2005 Music Sales Down 10.7%

craig223 · « **on:** 4 Jan 2006, 02:08 pm »

Music sales were down again last year. Why?

ctviggen · « **Reply #1 on:** 4 Jan 2006, 04:12 pm »

You also have to ask if music really is even down. Supposedly one of the biggest sellers of the year is a Garth Brooks CD put out by Starbucks. However, this isn't in the "official" circles, so it's not counted as one of the top selling CDs. Is it even counted at all by the official circles? Similarly, if I buy a CD from an independent (like Big Head Todd and the Monsters), do they report their sales to anyone?

rosconey · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 Jan 2006, 05:44 pm »

yeh-big head todd and the monsters of rock are awsome

jermmd · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Jan 2006, 06:14 pm »

I think the problem is with marketing. I listen to the radio in the car and I listen to a lot of music but I would never have heard of great acts like Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and Rusted Root if I hadn't heard of them here. How is America's youth being exposed to music nowadays? I had a 20 something year old girl at my house the other day and she had never heard of the song "Stairway to Heaven." That is just unbelievable to me.

ctviggen · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Jan 2006, 07:04 pm »

Joe, that's true -- I hadn't heard of these bands either until here (and on NPR, which discussed Jack Johnson, strangely enough). Rosconey, BHTM are really good in concert, too, if you've not seen them. I'm going to my third (or fourth?) show in NYC this month. Plus, they typically sign autographs after the show. I have a CD and shirt signed by them.

mojoman · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Jan 2006, 10:00 pm »

I can't vote because I think the answer is all of the above. There are a lot of options that compete for the entertainment dollar these days and new cds aren't a very good value at $16 - $20 a pop. I also think that the big labels along with the RIAA running around suing everybody has pissed off some people and effected sales. Almost everything I buy these days I buy used so if you looked at my buying habits in lite of the record companies they'd probably say I didn't buy hardly any music last year when in fact it was around 150 cds. When I was a kid we had a few channels on tv and fm radio (that actually played good tunes).

I think sales will continue to decline as long as the record companies continue to fight technology rather then embrace it. This has been going on for longer then just cds, I remember when cassette tapes were going to destroy the record industry and vcrs were going to kill the movie industry. The whinning we heard then sounds much the same as it does today.

Rocket · « **Reply #6 on:** 5 Jan 2006, 02:34 am »

Hi,

It is probably a combination of a couple of different reasons but i'm sure it is mostly downloaded illegal music. I know so many young people who download many songs to their apple ipods.

Rod

orthobiz · « **Reply #7 on:** 5 Jan 2006, 02:49 am »

As I read this, I'm digitizing Cheap Trick Heaven Tonight from my TT to my Mac. It's a treat to sit and listen to the LP, now I can have it for the iPod. I'll be damned if I'm going to spend 16 bucks to buy everything I own twice.

Now The Move reissue of Message From the Country UK release CD is better than the regular CD reissue is as good as the LP import version...

So some stuff I want to own 3 or 4 times over, some stuff I'm only willing to buy once (albeit 25 or 30 years ago...)

But I do buy a lot of new stuff, CD and vinyl. As a 50 year old, nothing compares with owning it and holding it, especially if it's 12 inches tall and 12 inches wide!

biz

zybar · « **Reply #8 on:** 5 Jan 2006, 02:55 am »

Quote from: ctviggen

Joe, that's true -- I hadn't heard of these bands either until here (and on NPR, which discussed Jack Johnson, strangely enough). Rosconey, BHTM are really good in concert, too, if you've not seen them. I'm going to my third (or fourth?) show in NYC this month. Plus, they typically sign autographs after the show. I have a CD and shirt signed by them.

I have been listening to Big Head Todd since their first cd back in 1989 (some college friends from Boulder, CO introduced them to me).

I remember early in the 90's seeing BHTM open up for DMB. At that time neither band was that well known and they couldn't even come close to filling a roughly 1,000 person club in Rochester, NY.

I agree that BHTM is a very friendly band and I have actually had a beer with them after a show.

Where are they playing and when?

George

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #9 on:** 5 Jan 2006, 03:24 am »

It's probably a combination of a few of those.

"Change in buying habits from audio to video" is a reason...but just as important is the exhorbitant prices of CD's versus much higher audio and video content DVD's.

The record and record distribution channel is archaic - and needs some fundamental changes for it to be more efficient and priced for what it is...a now mature 25 year old format.

Folks are taking it in their own hands with downloads, sharing, etc. and forcing that needed change in the marketplace. Albeit slowly, but it's happening

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #10 on:** 5 Jan 2006, 04:53 am »

Here is a good article about the troubles these companies face.

Chris[/list:u]

LFE · « **Reply #11 on:** 12 Feb 2006, 06:26 am »

Smoke and mirrors. The record industy is just as bad as the film industry. Release quality music and people will buy it, keep putting out shitty cookie cutter pop with no soul and people steal cuz its not worth buying.

gonefishin · « **Reply #12 on:** 13 Feb 2006, 11:15 pm »

Quote from: LFE

Smoke and mirrors. The record industy is just as bad as the film industry. Release quality music and people will buy it, keep putting out shitty cookie cutter pop with no soul and people steal cuz its not worth buying.

gonefishin · « **Reply #13 on:** 13 Feb 2006, 11:16 pm »

I just liked what you said

nathanm · « **Reply #14 on:** 13 Feb 2006, 11:34 pm »

It's the clear plastic stickers they put on the jewel case. People have had enough of this headache and have voted with their wallets. There is no other reason, trust me.

John Ashman · « **Reply #15 on:** 13 Feb 2006, 11:53 pm »

Thanks to my better speakers and my love of iTunes, my music purchases went up like 500-1000%. Seriously. I also "borrowed" more music in 2005. So, the music industry can kiss my ass. I'm spending lots. But, for instance, finding Porcupine Tree, A Perfect Circle and The Mars Volta was a significant reason for my purchasing. Give us more music worth buying and we'll buy more. Most of it is like a cheeseburger at McDonald's. It fills the need for something different and that's about it. Much of the music I borrowed got deleted, so I went and bought more of the music I borrowed that I liked. Borrow one good CD and it makes you buy 5 or 6 more CDs from the same group.

JoshK · « **Reply #16 on:** 14 Feb 2006, 12:10 am »

I think it is all of the above in different proportions. As with many/most aggregate numbers the detail is all lost and you aren't really seeing what is going on. Of course you can speculate and the RIAA would like you to see it as an illegal download problem, but of course that is only a small part of the bigger issue.

DeanSheen · « **Reply #17 on:** 14 Feb 2006, 12:35 am »

It's the music quality.

I buy 95% independant and screen most selections before purchase. Their traditional marketing mechanism IE: radio has been watered down due to media consolidation, payola and record company greed,. I cant remember the last time I listend to a regular radio music station.

There are other demographics than young females and boomers. Hell good music transcends demographics. I think thats a principal that got lost in the shuffle.

John Ashman · « **Reply #18 on:** 14 Feb 2006, 12:41 am »

They're in a serious feedback loop now because the more they attack people for "theft", the more others are going to say "screw these bastards". They come across as unreasonable, mean-spirited, selfish. An industry that sells 10s of $billions every year going out and suing 13 year olds that have little or no money to buy their product, yet they dangle it in front of them via radio, MTV, etc, make them want it, and so, since they have no money, they copy it. Which, to me, it far less criminal than stealing it from a store. And so people empathize with the 13 year old and simply despise the record industry more. And they lose some money, so they step up their efforts, which just feeds back on them. They're going to sue themselves into a death spiral if they don't back off and accept that there's always going to be "borrowing" or copying of music. And half the time, that just benefits them. I'd bet the *net* loss due to copying is rather small, if anything. But they see it as a zero sum game. They illegally price fix their product and then cry foul that people copy it. That is big American corporate greed at its worst. At least oil companies don't whine or claim theft when someone buys a more fuel efficient vehicle or cuts down on their driving.

Scott F. · « **Reply #19 on:** 14 Feb 2006, 02:27 am »

I just visited the RIAA site and only found the Mid-Year stats so I can only comment on them.

You've got to understand something about the RIAA. They are a GIANT Spin Machine. They manipulate numbers to support their many positions (ie going after illegal downloaders).

When you look at teh total number of CD's shipped from 6/04 to 6/05 the total count is up by over 7%. But when you take the total $ volume, they claim they are down -6%. Why? Because they lowered the cost of the CD to sell more units (which they did).

Second, they don't count ALL of the sales (as stated previously). They only count 'traditional' outlets such as music stores. They are just now starting to count places like Amazon.

Third, they DO NOT count Ringtone downloads. This business is farging HUGE. They are raking in money hand over fist by selling 10 second clips that are set as your ringer on your cell phone. Do a simple search on Google about ringtone sales and you'll see exponetial increases in sales plus projections for the future. (the RIAA is afraid to add this to their reports because the increase in music sales (and this is a music sale) would be exponetial).

Fourth as others have stated, it s the quality of the music.

Bottom line, don't believe a thing that these rotten bastards tell you. All of the illegal downloading that is supposedly going on (especially in developed county's) is minimal. When you research the countries that download illegally, you find that they are either under-developed or newly developing country's. When a person in these countries make on average of under $400 per month in salary, they can't afford to buy (even) a $10 CD. Their alternative, they download illegally or buy pirated discs. Its simple economics.

The RIAA would have you believe that all of your neighbors and their grandmothers are illegally downloading music. They aren't. Surf over to the RIAA site and also the IFPI site. Take a look at the PDF's regarding the 'target' countrys. They are the Asian rim, Russia (and the former Russian States), and 'poor' country's. The US, UK, Canada, Austrailia and other 'developed' countries are WAY down at the bottom of the list with teh fewest illegal downloads.

The RIAA sure knows how to make headlines though. Some 12 year old is an easy target when its a domestic lawsuit. They are having a much tougher time in countries with weak or non-existant copyright protection laws (which is why they keep beating their chest domestically).

My opinion, shoot the fuckers. Them and the MPAA.

....sorry for the rant, this one hits a nerve.

Poll

Why were music sales down again in 2005?

2005 Music Sales Down 10.7%