To some music lovers, the fact that Josh Groban's Noel was the highest-selling album of 2007 is all the proof they need that major-label music is dying. To shareholders and label execs, though, the numbers are more important, and the numbers are grim: music sales are down 21 percent this Christmas season. Variety has the latest music numbers from Nielsen Soundscan on music sales from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. In 2007, 83.9 million albums were sold, down 21.4 million from last year. A 20 percent drop in sales is more than a blip; it's serious trouble.
The recent news suggests that people are turning away from the CD as a Christmas present, due in large part to the rise of online music services like iTunes, eMusic, and the Amazon MP3 shop. Now that non-DRMed music is widely available from many popular artists, giving the gift of digital downloads can be an attractive option for holiday shoppers. Certainly it's becoming more mainstream; even my local supermarket now stocks iTunes gift cards.
View: Full Story on Ars Technica
+1, QFT, nuff sed, and other interweb nonsense signifying that I agree with above words.
Absolutely true. Labels like to pick up people that they can sell rather than what the public wants to hear. Those old fuddy duddys think they know music, unfortunately for the public the majority of new music out there is just regurgitated garbage. Most new bands sound like each other bringing nothing new to the table. To the record labels out there, stop playing it safe and maybe step out of each other a**es and see what people want.
And of course it doesn't help that there is a strong dislike to the RIAA. More people will continue to do what they have been doing. I personnally will not buy a Metallica album ever again for the stupidity they promote and on the other side of the argument, I will continue to buy a Nine Inch Nails album.
The music industry needs a revolution. I think one way or another, the Internet will bring this revolution.
Last edited by Draganta on 02 Jan 2008 - 07:43
Very appropriate quote there Xenon, what with the advert above
i only listen to about 3 artists (Evanescence - KT Tunstall - Sheryl Crow, .... for some reason i tend to like female singers over male ones) for the most part nowadays (and a few other odds and ends)
so you must also agree with me when i say this ill bet.... most music is "not bad" (just ok) but theres very few stuff thats "you would go out of your way to listen to"
--------------
on a side note... i used to listen to nothing but gangster rap from like 1993 (Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg) or so (when i was about 13-14 years old) up until 2005 (when i was like 25-26 years old) ... cause i never thought i would stop listening to gangster rap. but i just changed one day in 2005 and started trying to listen to other stuff (cause i tried before but it just did not cut it for me and would always end up coming back to gangster rap) and finally did it, like really like liked the stuff i changed to... so now i pretty much dont listen to gangster rap anymore (i do, but it's mainly the stuff i used to listen to (nothing new) and dont listen to it nearly as often as i used to)
cause sometime in 2005 or so... i was listening to my sister's laptop (she was in the other room as i was on the pc in my room) and the song by sheryl crow called "the first cut is the deepest" came on and i was sorta listening to it and thought... hell thats kinda good i might "get" it and see if i actually like it after a listening to it a few times... and i did so then i "got" some more of her music and liked that to etc and then after that i was a fan of hers.... then to attempt to find more stuff i just occasionally watched MTV/VH1 here and there (i usually never do since most of that is mainstream crap that is made for teenagers for the most part) and then i ran into Evanescence (the song "Call Me When Your Sober"
but anyways i dont consider someone a true fan of a artist/group unless they generally like atleast around 3/4th of there CD(s).... cause you got alot of people out there that might only like 1 or 2 songs from a CD and the rest they never care about etc.... i dont consider that a real fan if they do stuff like that.
plus (like you im sure) i just never understood how people could listen to majority (give or take) of crap thats released and actually like it (like my sister lol) ... as far as movies though (as i watch alot of em) i have a broader range here and theres many movies i like alot unlike music where im extremely picky on what i listen to. etc etc
i think i said enough now but i just thought i would post this since you said theres very few artists (about 2) you like as that seems fairly hard to find nowadays.
p.s. if someone actually read all this, thanks for your time as im sure no one really cares about what i just typed. o well....
no talent, no originality just cheesy pop rip offs from the 70's and 80's. trash.
Last edited by excalpius on 31 Dec 2007 - 19:11
Last edited by QuarterSwede on 01 Jan 2008 - 02:37
'nuff said
RIAA Companies - "We're fighting music piracy a whole new way - by releasing product that's not even worth stealing."
I've also bought a few independents artists music. I'll be buying Guns N Roses new one when It comes out. And I'll be buying Black Sabbaths new one when they rejoin for one more go.
I don't listen or buy any of these new bands music, it sucks. Can't stand to hear it.
Last edited by waxman830 on 01 Jan 2008 - 21:43
Hehehe, Exactly what I was thinking!
1. High School Musical 2, Soundtrack
2. Daughtry, Daughtry
3. Minutes to Midnight, Linkin Park
4. Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, Soundtrack
That pretty much sums it all up for you.
They keep releasing crap, they'll get crap in terms of sales. I wonder if non-RIAA labels have the same downward trend?
music nowadays is crap, plain and simple.
im not gonna buy an entire cd for 1 single.
i used to buy cd's all the time, i actually have a really substantial collection. however i actually think that last cd i did buy was tool's 10000 days.
that came out like 2 years ago.
its funny, i was about to say, ill just download the 1 song off each cd i like.. but i havent even been doing that lately.
Now the stick 1 good sung and 12 crappy ones together and expect you to buy it.
Last edited by Galley on 31 Dec 2007 - 21:43
But back on track, I don't even buy CDs these days!
My music collection is completely stored on my computer so when I've got the jukebox open and I want a new album or song it's just so easy to log into iTunes and buy it immediately. Even when I get a CD I rip it straight to my computer. My CDs are just for the car now.
But back on track, I don't even buy CDs these days!
My music collection is completely stored on my computer so when I've got the jukebox open and I want a new album or song it's just so easy to log into iTunes and buy it immediately. Even when I get a CD I rip it straight to my computer. My CDs are just for the car now.
Xavier Rudd FTW!
So unless they want to release a true sales list and included downloads, then this is meaningless.
So the answer to your question is that a drop in physical CD sales ONLY affects the major distribution mafia. The artists are waiting for the their contracts to expire and go online.
Last edited by excalpius on 01 Jan 2008 - 09:14
Last edited by kravex on 01 Jan 2008 - 10:43
I went up and down the charts and couldn't find a single album I wanted by the artists I cared about.
The offset is that I got plenty of DVD's... i'd wager DVD sales are way up?
One - Guns n roses - chinese democracy leaks ( torrent search may 2007 leaks )
Two - Sebastian Bach - Angel Down first album Axl rose has rleased since gnr... heavest **** this year!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Angel-Down-Sebasti...0769&sr=8-1
Everything else released this year hasnt been anything special and all sounding the same.
That about says it all
Though, I also think it's the aspect of carrying a stack of CD's or an iPod, you do the math. Most people will go for the iPod. I just can't understand why we're still kicking a dead horse... CD's are 90's, old school, no one wants to use them anymore. They scratch, they're expensive compared to Hard Drive storage, they're environmentally unsound, and take up more space... That's like buying a slow, big, clunky 4WD for twice as much as you can get a shiny new red sportscar for... it makes no sense.
Sales are down, because the media monster is losing it's touch with what the people want. If it's not more profitable than the last thing they did, then they won't even consider it. It's okay, they'll die soon enough. Power to the bands to release their own albums at their own prices. Death to the Record Label Mafias.
I've only ever bought 1 album in my life, and that was because it's so unknown you can't even download it! If I were to get a CD, I'd just be ripping it anyway so what's the point ^_^.
^ The edit reply button screws up my post when I use ' !
Last edited by hotdog963al on 02 Jan 2008 - 11:50
Last edited by jpcahn on 02 Jan 2008 - 17:16
i think some bands are ditching the olde system with the recording companies these days anyways.
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