a couple of thoughts:
1. Could the advent of ransomware and the frequency of hacking contribute to the decline of digital album sales?
2. Do you think there is still the unwanted U2 album debacle having an affect on things such as streaming libraries and storing on the cloud, since it shows that record companies and music services can manipulate and control what music you have in them?
"Alienated-so alien I go!"
But vinyl still only accounts for about 5% of albums sold. (the other formats being CD and digital download).Originally Posted by Rune Blackwings
It's a niche market that retailers are catering to, because they probably have data suggesting that vinyl buyers are more loyal, dependable, etc. than the average buyers of other formats. Plus, the vinyl market keeps increasing, whereas the others have been decreasing. Vinyl only accounts for about 10% of the physical media sold, but it could get as high as 20% in just a few years. But 20% of the physical media market is still fewer than 20 million units sold, by today's standards. 20 million units represented only about 3% of the market back in 1997. It shows you how the scope of the market has radically changed. Retailers are really going after a slice of the market that, numbers-wise would have represented about 1.5% of albums sold in 1997.
My take is that the average music fan is simply moving on from "owning" music, be it in vinyl, CD or cloud access format.
The average number of on-demand streams per week in 2017 first-half was 10.8 BILLION. Again, that's a per week average.
The one thing I hope for is the death of iTunes.
It's hard to say what's going to happen with iTunes. Apple seems to be indifferent to all the noise of everyone who hates it. But Apple, like a few others, is hell-bent on making the cloud dominant, doing away with physical media entirely, not to mention using computers at all. The main focus is all tablets, watches, and phones. In fact phones are the biggest part of their business right now, 60% of their revenue. I don't know the models of their desktops or laptops but I've seen plenty of complaining from those that have them about a lack of attention. Of course the entire industry is trying to move away from desktops and laptops but that idea horrifies businesses and offices dependent on the things. I haven't gotten a phone in years (got a 4S) and when I do, it's going to be one with a headphone jack. So bye-bye Apple and iTunes.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
The first recording label that tries out packaging new CDs in gatefold 12.5" x 12.5" cardboard sleeves could be a game-changer.
Its been done. Total failure.
change those " into cm, and you've got a winner (13 x 13 is even better, btw)
i got one of those (spinned three times max)
No kidding ... one of the main attraction of the CD was the space saved, and that idea totally annuled the purpose
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
That was then. One of the main attractions of vinyl today is the size of the item.
pre or post "vinyl revival?"
I like the old CD box sets I have that I have that are vinyl sized - I can fit them right in with the LPs. Now they come in those tall boxes that only fit at the very top of my CD rack.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Circa 1990 ish. David Overstreet's Art Sublime label. Jose Cid, Holding Pattern, several others.
Then it's a moot point.
It should be tried again. In 1990, the CDs small size was seen as an advantage by most.
In 2017, a nice large vehicle for artwork is the only reason why many people would even consider buying a CD.
the only example I own is dating from 2007, and it was a GDR series (777 pieces printed) of Soft Shoe (rec 77/78) , but it was also reedited in vinyl at the time (meaning the sleeve costs for the CD version were diminished). But then again GDR is not an East German label, but an Italian one, so not sure this was legit release
https://www.discogs.com/Soft-Shoe-Fo...elease/4757947
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/al...hose_alone_f2/
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
Don't confuse "many people" with "enough people to make the format viable." It's still very much a niche market, and most people still see the small size as a major advantage.
I think people who care about minimizing the size of the physical product no longer buy physical product. It's very easy to just have the music without any physical product.
Almost everybody I know has ripped their CDs to a hard drive and sold/gave away/threw out the carcasses (CDs). And most of these people don't even listen to their personal music library any more, because they use Spotify or Pandora. On the other hand, I don't know anybody - either in real life or online - for whom vinyl is the preferred medium, but who needle-drops their records and then sells them off.
The decision between big vinyl packaging vs. smaller CD packaging in 2017 is mostly a moot point. You really either want a physical item or you don't - and if you do, the vinyl record gives you more for your money. I was joking when I said that packaging CDs like LPs would be a game changer, but I do think there's a viable market for it.
THERE's your clue.
I still keep hard copies and seek them out, because for all the fanciful convenience of clouds and streaming, we live now in a world where I can hold your entire collection up for ransom for bitcoins. I like having the ability to say "so fucking what? I'll just recopy them..."
"Alienated-so alien I go!"
Ok, but rendering a CD as untransportable as a vinyl, just because of the sleeve sounds relatively unthought
I just litened to my Soft Shoe CD in the car, and didn't know what tracks I was on, since I didn't bring the vinyl-size sleeve
TBH, with recent years' releases, there are vey few album sleeves that are worthy of thevinyl-size format
As for giving "more for your money", you're paying twice (or thrice) the price for the vinyl, can't play it anywhere else than on your hi-fi stereo chain, and it wears out at every time you play...
Sounds like a no-brainer, right??
FL has one
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
Or a content provider can withdraw your access to something you previously "owned," even if you've downloaded it to your device. Remember Amazon deleting 1984 from people's Kindles?
Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
https://michaelpdawson.bandcamp.com
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx
As for giving "more for your money", you're paying twice (or thrice) the price for the vinyl, can't play it anywhere else than on your hi-fi stereo chain, and it wears out at every time you play...
Sounds like a no-brainer, right??
Congratulations for stumbling upon the premise of my original post on the topic?
And they said music was dying.
No, only retailers of music.
Well, laws of supply and demand would dictate that as music became much cheaper for the consumer that more of it would be accessed. But yes - people are listening to more now than ever.
Must be an old player. Most modern players will read the data. If you have digital files everything would be displayed on some players.
It is.
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