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Smokey
12-13-2010, 05:49 PM
The growth in legal online music has never kept up with the decline in CD sales, let alone replaced any meaningful portion of that lost revenue. Now, hope that it could is fading as once robust sales growth has shriveled to the point of near irrelevance.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, by the end of November individual digital song downloads (and complete album sales) have increased just 5 percent. A total of 95 million music songs were sold this year, which is significantly lower than the 277 million sold throughout all of 2009.

Most of the gains came from the sale of digital albums, which were up 12%, while individual tracks were essentially flat. It’s believed that total digital album revenue for 2010, despite 12 percent growth in unit volume, will be flat compared to 2009.

That goes along with music industry news that 47-million fewer CDs sold so far this year than in 2009.

Sir Terrence the Terrible
12-14-2010, 10:02 AM
Looks like the love affair with music downloads in finally over. So much for that "the future of music is downloads" mess. The music industry is in such a mess, nobody knows what the future holds for it. One thing for sure, downloads are not going to cut it in the long run, and the music industry better wake up and embrace Bluray disc, or they are toast for sure. Digital delivery AND and high performance platform with a ton of players already in the field is a better bet than just downloads alone.

E-Stat
12-14-2010, 02:21 PM
One thing for sure, downloads are not going to cut it in the long run, and the music industry better wake up and embrace Bluray disc, or they are toast for sure.
Exactly what value does releasing music on BR discs provide to the average consumer - especially since it rules out using hundreds of millions of existing portable players?

rw

Ajani
12-14-2010, 02:28 PM
Exactly what value does releasing music on BR discs provide to the average consumer - especially since it rules out using hundreds of millions of existing portable players?

rw

To the consumer: NONE...

To the industry: more opportunity to jack up costs with DRM...

pixelthis
12-14-2010, 02:33 PM
Exactly what value does releasing music on BR discs provide to the average consumer - especially since it rules out using hundreds of millions of existing portable players?

rw

None whatsooever. But TALKY is paid to push them, so consider the source.
WE LOST TWO high res formats because the main market (audiophiles) were in love
with record players and wouldn't embrace them. And an idiotic format war didn't help, either.
BLU is an excellent format for music, but then again its an excellent format for
anything. But peeps are in love with portable, and unless you can figure out some
way to play a Blu disc on either an MP3 player or IPHONE it will be a niche product for
audiophiles living in the 21'st century, a small market indeed.:1:

Ajani
12-14-2010, 02:43 PM
Looks like the love affair with music downloads in finally over. So much for that "the future of music is downloads" mess. The music industry is in such a mess, nobody knows what the future holds for it. One thing for sure, downloads are not going to cut it in the long run, and the music industry better wake up and embrace Bluray disc, or they are toast for sure. Digital delivery AND and high performance platform with a ton of players already in the field is a better bet than just downloads alone.

Not so fast kemosabe...

Bluray disc is about as likely to save the music industry as is vinyl... Most consumers don't listen to music on physical disc anymore... So that is the worst possible approach...

There are 2 issues surrounding the downloading phenomenon:

1) As I always say - prices are too high because of every manner of legal costs and royalties that the music industry can use to jack them up... High prices will always make illegal means of acquiring content more and more attractive...

2) Many of us have already moved beyond downloading... Vevo/Youtube & Grooveshark have made the need to download virtually irrelevant for some of us... The future is streaming unlimited content, not downloading a song or album at a time... The sooner the music industry embraces this and seeks to really capitalize on it, the sooner they'll return to being filthy stinking rich, rather than just dirty and funky smelling rich...

The future is allowing Amazon, Apple, Google and whoever else to provide users with unlimited streaming (whether monthly fee or free with advertising)... Those providers would then be have to provide records of every time a song is played and pay royalties accordingly to the music industry... Consider how many iPod Touches, GoogleTV, AppleTV, smart phones, tablets and computers there are out there and you realize how much money there is to be made...

E-Stat
12-14-2010, 03:29 PM
WE LOST TWO high res formats because the main market (audiophiles) were in love with record players and wouldn't embrace them. And an idiotic format war didn't help, either.
I disagree. I never made the switch because of a general lack of content. While there were many classical releases, most of the popular content was recycled old albums here and there with the majority of new ones continuing to be released on CD. Most independent labels like Windham Hill never made the switch. Had the dual layer disc universally replaced the CD, however, it would have been different for me.

Having said that, I agree that the low cost of computer storage has now rendered widespread use of removable hard media for music playback largely obsolete. Why wait and drive to the store when you can instantly purchase and access what you want? I still buy CDs because I don't want lossy crap - which is the only stumbling block to downloading for me. Perhaps it is just as well that virtually no mainstream artist has their musical catalog available on BR unless you like listening to video based live concerts. Speaking of which, music albums would have to eliminate the cumbersome video-only interface required just to play track 3. The inability to rip tracks short circuits taking advantage of the many real benefits of server based playback.

rw

Sir Terrence the Terrible
12-14-2010, 06:58 PM
Exactly what value does releasing music on BR discs provide to the average consumer - especially since it rules out using hundreds of millions of existing portable players?

rw

Doesn't seem to me that those portable players are spurring more sales does it?

All the music titles that have been released on the BR platform have done very well in sales according to my NDP reports. One of the biggest complaints among those who like music on the BR platform is the lack of titles. If more were introduced to the market, that is another revenue channel for the music companies. Vinyl ain't going to do it, and CD is toast. The record companies cannot live on a diet of downloads only, it will kill the industry altogether.

Sir Terrence the Terrible
12-14-2010, 07:22 PM
Not so fast kemosabe...

Bluray disc is about as likely to save the music industry as is vinyl... Most consumers don't listen to music on physical disc anymore... So that is the worst possible approach...

Ajani, I think you are dead wrong here. This is not about saving the industry, it is about opening another revenue channel, and according to NDP, it is a untapped and potentially lucrative channel. Even NDP has championed releasing more music on the format, citing a pent up market. I think NDP might know a little more about consumer trends than you do.


There are 2 issues surrounding the downloading phenomenon:

1) As I always say - prices are too high because of every manner of legal costs and royalties that the music industry can use to jack them up... High prices will always make illegal means of acquiring content more and more attractive...

Unfortunately for your argument, illegal trading of music is down, and so are sales. I have heard your rant over and over(rolls eyes) about the cost, but it is not going to get cheaper anytime soon, as nobody would make a red cent(and I mean nobody). No money means no product, and the record companies have already drastically reduced new releases already. As a matter of fact, new releases are down across the board.

As I have told you already(and it seems to not be registering), the music industry does not set the fees for royalties, BMG and ASCAP do. Legal costs are a drop in the bucket, as BMG and ASCAP handles that as well. In the fairness of accuracy, don't lay these issues on the record companies, they have nothing to do with it.

I will ask you again, based on the cost of production, licensing and royalties(and I am sure you know all of this), what do you think is a fair price for a digital file? Make sure to include a small profit or you'll be out of business toot sweet.


2) Many of us have already moved beyond downloading... Vevo/Youtube & Grooveshark have made the need to download virtually irrelevant for some of us... The future is streaming unlimited content, not downloading a song or album at a time... The sooner the music industry embraces this and seeks to really capitalize on it, the sooner they'll return to being filthy stinking rich, rather than just dirty and funky smelling rich...

How in the hell am I going to stream anything while running around Lake Merritt? Or driving? Youtube is not considered a download, it is basically streaming as the file is not stored on your computer. Pandora is already running away with the music streaming market, but there is plenty of room for more, and no takers.

The reality(as opposed to your reality) is nobody is going to get rich from streaming music.


The future is allowing Amazon, Apple, Google and whoever else to provide users with unlimited streaming (whether monthly fee or free with advertising)... Those providers would then be have to provide records of every time a song is played and pay royalties accordingly to the music industry... Consider how many iPod Touches, GoogleTV, AppleTV, smart phones, tablets and computers there are out there and you realize how much money there is to be made...

I guess getting through to you is going to be really tough. Apple's only tie to music is selling gear, they are not selling music for the sake of selling music. If they wanted to enter the music streaming area, they could easily do so. That is not their core business, and you need to understand that instead of constantly raising that point.

Google wants to sell ads, not music. Google TV is for getting more ad revenue, not for promoting sales or rental of television programming. Music streaming is not their core business, selling ads are. Music without video is useless to them, as it is the visual stimuli that sells their ads, not audio stimuli.

iPod Touches, GoogleTV, AppleTV, smart phones, tablets and computers are out there and guess what, they are apparently not spurring music sales.

It would be pretty arrogant to believe that you have some magic cure for the music industry that the industry has not already considered. You seem to think the music industry is stuck in the old model, and you are apparently unaware that they realize the old model is broken. In others words, you have nothing to offer that they have not already explored, so it might be wise to realize that you are really on to nothing here.

E-Stat
12-14-2010, 07:24 PM
Doesn't seem to me that those portable players are spurring more sales does it?
Your lack of a compelling reason speaks the answer.

rw

Sir Terrence the Terrible
12-14-2010, 07:30 PM
None whatsooever. But TALKY is paid to push them, so consider the source.

Either provide proof that I am paid to push Bluray, or STFU. You have made this claim over and over again, and have still yet to prove it isn't nothing more than a big fat lie coming from a big fat(and old)liar.



WE LOST TWO high res formats because the main market (audiophiles) were in love
with record players and wouldn't embrace them. And an idiotic format war didn't help, either.

Fortunately there is no format war, so comparing Bluray with SACD and DVD-A on that basis is a red herring. Audiophiles are still in love with record players, but apparently it is not stopping them from embracing music on the BR format. According to those that track trends, the BR format has a pent up demand for music on that platform.



BLU is an excellent format for music, but then again its an excellent format for
anything. But peeps are in love with portable, and unless you can figure out some
way to play a Blu disc on either an MP3 player or IPHONE it will be a niche product for
audiophiles living in the 21'st century, a small market indeed.:1:

There is already music available to both the MP3 format, and the Iphone. Based on this post, it is not spurring music sales, so this suggestion might as well go were all of your suggestions should go.....in the circular file.

Sir Terrence the Terrible
12-14-2010, 07:34 PM
Your lack of a compelling reason speaks the answer.

rw

Perhaps you missed this Ralph

All the music titles that have been released on the BR platform have done very well in sales according to my NDP reports. One of the biggest complaints among those who like music on the BR platform is the lack of titles. If more were introduced to the market, that is another revenue channel for the music companies. Vinyl ain't going to do it, and CD is toast. The record companies cannot live on a diet of downloads only, it will kill the industry altogether.

As I stated before NDP surveys point to a pent up demand for music on the BR format, and that should be reason enough to release more titles on the format.

Do you have a compelling reason they shouldn't?

E-Stat
12-14-2010, 07:34 PM
I will ask you again, based on the cost of production, licensing and royalties(and I am sure you know all of this), what do you think is a fair price for a digital file? Make sure to include a small profit or you'll be out of business toot sweet.
It could certainly be higher if the recordings weren't crippled from the outset from the lossy distribution.


How in the hell am I going to stream anything while running around Lake Merritt? Or driving?
The answer: cell phone technology. I stream XM anywhere I please on my iPhone.


I guess getting through to you is going to be really tough. Apple's only tie to music is selling gear, they are not selling music for the sake of selling music.
So, the music industry will never more be competitive.


iPod Touches, GoogleTV, AppleTV, smart phones, tablets and computers are out there and guess what, they are apparently not spurring music sales.
A device or system doesn't increase music sales. Good content does, regardless of the delivery medium. Clearly though, folks increasingly choose those devices to listen to their music. Does that tell you anything?

rw

E-Stat
12-14-2010, 07:40 PM
If more were introduced to the market, that is another revenue channel for the music companies.
If a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his ass. I don't see that the music industry has learned anything from its mistakes with SACD, DVD-A and poor quality downloads. I would like to be proven wrong.


Vinyl ain't going to do it, and CD is toast.
Do you understand why this is the case? For the mass public, it is not because the sample rate is too low.


As I stated before NDP surveys point to a pent up demand for music on the BR format, and that should be reason enough to release more titles on the format.
So, what is every recording studio waiting for?

rw

Sir Terrence the Terrible
12-14-2010, 07:43 PM
It could certainly be higher if the recordings weren't crippled from the outset from the lossy distribution.

But it is what it is, so how much?



The answer: cell phone technology. I stream XM anywhere I please on my iPhone.

Wait till they start charging you based on usage, I bet you will listen to XM less when they do. That trend is already starting, so this may put a crimp in some style when it comes to streaming content.



So, the music industry will never more be competitive.

Because of Apple's core business? What does one have to do with another?



A device or system doesn't increase music sales. Good content does, regardless of the delivery medium. Clearly though, folks increasingly choose those devices to listen to their music. Does that tell you anything?

rw

Yes, it tell me that despite consumers using those devices, music that is designed for those devices is not selling.

Obviously there is some good content out there, or they would be basically selling zero if there were not.

There is a lack of high quality content out there, as it is being swamped by low rez crap that as you can see ain't doing so good.

Sir Terrence the Terrible
12-14-2010, 07:45 PM
To the consumer: NONE...

To the industry: more opportunity to jack up costs with DRM...

DRM does not jack up costs. :rolleyes:

mlsstl
12-14-2010, 07:58 PM
I think the point everyone is overlooking is that we have a fundamental cultural shift in what people do with their time. For better or worse, that shift is away from music as a result of competition from other forms of entertainment. I just saw a news headline that said a study of 30,000 Americans indicates they now average as much time on the internet as watching TV. Or, just watch young people texting on their smartphones in lieu of other activities.

None of this is new. In 1906 John Philip Sousa predicted that "machine music" (records) would adversely impact the study of amateur music in the home. He was largely right on this point. Movies did in vaudeville, TV affected movies, FM impacted AM, cable forever altered network TV, and so on.

The problem right now, as an industry, is they are still trying to hang on to the old ways - people buying music. Sure lots of people still do - and will continue to do so - but not at maintenance rates for sales, much less a growth one.

They are trying hard to find a way to "monetize" future trends, but they are still struggling to find the future.

As an interesting book, I'd recommend "The Master Switch" by Tim Wu. It's more about the rise and fall of information technologies (starting with the telegraph about 150 years ago) but much of what it talks about is applicable to the music industry.

Ajani
12-14-2010, 08:03 PM
Ajani, I think you are dead wrong here. This is not about saving the industry, it is about opening another revenue channel, and according to NDP, it is a untapped and potentially lucrative channel. Even NDP has championed releasing more music on the format, citing a pent up market. I think NDP might know a little more about consumer trends than you do.



Unfortunately for your argument, illegal trading of music is down, and so are sales. I have heard your rant over and over(rolls eyes) about the cost, but it is not going to get cheaper anytime soon, as nobody would make a red cent(and I mean nobody). No money means no product, and the record companies have already drastically reduced new releases already. As a matter of fact, new releases are down across the board.

As I have told you already(and it seems to not be registering), the music industry does not set the fees for royalties, BMG and ASCAP do. Legal costs are a drop in the bucket, as BMG and ASCAP handles that as well. In the fairness of accuracy, don't lay these issues on the record companies, they have nothing to do with it.

I will ask you again, based on the cost of production, licensing and royalties(and I am sure you know all of this), what do you think is a fair price for a digital file? Make sure to include a small profit or you'll be out of business toot sweet.



How in the hell am I going to stream anything while running around Lake Merritt? Or driving? Youtube is not considered a download, it is basically streaming as the file is not stored on your computer. Pandora is already running away with the music streaming market, but there is plenty of room for more, and no takers.

The reality(as opposed to your reality) is nobody is going to get rich from streaming music.



I guess getting through to you is going to be really tough. Apple's only tie to music is selling gear, they are not selling music for the sake of selling music. If they wanted to enter the music streaming area, they could easily do so. That is not their core business, and you need to understand that instead of constantly raising that point.

Google wants to sell ads, not music. Google TV is for getting more ad revenue, not for promoting sales or rental of television programming. Music streaming is not their core business, selling ads are. Music without video is useless to them, as it is the visual stimuli that sells their ads, not audio stimuli.

iPod Touches, GoogleTV, AppleTV, smart phones, tablets and computers are out there and guess what, they are apparently not spurring music sales.

It would be pretty arrogant to believe that you have some magic cure for the music industry that the industry has not already considered. You seem to think the music industry is stuck in the old model, and you are apparently unaware that they realize the old model is broken. In others words, you have nothing to offer that they have not already explored, so it might be wise to realize that you are really on to nothing here.

It's interesting that every article I read on the topic of music streaming by Apple, Google and even Spotify (when they were trying to break into the US market) cites the music industry as holding up the process, yet you lay the blame solely on the feet of Apple and Google... In one breath you say the music, movie and TV industries don't trust them as "they don't respect the content" yet in the other you make it sound like Apple and Google have free reign to enter into any venture they want... They way I see it is simply that the fact that the industries don't trust them is why they are reluctant to let them branch out in new directions...

This is where our 2 arguments are irreconcilable: you believe the music industry is self aware and is doing everything in its power to save itself (hence all the factors are external - sales are just dropping through no fault of their own)... While I believe that the music industry is mostly stuck in their ways and not seriously looking at enough alternatives to save itself...

Also, if sales of albums are down, sales of downloads are down and even piracy is down, then clearly the issue is that the content is crap... meaning the industry needs to go back to focusing on making music people want to listen to... And hence all this jumping around and claiming that downloading has bit the dust is nonsense... and no amount of sales of BluRay audio will make up for bad content...

E-Stat
12-14-2010, 08:18 PM
But it is what it is, so how much?
For starters, the equivalent amount of a more expensive CD.


Wait till they start charging you based on usage, I bet you will listen to XM less when they do.
Which is a completely different issue from your original question as to how you'll stream running around Lake Merritt. We have the technology. As for bandwidth, I have unlimited but only use a relatively small amount.


Because of Apple's core business? What does one have to do with another?
You continue to observe that the music industry must make its money on what Apple does seemingly for free to support the hardware market. Apparently, the music industry can never offer the best price when its competition isn't in the game for profit..


Yes, it tell me that despite consumers using those devices, music that is designed for those devices is not selling.
Not selling? Is that what you call seven digit numbers? It is the CD format that has suffered the greatest losses. I'll ask again why that is the case. Do you understand why folks are not buying as many album based pieces of plastic? BR is just another album based piece of plastic.



Obviously there is some good content out there, or they would be basically selling zero if there were not.
Such is a variable answer. Quantity of good content high=quantity of sales high. Quantity of good content low=quantity of sales low. Get it?



There is a lack of high quality content out there, as it is being swamped by low rez crap that as you can see ain't doing so good.
Yes, that is one of the ways I observed where the music industry is shooting itself in the foot.

rw

Ajani
12-14-2010, 08:24 PM
DRM does not jack up costs. :rolleyes:

Fine... I'll spell it out, since you are very exact about the terminology... by DRM I'm referring to the excessive royalties that are being charged on new media... For example, Pandora pays far higher royalties than radio stations... Same thing with downloads... I don't make a distinction between ASCAP, BMI and the Music Industry... As they represent the industry... If the rest of the industry was opposed to the higher royalties then ASCAP and BMI wouldn't be able to charge them...

The point is that a simple royalty model is what is needed for streaming of music, whether by internet, satellite, TV or over the air radio... The fact that radio stations can make money while advertising and paying royalties, clearly shows that Apple, Google, etc could do something similar with the net... also since according to you Apple, Amazon etc are making no money on selling downloads anyway then it shouldn't matter to them whether they make money from streaming... So I really can't see why you are so convinced that everyone is going to go broke over a streaming/royalty model...

Ajani
12-14-2010, 08:32 PM
I think the point everyone is overlooking is that we have a fundamental cultural shift in what people do with their time. For better or worse, that shift is away from music as a result of competition from other forms of entertainment. I just saw a news headline that said a study of 30,000 Americans indicates they now average as much time on the internet as watching TV. Or, just watch young people texting on their smartphones in lieu of other activities.

None of this is new. In 1906 John Philip Sousa predicted that "machine music" (records) would adversely impact the study of amateur music in the home. He was largely right on this point. Movies did in vaudeville, TV affected movies, FM impacted AM, cable forever altered network TV, and so on.

The problem right now, as an industry, is they are still trying to hang on to the old ways - people buying music. Sure lots of people still do - and will continue to do so - but not at maintenance rates for sales, much less a growth one.

They are trying hard to find a way to "monetize" future trends, but they are still struggling to find the future.

As an interesting book, I'd recommend "The Master Switch" by Tim Wu. It's more about the rise and fall of information technologies (starting with the telegraph about 150 years ago) but much of what it talks about is applicable to the music industry.

I don't think everyone is overlooking that... People listen to music more than ever now... Just not in the audiophile way of darkened room, sitting in the sweet-spot... music is in your car, while you're jogging or just on the go... This means many persons don't want to pay loads of money for essentially "background music"... what people want is to access a wide selection of music conveniently... More streaming services would allow that to happen...

I expect that we'll eventually reach the stage where few (if any) persons actually own content... where everything is viewed or listened to based on either unlimited subscriptions or free with ads... And audiophiles will be able to pay for the premium (high res) streams...

Ajani
12-14-2010, 08:39 PM
For starters, the equivalent amount of a more expensive CD.
rw

Here's my question:

Since as Sir T keeps saying; Apple, Amazon etc make no money from selling downloads... yet downloads are no cheaper than CDs, then how the hell does the industry make money from selling CDs? Who has been subsidizing CD sales for decades?

Since CDs must have a physical cost to produce each copy, while downloads do not... then clearly a download should be cheaper than a CD... Since it's not, then the reason is clearly excessive royalties/legal fees...

mlsstl
12-14-2010, 10:30 PM
I don't think everyone is overlooking that... People listen to music more than ever now... Just not in the audiophile way of darkened room...

Forget just "in the audiophile way." They've never been more than a blip on the radar screen in comparison to the bulk of the market.

I think the broad trend is to treat music somewhat differently these days - it is part of an overall experience and more and more young people are perfectly happy to let others arrange the when, where and how of their listening experience.

Keep in mind we are talking broad social trends that spell the difference between an industry on a sales growth spurt and one that is stagnant or in decline. The RIAA shows total music unit sales dropped 12.3% from 2008 to 2009, but that's still over 1.8 billion "units" of music.

The problem is their old cash is starting to dry up on them and they haven't figured out the replacement. When you can talk several million teenagers into needing to own their own copy of a hit, you make a lot of money. When those same kids forgo purchases and are content with only their periodic encounters with the same music - arranged by others - it is a lot tougher for a record company to make money.

As an example, bands used to tour primarily to promote their recordings. Now, live concerts are a significant portion of income for many bands. That's good for the bands and the fans who want to see them live, but not as good for the record companies.

As Bob Dylan said, "the times they are a changing...."

Feanor
12-15-2010, 05:10 AM
Looks like the love affair with music downloads in finally over. So much for that "the future of music is downloads" mess. The music industry is in such a mess, nobody knows what the future holds for it. One thing for sure, downloads are not going to cut it in the long run, and the music industry better wake up and embrace Bluray disc, or they are toast for sure. Digital delivery AND and high performance platform with a ton of players already in the field is a better bet than just downloads alone.
I doubt that Blu-ray will save music sales -- much and all though I would welcome more music being available on this medium.

A few of factors I can mention:

A lot of people don't care about hi-rez; some of these people are even audio enthusiasts/audiophiles. I, for one, can't really hear and don't really care about the possibly real sonic advantages of hi-rez.
Most people aren't looking for multi-channel music -- though I for one would like more. They don't want to upgrade given the high cost of quality equipment and/or they don't have listening rooms well suited to M/C.
Even people, like me, who buy hardcopy, i.e. CDs, don't want to shuffle discs. I immediately rip everything to hard disk and listen via computer. There are many CDs I own that I have never hear played on a CDP. Blu-ray DRM is major discouragement for me. Hey! maybe 'hybrid' Blu-rays would work -- I'd buy them. I would listen to multi-channel once in while in my HT, and I'd rip the RBCD stereo layer to my server and mostly listen that way. Then again, this didn't work for SACD.

E-Stat
12-15-2010, 06:10 AM
... then clearly a download should be cheaper than a CD... Since it's not, then the reason is clearly excessive royalties/legal fees...
We've had this discussion before. There's no way you can produce custom jewel cases and CD artwork for a nickel.

rw

Worf101
12-15-2010, 06:23 AM
Could it just be the lingering recession? A recent college grad with $60,000 plus in outstanding college loans and crappy job prospects is NOT really concerned with the nuances, he/she is just looking for the cheapest, easiest way to get some music for his/her soul. If you can't afford it, you can't afford it. Simple as that.

Worf

GMichael
12-15-2010, 06:49 AM
Years ago, when I went to a friend’s house, they would be listening to LP’s or 8-tracks. Some would listen to FM, but if they wanted quality and the ability to select what was on, it was LP’s. Now it seems that most people tune into the music channels available from their cable or satellite companies. Or they listen to satellite radio. They get a much better selection than FM and better quality. They can turn it on and listen all day without hearing the same songs 15 times. It’s easy. That’s where the masses seem to live. It may not be audiophile quality, but it makes the masses happy.

Feanor
12-15-2010, 07:17 AM
....
WE LOST TWO high res formats because the main market (audiophiles) were in love
with record players and wouldn't embrace them. And an idiotic format war didn't help, either.
BLU is an excellent format for music, but then again its an excellent format for
anything. But peeps are in love with portable, and unless you can figure out some
way to play a Blu disc on either an MP3 player or IPHONE it will be a niche product for
audiophiles living in the 21'st century, a small market indeed.:1:
It's rare but it happens: I agree with Pix on this one -- totally.

Hi-rez music (on physical media with copy-protection) will always be a niche product. So will the LOW-REZ LP. But vinyl has won the niche war and made fools of audiophiles, many of whom once said and still say they want "high fidelity". It's a crazy, crazy world.

Ajani
12-15-2010, 07:18 AM
There's no way you can produce custom jewel cases and CD artwork for a nickel.

rw

Exactly! So as the consumers have been saying from the start, downloads should be cheaper than CDs... and the minimum difference in price should be the physical cost of the album: custom jewel cases, artwork, packaging, blank CD, costs to burn the CD, printing album and artist name on the disc, distribution/shipping costs to get CDs all over the country/world, etc...

Feanor
12-15-2010, 07:23 AM
Exactly! So as the consumers have been saying from the start, downloads should be cheaper than CDs... and the minimum difference in price should be the physical cost of the album: custom jewel cases, artwork, packaging, blank CD, costs to burn the CD, printing album and artist name on the disc, distribution/shipping costs to get CDs all over the country/world, etc...
We might as well let the subject rest. This is so obvious that only a delusional person would believe otherwise.

Feanor
12-15-2010, 07:25 AM
Could it just be the lingering recession? A recent college grad with $60,000 plus in outstanding college loans and crappy job prospects is NOT really concerned with the nuances, he/she is just looking for the cheapest, easiest way to get some music for his/her soul. If you can't afford it, you can't afford it. Simple as that.

Worf
This is call "bit torrent", I fear.

audio amateur
12-15-2010, 07:33 AM
This is call "bit torrent", I fear.
Or streaming programs such as Spotify (which i use)

mlsstl
12-15-2010, 07:39 AM
Could it just be the lingering recession?
That's undoubtedly one of many factors, but keep in mind there are still a number of products in the economy that haven't suffered the sales decline of music. Craft beer sales are rising steadily. Smartphones and Ipads are growing dramatically. So it seems buyers still retain enthusiasm for products that interest them.

Ajani
12-15-2010, 08:00 AM
We might as well let the subject rest. This is so obvious that only a delusional person would believe otherwise.

Agreed...

noddin0ff
12-15-2010, 08:31 AM
Doesn't seem to me that those portable players are spurring more sales does it?


Your lack of a compelling reason speaks the answer.

Ok. that was funny. And, I couldn't agree more with

I still buy CDs because I don't want lossy crap - which is the only stumbling block to downloading for me.

Back to Smokey's post #1. Digital album sales are up. To me this indicates that digital downloads are in fact healthy and gaining momentum. You buy singles when you don't really give a sh*t and just want a sample. Buying an album is more of a commitment to the medium. Plus it brings more attention to the artistry and that should push up demand for quality. Signals to me that people are looking beyond the one hit wonder du jour, and looking for downloads.

Blu ray is great and all, but it's no more convenient than vinyl. I'm not so in love with gear that I own any vinyl. I don't want to have to power up everything and sit in the sweet spot, (not that I could with family and kid). Thats why I never listen to any of my SACD. I want good music, I want easy music, I want flexible music.

However, if the industry had any sense they'd quickly consolidate everything to blu ray (or vinyl, heh heh) and DRM'd digital streams or files. Why they haven't is, to me, one of life's greatest mysteries.

Of course, I'm looking forward to the day when I can buy everything directly from the artists, under their terms (DRM or no).

Ajani
12-15-2010, 09:00 AM
Or streaming programs such as Spotify (which i use)

Wait... a young person using a streaming site for music... If only someone had mentioned that in the previous page... oh wait, I did say that...

and to tie this in with what E-Stat said earlier:


I still buy CDs because I don't want lossy crap - which is the only stumbling block to downloading for me.

The fact that downloads are lossy is also a major reason to go with streaming (and why I now prefer to stream than buy an album)... If downloads were all high res or at least lossless, then I'd have an incentive to buy, but since they aren't then streaming is just fine...

Feanor
12-15-2010, 09:13 AM
Or streaming programs such as Spotify (which i use)
What? We're talking about streaming again? Well, maybe it can work for a lot of people.

But I've got a few problems with it:

I hate paying a monthly fee for any service; I'm having to pay so many now that I've got a real resistance to another. I prefer to pay and own a piece of music and be able to use in on any device, (no DRM).
What resolution these downloads? I don't even know: if Spotify mentions that, it's burried in the fine print; (like, I guess most users don't care).
I listen to classical music 95%. Does Spotify do that? Which streamers do that? Let me know, and I'll check them out.
As a classical listener and I'm not interested in "tracks". I listen to entire compositions that are typcally multi-track.Downloads are better for me. However (1) the classical choice is relatively limited and (2) most of the selection is 320kbps. I object to paying $10+ per album for less that CD resolution. Between these factors, I don't download a lot.

Internet radio as a pretty good choice of classical stations, but you can listen to what you want when you want it.

Feanor
12-15-2010, 09:21 AM
...:

The fact that downloads are lossy is also a major reason to go with streaming (and why I now prefer to stream than buy an album)... If downloads were all high res or at least lossless, then I'd have an incentive to buy, but since they aren't then streaming is just fine...
True, like I said, I hate paying $10+ per album for 320kpbs.

I think the main reason CD rez isn't availble for download is the industry's pathological fear of illegal copying.

Hyfi
12-15-2010, 09:39 AM
True, like I said, I hate paying $10+ per album for 320kpbs.

I think the main reason CD rez isn't availble for download is the industry's pathological fear of illegal copying.

Isn't the whole reason behind NON CD resolution so the file is small enough to fit many crappy songs on a dinky little crappy Player so people can stick crappy little infection causing earbuds in their ears and walk around oblivious to their surroundings?

E-Stat
12-15-2010, 10:12 AM
Blu ray is great and all, but it's no more convenient than vinyl. I'm not so in love with gear that I own any vinyl.
While I'm not "so in love with gear", the earliest part of my music collection going back forty years is vinyl. So, I have two turntables to enjoy it. You're correct in that any single-disc format is not as convenient as server based music. The genie is already out of the bottle and there is no turning back. Gen Y doesn't know anything differently.

rw

Feanor
12-15-2010, 11:41 AM
Isn't the whole reason behind NON CD resolution so the file is small enough to fit many crappy songs on a dinky little crappy Player so people can stick crappy little infection causing earbuds in their ears and walk around oblivious to their surroundings?
That's what THEY tell us, eh? I'm not sure I believe them however; (let's grasp that industries, e.g.big oil, big banks, lie to consumers, Congressional committes, etc.).

I doubt that it's the reason that classical music sources like Naxos or ArkivMusic only provide the lossy format. I remember that ArkivMusic surveyed customers 2-3 years ago on whether people wanted to download: I, for one, was quite categorical that I would only be interested in lossless.

pixelthis
12-15-2010, 12:06 PM
Isn't the whole reason behind NON CD resolution so the file is small enough to fit many crappy songs on a dinky little crappy Player so people can stick crappy little infection causing earbuds in their ears and walk around oblivious to their surroundings?

NO.
At least it didn't start out that way. Hackers striped the MP3 format off of mpeg1, and used it to store music. But the main reason was to create a file size small enough to be downloaded
on a snaillike , usually phone, modem.
The first mp3 I downloaded was five MB. Took twenty minutes.
THE mp3 player came next.:1:

pixelthis
12-15-2010, 12:10 PM
True, like I said, I hate paying $10+ per album for 320kpbs.

I think the main reason CD rez isn't availble for download is the industry's pathological fear of illegal copying.

IT IS AVAILABLE.
Go to hdnet.com(if they are still around).
And then theres newsgroups. THE stuff is older, but there are flac and monkey audio newsgroups.:1:

pixelthis
12-15-2010, 12:18 PM
It's rare but it happens: I agree with Pix on this one -- totally.

Hi-rez music (on physical media with copy-protection) will always be a niche product. So will the LOW-REZ LP. But vinyl has won the niche war and made fools of audiophiles, many of whom once said and still say they want "high fidelity". It's a crazy, crazy world.

Ahhh,,,, agreeing with me, the beginning of all knowledge.
A lot of so called "audiophiles" say they like music reproduced as accurately as possible,
but the truth is that they cling to low rez formats like records because it reminds
them of how they started.
I used to enjoy that time, records were the end all be all.
ITS SAD, really, the almost frantic way fanatics like Micheal Fremmer hang onto
vinyl(100,000 system).
CAN'T ADMIT the worlds, changed.:1:

E-Stat
12-15-2010, 05:24 PM
IT IS AVAILABLE.
Go to hdnet.com(if they are still around).
The difference is that you can get virtually anything in low rez MP3 whereas the catalog of high resolution downloads is highly specialized and decidedly limited to say the least.

rw

pixelthis
12-16-2010, 01:50 PM
The difference is that you can get virtually anything in low rez MP3 whereas the catalog of high resolution downloads is highly specialized and decidedly limited to say the least.

rw

ThaT is true. BUT I like Jazz, and there is quite a bit of lossless jazz on newsgroups.:1:

harley .guy07
12-16-2010, 09:56 PM
Personally I just like a physical format to use even though I have two laptops and a dac with usb input to use to play my music and set up my system with a server. I will not say that I won't do it at all but for now I download flac and burn it to disk at a slow enough speed to not change the quality. I also have software to burn dvd audio disks which I know are not popular to buy at music stores but you can find high def flac downloads in 24 96 format and with programs like dvd audio solo you can burn your high res flac to dvd audio and get the high res format and through my oppo player and ps audio dac it sounds as good as any format I have heard and even though dvd audio is dead in the music stores and in direct downloads it works well to burn to for these formats.

As far as streaming goes I think that it works well for casual listening like a radio station but for audiophiles with good systems when it comes to anything past that there just is not enough people out there requesting it. When the mass public out there do not have systems capable of hearing the difference between mp3 and flac and also the fact that most younger people go with what they know(or have heard) all they know is mp3 type formats that to them sound fine because they have not been educated in the abilities that today's high def formats can do with the right equipment. But unfortunately the companies selling streaming content or download content want to charge a premium for higher def versions of the songs they store. Its something that will be interesting to see what happens in the audio world. I don't think the high end audio market will die but I do see it changing and how it will change is yet to be seen.

harley .guy07
12-16-2010, 09:56 PM
Personally I just like a physical format to use even though I have two laptops and a dac with usb input to use to play my music and set up my system with a server. I will not say that I won't do it at all but for now I download flac and burn it to disk at a slow enough speed to not change the quality. I also have software to burn dvd audio disks which I know are not popular to buy at music stores but you can find high def flac downloads in 24 96 format and with programs like dvd audio solo you can burn your high res flac to dvd audio and get the high res format and through my oppo player and ps audio dac it sounds as good as any format I have heard and even though dvd audio is dead in the music stores and in direct downloads it works well to burn to for these formats.

As far as streaming goes I think that it works well for casual listening like a radio station but for audiophiles with good systems when it comes to anything past that there just is not enough people out there requesting it. When the mass public out there do not have systems capable of hearing the difference between mp3 and flac and also the fact that most younger people go with what they know(or have heard) all they know is mp3 type formats that to them sound fine because they have not been educated in the abilities that today's high def formats can do with the right equipment. But unfortunately the companies selling streaming content or download content want to charge a premium for higher def versions of the songs they store. Its something that will be interesting to see what happens in the audio world. I don't think the high end audio market will die but I do see it changing and how it will change is yet to be seen.