Downloads force music stars to seek second jobs

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redjet

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#12673 30-Mar-2007 10:24

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10431632

Another beat-up from the music industry blaming illegal downloading for the decline in local music sales. I notice that they are focusing on the declining number of "CD" sales. One of the obvious reasons for the decline is CD sales is that people simply prefer digital media over physcial CD's. Personally I'd rather buy songs off iTunes rather than pay 30-odd dollars for a CD that I only like 2 or 3 tracks!

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cokemaster

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#65576 30-Mar-2007 10:47

The DRM troll was coming, so I had to sneak in first ;)

The problem with purchasing songs online - they are often restricted with DRM, which restricts one ability to play them on the devices you want.

Why should I purchase Itunes/Plays for sure/Zune DRM'ed songs when they restrict me to certain applications, certain platforms and certain portable players.

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sbiddle

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#65577 30-Mar-2007 10:50

I wonder if Campbell Smith can tell us how many copies of Bic Runga's songs or album have been downloaded from legal online music stores? I'm guessing the numbers probably won't add up to equal the old figures but without this information you can't say we have had 'X drop in sales' and blame illegal downloads.

redjet

299 posts

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#65578 30-Mar-2007 10:58

sbiddle: I wonder if Campbell Smith can tell us how many copies of Bic Runga's songs or album have been downloaded from legal online music stores? I'm guessing the numbers probably won't add up to equal the old figures but without this information you can't say we have had 'X drop in sales' and blame illegal downloads.

Exactly! The thing that really annoys me is that the record execs are spinning this line to Parliament's commerce select committee which I bet they will accept verbatim.

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lurker

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#65582 30-Mar-2007 11:06

Maybe part of the problem is how much (or little) the artists actually get from the record companies. I'm sure the record companies think that the artists receive a generous portion of the sales dollars but I doubt it. If it were possible I would much rather get my music direct off the artist's own website and pay them directly. Well I do know that this is happening already but it's a pity it's not a more common practice. I think I actually read a thread on GZ about this?

Jama

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#65586 30-Mar-2007 11:38

And while they are at it - how many Bic Runga ringtones have been sold and how much money has she made from touring? It would seem Mr Smith has a quite a bit of incentive to influence parliament with him being the head of the RIA, head of an artist management company and married Boh Runga (Bic's sister)....

Quite incestuous really.

stevonz

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#65590 30-Mar-2007 11:59

Too many variables to say why a certain performers albums sales are down. You couldn't just associate P2P with the decline of recent record sales. Bic's 2nd to last album was crap IMHO... maybe some people didn't want to waste money on the new album???

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timestyles

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#65623 30-Mar-2007 16:09

I have no doubt that illegal copying has had an effect on music sales - I used to buy 3-4 CDs a year, and I haven't bought one in at least 4 years. However, I doubt the internet is the cause. I have found that the best source is the local library.

Given the increase in hard drive and USB memory size, I can see a time where people copy off each other very easily - a 2GB usb device can copy 1000 songs very easily.

What people fail to see is that most performers do not make a profit on their CD sales. The high sellers (Britney etc) subsidise the low sellers. Similarly for films - there are 300 Hollywood films made each year - but where do these films go to? Not the cinema or the video store.

sillybilly

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#65660 30-Mar-2007 23:27

timestyles: I have no doubt that illegal copying has had an effect on music sales - I used to buy 3-4 CDs a year, and I haven't bought one in at least 4 years. However, I doubt the internet is the cause. I have found that the best source is the local library.

Hi guys, well I totally agree with timestyles, i know alot of people who hire out cds from public libraries, copy them and then send them back in and get another lot...too easy for some people i guess.

I think the last time i bought a cd was about 3 yrs ago as well.

CrispinMullins

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#65699 31-Mar-2007 11:52

The music business has never been about raw CD sale numbers, although that is certainly the most simplistic way to look at it. Anecdotal evidence that I have been party to suggests that in the face of "declining" CD sales, the record companies Mr. Smith represents are pushing for record deals that pay artists less per CD sold and involve higher budgets for marketing, PR, and production, meaning higher advances, meaning more money that artists have to pay back from the royalties they earn. Of course, none of this information is available to the public for reasons of commercial sensitivity.

If Smith wants to be convincing, he should try another line. If popular artists are forced to work second jobs to survive, it is far too simplistic to blame that on falling CD sales.