Forum Moderators: skibum
Furthermore, the research due to be released Monday by comScore Media Metrix shows that not only are online music sales dropping, they are declining at an accelerated rate.
pcworld [pcworld.com]
And so is the proliferation of parasiteware!
Yep. We have several members here that make good $$$ on CD sales. That, and the implications of the widespread use of Kazaa and such (10 million households in the US (Sep '02)), make this article worth the read.
as far as i am concerned i dont care if all artists stop making music. at least we will see how many of them is "in it for the music" like they love to point in interviews or who is "in it for the money. ".
i think music industry underestimated the power and the speed of IT industry. especially high speed inet and mp3.long time they were enjoying all the benefits and charging high prices of CDs.(with massive printing cost of one cd is within few cents).now it is all coming back and they have no real weapon against it.
it is true about spyware but i thin kazaa lite is free of all spyware.
As soon as mainstream technology allows it, other industries (video games, movies) will fall too. I know that they are suffering to some extent already, but the limitations of available hardware is restricting the impact that piracy and file swapping has on their business.
The main driving factor behind the MP3 file swapping craze is not (IMHO) the "something for nothing mentality" as mentioned in the article, but the time it takes to do (or at least the time it saves).
It has been possible for years to copy CDs (albeit onto cassette or more lately onto other CDs), but the time it took to do meant that people would rather buy them.
Thats why many people still buy CDs. Its easier and quicker (we're a lazy species! ;)).
Picture it - In 5 years time Kazza XP is released and users (who now account for 80% of the population) can click an icon on the desktop and have the latest top 10 releases in an instant (after theyve downloaded the security update ;)).
Where will the traditional industries be then?
The problem is that the industries that are losing money are doing so because they are competing against new media and not embracing it.
Again, Id say its not money thats the issue - it's the convienence factor. Its all down to consumer awareness and education (of the web) - and the music biz is running around like a headless chicken just now in that respect.
Quick survey -
I assume everyone here is familiar with Kazza / Morpheus file sharing phenomenon? (im fairly new to it ive got to say)
How many people know of a legitimate source where someone can download music files (popular stuff not freeware)? Are there any music companies that offer this service? Have you ever used them?
And answer without doing a Google search! ;)
JOAT (and my rant is over..)
<added>JonB - I think (in retrospect)that my above statement is biased towards British culture and I didnt consider the economics of buying CDs in other countries - im not very well travelled im afraid! :) Thats the good thing about WW - opinions and thoughts from all over the globe!</added>
What, if any, impact has this had on affiliates? Surely, if there's been a 39% drop in online sales, they've felt it.
All affiliates in all markets can be impacted by parasiteware that comes with many file sharing programs.
zdnet Article [zdnet.com.com]
Take a look at the chart how many of those are from the 80`s - 90`s, here the last day I saw that a song from 99 was remade, thats just to much.
zeus
Pete Waterman can shout all he wants about the net killing music (I'm pretty sure he made the same noises about home taping) but he is doing more to kill it by allowing the horror of Garath Gates into peoples houses.
We need another punk, or hip hop (and not that p diddy, nelly rubbish) to buck the trend and some exciting music to come out, then people might start buying CDs again.
zeus
I reluctantly buy CDs for the sound quality. Why? Most MP3s available through Kazaa are poorly encoded. As test, bump Dr. Dre's Let Me Ride as an MP3 (128Kbps) vs. CD original, you'll hear the big difference. ;) If everyone used Razor Lame, I bet online sales would fall even further.
Its always a pleasant surprise when you get stickers, artwork, and a thick booklet with your CD though.
Still, it's no justification for stealing, which is effectively what people who download via Kazaa/Morpheus scumware are doing. If you can't afford a legit. version, then don't listen to it.
Of course, I dream of owning a car after seeing 5 metre by 10 metre ads all over London for the latest models. But I can't afford one and so have had to stick to lousy buses for the last decade. Doesn't mean I go out stealing other people's cars...
Read a book instead if you think CDs are too expensive. They cost only $5 and are better for you.
