What is Digg?57 Comments
- Cjattwood, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Give us some good albums to buy and sales will go back up...
- almostmanda, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8the main reason it hasn't caught on is most people are satisfied with cds. audiophiles might "demand" better sound, but for most of us, an audio cd is beyond the quality we need. adding to that, people who have built up large cd collections are not going to go out and replace their entire library with a different format--the RIAA seems to think consumers want to re-buy their music every ten years. we don't.
- Unicyclelarry, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I still buy CDs, but not many. Being 16 I do not yet have a credit card (have a job and a debit card but I'd rather use credit online). I have a fairly meager music collection right now and find my self listening to Pandora more than my music, which I listen to on my iPod. The main reason I do not have very much music is because I simply cannot afford to spend $16 per CD unless I absolutely know I'll love the album. If I could right now, I would by music form the iTMS (or all of mp3) in a heartbeat and I would have a much larger music collection.
This is a good thing for the music industry. By using the iTMS I would be spending more money on music since I wouldn't feel ripped off buying CDs. - fortezza, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6>I would bet that if somone were to check 80 perent of the user's of Digg's mp3 collection
Invasion of privacy.
>the public really is not aware of DRM or even what it is.
Violates First Sale and Sony-Beta Court Ruling
>legit online music distribution sites are trying to catch up to the illegal ones
They are trying to shoe-horn current technology into their old business model, and it's not going to work. Distribution of media is no longer a valid business where it is electronic. I see this busines model disappearing in 15 years after a ton of time and money is wasted trying to keep it alive.
>think that stealing music is the norm
It is copyright violation, not stealing. Secondly, law is here to serve the people, not the other way around. If the people don't like it, it should be repealed. The US Congress has already derailed copyright law so that it has destroyed what it was created to protect. We need to start over.
>If you want to send a message support more independent artists instead.
Not a bad idea. There are not always independents that match a person' s particular music tastes. I like French and Russian music, for example. Eventually all artists will be independents using digital media to promote their performances ( not for making money ), when that happens, watch US exposure to internation music increase rapidly.
To sum things up, Audion CD technology does not have a future. The current music industry does not have a future. Business models will change after much violent resistance ( and subsequent demise ) of current industry leaders, and digital media distribution will be used for advertisement, not for revenue. There is a small chance thing will go the opposite direction, but that would end up in such a big brother ( 1984 ) type of situation where even your own computer 'watches' you, that most people would rather read an old paper book or go watch an outdoor play than deal with it.
- newevilmind, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4MTV and free-radio aren't about music anymore.
they're about selling commercials.
and that's why it's so hard for a real music fan to pay attention to that *****.
especially radio. you can't see their ***** on the radio.
they only show videos by "hot" chicks and retarded rap guys. - Nation, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4you do know that if you have a visa debit card and use it as a credit card ... it is just like using a visa credit card in regards to fraud protection. If you use it as an ATM card, ie use the pin number, then that is different, but just use it as a credit card 100% of the time and it is just as safe, check the visa fraud site to see this in black and white.
- largetalons, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4In the 80's and early 90's MTV and VH1 primarily played videos. And they played a variety of genre's. When I saw a cool video, I'd buy the cd. People just aren't learning about new music anymore. You really have to dig to find it, and most of my friends just aren't willing.
- DEFSMAC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4i couldn't agree more. mtv play nothing but crappy shows and the videos they do play are crap, sorry i mean rap.not to mention the radio is nothing but rap stations or teeny bopper pop stations. where are we supposed to hear about new music? someone says "hey download some -insert name- here you'll like them", and if you do like them you'll just download the entire cd instead of buying it for $20.
- volcompimp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I could sift through here and read every arguement about DRM, mp3's, prices of cd's etc....
Had absolutely nothing to do w/ the sales drop. Of course the RIAA will blame it on piracy and act
as if their sales were horrible. That's all BS. They actually did really well last year (and last xmas)
despite the drop in sales compared to the year before. One reason is 2004 was a good year for them.
Another reason was because their product simply sucks. The DRM issue certainly doesn't help but
that doesn't stop anyone from buying CD's who's gonna buy them in the first place.
Believe me, I work at a independent record store which cause EVERY music store in our area (besides place
like Walmart and Target) to close down. Very soon after our store opened some years back, music stores
started dropping like flies, and I live in the Cali Bay Area (East Bay). - newevilmind, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3how do people even get caught downloading??
I understand people getting caught/punished for uploading/distributing,
but especially with bitTorrent I don't even understand how it's possible to get caught.
please someone explain to me how a person gets caught. - newevilmind, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4CD burners probably hurt CD sales as much or more than mp3's.
I personally don't download much music, but people DO give me a lot of CD-R's and mp3 discs - MikeCampo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4That is one factor, but still, there are so many things against CD's right now: they are overpriced, songs are available on the internet, and their shelf life is running low..kind of like how CD's replaced tapes, and tapes replaced records. Now the net is replacing CD's.
- clashbomb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3hmm, well does this take into account the 'indie' or smaller bands around the country. (probably not) It seems to me that people just don't like most of the high-profile crap coming from the major recording companies (a la movies) and may have shifted their tastes to 'local bands', 'indie' or what have you.
- Sirocco, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3If people are still going gaga over lossy MP3s, there's no reason for a new format with higher fidelity. Plus, with the 'hot' CDs coming from being improperly mastered, we're not even pushing the limits of the CD format.
- astrotrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Simple, $hit doesn't sell... you get more $hit... you get fewer sales.... no blammoing anyone or any group of
why their cd sales are down.
And besides if anything sells, its going to be on line...from music stores dealing with singles... nobody buys
an album anymore for the on $hit wonder.... its impractical. - timmclargehuge, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Good.
Also, what else would you expect when online sales come into play? Not to mention this doesn't take into account non-major labels. When music becomes digital its no longer necessary to get your CDs out into Wal-Mart in order to get some sales. - diggnationdevon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2iTunes and online music will be standard eventually, no surprise here.
- volcompimp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2That's why most people these days (who buys rap music) just buys mix tapes. The album format isn't dead, but the way it's marketed and sold these days mostly sucks. Some artists pull it off really well while others simply make 1 song and throw together a bunch of other ***** songs whether they are rock, rap or R&B groups. Mainstream rock can't even throw together a good single these days! I can't remember the last time a rock single made it to my ears that was mainstream, and I work at a music store! I can't even listen to rock radio stations anymore. I tried listening to rap stations for a little while but there aren't a whole lot of good songs played which is why I ended up getting into Reggaeton.... Yes Spanish music! That's how bad the industry is getting.
- recover82, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2don't blame me. i've bought more albums in the last few years thanks to that horrible file swapping everyone is talking about.
- goettel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2P.S. For sale: CD, useless...
- largetalons, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It sucks that MTV doesn't play videos during prime time anymore, but this problem isn't their fault. We all want videos all the time, but the truth is that videos just don't get the ratings that their shows do. And MTV is a business that wants to make money. I admit, I've been sucked into some real world marathons and I probably wouldn't watch videos as long. I was watching MTV this morning for a bit, and I almost barfed because it was so lame. I want the MTV of the early 90's back!
- volcompimp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That's a very good point when it comes to rap music in the bay area. Last year, Thizz entertainment probably sold more albums at our store alone (and we're one of the less popular stores in our independent chain in the bay area) than any other rapper or group of rappers.
- tidejwe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1if it's any consolation, I converted from p2p downloading to allofmp3.com! I rarely get music in the first place, but now that I know I can legally pay for it at a price that's not ripping me off, I do it...get a clue RIAA...I don't even care if it cost a little more than allofmp3.com charges...but at least make it REASONABLE
- carlvjack, on 10/12/2007, -7/+8I would bet that if somone were to check 80 perent of the user's of Digg's mp3 collection I bet they would find that the majority of it was illegally downloaded. The fact of the matter is iTunes does sell a ton of music legally and the majority of the public really is not aware of DRM or even what it is. Tech heads seem to think they know what makes or breaks certain industries but the fact of the matter they do not know much about business at all.
People want DRM removed yet all the legit online music distribution sites are trying to catch up to the illegal ones, something is wrong there. People I talk to think that stealing music is the norm and I hear people on here try to morally justify stealing music as a way to get back at the man or something which is stupid. If you want to send a message support more independent artists instead. - xtremesniper, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Besides the fact that the Compact Disk is an aging technology (that doesn't really affect this as much because CD players are still popular everywhere), the real reason why CD sales are down is because everyone hates the DRM crap that these big companies are shoving into our faces. I didn't buy a good 4 CDs recently because they all had DRM. Essentially, the copy protection is what makes or breaks the sale for me.
- Nation, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1koshak, I demand proof, where is your proof that less money is being spent on "all music" ... not "RIAA Music", but "all Music".
You might be able to prove that less money is being spent on RIAA music, but we are in a day and age where more and more artists do not want anything to do with the RIAA or a traditional label. They use paypal, or CD baby, or itunes and do it all on their own.
Artists are starting to realize they would rather be able to pay their mortgage then be on the top of the charts, so they push for sales at concerts, through the website, etc ... and those sales do not show up as barscans. - newevilmind, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1yeah, it's annoying that Cd's cost $14 and there are maybe 3 good songs on one.
This isn't the 1970's. It's not album rock anymore.
If someone creates a good song, I'll like the song.
why should the song be attached to 12 other songs.
whatever the album format is dead.
I wouldn't mind paying $1 for an mp3, if that's all it was was a regular mp3.
I don't want to deal with DRM. - volcompimp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That's absolutely false. Mainstream music buyers got off the bandwagon after Kazaa and simple clients like that started to fade away. Music sales were good last year despire their drop from 2004 because 2004 was a good year for the industry.
- goettel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The music industry has become superfluous, simply because the internet provides us with a comparable set of uses: information about potentially interesting music, a channel of distribution, and a social and cultural context for the music we like. The average listener would buy music based on airplay, top-lists and peer pressure, the serious collector would buy music based on context: artists on a favored label, music positively reviewed by a trusted magazine or radio dj, etc.
The music industry in its current form will go the way of the dodo, and nobody should care about that but the shareholders, because the services offered by the industry are available for free. There's still money to be made, and all it takes now is a nice website, good server bandwidth for hosted, downloadable content, and a grasp of how to use the internet to reach your public. Host your music for a fair price and avoid crippling your product with DRM and other nonsense, and "they will come".
For those here still clinging onto the misconception that illegal downloading of mp3 music hurt sales at all, read http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5181562.html to inform yourself.
I recently bought an album which I had downloaded a while back and been listening to a lot, simply because I wanted to have the best quality available. When I tried to play it at work, where I only have my PC's CD-ROM to play music, it turned out I couldn't. I spent almost twenty euro to buy a legal product, which is useless to me. If you download music you're called a pirate and a thief. What's a good name for someone selling you crippled, useless and expensive copies of something they didn't create? - kolop1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1 Could it be because music really sux anymore?
- w0rd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Oops, you may have some valid points but you insulted iTunes. Prepare to be buried into oblivion by the Apple kids.
- geeke, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Yea because todays music is freaking crap. I mean American Idol cds and these movie and tv stars "OMG I can act, think I wil start a singing career too and put out a ***** cd!" Heck music from the 1500's is better than the crap they call music today.
- Jeebugorn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1a big factor that i havent bought cd's lately is because i hadnt heard anything worth buying. when i did buy music it was through allofmp3. howver, octane on sirius sat radio has started playing alot of bands that a less known but really good, bands like: faktion, evan's blue, and egypt central. i bought evan's blue cd from best buy, but the other i bought from "more legit" online music stores.
- MechaFenris, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Buy independent. Simple. Tell the RIAA how you feel with the only voice they can hear...your wallet. If they claim piracy is killing their business, which they already do anyway, at least you'll know that they are indeed being hurt by their own arrogance and greed. Simply put, their "product" is entertainment. It is not required for existence, though they'd like to sell you that line. They have consistently tried the old method of "we will tell you what to like", and in the age of the Internet where people can sample things for themselves, it's not working. Their decline in sales reflects this. Until they start treating customers as a gift to their existence, rather than a burden that gets in the way of them depositing mountains of cash, we will see it decline even more. Good riddance to mediocre rubbish.
And for all those (Koshak, I'm looking at YOU) who insist on calling Copyright infringement "stealing".... learn how the law works. Copyright infringement is not theft. It is not viewed as theft by our legal system. It is only viewed as theft by the industry who wants to hijack the discourse on copyright... the music cartels. (Same holds true for movies as well.) Any, and I do mean, ANY people who insist on using "stealing" and "copyright infringement" interchangeably have already lost the argument. Talk to a (competent) lawyer if you don't believe me.
"LIMITED TIME"... perpetual copyright is NOT a guaranteed "right" for content holders. Despite the complicity of the government in making it so. It's time to take back the Public Domain. - Nation, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You know, lots of people who have never created music say stuff like "Would it bankrupt them to have an album be good from beginning to end?" and where I agree there are a lot of CDs I have purchased and been greatly disappointed because I only liked one or two songs. It is very simplistic to say "Why not make the whole CD good?".
Creating music is hard, editing music is hard, producing music is hard and thus I understand why a record company takes a couple good songs and wants to make money off them now. Thus they add other random (or crappy, or lower quality) songs and shove the CD out the door.
The industry is changing and they have made mistakes, but they are not purposely hording the good songs and only releasing one or two at a time ... when they get a great song, they get it out there.
I am also not directing all this at LiterateWolf, your comments just brought this to my mind. - cranium, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I agree that making good music is hard, but that's no reason to expect people to pay for mediocre crap. If they want their sales to go up, they're going to have to try a little harder.
I have hundreds of CDs, less than a dozen contain music made in the last 5 years. I'm a paying customer, but I absolutely WILL NOT buy music with DRM.
People have been able to make backup copies of their music as far back as I can remember, and it's legal to do so, however today's music industry considers me a "pirate" if I do so. They're the crooks, they're the ones robbing customers of their right to make legitimate backup copies. That is why they can kiss my wrinkly bean-bag. - Nation, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I am not sure this is accurate or, at least, spun really hard.
The RIAA only counts some (not all) CD sales, I am not sure they even count sales from online stores like amazon.com and buy.com, but I know they do not count sales at concerts, off artist websites or by independent (non-RIAA) bands.
Then as other people have already said: itunes and other digital sales decrees "CD sales" ... but the real question should be -- How much is being spent on music? (there is no real way to accurately count this, only make estimates and guesses (these can be relatively accurate, but not what this article is saying). - bdbr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is an area with a ton of variable factors, and its tempting to oversimplify it.
First off, yes there is the illegal downloading. Its effect is difficult to determine. Some people will download music rather than buy it. Others will buy the CD because they downloaded it and liked it, and just wanted the real thing. Bitcomet has cost me more (in subsequent CD purchases) than any music program! There could also be a negative sales factor associated with this, because the purchase may be held off and the final sale be a used CD (which doesn't profit the label).
Then there's the effect of indie music, which is also difficult to determine. Their sales increased quite a bit last year, and that may or may not be in these figures. Percentage-wise, eMusic may have actually grown faster than iTunes last year, and that may also not be reflected in these figures because its all non-RIAA.
Then there's the effect of satellite radio, online subscription services, and online radio as sources of music that didn't previously exist to any large degree. That's usually just left out of the equation.
The sales of legal downloads are typically overstated, in some strange attempt to make it sound "hot". The OP says that 705 million CDs were sold in 2005, but it took iTunes three years to sell a billion songs. With a conservative estimate of 10 songs per CD, that's well over a 20-to-1 ratio for that three-year period. By far, CDs are still where its at.
DRM and 'copy-protection' malware are issues that most people probably don't even understand. Most people who buy mp3 players will buy an iPod, and the DRM feels pretty transparent to them at the moment. The iTunes sales makes it obvious that the casual user doesn't feel DRM a big enough issue to avoid it.
And finally it gets down to price and quality, neither of which is, in general, very attractive.
Can all these factors be analyzed to come up with a real answer? Probably not - too much data, and too many vested interests. - fingolfin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0 It isn't a way to "get back at the man" whoever you are talking about. What it is, is easier and much much cheaper.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Yeah, right volco...music sucks so bad that people don't want to buy it. However, it doesn't suck quite enough to prevent them from wanting to STEAL it. "You know, the Porsche 911 isn't as good as it usedd to be. I refuse to buy it. I WILL however, steal it."
You are the biggest moron ever. No one with a brain takes you seriously when you say things like that. Fortunately for you, that means you will be well received by the majority of digg users. - newevilmind, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@sirocco
so true.
that's also why the blu-ray hd DVD thing doesn't matter.
most people don't care.
just like most people don't care about SACDs or DVD audio.
people want convenient digital files.
not super expensive scratchible discs. - LDanix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The majority of people are comparing the albums of yester-year to today's. Many music lovers will agree that albums (CDs) have been released with progressively fewer good songs than they did several years ago. I agree that good music is difficult to produce. But I must point out that it is not so hard that it cannot be done, and consistently done at that. It has been done in the past, why can't it be done now?
- NYRangers4evr, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Phil! u *****! i'm back and i'm replyin to every single one of yur comment, RAT ***** RACIST! Just as the ***** Ben Stiller once said,"Deal with it..." so i'm replying to yur ***** racy comments. P.S. i dare u to post yur ***** address
- philupthecup, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4***** happens, but this ***** was inevitable
- LDanix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I haven't purchased a "new" CD or DVD in the past 5 years. I have bought and traded in over 200 CDs and 75 DVDs from used CD/DVD outlets. I also use Half.com and Ebay to purchase my CD/DVDs.
Since purchasing used CDs, movies, and video games has become easier, cheaper, and more known; the tracked sales from retail stores is naturally going to go down. I don't think the general public is avoiding purchasing RAFIAA-backed CDs and DVDs at all. They are finding other (cheaper) and, not to mention, perfectly legal ways of getting the music.
BTW, if it wasn't for Kazaa and Morpheus, I would never have spent my hard earned money on as many CDs as I did. The RAFIAA can thank Sharman Networks for the $2000 I have invested into their music and movies. - LiterateWolf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I haven't bought CDs in awhile. I don't use iTunes either. Shoutcast works perfectly for me. If RIAA keeps insissting on crappy music, people won't buy it. I don't want to pay $20 for a CD that has one good song. Would it bankrupt them to have an album be good from beginning to end? It's quality and DRM that prevents from buying CDs.
- bitbank, on 10/12/2007, -15/+15Greed and stupidity are going to sink the music industry. How many of us would gladly buy CD's priced at $5-7 each and not shackled with DRM? I personally find music downloads (i.e. iTunes) to be a total rip-off. You get a low quality compressed version of your music with restrictions on its use.
When the dollar was strong against the Brazilian REAL I used to buy my $5-7 CD's from there, but now that Bush ruined the economy, I can't do it anymore :( - harry8227, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Its not hard to explain there are three reasons as II see it
1. Some just boycott the music industry, I know of a few.
2. The artist are not putting out the quality they did in the past.
3. Even when they sing old songs they jazz them up so they become butchered and not worth listening to - Fleagle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0If you really want music CDs, buy them used. It supports local business and you have your music legally. Sure, the musicians don't get anything from the sale, but neither does the record industry.
- CyberSmackdown, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Hey RIAA -
CDs or tapes?
CDs?
CDs nuts in yo mouth. -
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