Do you know a recording artist named Fabolous?  Well, he made some news this week and it was a mixed blessing for him.

According to Keith Caulfield, who writes for Billboard and Reuters, the New York rapper topped the latest Billboard 200 album chart after selling 99,000 copies of his new release “Loso’s Way”. His previous album sold 159,000 copies in 2007.

Sadly, the latest sales period marked just the second July week when not one current album sold at least 100,000 copies. Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991 and supplied the numbers.

Caulfield feels that the poor numbers will continue this week.  The predicted leader for the week is the country group Sugarland who released a Wal-Mart exclusive.

While Sugarland will be at the top, the numbers will be low.  If Sugarland sells less than 100,000 copies, it will be the first time that has happened in any August.

What does this mean to the recording industry?  Is this slump a sign of the financial depression or is it a sign that people are not buying music albums?  You can be sure that the “suits” at the music labels are trying to find the answers.  Their livelihood is a stake.

OK…….Clay Aiken……where does he fit in this discussion?  For me, I see two things to think about.  First, it reminds me of how well Clay has sold CD’s.  Even without radio play or complete label support, he has sold millions of CDs.  And secondly, it is a good reminder to all of us to relax and let Clay tell us about his future plans when he is ready.  With everything in such turmoil, I believe he is making sure he is doing the correct thing to secure his professional career.