Broadband takeup hits Aust music business

The music industry claims that less music is being bought each year because of online piracy, and produce graphs to support their claim.

How about the music industry also produces a graph of the amount of new music and artists being released each year, and then overlay the two.

My contention is that there is less and less new music and artists being released each year, and THAT is the real reason for declining sales - less product for the consumer to buy.

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

They continue to blame everyone but themselves for their own failures, and this will ultimately lead to more failures on their behalf.

If you don't acknowledge it, you are not fixing it; and if you are not fixing it, you are blaming something other than the real cause of your woe and thats a heck of a gamble with a business as large as the music business.

This all sounds like deja vu though - the music industry has chosen its mantra and is sticking with it, no matter what (or how wrong and flawed).

I hardly think anyone will be sorry if the big business side of the music industry suffers, as big business and bean counters making music decisions are what lead them to this situation in the first place.

The only sound that makes such people smile is the sound of a busy cash register.

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

The music industry has itself to blame for the decline. Music is too expensive and the quality of the music comming out today IMO is terrible at best.

If they want more sales, how about lowering the price and putting some decent tunes on CDs instead of the crap we got now.

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

I agree with Anonymous.
Not only that, but the volume of totally unworthy artists (read no talent popstars/idols etc) and 'artists' (and I uses the word as loosely as it gets) such as JLO.. Music?? I'd prefer listening to the dulcet tones of a cat being strangled or fingernails on a chalkboard.
I will not buy CD's for one song that I like. I will not buy downloads that are sub-CD quality and don't let me do what I want with my music.
Maybe for ONCE, instead of blaming other, they should take a good hard look at themselves..

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

Piracy not the burning issue in CD sales slide: ARIA -http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/28/1043534039320.html?oneclick=true


Rather than moaning how music consumers are readily taking up new technology; why doesnt ARIA help artists to take advantage of broadband delivery of new material!

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

Try to get same out of print singles and songs
pay deposit and so on cound not get it SO AFTER WAITING 12 MONTHS I D/L THEM FROM INTERNET IN 1 DAY THATS WHY SALES ARE DOWN NOT BECOUSE PEOPLE DONT WANT TO BUY

IF YOU TRY TO SELL CRAP AND PEOPLE DONT BUY IT WHOS FAULT IS IT
Not people YOURS

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

It's NOT Rocket Science A.R.I.A., STOP BEING GREEDY!
Don't you stupid, greedy, fast-buck, short-sighted idiots at A.R.I.A. get it?
If you were to price your product so that 85% of the Australian Population can afford it, doesn't that mean that 85% of 20,000,000 = 17,000,000 potential customers?
Well its a sad fact of life A.R.I.A., that only 3,000,000 or 15% of the Australian Population as it stands today, earn in excess of $21,000.00 a year. You see A.R.I.A., the problem is that greedy corporate opulence including yours results in GREEDY IDIOTS being paid $$$,000,000.00 dollar salaries and platinum handshakes, most times lately, after bringing public corporations to ruination, and THIS BOOSTS UP THE AVERAGES DRAMATICALLY. The current howard government quotes the Average Australian wage as very close to $930 a week. That's over $48,000.00 a year!This is in DIRECT CONTRADICTION OF THE FACTS!
I Digress...
You do the sums A.R.I.A., if you say drop the prices on your album products from their current levels down to say $10.00, thereby making the product affordable to a potential market of 17,000,000 people, and if like me, they will then be able to afford to buy some new music every week, that works out to a best case scenario of over 8.8 BILLION Dollars turnover per annum, compared to the 15% or 3,000,000 potential market that can afford to pay your current average album price of $29.00. Your current actual case scenario works out to only $660,000,000.00.
Like I sead A.R.I.A., its NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

Most of the music today is crap anyway. Who would wana buy it.

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

Most of the music today is crap anyway. Who would wana buy it.

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

New release dvd's are $15, while cd's remain at $30. ARIA is right that copyright infringement is not the main reason for declining sales. People are simply spending their discretionary dollars elsewhere. ARIA & music industry response to this is more press releases. wake up music industry dinosaurs.

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

How about "The problem is we're making s**t music, and charging too much for it. Frankly, I'm surprised we can sell any of it. I suppose we can't complain too much though .. we have managed to get away with it for so long, and I and all my friends are now well and truly loaded at the expense of struggling musicians everywhere."

Anonymous March 21st, 2005

MAYBE ITS THE PRICE OF A CD THAT STOPS PEOPLE BUYING THEM.......

I BUY 1-2 CD'S A MONTH BECAUSE THERE TOO EXPENSIVE.
LETS SAY AT A AVERAGE PRICE OF $23-25 EACH THATS ABOUT $50 FOR 2


IF THEY WERE 12-15 DOLLARS ID BUY MORE.
AT THE LOWER PRICE ID GET 3-4 CD'S INSTEAD HENCE THEN MAYBE ID SPEND MORE I MIGHT THEN FORK OUT $100 A MONTH SO I CAN GET 7-8 CD'S

BUT AT CURRENT PRICES I DON'T THINK ITS WORTH SPENDING $100 FOR 4 CD'S

Anonymous March 22nd, 2005

The ARIA needs to adjust it's aging gl****es, and realise it's their OWN fault sales are down. The majority of music being released of late is absolutely appaling, and of the slim amount that isn't costs up to $30!!

I can't wait for the iTunes Music Store to come to Australia, then we shall be able to get resonably priced music, without all the silly rights management issues Windows Media sources impose on us.

Anonymous March 22nd, 2005

ARIA seems to have forgotten to mention that they also released 40000 less singles and albums for the same period. Which would account for the drop in sales. Information from JJJ's Hack at 5.30 pm weekdays.

Anonymous March 22nd, 2005

Another thing, as well as the 40000 less CDs being released. The big 4 recording companies are dropping artist like crazy. These artist as being forced togo independant. Which ARIA doesn't take into account with their stats. Yes, the quality does suck. But the problem has nothing todo with downloading. Its todo with less music being released and that informaton not being taken into account. Again, form JJJ's hack.

Anonymous March 22nd, 2005

I haven't bought a new music CD for at least two years now... why? Simply because I'd rather spend my money buying a DVD movie than an audio CD - and really, I've got pretty much no interest in the latest bands these days. I have bought some second hand CD's of old albums though...

Anonymous March 22nd, 2005

Import CD's cost less. I have downloaded heaps of stuff from Kazaa etc which I play on my computer, but really, who are we trying to kid, mp3's are no where near the cd quality if you want great sounding music on your hifi so I import the stuff I like.
As far as buying legit downloads which are restricted use......WTF!!! Why should I pay $1.50+ a track when I get no hard copy, no cover art, notes, etc.
And now the record industry puts out these digipacks because they cost less to produce than a hard plastic cd case!!!
I buy from Amazon.com Towerrecords.com and others, and generally get my cd's for around $15-20 Australian, with all costs included, even shipping!!! Why is it so?
Also why do US record companies put new releases out cheap? Also why cant we have a record club here that sells us 10 cd's for $1, provided we buy 3 more cd's over the next 12 months at regular price? MONEY AND GREED MY FRIENDS!!!

Anonymous March 22nd, 2005

At least they've stopped blaming only online downloading for the decline in music sales. There's a whole lot of factors at work, including the fact that CD sales have been abnormally high for a while because people were upgrading to the new technology.

As has been said, the price is largely to blame. The amount of money the labels make from CDs is obscene - and don't give me any guff about promoting new artists or anything like that. The truth is they've been gouging both consumers and artists for decades, and now they have to stop.

Why is music piracy so high in Mexico? Because a CD costs 300 pesos - around AU$50 depending on the exchange rate. If they could get iTunes, which sells songs for around 10 pesos so a full CD would cost just 80, most people here would buy legal music.

Anonymous March 22nd, 2005

death to the music industries. I am a big music fan. Music is one of the biggest things in my life. These very few large monopolies should not be allowed to monopolise music. These fat cats geting rich while the artists get next to FA. and really, a true artist should be more concerned about geting their music, and bringing out new tunes to enrich peoples lives. I am a musician in a band, sure we are not big, and not on any label, but if i created music id be happy for people to pirate it.

In my mind piracy probably helps sell music. Think about it, free advertising. You might not have ever heard of a band and dont like them. Then you get a copy from your mate (which you wouldnt have bought yourself), then you like the band and you might buy their other cd's, you might buy band merchandise and go to their gigs.

Another point, the cost of blank CD's has decreased dramatically, yet music CD's havent dropped in price. Wheres the saving gone to? not to the consumer, to the artist? i doubt it, to the fat executives.

Anonymous March 22nd, 2005

I'd be really happy to see ARIA going off to WORK finally. It's ridiculus what they charge for a 50c CD in those shops. And they living off the backs of those gullible enough to buy these overpriced discs. Let them die.

Anonymous March 23rd, 2005

With so much music distributed on CD being of low-fi (syn. 128MP3) quality or worse - due to muddy mixes and excessive low/hig frequency boost: it is no wonder that MP3's, which are essentially the current c****ette-tape sonic equivalent are so popular.

That ARIAA does not promote high quality audio/video (such as SACD) in local music stores only confirms the lust for revenue is more important than quality product which cannot be easily copied.

Anonymous March 23rd, 2005

Did they ever stop to consider the quality of their wares. The manufactured sound, over marketing and finally the radio killing it by playing it too much. Also cometition from Mobiles, and Video games for the consumers $$$

Anonymous March 25th, 2005

Dumb**** music industry, check your prices you fools!

Anonymous March 28th, 2005

Come on fess up, the real reason that people illegally download music is because it's free and there's very little chance of getting caught.

The argument that the Music business is greedy and prices are inflated therefore it's OK to steal music is nothing more than Rationalistion.

Ask yourself honestly, what you buy music instead of downloading it if it was a third of its current price? my guess is that a most people would still rather steal it than cough up a couple of dollars.

Come on guys, everyone expects to be paid for what they produce.

Anonymous June 4th, 2005