Album sales down to a new 8 year low. INDUSTRY IN CRISIS!

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U.S. music album sales last year slid to their lowest level since 1996, squelching any hopes that the recording industry's long downward spiral may have bottomed out, according to sales data issued on Wednesday.

Tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan, which measures point-of-sale purchases across the United States, said total album sales -- including current and catalog titles -- fell 7.2 percent from 2004 to 618.9 million units, the lowest since 1996, when they were 616.6 million.

After enjoying a rare "up" year in 2004, prompting predictions the worst was over, sales flagged during 2005, hurt by competition from illegal downloads, rival forms of entertainment such as video games, and a lack of breakout musical acts.

Indeed the top album was from veteran pop singer
Mariah Carey, who sold almost five million units of her comeback release "The Emancipation of Mimi." By contrast, the top album of 2004, R&B singer Usher's "Confessions," sold almost eight million copies that year.

The industry counts CDs, cassettes, vinyl records and digital releases as "albums."

Nielsen SoundScan said overall music sales, which includes albums, singles, music videos and digital tracks, jumped 22.7 percent to just over a billion units in 2005. The rise was fueled by a 194 percent increase in digital downloads.

Industry leader Universal Music Group was the top distributor with 31.7 percent of album sales, up from 29.6 percent in 2004. The unit of France's Vivendi Universal SA released both Carey's album and the year's second-ranked album, rapper 50 Cent's "The Massacre," which sold 4.9 million units.

Sony BMG Music Entertainment, a nascent joint venture between Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). and Bertelsmann AG, was second with 25.61 percent, down from 28.4 percent in 2004. Its top album was inaugural "American Idol" winner
Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway," which ranked No. 3 for the year with sales of 3.5 million copies.

Third was Warner Music Group Corp., with 15 percent of the market, up slightly from 2004 when it had about a 14.7 percent share. Album sales were led by punk trio Green Day, which sold 3.4 million copies of "American Idiot," the year's No. 4 release.

EMI Group Plc. was last among the "big four" major labels with 9.5 percent, down from 9.9 percent in 2004. Its top act was British band Coldplay, which ranked No. 6 on the albums list with sales of 2.6 million copies for "X&Y."

SOURCE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060105/...re_albums_dc_1

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I am mainly posting this because it still amazes me that the music industry seems to think illegal downloads are the cause of its year in and year out failures. NOBODY wants the next Metallica album. No one want to hear most of these people. They all sound the same or sound the same as their counter parts 6 years ago. The industry isn't growing or finding NEW talent.

I am not saying they have to sign the Polo Ponys(although I wouldn't mind it if they did) but they should probably go out and find people who write their own music and do a good job of it. Go to some bars and places like that. Try to find talent and grow it.

Also it isn't just album sales that are down. It is also concert sales that are down and continueing to decline. That is the biggest pointer that it isn't file sharing. Most of these people can't do a decent job of playing music in the first place. The only reason it sounds good at all is because you can mix the out stuff in the recording studio.

I end this all with these great words

"THANK YOU SUPER BOWL!"

WHAT THE smurf WAS HE THINKING WHEN HE SAID THAT ONE?!!??!?!!?!?

Wohoo, win!

This is not bad for the future production of music. The music production will never cease. It's just bad for the record companies and their productions created solely for commercial success. I wouldn't shed any major amount of tears if all the major record companies would suddenly just perish. It wouldn't prevent new good music from being available.

The best music is created by people who have a desire to create good music, not by people who have a desire to become rich and famous. These people will not stop creating music even if their current label goes bankrupt. Many artist sell their albums merely on a website, which they made themselves and that way they make a lot more money per CD than they would if they were signed to a record company. Record companies fill no important function, they just extract money from the pockets of the bands and the consumers.

Yeah, seriously. They don't want to consider that music just... sucks lately. There were hardly any new CDs that I bought in 2005 that came out in 2005, and only one or two of the ones I did buy were good.

Music doesn't suck lately. You're just not looking hard enough. It's just the music that the record companies make available to everyone that sucks.

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Originally Posted by jrgen

Music doesn't suck lately. You're just not looking hard enough. It's just the music that the record companies make available to everyone that sucks.

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Which is what I've been trying to do lately. I've been going into more underground bands lately, and they don't suck, but still.

all the mainstream music nowadays sucks
Which decade do u guys rekon had the best music?
IMo 80s had the best music

I think people are less invested in celebrities today than lets say, 10 years ago. And true, I've only bought one CD of 2005, and that was by a performer who's been around for more than a decade. People do not care about bimbo looking Pussycats Dolls or airheads like Jessica Simpsons.

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Originally Posted by A7X_Weapon

Which decade do u guys rekon had the best music?
IMo 80s had the best music

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The 00s or the 90s. 2004 is my favourite year.

I BLAYM TEH INTERWEBS!111!!!!!!!!

Yeah a lot of mainstream (and well promoted) music sucks nowadays. Your average joe won't really be willing to look into the better and more underground stuff, nor will he want to buy any of the more mainstream stuff 'cause it sucks. Therefore he just forgets about music and decides he's better off just sitting on the couch watching football and drinking beer.

There are still a few mainstream bands I like. Such as Franz Ferdinand and The White Stripes. Other than that, it's pretty bad.


Oh and my favourite decades are the 60s and 90s

Record sales prior to the 1900's were zero, and music did just fine and dandy. I for one really couldn't care less if these megacorporations get a few less billion a month. Maybe it'll jack their asses into gear.

*strokes my ipod full of illegally downloaded mp3s*

smurf the music sales & smurf the Record Companies. If bands want to earn, go on tour & sell t shirts, can't d/l them, yet anyways. File sharing has saved me a bucketload. God bless t'internet.

NB: If anyone from a particular industry or a particular art form is reading this, please regard the above as a false confesion done as a cry for help & NO OTHER REASON.

Signed
Fatima Whitbread & definately not Gareth, the person in my profile who I don't know & never heard of anyway so shut up.

Virgin Records recently started putting encryption on their CDs so you can't rip songs. Genius. Pure genius. They ignored the fact that iTunes can't recognize the CD, and some computers all together can't make heads or tales of it. Not to mention the fact that MUSIC = SOUND. If we can hear sound, Virgin, we can record it. Desperate smurfing corporations and shameless disregard for HOW MUCH PEOPLE ARE PAYING FOR YOUR MOTHERsmurfING PRODUCT is what's killing the music industry, not illegal downloads. Dandy work there, Virgin. I'm sure everyone is gonna run out and buy your CDs now! Although I find it disappointing that they stopped there. I mean seriously the only logical thing for major record labels to do now is to sell CDs without songs on them, this way no one can hear it and so no one can rip songs off of it!

The failure of major record labels can only help the music industry. Maybe now radio stations will stop playing the same Greenday song thirty times in a row? Maybe people, with the help of downloading music (not even illegally, legally too) people will begin exposing themselves to more than what those major labels are willing to show them.

smurf Warner, Universal, Sony BMG, and EMI. If your demography charts, marketing strategies, and A&R departments are failing you why don't you slap lawsuits on them instead of us? Assholes.

you can blame those who like to share music with eachother on the net...

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Originally Posted by A7X_Weapon

all the mainstream music nowadays sucks
Which decade do u guys rekon had the best music?
IMo 80s had the best music

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Some new bands sound good.

I do agree the eighties were a great time for music, probably not the best.

My heart....she is breaking.

I'm sorry, it's quite simple....I haven't heard a CD yet that I went "I MUST HAVE THAT!" Music SALES were at an all time low because music QUALITY seems to be at an all time low (Yes jrgen....if we all went into underground we'd have this magic oasis of talent, yadda-yadda-yadda....my bf is the Music Co-ordinator for our local Breakfast show....I came across a stunning realization....some undiscovered bands were very good, yes....but some of them are just really, really bad.....so it's still a minefield.)

Seriously, most music is too bad right now for anyone to want anything new, and the only way to get the old stuff is to either rip it off my Vinyl or download it, downloading is a hell of a lot easier.

...*huggles 5 J.J. Cale albums*

i always prefer to have the actual album than to download it, this is seriously scary for the industry :choc:

It's just a change of the times. When the record companies came into the light in the early twentieth century after the introduction of the phonogram all the live perfomances were crying foul and tried to stop the record companies just like the record companies are trying to stop downloading now.

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Originally Posted by ZeZipster

Virgin Records recently started putting encryption on their CDs so you can't rip songs. Genius. Pure genius. They ignored the fact that iTunes can't recognize the CD, and some computers all together can't make heads or tales of it. Not to mention the fact that MUSIC = SOUND. If we can hear sound, Virgin, we can record it. Desperate smurfing corporations and shameless disregard for HOW MUCH PEOPLE ARE PAYING FOR YOUR MOTHERsmurfING PRODUCT is what's killing the music industry, not illegal downloads. Dandy work there, Virgin. I'm sure everyone is gonna run out and buy your CDs now! Although I find it disappointing that they stopped there. I mean seriously the only logical thing for major record labels to do now is to sell CDs without songs on them, this way no one can hear it and so no one can rip songs off of it!

The failure of major record labels can only help the music industry. Maybe now radio stations will stop playing the same Greenday song thirty times in a row? Maybe people, with the help of downloading music (not even illegally, legally too) people will begin exposing themselves to more than what those major labels are willing to show them.

smurf Warner, Universal, Sony BMG, and EMI. If your demography charts, marketing strategies, and A&R departments are failing you why don't you slap lawsuits on them instead of us? Assholes.

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Win.

I don't think file sharing is completely to blame, but I don't think it's helping anything. If "no one wants to hear these people" though, well, I wouldn't see 8000 people sharing and downloading the new Linkin Park/Metallica/Britney Spears CD on p2p clients and torrents.

Ditto DMKA.

I don't understand why so many people are insistant that illegal downloads aren't hurting the industry at all. Yes, it is hurting the music industry because you and I both know people who used to buy CDs but don't anymore because they figure they can just download it off torrentspy.

Illegal downloads aren't making as huge a dent as the music industry is claiming, but how anyone can deny that it is making a significant impact is just silly.

People downloading music for free is also helping the industry. It helps people, like myself, finding music they like, which they later can purchase. I wouldn't buy anywhere near as much music, if any at all, if it weren't for file-sharing programs. File-sharing is only hurting the biggest record companies, which want to keep people from finding out that there is more music than what is played on MTV. Those who download the most music is generally those who buy the most music.

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Originally Posted by jrgen

People downloading music for free is also helping the industry. It helps people, like myself, finding music they like, which they later can purchase. I wouldn't buy anywhere near as much music, if any at all, if it weren't for file-sharing programs. File-sharing is only hurting the biggest record companies, which want to keep people from finding out that there is more music than what is played on MTV. Those who download the most music is generally those who buy the most music.

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Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Ha.

I really would prefer it if people would just say, "Yeah, I download music. Yeah, I know it's illegal. Yeah, I'm hurting the industry. But you know what? I don't give a crap."

As opposed to, "Downloading music isn't bad AT ALL! I'm only downloading music I wouldn't buy anyway. And in fact, downloading music is helping the industry. And it's not like I'm ripping off the artists, I'm ripping off the big evil corporations who charge too much for CDs!"

I mean, just own up to it.

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Originally Posted by Miriel

I really would prefer it if people would just say, "Yeah, I download music. Yeah, I know it's illegal. Yeah, I'm hurting the industry. But you know what? I don't give a crap."

As opposed to, "Downloading music isn't bad AT ALL! I'm only downloading music I wouldn't buy anyway. And in fact, downloading music is helping the industry. And it's not like I'm ripping off the artists, I'm ripping off the big evil corporations who charge too much for CDs!"

I mean, just own up to it.

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If illegal file sharing is destroying the music industry, then I will personally enjoy putting one big ass nail in it's coffin. Bands are getting exposure, if major record labels want to ignore that 194% increase in digital downloads they can go ahead. But don't claim we're killing the music industry. Because if anything we're doing the reverse. Would you rather get your album out to 50 people downloaded and have 5 people buy it or have 15 people buy your CD? If you choose the latter, you're in the music business for the wrong reasons.

The music industry isn't dying, major labels are. We're no longer forced to resort to the radio or T.V. for music. Now people can share songs with their friends, or just right click a strangers name and view all the songs they personally like. Do you know how big a 194% increase in digital downloads is? Everyday more and more of my peers are pointing out bands I like that are on indie labels. I think the music industry is at it's best.

Like I said, both sides aren't being accurate at all. No, illegal downloading isn't killing the industry, not at all. But at the same time, people who download music are insistent that they're not hurting the industry even a little bit which just isn't true. Both sides are being stupid.

I'd also like to point out the fact that neither the article, nor any of the posts in this thread prior to your's have claimed that music downloading is destroying or killing the music industry.

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Originally Posted by Miriel

Like I said, both sides aren't being accurate at all. No, illegal downloading isn't killing the industry, not at all. But at the same time, people who download music are insistent that they're not hurting the industry even a little bit which just isn't true. Both sides are being stupid.

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The extremists are being stupid on both sides, and that's true of almost anything. I can see how downloading music may hurt some parts of the music industry, but I don't think that part of the music industry should even exist. Because, y'know it is "big evil corporations who charge too much for CDs". Would it be such a shame if Warner, Universal, Sony BMG, and EMI went belly up? Artists, even HUGE multiplatinum artists, often only get 2-3 percentage points from each album sold. The rest goes to the label, producers, manager, engineer, etc. You let a label set a tour up for you, they'll take most of the door too, and half of whatever your inital fee is just to play the venue. The place that most artists make most of thier money is the merch table. Most bands negotiate that stuff seperately, on their own, and since hats and t-shirts and other clothing and accessories are so cheap in bulk, artists can often get 75-80% of the gross profits.

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I'd also like to point out the fact that neither the article, nor any of the posts in this thread prior to your's have claimed that music downloading is destroying or killing the music industry.

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Please don't argue semantics, it's aggravating. Hurting, destroying, and killing are loosely synonymous.

You think that "hurting" is synonymous with "destroying"? O_o

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Originally Posted by Miriel

You think that "hurting" is synonymous with "destroying"? O_o

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To destroy something you'd have to hurt it first right? They aren't synonymous, but in context it wasn't exactly a day and night difference.

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Originally Posted by DMKA

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Ha.

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May I ask at what you are laughing?

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Originally Posted by jrgen

May I ask at what you are laughing?

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The fact that you're asking.

To say that downloading music isn't hurting the industry at all is a pile of crap (for the reasons Miriel explained), but to say that it can't benefit certain bands is just as wrong. Through downloading tracks and sites like Myspace, unsigned bands can gain more exposure than was ever possible in the past. Take the Arctic Monkeys, four kids from Sheffield who gained a cult internet following of people downloading and sharing songs, building their popularity through word of mouth. After releasing just three EPs they managed to sell out a UK tour and got a Number One single. And what about Radiohead? They made the entirety of Kid A available online a few weeks before its release, and the album still topped the charts, outselling anything they'd previously released. Now plenty of other bands have followed suit, and despite fans being able to obtain tracks for free online, albums still sell as well as ever.

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Originally Posted by DMKA

The fact that you're asking.

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I'll ignore your anachronic claim and guess you're laughing at the thought that illegal downloading could increase record sales.

I bought around 75 CDs (more if you count the double albums) this year and I would probably have bought 0 albums if I wouldn't download music using file-sharing programs. This is a matter of which part of the music industry illegal downloading is hurting. It's hurting the gigantic record companies, but it's beneficial to smaller, less commercial bands.

DMKA: I don't care if this is The Lounge and not EoEO. Watch your posting. If you have something to say, say it in a mature manner or don't say it at all. If you were in EoEO you would be banned, but don't forget that you can get permanently banned.

By the way, what jrgen has posted is exactly the way that I feel about downloading music. It allows me to hear things that I haven't heard before and then go out and purchase this music if it's something that I like. Marilyn Manson has gotten a lot of sales from me because I started off by downloading some of his songs.

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Originally Posted by jrgen

It's hurting the gigantic record companies, but it's beneficial to smaller, less commercial bands.

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Exactly. If people want to help the music industry, go to some local shows. Find the most underrated local bands you can find and listen to them, and if you like them buy a t-shirt from them. Like, right out of their hands. Like I said before, they'll get about 75%-80% of the gross profits of off it. You won't be appreciating them for slick radio edits. You'll be appreciating them for talent. That's how the music industry should be. It should not consist of major labels graphing us like cattle and selling us a band that'll appeal to the largest chunk of their demography charts.

guess what, virgin recodrs and sony? creative labs launched an mp3 player that can ripmusic directly from a common cd player! get it? instant mp3 without ypour stupid bits!! i guess you'll never learn.
and jrgen got it right. i'll buy the album if i like more than 3 songs on it or if it is a band i know. going with the first option and not hearing many songs on the radio, i'll download them.

I used to be a member of Sony BMG until I got cable internet. ;]

The only album I have that was released this year/last year was Eminems 'Curtain Call'. I download music illegally and don't care. I'll buy a album if I really, really like the music artist.

I agree with Miriel. Illegal downloading is hurting the industry, but not as much as they claim it is. They're seriously - in my eyes - is very little new music that is actually good. The music industry needs to stop focusing so much on illegal downloading (even though it is a problem) and focus on discovering new music artists to grow. It's getting boring now. They wonder why music sales are down.