Album Sales Hit an All-Time Low

[tallliman]

I seem to remember the illegal download advocates arguing that they buy more music because they can sample it free. Their argument was it made the artists MORE MONEY, not LESS.
I guess they were wrong....

I thought the argument was more along the lines of those that already bought music and also downloaded bought more as a result compared to if they didn't download. Those who didn't buy music wouldn't regardless of whether they download or not.

[Poisoned Youth]

I thought the argument was more along the lines of those that already bought music and also downloaded bought more as a result compared to if they didn't download. Those who didn't buy music wouldn't regardless of whether they download or not.

Yes. Though that method is becoming somewhat antiquated. It might be more accurate now to use the word "access" since one can go to sites like Progstreaming, Bandcamp, and YouTube and access music without ever engaging in a file sharing model.

I do think one of the unintended consequences of this access is that many have stopped making blind and/or impulse purchases. I can think of several times I have filled up a cart and then stopped myself, sampled the material, then emptied half the cart.

Another result are some people I know who just use YouTube as their daily playlist.

[mogrooves]

20-somethings with Masters degrees are working at Wall-mart. The days of a strong middle class with disposable income in the USA are all but gone.

30 million Americans make less today than in 1968 (adjusted for cost-of-living). The so-called "millennial generation"--born between the early 1980s to the early 2000s--is projected to be the most under-employed generation on record, though they have more formal education than any previous generation. The middle class is toast.

[Esoteric]

30 million Americans make less today than in 1968 (adjusted for cost-of-living). The so-called "millennial generation"--born between the early 1980s to the early 2000s--is projected to be the most under-employed generation on record, though they have more formal education than any previous generation. The middle class is toast.

Maybe thats an unintentioned consequence of a generation taught to think they can have everything for free--wealth created for a very few and far fewer middle income jobs of the kind that sustain families. Same comsequences with outsourcing. big business outsources to keep goods as cheap as can be and hence generate jobs elsewhere but not in your own back yard.

[mogrooves]

big business outsources to keep goods as cheap as can be and hence generate jobs elsewhere but not in your own back yard.

Big business also in-sources cheap labor and brain power, even though perfectly qualified and educated workers are already here.

[Adm.Kirk]

I know downloads/streaming are here to stay and will probably become the way most people access music, I just hate it. I detest what it's done to the industry and I detest what it's done to physical media. I hope that one day, people will get away from the whole Ipod/download mindset. I think the general public has become to shallow to care about such things as quality sound and physical media and its packaging. I read a news story a while back that said the music isn't important, what is important is the delivery device. The Ipod/Iphone, etc. is now the star of the show. The music is secondary. He wasn't in favor of the trend just pointing it out. I think, unfortunately, he is right.

At the moment I'm playing the vinyl of Heaven & Earth and, for whatever reason, having a physical copy, on vinyl no less, brings me far more joy than owning the download of Billy Sherwood's latest album. That's not a knock on Divided by One, which I think is a solid Sherwood album but it just doesn't seem to mean as much since it was a download that I burned to CD.

Bill

[Trane]

Funny, as I read this I glance over my computer monitor and see 7 people looking through vinyl, 1 over by the DVD's and 1 looking at a used Trooper CD. Who's dreaming? I now have over 2500 LP's back in stock, 2000 newly manufactured which is an increase of about 350 total about 4 years ago. If it's a dream, don't wake me up.

But you're in a niche market (and when I do go back to Toronto, I'll make sure I do the detour to check out your store).... Go over to your Super Dept Store or even in your supermarket... Whatebver music is sttill on sale is CD compilations of whatever Bieber/Madonna/XYZ or Muse albums.

Interesting. "However, some of those 20 somethings will of course make lots of $$$ and be able to afford better systems etc etc.".

Hmm. Not many, not many at all. 20-somethings with Masters degrees are working at Wall-mart. The days of a strong middle class with disposable income in the USA are all but gone. There won't be enough of those to hold up the industry.

Last year *I* was middle-class, and so were a lot of my friends. This year I'm not, and about 70% of those friends aren't any longer, either. And I work in the tech industry in Austin, TX, which is supposedly one of the places in the USA that's booming.

Sorry. I wasn't born a pessimist; rather, I was forced into it by reality.

Not just in the US, I'm afraid... plenty valid for Western Europe as well.

30 million Americans make less today than in 1968 (adjusted for cost-of-living). The so-called "millennial generation"--born between the early 1980s to the early 2000s--is projected to be the most under-employed generation on record, though they have more formal education than any previous generation. The middle class is toast.

Yup, it used to be that those who spoke flenly three or four languages were automatically employed in interesting key £$€€€ jobs... With 4.25 languages (I count Spanish, German and Dutch as 0.75 unit), I used to be a giant . Nowadays, I'm a midget >> got kids on my block who speak already 5 (including Japanese) and not yet 20-yo, yet finding a good-paying job will be a major challenge for them

Maybe thats an unintentioned consequence of a generation taught to think they can have everything for free--wealth created for a very few and far fewer middle income jobs of the kind that sustain families. Same comsequences with outsourcing. big business outsources to keep goods as cheap as can be and hence generate jobs elsewhere but not in your own back yard.

Indeed... It's amazing how some people will avoid paying the fair price, always fighting to pay less

Big business also in-sources cheap labor and brain power, even though perfectly qualified and educated workers are already here.

Oh, they'll employ your highly-educated kid allright, as long as he's not demanding more money than your Indian expat working as an engineer for half the going rate

I seem to remember the illegal download advocates arguing that they buy more music because they can sample it free. Their argument was it made the artists MORE MONEY, not LESS.
I guess they were wrong....

That was kind of BS (to justify its existance) ... While it might be true for a minority, those illegaly download will not pay all-too-rare hard-earned cash for something they already own