But what about the rest of the music industry? That's the issue, though at least digital formats are still growing. According to an estimate released this morning by global trade group IFPI, digital formats are now powering a $5.2 billion industry, thanks to an 8 percent lift from 2011.

The ingredients in this stew are things like album downloads, Spotify subscriptions, and ringtones. It's single-digit growth, yes, but the IFPI challenged the prevailing wisdom that digital formats are headed towards plateau. Specifically, the group noted that digital formats gained 5 percent heading into 2011, though it may take a few years to understand the broader trend.

That said, there were some eye-opening details in this report. For starters, digital formats now account for half of total revenues in two markets: the US (52 percent), and South Korea (53 percent), though both have seen unceremonious plunges in physical (ie, CD) sales.

2011 may also be the year that subscription formats finally took off, though to use an over-used Valley cliche, these are 'still early days'. Specifically, the IFPI pointed to 65 percent year-over-year surge to 13.4 million total subscribers worldwide, with Spotify, Aspiro, and Rhapsody contributing a healthy chunk to that total.

But for all the trumpeting and cheerleading, the IFPI is also stumping for anti-piracy. It's a picture that includes cord-snipping rules like HADOPI in France, and failed bills like SOPA in the US. "Any complacency now, however, would be a great mistake," warned IFPI CEO Frances Moore. "Our digital business is progressing in spite of the environment in which it operates, not because of it. We need legislation from governments with coordinated measures that deal with piracy effectively and in all its forms. We also need more cooperation from online intermediaries such as search engines and advertisers to support the legal digital music business."http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2012/120123billion

LOL @ them trying to claim that downloading has not helped their sales.

Of course it has. Its promotion. People buy music they like. According to these knuckleheads, people buy first and listen later.

Who believes these flat out LIES?

So, when they are trying to pass crooked, vague legislation, they are "loosing so much money, blah, blah, blah" but at the same time they had an 8% gain.

The old business model is dead and they HAD to change. If it were up to them, they would still be fleecing artists by giving them $.25-$.50 for every $15 CD sold and lying about why the artist gets such a small cut.

The music industry is one of the few industries where an artist can make a product and end up OWING the freaking label for making it.

something tells me all of this is really going no where.

BlaqueKnight said:

LOL @ them trying to claim that downloading has not helped their sales.

Of course it has. Its promotion. People buy music they like. According to these knuckleheads, people buy first and listen later.

Who believes these flat out LIES?

So, when they are trying to pass crooked, vague legislation, they are "loosing so much money, blah, blah, blah" but at the same time they had an 8% gain.

The old business model is dead and they HAD to change. If it were up to them, they would still be fleecing artists by giving them $.25-$.50 for every $15 CD sold and lying about why the artist gets such a small cut.

The music industry is one of the few industries where an artist can make a product and end up OWING the freaking label for making it.

Ain't that the truth!!!

BlaqueKnight said:

LOL @ them trying to claim that downloading has not helped their sales.

Of course it has. Its promotion. People buy music they like. According to these knuckleheads, people buy first and listen later.

Who believes these flat out LIES?

So, when they are trying to pass crooked, vague legislation, they are "loosing so much money, blah, blah, blah" but at the same time they had an 8% gain.

The old business model is dead and they HAD to change. If it were up to them, they would still be fleecing artists by giving them $.25-$.50 for every $15 CD sold and lying about why the artist gets such a small cut.

The music industry is one of the few industries where an artist can make a product and end up OWING the freaking label for making it.

Preach the truth!!!!

BlaqueKnight said:

LOL @ them trying to claim that downloading has not helped their sales.

Of course it has. Its promotion. People buy music they like. According to these knuckleheads, people buy first and listen later.

Who believes these flat out LIES?

So, when they are trying to pass crooked, vague legislation, they are "loosing so much money, blah, blah, blah" but at the same time they had an 8% gain.

The old business model is dead and they HAD to change. If it were up to them, they would still be fleecing artists by giving them $.25-$.50 for every $15 CD sold and lying about why the artist gets such a small cut.

The music industry is one of the few industries where an artist can make a product and end up OWING the freaking label for making it.

Every time we have one of these debates, I' m just going cut and paste this quote... straight up truth.

The End.

BlaqueKnight said:

LOL @ them trying to claim that downloading has not helped their sales.

Of course it has. Its promotion. People buy music they like. According to these knuckleheads, people buy first and listen later.

Who believes these flat out LIES?

So, when they are trying to pass crooked, vague legislation, they are "loosing so much money, blah, blah, blah" but at the same time they had an 8% gain.

The old business model is dead and they HAD to change. If it were up to them, they would still be fleecing artists by giving them $.25-$.50 for every $15 CD sold and lying about why the artist gets such a small cut.

The music industry is one of the few industries where an artist can make a product and end up OWING the freaking label for making it.

Artists are still getting shitty cuts, lets not make it like artists are getting better deals now, they're not. Labels make out like bandits still, especially on artists that they dont have to develop, they dont want you to record an album, they want a quick single or two out of you make a few million give you about 100,000 of that and see ya, next carbon copy. The ones getting anything are the artists doing it without a label and just giving a small cut too itunes or amazon or emusic to house their product.