[Robboman]

Overall CD sales have plummeted sixteen percent for the year so far -- and that's after seven years of near-constant erosion. In the face of widespread piracy, consumers' growing preference for low-profit-margin digital singles over albums, and other woes, the record business has plunged into a historic decline.

The major labels are struggling to reinvent their business models, even as some wonder whether it's too late. "The record business is over," says music attorney Peter Paterno, who represents Metallica and Dr. Dre. "The labels have wonderful assets -- they just can't make any money off them." One senior music-industry source who requested anonymity went further: "Here we have a business that's dying. There won't be any major labels pretty soon."


Whaddya think, are the big labels doomed?


Full Article

 

[Accept2]

Good bye scumbags, remember to shut the door on your way out...........

 

[Guest]

We can hope... The "Big Labels" are most of what's wrong with the music business...

Indy labels are not only surviving, but they are thriving, mostly because they are taking advantage of advances in tech (like the net, and file sharing) that Big Labels are not...


(It's not like Free Music is a new concept.... It's been around since radio... What happens now with piracy is EXACTLY the same thing that was going on with cassette tapes and the like.... The impact of so-called 'piracy' has been blown WAY out of proportion by Big Labels who are unwilling to admit they have skited where they eat, and now don't like the taste.)

Good riddance to 'em!

 

[Robboman]

What kills me is that the big labels could have OWNED the retail side of the biz by simply keeping up with the times. Instead, they spent years whining and complaining while Apple, (a company not even IN the music biz let alone a leader) stole the show.

Apple now third-largest U.S. music retailer: survey

 

[Accept2]

Actually they were far too busy putting the malachi crunch on retailers to notice..............

 

[adamthemute]

After years and years, hype and one radio-friendly hit don't sell records anymore. Especially considering you can buy that one song from iTunes, etc. Maybe the public is finally getting bored with generic copy bands and singers that rely and their sex appeal and not musical talent?

Look at bands like Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam. Sure their records don't sell as much as they did 5-10 years ago, but they easily sell 15000+ tickets to a concert. Music is alive and well. The people are just bored me thinks.

 

[Guest]

"The people are just bored me thinks."

They also have access to MUCH more entertainment now than they did as little as 30 years ago.... Thanks to the internet and streaming content... (And other things)

So, people are more picky than they were. They can afford to be.

 

[GuitaristZ]

I think CDs will finally become obsolete...just as vinyl LP/8 tracks have. Won't be long, and they wont even have mp3s

 

[Guest]

I'm kinda surprised that more portable players (Boom boxes, "walkmans" and car stereos for example) aren't equipped with USB connections so they can play mp3s (or whatever format) stored on such.....

Or are they, and I'm simply unaware?

 

[chaoscypher]

I find the biggest thing that stops me from buying CDs is the price.

I went to HMV and Music World the other day and saw the new Dream Theatre album...for 25 bucks.... So I walked over to the 2 for $10 shelf and got 4 decent CD's (The Guess Who, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rainbow, Whitesnake) for five dollars less than a new CD.

If I had a credit card I would be more inclined to buy mp3's from the net but for most of us under 18 we don't possess such magic.

 

[GuitaristZ]

I'm kinda surprised that more portable players (Boom boxes, "walkmans" and car stereos for example) aren't equipped with USB connections so they can play mp3s (or whatever format) stored on such.....

Or are they, and I'm simply unaware?

Newer car stereos have connections (not USB though) for mp3 players I believe. I saw some in the paper a little while ago, and they arent that expensive. They usually advertise them as "comes with an ipod cable" or something like that. Its probably just a cable with a 1/8" jack on one head (headphone jack) to plug into the headphone out on your mp3 player.

 

[Robert1950]

See my thread - Last buy at Sam's.

Also, when I was looking for the ABB - Live at the Filmore - Deluxe Ed., it was $55. for the CDs. I downloaded for $20 from iTunes.

 

[Guest]

"Newer car stereos have connections for mp3 players"
All I've seen is the occasional 1/8th" "Aux In" jack....

 

[hoser]

"The labels have wonderful assets -- they just can't make any money off them."[FONT]

What a lie. The labels mostly have "artists" who are incapable of writing songs, can't sing live, can't release a coherant album and their careers are built on singles and trends. and forget rock bands, unless they can get a hit on their first album. the days of development deals are dead, and so is the evolution of artists.
the industry itself has thrown artist loyalty and consistency out the window and created a flavor of the week fast food environment. the last 20 years have been like watching a 5 star restaurant slowly turn into a Mcdonald's.

I find it astounding that these industry weasels have only been making noise about this over the last 5 years or so. The music industry went to pot long before the internet rose in popularity. Don't blame the consumer because you stopped caring about art.

They also have access to MUCH more entertainment now than they did as little as 30 years ago.... Thanks to the internet and streaming content... (And other things)

yep, I think dvds, videogames, streaming movies, and online content play a huge role in this as well. with more choices than ever, the weakest industry is going to suffer.

I'm kinda surprised that more portable players (Boom boxes, "walkmans" and car stereos for example) aren't equipped with USB connections so they can play mp3s (or whatever format) stored on such.....

Or are they, and I'm simply unaware?

"Newer car stereos have connections for mp3 players"
All I've seen is the occasional 1/8th" "Aux In" jack....

the "aux in" is the mp3 player in. all you have to do is use a stereo 1/8th cable and plug it in. most new car stereos also play mp3 cds or dvds.

 

[Stratin2traynor]

IMO the big labels will fade away. (Hopefully). As for artists who can't write or perform...I think the big labels applied cookie cutter madness to their business model and it has produced such shit that people are fed up. There is a ton of talent out there they are just not necessarily on the cover of every magazine cover. They are actually in CD racks across the world and on file sharing sites etc...You just have to look.

I don't buy an album anymore without hearing a clip of every tune - unless of course the album is by some of my favorite artists then it doesn't matter, I want to hear what they wrote and what they have to say. Luckily we as consumers have more of a choice.

 

[Geek]

Whaddya think, are the big labels doomed?

:banana:

Good bye scumbags, remember to shut the door on your way out...........

My sentiments exactly.

 

[gproud]

The big labels are doomed. For the very simple reason (that was already stated by someone) that they refused to jump on the Technology Bandwagon when they had a chance (instead, they whined about it and how much money they were losing) and they got left behind. I think it would be interesting to see the 'business' side put into the lap of the artist, like a lot of very successful indie artists do, and see which ones are still standing when the smoke clears. I was listening to an old 4 Track (cassette, not reel-to-reel) demo I did with a band I was in back in '94, and then listened to some quick riffage I put down on my Guitarport; and it's amazing how much technology has come along in 13 years. The ability is there for an artist to do a 'decent' recording without spending $1000's in a studio, and get it out to the masses via the World Wide Web. I myself personally prefer analog recording, but there's no escaping the digital world when it comes to music. From recording it, to downloading it, to listening to it, to deleting it because you don't like it. Maybe it's a sad state of affairs, but we either have to embrace the technology, or get left behind. That's what the record companies are doing; getting left behind to fade into oblivion.

 

[GuitarsCanada]

Remember the days when you could not wait to get a few bucks in your pocket and zoom down to the record store to pick up some wax? Those were the days man... all over now.

 

[gproud]

Remember the days when you could not wait to get a few bucks in your pocket and zoom down to the record store to pick up some wax? Those were the days man... all over now.

+1 Waiting for the store to open to pick up the new album of ______, then finding out they couldn't officially sell it until noon or some such thing; and being on pins and needles waiting to crack it open and put it on. You know, music has been missing something since the static/crackle of vinyl. It's so pristine, sterilized sounding now...

And I'm only 34. Geez...

 

[david henman]

...some great observations here.

this is particularly relevant, as i consider myself a new artist, about to release my first commercial cd.

i have no idea where to start, although i like the idea of working with an agressive idependent. certainly i have little interest in approaching the big labels. what is there, maybe three left?

-dh