Music sales down, but it's not RIAA's fault

[Steve]

In 2004, CD sales went up. No really, they did. Despite the horrors of P2P and music downloads, people actually bought more CDs in 2004 than in 2003. In 2005 however, after RIAA shut down just about any website or company that aids music distribution, writes peer-to-peer software or support the humming of tunes at work, it turns out CD sales have taken a hit! Of course, it's not going to be the fault of draconian approaches taken by the likes of RIAA.

US CD sales in 2005 fell 3.5 per cent year-over-year, according to Nielsen Soundscan. That's quite a blow given that CD sales actually rose by 2.3 per cent in 2004. A sane person might suggest that higher energy costs throughout 2005 ate up a few of those sales or that pricey iPods left less cash to spend on albums. This logic escapes the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA), which again attributes the fall in sales to piracy and which last year attributed the rise in sales to better anti-piracy measures.

So which is it? Are the RIAA's anti-piracy measures affecting sales or not?

[The Register]

Things have all gone a bit mad, as Ashlee points out so well. I've bought one poxy music CD in the last year. What did I do with it? I ripped it to my PC so I can play it back in my media library (cheers Winamp) or put it on my flash based, non-DRM, extremely cheap MP3 player. I'd love to download music and pay for it, I really would. But I'm absolutely not going to do that so long as the audio is wrapped in evil DRM.

In fact, I've gone off CDs altogether now too, given that I'm in danger of having my system security and performance completely done over without me even knowing about it. Some people might not care as long as self-installing DRM works, but I get arsey if a program so much as places an icon on my desktop without asking... so Sony isn't ever getting any of my hard-earned.

Anyway, that's my rant. You're welcome to post your take on the current "dark age of online entertainment".

[hitman67]

Last CD I bought was Best of the Best Air Guitar in August, and it was the 1st once since about 2003. I don't see the point in buying CDs when theres only ever about 2 tracks you like on them anyway.

[3dcandy]

Hitman67 - you've hit the nail on the head!
My thoughts exactly, and even people who I know in their teens are beginning to say exactly the same, and moaning at the "rip-off" prices charged by record company's when cd's are so cheap to make.

Without starting a flame war, I know someone who is in a fairly successful band, and when you talk to him about releasing music, he's very, very blunt about how the artists are getting
a very raw deal, and how the big companies are making a fortune out of people.

[Funkstar]

I buy CDs, *lots* of CDs. Not sure how many i got last year, over 50 i think. My collection stands at about 800 roughly.

I can't stand the thought of buying my music via downloads only. Even the ability to download lossless DRMless music wouldn't tempt me away from CDs right now. I might be old fassioned, but i like to get something physical when i buy stuff.

True i have bought software via download only, but that to me is slightly different. You download it on your PC, and then you use it on your PC. I'm fine with that. I just don't like music downloads.

I guess everyone is different aren't they

[TeePee]

I gave up buying CD's in 2001 due to becoming more informed about the industry.

While I wouldn't do it myself, I do not consider downloading music for personal use to be theft.

[Aphex_9999]

I have to agree with a lot of things said here, the way that a lot of the music industry doesn't actually help the artist [unless they are the latest must have thing with the biggest publicity machine behind them] i personally would never download music, i'd hate to be prosecuted, but i do agree that music downloading [paid or un-paid] is the future.

its about time that the recoriding industry embrased the future and got off their heavy wallets!

[3dcandy]

Again, back to my mate...
Not only is he paid a pittance, but they force him to sign contracts which tie him to them and prevent him releasing anything else via other means. He has been told by someone else signed to the same label as himself that they actually make more money from ringtone sales than CD sales because the sheer cut the record label takes, and he also reckons that the band would make 10 times as much if they just toured and played live gigs...
How can a CD cost £15? I just can't make sense of how the record label makes up the costs...
If I really believed that I was getting value for money I'd buy more CD's...

[fredered]

The mark up buy the retail industry is quite big as well, when you think that you can pay £8 for an album on the web but it costs almost twice as much in the shops when the extra costs are fairly small.

The thing I hate about music downloading - legally- is that unless you like britany spears or an equaly popular artist the choice is awfull. One of the great opportunities of the online sector is what is sometimes called the "long tail" basically that you can make few sales of lots of songs and still make money as it costs you nothing to sell them, only howevermuch 5mb of disc costs you. But the range is not there not with some even moderately obscure bands which is why I end up going to HMV as at least it actually has the music I want.

[Funkstar]

I don't like the industry as it stands either, but really, the only way to get the music i want is by buying it on CD fron either online stores or the highstreet. Even if i was to abandon my morals are download free music, i wouldn't be able to find what i'm looking for (how often have you seen jazz, blue grass and other more esoteric genres on download sites - even the legal ones?)

I don't think i've ever payed more than £12 or £13 for an album, even for a new release double disk compilation (back in the days i used to buy Cream and Ministry of Sound albums), usually i spend less that £10. In my mind thats not bad value considdering the number of hours of pleasure i'll get listening to it... after i've ripped it to my non DRM MP3 player that is

[Mutley]

I was going to buy the new ColdPlay album until an article caught my attention regarding the DRM software on there. What really agitated me was that apparently inside the sleave there is a note telling the buyer that DRM has been added to improve the listening experience, and then goes on to list the devices the CD might not work on, including car stereos.

I'm sorry, but I'm just not buying into that. Its bulls**t.

[Steve]

What really agitated me was that apparently inside the sleave there is a note telling the buyer that DRM has been added to improve the listening experience, and then goes on to list the devices the CD might not work on, including car stereos.

It's good to know they've sewn corrupt data into the disc... enough for most CD-audio players to error correct, but enough to confuse most CD-data readers. Yup, it's good to know that improves the listening experience, and overworks the error checker and correction on your player.

Ah, the joys.

[Mutley]

What I forgot to add, is that its surely pooring scorn on the purchaser by putting this information inside the sleeve of the CD, so its not something you will read until you have bought the CD, and opened it.

I'm sure the bands don't support this, but I've not heard any statements to that effect. Perhaps they are bound by contract on that matter.

[Steve]

The biggest problem is public awareness. Most people don't know what DRM is. At best all they know is that iTunes won't let them do certain stuff with the music they've bought. I bet 90% of users with the XCP rootkit don't know it, and will still have it on their PC in a years time.

[Tomahawk]

It would seem that even though there is still alot of P2P downloading/sharing going on, many were using this feature to 'sample' songs from artists/albums before buying the CD. I know many people who still buy CD's after 'sampling' some tracks, to see if it's to their taste.. Which is great really, if there was a legal way of 'sampling' tracks either for free, or for a VERY little fee.. then I'm sure many would try it.

Also it does seem to be too much of a coincidence to find that the year the RIAA makes a mega crack-down on Pirated music and downloads, is the year music CD's fall. I suppose many would of been put off and dubious about buying many new albums, after seeing many news Reports on Sony's intrusive so-called "protection" tactics. These EXTREME (in my opinion...) tactics leave the legal and law-abiding consumer, the ones who feel the consequences of the very tactics put in place.

Now this brings me onto the fact that, ALL this protection, all the tactics used/put in place, none of it, in my opinion.. has REALLY effected the P2P (or the illegal/pirate..) community. They still state that it is a 3:1 ratio of illegal:legal downloads. So the REAL person here being penalised is the legal consumer! The 'pirates' as they call them, do not see any effect or have any problems with their music, they do not gain hidden 'rootkits', they are not restricted as to where they choose to play their music, they have total freedom over the music they choose to listen to. AND the RIAA wonders why people choose the illegal route?!

[Funkstar]

Agreed Tomahawk.

I still stand by my opinion that of all the poeple copying CDs and downloading music for free, the vast vast majority would not go out and buy the music if it was not available for free. I know of guys i've met offshore that collect pirate MP3 DVDs just for the sake of it. They can they boast about how much music the have stolen and trade it for yet more from others. Just the same as they do with disks of pr0n.

[Tomahawk]

..SNIP..I still stand by my opinion that of all the poeple copying CDs and downloading music for free, the vast vast majority would not go out and buy the music if it was not available for free...SNIP..

Yes, I totally agree with that, I was more trying to work out how their was an increase in CD sales within 2004. But I guess as time goes on more and more people find out/realise that they to 'could' download music freely.. and many seem to find it somewhat more a 'hobby' and love to boast at the thousands and thousands of tracks they have downloaded...
They must lead very interesting lives!..