Marketing Yourself 101

“Fearless,” by contrast, has sold 2.4 million copies, less than half of what a hit album sold in 2000. That reflects the larger trend in record sales, which have declined 45 percent since 2000.

This from the NY Times' look at how Taylor Swift has garnered 8 weeks atop the Billboard album chart. 2.4 million, today, though, used to be 5 million at the pre-Itunes peak of the boy band era, the last time the music biz ruled the record stores.
Swift's biggest success, I believe, is that she's been everywhere since her record came out, a fact alluded to in the article. Hell, she even hosted GAC's year end video countdown show. All this saturation may not affect Swift, she's got the appearance and attitude of a normal life, and the showbiz mags haven't been chasing her around the Country.
But artists really do need to promote their product. The days of launching a video on MTV or doing a tour to sell your CD are over. Take a look at Rihanna. You talk about someone who's everywhere. This week she was at the Pepsi Super Bowl Bash concert. Name an event and she's been there. So, while her album didn't sell a ton, the singles did (she's a singles artist, eventually), and that and her market savvy will be enough to keep her in the game through her next album.
That's what we're talking about. Survival. Consumers are tight with their entertainment money. Musicians could learn a thing or two from 2 of Pop's biggest charters.