CD sales in the US saw a decrease in 14% in the year 2008. The drop was largely due to “Internet piracy and competition from other forms of entertainment, namely video game” (Music News Net, 2009)
Despite the decrease in CD sales, digital music sales reaped a 32% increase (65.8 millions units) in 2008.
Welcome to the world of music.
What was once only for Aristocrats and church-goes has become something that is so common in our everyday life. Switch on the television, you hear a band’s music video playing on MTV. Step into the shopping mall, it will be hard to find a store that does not play music in it. Take a look at an average teenager’s bag, you would very likely be able to find an iPod or MP3 inside.
The music industry has come a long way. From vinyl to cassette tapes to compact discs (CDs), the digital form seems to be the way to go.
Just check out the number of music streaming sites out there! (and I don’t think that’s all of them!)
However, even as more people purchase digital albums/singles on online music stores like the iTunes store, I believe that there are still people out there who still prefer purchasing the physical album.
“Sigh, if albums cease to exist. Then what about album photos and signatures. Digital media revolution is unpredictable.” -@kellinachin
“maybe its just me, but i’d prefer to have a physical album.. its like a little collection i suppose? =/ #nct” -@leejii
(@kellinachin & @leejii are avid K-pop fans. )
I suppose consumers who like a particular music personality would prefer having a physical album because it contains lyrics and photos of the singer/band. It also serves as a medium where artistes sign on during fan meetings. They are able to collect these albums and I suppose each new album comes as a surprise to these with fans when it’s packaged differently/ the album includes hidden tracks.
Personally, I do not particularly like any music personality. I like singers or bands, because I like their songs. I admire them because they make, in my opinion, good music. (Some of my favourites are Rachael Yamagata and Kings of Convenience!) Hence it doesn’t really affect me much whether I purchase a physical or digital album. To me, I just want to get my music easily at an affordable cost. With the popularity and convenience of MP3s, I transfer songs from the CDs into my iPod and CDs that I’ve bought in the past have become white elephants at home; they are left on my shelf and collect dust.
This brings to my next point- Piracy.
A funny comic about the Internet & Piracy
I’m sure nobody who is tech-savvy can ever deny that they’ve been a pirate before.
No, I don’t mean that pirate!
Let’s face it. Piracy will never be gone. Even with affordable music up for purchase, many would still prefer to get free things. In fact, there has been debate on whether the easy access of digital music leads to more piracy. But I beg to differ.
There was an increasing trend of US teens purchasing music online, from 20% in 2004 to 36% in 2006. Peer-to-peer network (where people share music illegally) dropped 8%.
For me, I wouldn’t mind buying music online if its available to me easily at an affordable price (Oh, iTunes, why aren’t you available in Singapore? I want to be able to get music singles instead of buying one whole album!☹ ) Most artistes create music not only for passion, but for a livelihood. I seriously wouldn’t mind paying for good music, to honour the effort & talent of these artistes. Piracy is as bad as shoplifting, it IS stealing! (even though it’s done on cyberspace) Moreover, paying for music means I won’t need to risk for the fear of getting caught. I don’t have to feel guilty. If digital music is easily available, I believe that there will be people like me with the same mindset; switching from sharing music illegally to purchasing digital music.
Artistes must know how to ride on this digital music wave for their benefit. One example would be Radiohead. In 2007, the band their 7th album, In Rainbows as a digital download. Anyone could order the album and pay any amount that they wanted to.
Guess what happened?
“Upon its retail release, In Rainbows entered the UK Album Chart and the U.S. Billboard 200 at number one; by October 2008, it had sold more than three million copies worldwide in both digital and physical formats. The album earned widespread critical acclaim, and was ranked as one of the best albums of 2007 by several publications. In 2009, the record won two Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Special Limited Edition Package.”
(extracted from Wikipedia: In Rainbows)
I really admire this approach that the band was willing to take. At the risk of profits, I feel that Radiohead really gave fans the credibility and trust that they’re not out there just to earn fan’s money, but to really produce music that consumers love.
What would the future of music be like? Will CDs die in a couple of years’ time? Will Piracy be more rampant, or would it be less common? I do not know, but one thing I know is that: the demand for music will always be there. No matter what- CDs, digital music or illegal downloads, music will not, and will never die.
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