Thursday Three has officially launched. phew
1) Is the 7% drop in CD sales over the last year a result of people downloading music? I think that downloads have something to do with it, sure. I also think that consolidation in the music industry is to blame as well. Less music is getting to consumers and a lot of what is getting to them, they aren’t buying. In short, how about throwing some money at the developing artists. Take a few chances and cut Celine Dion’s budget by a few million and spend the money on development. I’m oversimplifying, but you get my drift.
A perfect example is Queens Of The Stone Age. Instead of charging even $15.99, Interscope (Universal) is selling the album cheaper to the stores, who then turn around and pass the savings on to consumers in the form of a new release by a developing artist priced at $7.99 - $9.99 (depending on where you shop). The result? The Queens Of The Stone Age album debuted at #20 on Billboard. Duh.
2) How much music do you download per month? How much do you buy? You’d think the number would be staggering. I actually think it’s such a pain in the ass to download music, that I don’t do it very often at all. Trying to find a complete album take too much time. I’d just assume skip a meal and buy the album. So, to answer the question more directly, I download very little and easily spend over $100/month on music.
3) Do you copy CDs for friends? Do you ever feel guilty about it? Yes, I copy CDs for friends, on occasion. 95% of the CDs I copy for friends are bootlegs and unreleased stuff that you can’t get in stores. If I copy an album for someone, I may feel a little guilty about it, but I’d like to think it will result in them buying something else.
