Bullsh*t, bullsh*t, bullsh*t. The record industry is looking more like
professional sports every day. Next thing you know, they'll be pushing for
salary caps on their artists.
> From: nethed <nethed@ninjatune.net>
> Date: Sat, 08 Jun 2002 06:19:34 +0100
> To: _dakati _ <dakati@postmaster.co.uk>, acid-jazz@ucsd.edu
> Subject: Re: [acid-jazz] Music industry sues audiogalaxy
>
>>
>>> they claim is eating into sales.
>>
>> is this true? I remember reading somewhere that record sales were
>> actually 'higher' that ever before...
>>
>
> According to the http://www.ifpi.org they were only higher in 2
> places in 2001: England and France:
>
> Global music sales down 5% in 2001
>
> London, April 16, 2002
>
> London, April 16, 2002 - The global music market fell 5% in value and
> 6.5 % in units in 2001. Demand for recorded music worldwide is
> estimated to have been stronger than ever before, but much of the
> fall in sales is attributed to the increased availability of free
> music via mass digital copying and the internet.
>
> Recorded music sales worldwide fell to US$33.7 billion. Sales of CD
> albums fell globally by 5%, and there were declines in sales of
> singles (-16%) and cassettes (-10%). The figures were published today
> by IFPI, the organisation representing the recording industry
> worldwide.
>
> Commenting on the figures, Jay Berman, Chairman and CEO of IFPI,
> said: "In 2001 the international recording industry was caught in a
> perfect storm, buffeted by the combined effects of mass copying and
> piracy, competition from other products and economic downturn. The
> industry's problems reflect no fall in the popularity of recorded
> music: rather, they reflect the fact that the commercial value of
> music is being widely devalued by mass copying and piracy.
>
> "The record industry is responding. It is developing new business
> models, new payment systems and a new legal environment for the
> future on-line legitimate business. And it is acting decisively using
> anti-copy measures on CDs and internet anti-piracy actions to protect
> the business that it depends on today. These measures of
> self-protection are essential to stop the widespread erosion of
> record producers' and artists' rights".
>
> Two major markets - France (up 10%) and the UK (up 5%) -
> significantly bucked the downward trend. Both countries saw
> exceptionally robust sales of domestic artists in 2001, which helped
> offset the worldwide fall in sales of the biggest international
> artists.
>
> Eighteen of the 20 top-selling albums in France carried French
> repertoire; in the UK, domestic artists accounted for the top seven
> best-selling albums last year.
>
> Three of the world's top five markets - the US, Japan and Germany -
> attribute a significant part of their sharp drop in recorded music
> sales in 2001 to the proliferation of free music and piracy.
>
> The effect was felt on CD sales, in most of the markets of North
> America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Declines in market value in
> 2001 ranged from 4.5% in the US and 9.6% in Canada to 9.2% in
> Germany, 8.6% in Italy, 9.8% in Austria, 14.8% in Denmark and 9.4% in
> Japan. The pressure from mass copying was aggravated in many markets
> by the global economic downturn, particular in the last quarter of
> the year.
>
> Surveys in the most affected countries, notably the US and Germany,
> show that mass copying and internet piracy is directly replacing
> sales of CDs. Sales of domestic artists fared well in many major
> markets, notably in France, Italy, UK, Spain and Australia. The
> average share of national markets accounted for by domestic artists
> has risen 1% a year to 68% over the last decade.
>
> In Germany, 18% of 10,000 consumers surveyed said burning CDs
> resulted in them buying less music. In the US, nearly 70% of people
> who downloaded music burned the songs on to a CD-R disc, while 35% of
> people downloading more than 20 songs per month said they now buy
> less music as a result.
>
> Three markets with vast populations and among the lowest per capita
> music consumption rates in the world - China, Russia and India - saw
> encouraging growth in 2001 on the back of economic improvement. Sales
> in China grew by 15%; growth in India was 15%, and in Russia 17%.
>
> Many developing markets saw an increase in commercial piracy, driven
> by the accelerating spread of organised CD-R pirate operations.
> Piracy, combined with economic crises, particularly hit markets in
> Latin America. The most dramatic impact on legitimate sales occurred
> in the region's two largest markets, Brazil (down 25%) and Mexico
> (down 16%). A similar situation exists in parts of Eastern Europe,
> with Poland down 28%.
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