Probably because the quality of music is at an all time low.

I literally can not wait for MJ's posthumous albums and i bet the whole shitty music industry can't either.

lastdecember said:

Timmy84 said:

When I buy music, I try to buy quality but sometimes stores don't put quality in the stores so no one has real interest in purchasing what they think is crap lol

Well it comes down to basic fact that everyone thought that stores like Tower,Virgin and Sam Goody were charging 18 bucks to rip people off, people just had no clue what was really was really going on, labels squeezed these companies dry, they charged these stores up to 13 dollars per disc, now these stores had to put things on sale to compete, so they had to go 11.99 and take a 2-3 dollar on every new release, well, how long can that business model work? its just like the whole real estate thing that is going on, people buying houses who dont even have the cash flow to rent an apartment. Now the public thought these stores were greedy, not at all, they were the ones keeping the selection but when you break even or lose money on the only thing you sell, and then add in the employees wages and rents for stores etc...did anyone wonder why they all closed and we are left with Best Buy or WalMart for Music? Now Best Buy is even removing music dvds from certain locations, and is talking of another 50% cut in music levels in stores, so basically music will be nothing more than what i have been calling it, the "fries with your meal" its not a relevant thing anymore to most of the world, YES more people listen to it, but most didnt even buy it, so how long do you think that business model will last?

Well i dont really care because all my artists, have their own sites, and fan bases and tour anywhere in the world and sell out, so, its what will come in the future that people need to worry about.

I think that when there's an album people want, they get it.

Case in point - Susan Boyle, Coldplay, Josh Groban, Lady GaGa - all of whom have fared just fine in this tougher environment.

I don't think blockbuster albums are a thing of the past. They're just fewer and farther in between.

I'm sure Sony also agrees considering they just signed the biggest deal in recording history with the Michael Jackson estate earlier this year.

Selling 8 million albums these days means doing better than everyone else, but it's hardly 'blockbuster', it doesn't make an artist a millionaire (not to mention 10-12 years ago there were certain 8 million selling albums labeled as "flops"). Lady Gaga sold that much on the back of 7 singles/videos yet she has to continuously tour for like the 3rd year to make some profit.

Susan Boyle was a huge exception, she got the biggest exposure in the business since probably Britney, she didn't even need a hit to sell that much, it's a freakin' covers album, she could have just recorded Mariah's Glitter, it coulda still sell as much! It's not like her next album will get anywhere near it.

The album itself is a thing of the past, outside people whose hobby is to collect music, it's not relevant in culture anymore. In the past albums sold on the back of 3-4 hits and the labels were happy to earn all that money via selling 4 songs and 8 average/filler ones (I know there are a few exception but generally it's been like that), for the average buyer it was more convenient to get the album than the single due to "the CD has more songs!". These days people can get the songs they like for free or for $1, they won't have the incentive/time to check out the rest of the songs.

About stores not having a music section... That's obviously a response to the lessening demand. It's not like a LOT more CDs would be sold, if BestBuy had a bigger section. It's just not worth it. Sad as it might be, not much is earned from selling music these days.

vainandy said:

stop it

we don't even have a proper record store in my town just a supermarket and a bookshop that sells them, i usually get my songs on itunes or go to the city to get them

nvmnd

[Edited 6/8/10 7:03am]

Marrk said:

Probably because the quality of music is at an all time low.

I literally can not wait for MJ's posthumous albums and i bet the whole shitty music industry can't either.

LiveToTell86 said:

Selling 8 million albums these days means doing better than everyone else, but it's hardly 'blockbuster', it doesn't make an artist a millionaire

Well, eight million records sold should make an artist a millionaire.

Most artists involved in the songwriting and / or production of their records will get around $1 for each record sold. So after the recoupings, the rest is usually profit. It's true though that an artist on a major label might not see any royalties from records that fail to cross the one-million mark or so. It's also true that you're not going to see that money instantly on your bank account and it might actually take 1-2 years for you to get it. During such periods, artists might have to loan money. I know some relatively succesful artists in smaller countries have lived on unemployment benefits between album releases and tours.

[Edited 6/8/10 7:14am]

I have already spent $50 on Vinyl in the past two weeks..I havent even though about buying a new cd. I dont think I have since Erykah's last new one. There is just nothing out there that catches my attention right now unfortunatly.

Maybe if Terget sold vinyl instead I probably would be more inclined to care about buying new music. The record store I go to sells new vinyl for about a good 16.99 and that's pushing it for me.

Talent seems 2 be at an all-time low.

Graycap23 said:

Talent seems 2 be at an all-time low.

Thank you = low low low record sales

Let the Record Conglomerates keep thinking all their problems are due illegal downloading.

Of course CD Baby sales have increased, I wonder why?

TD3 said:

Graycap23 said:

Talent seems 2 be at an all-time low.

Thank you = low low low record sales

Let the Record Conglomerates keep thinking all their problems are due illegal downloading.

Of course CD Baby sales have increased, I wonder why?

i wouldn't equalise sales with talent,most of the talented singers aren't even in mainstream but i'd say of the numbers they do sell very little is stolen simply because of the respect the un-mainstream fans have for their music

Zinzi said:

TD3 said:

Thank you = low low low record sales

Let the Record Conglomerates keep thinking all their problems are due illegal downloading.

Of course CD Baby sales have increased, I wonder why?

i wouldn't equalise sales with talent,most of the talented singers aren't even in mainstream but i'd say of the numbers they do sell very little is stolen simply because of the respect the un-mainstream fans have for their music

Business 101: When you lose market share or have a decline in profits, it's your product.

paisleypark4 said:

I have already spent $50 on Vinyl in the past two weeks..I havent even though about buying a new cd. I dont think I have since Erykah's last new one. There is just nothing out there that catches my attention right now unfortunatly.

Maybe if Terget sold vinyl instead I probably would be more inclined to care about buying new music. The record store I go to sells new vinyl for about a good 16.99 and that's pushing it for me.

I'm with ya. I still purchase music from iTunes or emusic for new releases, but lately i've been buying old stuff on vinyl more than anything.

Marrk said:

Probably because the quality of music is at an all time low.

I literally can not wait for MJ's posthumous albums and i bet the whole shitty music industry can't either.

This just isn't true ... there is much more good music out there today than say 7-9 years ago. You just have to do a little work to find it.

TD3 said:

Zinzi said:

i wouldn't equalise sales with talent,most of the talented singers aren't even in mainstream but i'd say of the numbers they do sell very little is stolen simply because of the respect the un-mainstream fans have for their music

Business 101: When you lose market share or have a decline in profits, it's your product.

is that a way of saying it's someones fault?

because singers can have anatomically much more powerful voices than others but not sell as much

look at miss spears

SoulAlive said:

vainandy said:

stop it

Record sales at an alltime low with all this shitty music being made is like an orgasm to me. Hell, this should have happened in the early to mid 1990s after house music faded out.

LiveToTell86 said:

Selling 8 million albums these days means doing better than everyone else, but it's hardly 'blockbuster', it doesn't make an artist a millionaire (not to mention 10-12 years ago there were certain 8 million selling albums labeled as "flops"). Lady Gaga sold that much on the back of 7 singles/videos yet she has to continuously tour for like the 3rd year to make some profit.

Susan Boyle was a huge exception, she got the biggest exposure in the business since probably Britney, she didn't even need a hit to sell that much, it's a freakin' covers album, she could have just recorded Mariah's Glitter, it coulda still sell as much! It's not like her next album will get anywhere near it.

The album itself is a thing of the past, outside people whose hobby is to collect music, it's not relevant in culture anymore. In the past albums sold on the back of 3-4 hits and the labels were happy to earn all that money via selling 4 songs and 8 average/filler ones (I know there are a few exception but generally it's been like that), for the average buyer it was more convenient to get the album than the single due to "the CD has more songs!". These days people can get the songs they like for free or for $1, they won't have the incentive/time to check out the rest of the songs.

About stores not having a music section... That's obviously a response to the lessening demand. It's not like a LOT more CDs would be sold, if BestBuy had a bigger section. It's just not worth it. Sad as it might be, not much is earned from selling music these days.

Agree on that but still the "Best Buy" thing, alot of people are turned away due to selection, Im talking about getting rid of the quantity stocked on new releases that dont sell, things like the new Usher go into Best Buy, there are 200-300 copies on the shelf, and that takes up half the RB selection, and that album is going nowhere in stores it was dead after week 1. So trim that and get the artists in there "that you think the public doesnt want"

Cinnie said:

novabrkr said:

making the trip to some remote location in order to get music

I still enjoy this activity

One of my favorite things to do

bboy87 said:

Cinnie said:

I still enjoy this activity

One of my favorite things to do

The LACK of good music is making me buy old 12"ches and Old 331/2 (Long Plays) ...sadly....and because I have deserted the weka sto for a while and they keep getting GOOD stuff coming in....

Used to go every day and almost knew the whole r&b section back to front .. not a good thing...like suprises.