Posted on 07/10/2002 1:02:19 PM PDT by Reaganwuzthebest
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The record industry pleaded on Wednesday with consumers to stop downloading and recording music for free because piracy was strangling the multi-billion-dollar industry.
Profits have plummeted, especially in Europe. CD sales in Germany last year were 185 million whereas the number of blank CDs used to copy music was estimated at 182 million.
Record executives also believe there are now more unauthorized music files available on the Internet than at the height of Napster ( news - web sites)'s success in the field.
"Music for free means less new music, fewer new artists, less choice, thousands less jobs," said Jay Berman, head of the industry's main trade body, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
Electronic music composer Jean Michel Jarre, who has staged spectacular sound and light shows around the world, fervently agreed, telling reporters: "If music is to continue to support the livelihoods of artists, it cannot be taken without the permission of artists."
They were speaking at a news conference in Brussels to mark the IFPI Platinum Europe Awards that are staged every two years to give out record industry "Oscars ( news - web sites)" to artists who have sold over one million albums across the continent.
The industry may be celebrating the bestsellers but it is clearly alarmed.
John Kennedy, President and Chief Operating Officer of Universal Music International, warned: "If the prevailing music for free mentality is left unchecked, record companies will no longer be able to re-invest up to 15 percent of their revenues in discovering and nurturing the Platinum artists of the future."
IFPI sales figures for 2001 showed a five percent fall in the value of recorded music worldwide to $33.7 billion. Among the steepest falls were in Europe -- Denmark was down 19 percent and Austria 10 percent.
Kennedy, speaking to Reuters afterwards, said the figures speak for themselves.
"In 2000 in America, seven albums sold more than five million copies. Since then, none has sold more than five million copies," he said, putting the fall down to consumers who spurn the record stores and search elsewhere to get their music for free.
Kennedy said Irish supergroup U2 sold 10 million copies of their first Greatest Hits compilation album. The second volume is due out this year and he wondered: "Are these figures still attainable?"
Regarding lowering the price, that would help. It actually costs less to produce a CD than it did to produce a vinyl LP, yet the margin is at least three times higher.
Napster sold more CDs -- with great quality sound -- after some tracks were sampled in MP3.
Being too greedy has lost it for them.
They are now like the vacuum tube manufacturers trying to stop the transistors. Or buggy whip makers, or makers of pitch tar torches.
The music biz is is in its death-throes. They know it and there isn't anything they can do about it. There is an entire generation of kids out there who have never known what it is to actually *pay* for recorded music.
The only people getting screwed here are the execs. Musicians don't make diddly-squat from CD sales --maybe pennies on the dollar. Musicians (especially small, touring bands) actually win out with this new arrangement. More people get exposed to their music this allows them to make more money performing live (which is really where musicians have fun make the bulk of their cash).
It is the suits who are panicked.
Here is a related thread: Labels to Net Radio: Die Now (Why RIAA wants to kill internet radio)
That and the fact there simply aren't any Led Zeppelins or Pink Floyds around today. The quality of the music has never been this bad.
Industry bigwigs---->bwahahahahaha. go away. music today stinks anyway.
Pollyana want a cracker? Your joking right.
The industry REALLY needs to start over, and flush out ALL the idiots, and re-think how music is made, produced, and profited on.
I have found that going AROUND the Industry penguins (think white powder here...), and getting my music heard by all who want to ALSO has had the wondrous effect of killing schlock radio and talent-less DJ's as well!
Dead-Bang on target! This assesment is 100% correct!
I beg to differ. There is an incredible amount of quality music being made today, in many, many different genres. It just isn't being played on the radio or pushed by major labels. The smaller artists who are exposed to a larger audience by file-sharing networks are the ones making incredible music, and they benefit from the current environment. THAT's what terrifies the execs right now.
This is a blatant lie, and they know it. I've found it increasingly difficult to locate the tunes I search for now and again. Mostly you get spammed with .txt lists of "WinAmp" generated play lists.
(And if you're one of these people who puts their play lists on their website, you should have your butt kicked.)
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