million sold in UK. — And Japan special editions. Since 1970 for Christmas every year, usually valuable double album with artwork exclusive to Japan made by Sony. These albums… Read more »
Interesting thing. Bob Dylan is only living person in world on whom his own museum been built. There are only 6 artists in Europe (no USA) with their own museum. El Salvador, Van Gogh, Picasso…. Dylan museum opened in May. 29000 m2, three stairs. It is located Tulsa town, Oklahoma, far from the roaring. Money is not saved. And let’s say, Dylan is glorious painter. Some say he is most important artist all time. Time magazine chose 100 most important person in last century. Bob Dylan was one and Beatles another. No other musicians. Einstein was most important. But Dylan… Read more »
Bob Dylan 81 year 24.5. By the way he is oldest (living) artist on this site.
Never ending tour ended because the corona 2019. 8.6. 1988-2019, 31 years, 3066 concerts, makes average 99 concerts every year. Total gross little over billion (with inflate about 1, 5 billion). Pollstar registered 1200 concerts, audience size average 5600, grossing 347000 per concert. 3066 x 347000 is over billion. I ordered from Pollstar information. It was low budget tour. 3 buses, persons, my estimate 20.
Last year started new world tour 2021-2014. Rough and Rowdy ways world tour.
Bob Dylan biggest track is now Like a rolling stone 16 815,000. Ten songs over 10 million EAS.
Oh that’s strange, in the previous message only 4 songs were over 10m EAS. Maybe some millions were sold in a few minutes?
I am very, VERY curious to see your methodoly, if you have one. Maybe it is the case, maybe not and you write random figures?
What are Bob Dylan’s biggest tracks?
Hi Johnny be Good! Here are the 15 biggest tracks of Bob Dylan (in Equivalent Album Sales): 1. 1965 – Like a Rolling Stone [Highway 61 Revisited] – 14,220,000 2. 1964 – The Times They Are a-Changin’ [The Times They Are a-Changin’] – 9,210,000 3. 1975 – Hurricane [Desire] – 7,790,000 4. 1973 – Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door [Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid] – 6,730,000 5. 1969 – Lay Lady Lay [Nashville Skyline] – 6,580,000 6. 1963 – Blowin’ in the Wind [The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan] – 4,530,000 7. 1965 – Mr. Tambourine Man [Bringing It All Back Home]… Read more »
Moi Anthony. Now Like a rolling stone is up 17, 815,000 and rest songs are differs…
Moi Anthony. New list. Like a rolling stone 16 815.000. Four songs was over ten million.
Hello Mikko! Our results are differents. How did you calculate yours? In my case, I took the values from the article and add the EAS gained since then. Then, I tried to put the new stream values instead the old one in my files in order to calculate the new share of each song in each album/compil/live/box and it seems. Results are a bit different compared to a simple addition of new streams since the article but: – “Like a Rolling Stone” is still under 14.5m EAS – It is the only Dylan track to reach the 10m EAS milestone.… Read more »
I don’t know, but it was MJD new all time, and every year forward 1965 like a rolling stone, 16.815.000 it was third from 1965 album EAS.
“Highway 61 Revisited” (the album) has cumulated 16.815m EAS since its release in 1965. “Like a Rolling Stone” (the song) has reached 14.220m EAS.
Ok. Thanks.
Ok. That’s it. One question yet. Original CSPC Dylan wasn’t at all in France so popular.
Hei, Dylan’s 1962 album is swept the way from all time
charts, raw sales and eas sales. Before album was best selling that year 1962.
I asked same thing before, but without answer.
I think it would be correct question.
Same thing is happened before.
Italian most popular singles 1970s foreign artist. And year 1976 “Hurricane” by Dylan was second collected single after Santana’s “Europe “.
And couple other things is without answer.
Hi Mikko! To be honest, I’m not entirely sure to always understand the question on your message. About the 1962 list, the former ‘flat’ list based on pure album sales had Dylan’s album at 1 since it’s the biggest we studied so far. We changed the page to an EAS automated list, and there the two Elvis LPs move ahead since they sold nearly as much as albums while moving a lot of physical singles as well. Also, these all-time lists have a ‘break’ at 2 million sales. Hurricane was indeed big in Italy, it’s its 3rd best market after… Read more »
Hi MJD. Recently Bob sold his catalogue to Universal Music Group for 300 million dollars. My question is, is it a wise move by UMG. I mean Dylan is doing well streaming wise for a 60s act. But his streaming isnt record breaking either. I understand how some investors wanted to invest in somebody’s catalogue like Taylor Swift whose streaming are really record breaking. But for Bob Dylan is it even worth investing that much. Probably in the next few decades his streaming is going to shrink a lot as well after many of his fans died. No disrespect to… Read more »
It was 400 m dollars, i mean that deal wìth Universal. You know Dylan is cultural person. He won most prestigious award Nobel prize literature. , all academic prizes. Oscar, Pulitzer and so on. Dylan music sales is good, most covered artist of all. And royalties per year $15-20 millions. 20 million x 20 year is 400 $ m. This is formula which it is calculated. Open business. And he still own his master recordings. Worth 300-400 $ million. And next year will open Bob Dylan Center. Oklahoma Tulsa. 4000 m2, three floors. No Wonderland. I thing MJD didn’t know… Read more »
Hi Jazz! Mikko is correct, record sales and streams are only the visible part of artists’ revenues. Each time a song airs on the radio there are royalties. On TV ads or shows, live, on movies, etc. All covers and all side businesses. When speaking about these catalog purchases, we shouldn’t think about charts & sales, but instead think of it as an investment. What matters is the return on it. If you have $400 million, you’ll be able to put them into a lot of project/businesses, the choice will be made based on two things, the return on investment… Read more »
I wrote in the wrong place again. Ok. That’s it. One question yet. Original CSPC Dylan was’t all in France so popular, maybe 1960s. Why change?
Hi Mikko!
Not sure to understand your question, but if it’s about Dylan’s popularity in France, yes he gots his first hits there later than elsewhere, from the 70s onwards, the first was Wigman which may seem quite random from elsewhere. Hurricane was seen as his main classic in France until Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door from the Guns made it his signature tune here.
I think that UK is definitely Dylan’s best market after US. 2000-2009 Dylan sold 5 million albums in UK (Music Week). Performed 223 concerts (7 with Tom Petty) there. Performed over 200000 people in Blackbushe year 1978, 150000 people in Isle of Wight.
The popularity has lasted almost 60 years. Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark) and Italy and Spanish speaken world comes next.
Bob Dylan turns today 80 year. Never-ending tour stopped cause Corona pandemic. Tour started 8.6.1988 and stopped or interrupted 11/2019, 31 years and 3062 concerts. In meanwhile Dylan made new record, Rough ways. Dylan is now focused on his art hobby and promoted his Heavens Door whiskey. Whiskey has recieved 25 global awards. It’s big business. Dylan is also businessman. Bob Dylan center (museum) opens 2022 in Oklahoma, Tulsa town. Dylan birthday is really well recieved around the world. Dylan himself no longer gets money for his songs, because they are sold to Universal company. It is known that bootleg… Read more »