Posted on 08/26/2002 7:07:13 PM PDT by GeneD
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Compact disc music sales decreased 7 percent during the first half of the year, a further indication that online music sharing sites are hurting the recording industry, a trade group said Monday.
The decline cost the industry $284 million in lost sales, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
The decline, measured by PricewaterhouseCoopers, compares with a 5.3 percent drop in CD shipments in the first half of 2001. The RIAA said the industry uses just-in-time delivery, so CD shipments are reliably indicative of actual sales.
Also Monday, the RIAA released a separate survey of Internet users' music habits, which found that most consumers between the ages of 12 and 54 bought fewer CDs as they downloaded more tracks.
Previous studies independent of the music industry have suggested that access to free music on the Web actually encourages consumers to experiment with new acts and buy more CDs.
"We find a striking connection between people who say they are downloading more and buying less," said Geoff Garin, the pollster for Peter D. Hart Research Associates, who conducted the random telephone survey of 860 consumers for the RIAA in May. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Of consumers polled whose downloading increased during the last six months, 41 percent reported buying less music, compared with 19 percent who said they were purchasing more, he said.
Among those polled who said they were downloading the same amount as six months earlier, 25 percent said they purchased less music, compared with 13 percent who bought more, Garin said.
The survey also reported that 35 percent said they go straight to an Internet file sharing site whenever they hear an unfamiliar artist they like. Only 10 percent reported that they immediately buy the artist's album.
The poll did not provide information about consumer attitudes on other factors widely considered to be affecting CD sales, including the quality of new releases and the lack of easy-to-use online services from the major recording labels.
"I very strongly conclude that the ability to get music for free is an important factor and has an adverse effect on music purchasing. I would not argue that it is the one and only factor," Garin said.
Knock this crap off. The only people that say things like this on an anonymous forum couldn't whip their way out of preschool.
I went to 3 stores on Sunday looking for a copy of The Crystal Method's "Name of the Game".
$18.50 was the lowest price I could find, and I only wanted that one song.
I just downloaded a pirated copy, instead of buying it.
You can call it whatever you like, it won't make it so.
Look, you stuck your nose into something that was none of your business. Now you won't let it die.
I didn't make a statement or a comment that normally would elicit comment on it from other posters. I asked someone to clarify his comment. It certainly wasn't clear to me based on the article which he was commenting about. If you think I should have known, goody for you. I could not care less what your opinion of my cognitive powers is. I also don't care what you think his meaning was, as I have already explained.
You seem bound and determined to pick a fight with me. What precisely is your point? And does it have anything whatsoever to do with this subject?
$14.99? What the hell are you talking about?
I went to 3 stores on Sunday looking for a copy of The Crystal Method's "Name of the Game".
$18.50 was the lowest price I could find, and I only wanted that one song.
I just downloaded a pirated copy, instead of buying it.
142 posted on 8/27/02 1:44 PM Central by Psycho_Bunny
Screw you. This slug made a sexual reference to my wife IN AN ANONYMOUS FORUM. Like a true coward.
I'm not a tough guy but if he had the guts to say it to me in person, I would punch him in the mouth.
Now you get involved, maybe you think it is appropriate to do what he did, but not my response. Maybe you are wrong. I care about your opinion on that about as much as his.
ThomasJefferson: Cite where I did that. Or withdraw and climb back into your hole.
I see that TommyJ has resorted to his well known insulting and namecalling on FR by reciting his classic "Climb back into your hole". It shouldn't be too much longer before he utters his often repeated "Now go play in heavy traffic" barb.
Yea, but can I download MP3's onto Sony Memory Sticks so I can play it on my Clie PDA while on an airplane?
Consider it dead. You've certainly dug the hole deep enough to bury it.
The rest of the catalogue is not, but that's supposed to change within the next few months.
Bear in mind that Rhapsody is the only listen-on-demand service that currently has agreements with the five largest record labels. It is taking time and negotiations to get them to "yes" on CD Burning.
The fact is, you cannot at this time get very many of the myriad copyright holders to agree in principle that cheap, portable music is a "good thing." Until these folks see that they have SOMETHING to gain, they're going to continue to drag their heels.
However, continual and flagrant breaking of the law is not the answer, IMO. Support for viable alternatives such as Rhapsody IS.
And yes the RIAA doesn't care about your rights except as they may figure a way to charge you to use them. And it is fair use to trade songs -- internet or locally. To sell the songs -- no. To trade them, yes.
Ok, go play in the traffic. Unless of course, you can cite the post where I said something which I never said. You see, that's the problem with lying about someone's position, you have to back it up with proof. And when you can't, you are shown for what you are.
I take it you did this in the past also?
Well said.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.