Losing the Wind From His Sales : No Longer a Young Superstar, Phil Collins Is Adjusting to a Changing Market and Narrow Playlists

Nothing lasts forever, particularly in the world of pop music.

Just ask Phil Collins. After racking up a slew of hit records during the ‘80s and early ‘90s, both on his own and as a member of Genesis, Collins has seen his commercial fortunes fade.

The singer-percussionist isn’t exactly languishing in obscurity. His current album, “Dance Into the Light,” has sold well more than 500,000 copies since its release in October, and he still is popular enough to play cavernous hockey arenas on his current American tour, which concludes Monday night at the Pond in Anaheim.

But no longer is he the superstar he was when his “No Jacket Required” album sold 7 million copies and his “. . . But Seriously” collection sold more than 4 million.

On the phone from a tour stop in San Jose, the Englishman said he can take some solace in the knowledge that he’s not the only musician out there facing problems.

“At first I thought it was just me. I thought, ‘That’s that. Maybe I’ve had my 15 minutes of fame.’ But it’s happening everywhere: U2 and R.E.M. are having problems too. The industry seems to be in a very strange place right now.’

Collins, 46, thinks many young adults these days may be spending more time and money surfing the Internet than buying records. He also cited narrow playlists at U.S. radio stations.

Radio “is so compartmentalized now. Some [stations] can’t play me; some won’t play me, and some people think I’m too old. There are all these rules and regulations. I looked at a trade magazine yesterday, and there are 15 different [musical] categories now [in American radio]. There’s adult contemporary; there’s hot adult contemporary. . . . I don’t understand why it can’t be like it used to be, with just FM and AM.”

He has also been having his problems with the press. The British tabloids jumped on him when he left his wife of 14 years and began a relationship with a woman half his age. He was further criticized for abandoning his home country to live with his Swiss girlfriend in Geneva.

“All I did was get a divorce. I didn’t have a record of promiscuity. This was just something that happened. I had met somebody, and God forbid she happened to be younger than me.

“I moved to Switzerland because that’s where my lady was,” he continued. “But it’s a lovely place. It’s a safe place to live. There’s no petty crime. You can leave your car unlocked. People say hello to you in the street. The quality of life is great.”

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In any case, he has been busy writing songs for an animated version of “Tarzan” that Disney plans to release in 1998 or ’99.

He sounded more excited, though, about a big-band jazz project. Last summer, he performed at several festivals in Europe with a 20-piece band conducted by Quincy Jones. Tony Bennett was brought in to sing the material, mostly rearranged Genesis and Collins songs (Collins sang a few tunes but mainly served as the drummer).

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A live album is to be released, and there is talk of the group’s recording some jazz standards. Collins said jazz “is something I’m growing into. I’m not growing out of pop music. I love that side of what I do. But I’ve always liked to try different things, and this is something that I really love.”

He also is helping put together a boxed set of early Genesis recordings, from the years when Peter Gabriel was the band’s front man. Collins doesn’t rule out the possibility of the band reuniting with Gabriel for some live dates once the set is released.

* Phil Collins sings Monday at the Pond, 2695 Katella Ave., Anaheim. 8 p.m. $29.50-$50. (714) 704-2500.