Comparing yearly Grammy spikes

PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: While the Grammy spike was in effect last week (see I.B. Bad’s latest column for details), the percentage jumps experienced by the likes of Pink, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and the chart-topping Lady Antebellum pale before the jumps of certain albums in previous years. In 2009, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ Raising Sand had a 715% sales jump, taking it from outside the Top 50 to #2, and the year before, Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters came out of nowhere to #5 with a jump of 967%. But nobody’s complaining about percentages. As Capitol Nashville gunslinger Mike Dungan told the N.Y. Times, “A good performance on the show is worth its weight in gold.” (2/15a)