Blockbuster Releases Result in Record Print Sales
Hal Leonard Releases Adele - 25 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens
MILWAUKEE - Every so often print music publishers and retailers rejoice when there's a print-friendly chart topper that makes music students, professional players, and hobbyists alike flock to their music stores to pick up the matching sheet music or songbooks. In recent years Titanic, High School Musical, Frozen, and artists like Taylor Swift and the Piano Guys have created a buzz in print. But this year Hal Leonard is happy to release two much-anticipated mega releases within the same week! Adele - 25 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens both hit the shelves just in time for the NAMM (the National Association of Music Merchants) show and promise to make 2016 a banner year for print music.
Adele's last album, 21, was a gift to the print industry. If you combine all the various piano, choral and band arrangements for songs from the album there are well over a quarter million copies of songs from 21 in print. With Adele's latest hit still dominating the charts a month after its release, and over 6 million copies of the album already sold, Hal Leonard President Larry Morton says, "We're expecting sales of our 25 folios to surpass 21, no doubt. The first single 'Hello' was a natural for piano arrangements and we expect the whole album to lend itself to a diverse audience of players." Adele - 25 is currently available in piano/vocal/guitar and easy piano format with many other editions for guitar, ukulele, choral, and band coming soon.
The other blockbuster breaking box office records and getting musicians excited is, of course, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. With box office sales already over $1.5 billion in just two weeks since it opened world wide, it is destined to become one of the most popular movies ever made. Few movies have ever had such an iconic soundtrack, penned by composer John Williams for all seven of the franchise releases. Music for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a highly guarded secret right up until the movie's release, with Hal Leonard editors even having to sign non-disclosure agreements. John Williams was closely involved with the Hal Leonard piano solo and easy piano songbook arrangements and will also be involved with the many band and orchestra releases that will be arranged for every level of band, from grade school ensembles to professional orchestras. Hal Leonard also is producing play-along packs for all school instruments such as flute, trumpet, violin and cello, as well as a variety of other collections.
The piano editions of both Adele - 25 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens are available now from music and bookstores everywhere. Watch the Hal Leonard website, www.halleonard.com, for additional releases coming soon.