My partner told me that Norah Jones CD came out and 4 million people downloaded it. I dont know if this is old news 2 yall already.

I was told they lost more than 35 Million dollars in the process . Make me feel bad for DL anything.
[This message was edited Wed Mar 3 13:23:04 2004 by paisleypark4]

paisleypark4 said:

Headline suggestions:

"Downloads causing Norah Jones sales slump?"
"Net snags Norah Jones' latest disc?"

Something that steers a reaction away from dire expectations, please? I thought there'd been an accident or something, when I read, "Norah Jones tragedy?"

Well her record is selling like crazy!!
Just means next time round they will have to copy control the cd's or post fake links

It's far-fetched to believe that all of those 4 million people would have paid for the CD if they weren't able to download it... also consider that a good chunk of those 4 million would then have gone out and bought the CD.

The downloading has really changed the music industry. It used to be that top selling artists would have sales of 10 million or so. But with the downloading, the artists of today will never have numbers like that. And no one is ever going to top MJ's Thriller in sales because of all of the downloading.

Batdance said:

Yeah, I think it's pretty bad. I can understand downloading single tracks, sampling albums, or getting music which is out-of-print, but I don't agree with downloading whole albums. If somebody likes the music enough to want the whole album then they should pay for it.

I would have to disagree with this assesment. There is an article in the March 5th edition of Entertainment Weekly speaking on this exact subject. It states:

"...does illegal downloading actually hurt CD sales? The success of Jones' Feels Like Home suggests otherwise, says Eric Garland, CEO of BigChampagne, which tracks file sharing. "She is one of the most downloaded artists of all time," says Garland, "which disproves this idea that illegal downloads cannibalize CD sales." And instead of downloading just one of her songs, Garland explains, file sharers are snagging three to five. Concludes Blue Note's (Norah's label) director of marketing, Zach Hochkeppel, "People who download (Jones) truly might be previewing it...they don't want to get burned by buying a record with one good song. If they like what they hear, they'll probably go out and buy the record, too."


The article also tells about the fact the Jones sold over one million copies in her first week and a chart-toppping 395k the next. She is the first artist to sell over a million in a week since 'N Sync in 2001. They attribute this to the fact that Norah makes "good music."

Finally, the article ends with this:

"Now, if the record labels can remember that it's about the music, and not just the money, maybe they'll return to a place that Feels Like Home."


I believe the only artists that illegal file sharing might hurt, are the ones who put out albums with only one or two good songs. If they complain about it, then we should complain about the fact that they can't make a decent album. If you download the rest of their album and it is not very good, you are likely not going to buy it. I also believe that the biggest reason for declining record sales is Radio. They play such a small selection of music, that it is very difficult to discover new artists. Most of the new artists that I listen to, are downloaded first. If a number of their songs are good, then I purchase their album.

twink69 said:

I refuse to buy any Copy Controlled CD's.

paisleypark4 said:

Yeah, I'm real sad for Norah, because she's such a struggling artist. A tear.

By the way, I wonder why no one ever mentions the extensive LP bootlegging that was going on the 60s and 70s. THAT didn't seem to have an effect on sales. Oh yeah, maybe because more of the music was GOOD back then?
[This message was edited Wed Mar 3 6:36:32 2004 by VoicesCarry]

Batdance said:

Thriller is THE bomb. D'loads or not, it will NEVER b beaten is sales.

agentmonday said:

Only man with a chance of outselling Thriller worldwide, is P. Musicology could topple Thriller:)

Batdance said:

I don't think downloading's the main issue, I think quality is. There are simply no albums like Thriller on the market anymore. Britney Spears is today's big pop star? Christ, no wonder people aren't biting.

VoicesCarry said:

2 Words: OUT KAST.

The quality is still out there. GO back and look at all the other toilet droppings that came out when Thriller came out: Flock Of Seagulls, A-Ha, Outfield, there was enough mindless fluff to re-inflate MJ's sunken face. There will always be ass on the radio. You folks just don't know about the crap that was out back then because either (a) you weren't listening to the radio back then, or (b) you've managed to purge all the Crap songs from your mind.

Either way, it's a good thing... just remember in 20 years when folks are praising the awesomeness of 1990 music like C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice, Hammer, remember that you were there, and for every amazing talent like Marky Mark, there were hundreds of crap ass songs like "Divine Thing" by whoever they were, and "Wild Wild West" by that whiner dude, and "More than Words" by those dudes I forget, and ... well. you get the idea. The radio will ALWAYS be jammed full of crap.

otan said:

As OutKast edges to 5 million in sales, they don't help the argument that downloading hinders sales.

VoicesCarry said:

No - I was addressing your complaint that there's no talent and no decent records out there. And 5 million record sales are pretty fricking impressive - or - wait - how many records have you sold?

otan said:

I liked that Wild Wild West song, but I can't remember the band. More Than Words was by Extreme, my boyfriend at the time was wayyyyy into that song.

VoicesCarry said:

Not only are downloaders "stealing" from Norah, they are stealing from the people stealing from Norah. Don't forget, record companies "steal" a lot from their artists, so they are really pissed that the 10 producers and songwriters aren't going to make as much money as they would have. Sure, promotion and distribution costs money, so it's justified to some extent, however if truly great music was signed, record companies wouldn't have to promote and market so much.
[This message was edited Wed Mar 3 12:58:37 2004 by VinaBlue]

otan said:

1. There is talent, just hardly as much as there was 20 years ago. At least the members of a-Ha could SING.

2. I said 5 million in sales were impressive and therefore didn't help the argument that downloading is hindering sales. Good stuff still sells. Maybe you should go back and read my statement again before you snipe back with a retort to something I didn't even say.

otan said:

More Than Words by Extreme ? I want "crap" like that anyday
There are others more talented female jazz singers who don't have any promotion-marketing at all so I won't on Norah's albums sales
*
[This message was edited Thu Mar 4 4:37:16 2004 by jn2]

...well,
i NEVER feel bad about downloading stuff...an anotha' thang...i would NEVER download HER stuff anyway...LIKE..."
an too who's downloading it...i see them all the time in used CD houses! hmmm...