Today a spokesperson for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry announced to the press that source of plummeting CD sales is rooted in piracy and illegal downloading. This announcement has been made repeatedly in the past by such industry bodies, including the RIAA despite constantly emerging data pointing to the opposite, further adding to the seemingly circular debate about the effect of the Internet on CD sales. It must be kept in mind that the falling number of CD sales does not necessarily suggest a decrease on legal digital music distribution, check HERE.
I think that the opportunity the Internet grants us to sample music (regardless of how the file was obtained or accessed) before we decide to support the artist by buying their albums, is perhaps, as a side effect, allowing the consumer to place pressure on the artist for better quality of their work? (have a read HERE) and let us neglect to examine the business practices of Big Music, as it would lead to another can of worms, however one in which we are more likely to find suitable answers to some of Big Music’s current issues.
We no longer go buy an album with 2 singles and 6 filler tracks, but we do go buy albums we consider of important cultural value, as shown by the sales over time of albums such as In Rainbows. Big Music and their associates (RIAA, IFPI…) should revisit McLuhan’s rear-view mirror theory and rethink their strategy in order to survive in the modern Darwinist recording industry, as I argue at length HERE, while discussing the influence of digital music distribution in popular culture.
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