Mos Def'sT-Shirt Record Sales Aren't Counted by Nielsen SoundScan

Mos Def's record sales for The Ecstatic are not record sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Here's the deal: fans can purchase a t-shirt depicting the album cover for Mos Def's new album, The Ecstatic, and each shirt comes with a download code for a free copy of the album itself.

This is where it gets complicated, though: while you've just bought the shirt and downloaded the album, which are essentially packaged together, Nielsen SoundScan is not counting it as an album sale.

Basically, Nielsen SoundScan is still thinking in terms of sales of records as standalone entities, which I can understand, since their only experience in the market is cash-for-8-track.tape/CD/iTunes download. However, the industry is changing right in front of Neilsen's eyes, and they don't quite seem to notice: Records are basically free now, whether labels wish it or not. That Mos Def has found a way to monetize his new album anyway should make Nielsen drop what it's doing and pay closer attention, but that's apparently not the case.