Piracy Blamed by Industry for Low Music Sales

[FunkyMonkey]

Piracy Blamed by Industry for Low Music Sales

Jan 22nd 2010

Record labels have blamed increasing music piracy as well as new legal streaming services like Spotify for the decreasing rate of sales of digital music.

The International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI), which represents the recording industry worldwide, announced last year's digital revenues amounted to $4.2bn (?2.6bn), just 12% of the previous year's 25% rate of growth -- with a 10% drop in music sales overall.

The Guardian reports the IFPI estimate that 95% of music downloads worldwide are illegal, with head of the organisation John Kennedy commenting, "It would be great to report these innovations have been rewarded by market growth, more investment in artists, more jobs. Sadly that is not the case. Digital piracy remains a huge barrier to market growth."

According to the IFPI's figures revealed today, all music sales worldwide have fallen around 30% in the last five years.

Kennedy reasoned that consumers explain illegally downloading songs saying, "because it's free and because we can. It's not more complex than that, not a better offering, not a better service. It's because it free and because we can."

http://www.spinner.com/2010/01/22/piracy-blamed-by-industry-for-low-music-sales/

Full story: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/21/music-industry-piracy-hits-sales

[mrlee]

theyve been blaming it for 10 years. and will continue to blame it until theyve gone bust.

[D]

Itunes and 99 cent stores are more to blame.



For instance:

Flo Rida's album barely hit a million but he has 2 singles that have been legally downloaded over 5 million times


so, if people couldn't get the single for 99 cents, maybe he'd have 5 million ALBUM sales instead of 5 million single sales.

5 million x .99  or 5 million x 15 bucks....

labels are retarded at math obviously


kill the Itunes, 99 cent CD single shit, and they may not do major numbers cause piracy effects it, but not as bad as they let on.

[Eazy E]

I think it's time for the music "industry" to just pack it in.  The system as it is will never allow them to support great artists, and I'm definitely not rushing out to buy the next manufactured pop CD.  Once the next generation comes along buying a physical product will become a thing of the past because everyone can either download what they want, or just buy the hit single digitally (which is usually backed by 12 tracks of filler anyways).

I wonder if music has reached it's peak?  Is this the way things will be from now on?  Nothing fresh & exciting, nothing that can unite people?

[mrlee]

I think it's time for the music "industry" to just pack it in.  The system as it is will never allow them to support great artists, and I'm definitely not rushing out to buy the next manufactured pop CD.  Once the next generation comes along buying a physical product will become a thing of the past because everyone can either download what they want, or just buy the hit single digitally (which is usually backed by 12 tracks of filler anyways).

I wonder if music has reached it's peak?  Is this the way things will be from now on?  Nothing fresh & exciting, nothing that can unite people?

ive been thinking the same thing myself, unfortunately.


Also more and more people my age (that are avid music fans) are going back and listening to old music (no particular decade etc, depends what the person digs). This could be a sign of the lack of modern music that really strikes a note with people.

Example.

You may or may not like this yourself. Old song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx83OhR1NIw

i can literally listen to this song, over and over again cause its just ace.

New song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA3twi3iSNQ

I like this, and i like this band, while the musics good. I still dont feel a real connection or a need to go back to that album n listen to it alot over n over.