if u can get the same thing for free why pay for it??? Digital downloads albums will NEVER be a substitute for physical CD's and will never sell as much, and the US which is 2-3 years ahead of the UK in terms of music industry trends has proven that fact since digital has yet to take the larger share of the album markets + besides all the iTunes/ Amazon (25 cent) deals also help inflate digital album sales but it's basically just masking the problem which is that the album format is indeed dead....

 

How does any of this 'logic' not also apply to singles which you may notice are at their highest sales level ever since the download era started?

I'll continue to buy vinyl so I'll have music on physical format. Tower Record's vinyl section in Dublin has really expanded. I think it will get bigger for those who actually have a fondness for physical format, inlay cards, liner notes, artwork, etc.

 

When you buy an album on vinyl you should get a password to get the album on download too so that it could be mobile - who wants to drag a turntable to the gym with them? :lol:

 

Many vinyl albums do come with a code but not all!

 

Was very impressed by Tower last time I was in Dublin - there was certainly a lot of vinyl and even Celtic Note in Nassau Street had a decent selection.

How does any of this 'logic' not also apply to singles which you may notice are at their highest sales level ever since the download era started?

 

it's because most singles can be purchased for 0.99 while albums are at 7.99 as average so most people would pay 99.p but they wouldn't bother paying 7.99 for a download album that they can get for free online....

How does any of this 'logic' not also apply to singles which you may notice are at their highest sales level ever since the download era started?

Thanks Bre. I think he forgot to take his medications against paranoia. :wacko:

Thanks Bre. I think he forgot to take his medications agia haa toainst paranoia. :wacko:

 

what does paranoia has to do with anything??? i was just making a point really... sorry for having an opinion.

 

 

And your opinion is RIDICULOUS.

And your opinion is RIDICULOUS.

 

then please give me a better one....

^^We were talking at work today about what the company could have done but all the ideas should as you say should have been implemented years ago, Everything HMV has done in recent years always seems to have been too little too late - And the market is changing, I never thought that I would switch from physical albums to downloads however despite getting 30% discount I would still rather buy from iTunes - Apart from a few sale CDs and DVDs the only other things iv bought from HMV recently are Beats headphones and iTunes cards! If as a member of staff I struggle to support the brand then I guess it's no surprise the general public do too.

 

Their biggest mistake was not building a strong MP3 store/brand and letting Apple get dominance without a fight.

As a matter of interest, is there a reason you'd rather download than buy physical (and discounted) CDs? Are they still much more expensive in HMV or...?

 

it can be somewhat stopped if the government actually gave it some thought by forcing multi-billion dollar US companies like Amazon and iTunes to pay taxes to the UK government and not just let them evade while UK stores like HMV struggle with high rents, costs and taxes....

If the government does that then the only result will be a decline in album sales because they're more expensive everywhere. I don't have the money to be buying shitloads of albums on Amazon if all the prices go up by a fiver. Deciding to raise the price of a product that much of the public can barely afford as it is is a ridiculous solution.

Edited January 15, 201312 yr by Umi

I don't blame those customers. I feel very sorry for them. Someone on DS said it's akin to theft. They've taken the money for those vouchers so should honour them. :angry: Those should be put FIRST by the Administrators and not last, as I've heard they are amongst the debts.

Go back to your hole you cretin.

 

People with Gift Cards are unsecured creditors. They come quite literally at the bottom of the pile when winding up a business and that's where they belong. Secured Creditors, HMRC and the employees are all more deserving. The later especially.

 

In the grand scheme of things when someone is losing their job, and facing god knows how long in the already very full dole queue, getting as much of their final pay and redundancy money is more important than those too stupid to spend a christmas gift card from a company very publicly circling the drain. Them having enough money to actually put food on their table is more important than you feeling 'hard done by' because you can't spend a £15 voucher.

 

 

I realise I've use some words here that you may not understand the meaning of, like 'job', but I'm sure if you gave them a quick google you should get the jist of it. You've got plenty of time seeing as you're too fucking lazy to work.

then please give me a better one....

 

Just chill out. You've been quaking in your boots for at least 6 months about album sales. I for one would love to hear Kobbar's opinion-for the lols.

what does paranoia has to do with anything??? i was just making a point really... sorry for having an opinion.

Your obsessed with piracy, every second month you come up with your so called opinion, ignoring every other opinion that proves differently, ignoring the increasing digital sales, you only see declining album sales with a format that is at the end of its life cycle. You always prove to me ( at least) that you have no idea of commerce, economy, retail.

As a solution against piracy you can only think of sanctions but there are a lot of ways to make people buy songs. Very narrow minded :(

It's been said before in this thread but it's worth repeating. In real terms albums have never been so cheap thanks to inflation, rising wages and price decreases.

 

 

At the end of the 90's and start of the 00's when I was buying albums with more frequency than I do now I was spending £15 easily. I remember pricing up Woolies, HMV, WH Smith, Tesco Metro and Virgin on Dundee's high street seeing who was the cheapest and feeling epic when I managed to pick it up for just £12. Now you can buy two chart CD's for £15 in HMV. If you're smart and scope out the release week offers you can pick a brand new, just released CD for £7.

 

I've spent that buying CD1 and CD2 of Sugababes singles!

 

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the price of CD's, the youth of today have a I want it all and I want it now attitude that is killing the album market because they don't have the patience to wait for music to be released nor do they know the value of money or the joy of saving your pocket money to buy a CD.

 

 

(For the record, I don't buy as many albums now as I have done because the UK music scene is shit, my music taste has changed and I like a lot more Scandinavian artists and importing their CD's requires serious saving as they are bloody expensive compared to UK prices. Plus my primary addiction has moved from CD's to DVD's)

so everybody who pirates a copy was going to buy a retail copy in the first place?

 

sounds like the RIAA's idea of thinking :D I'm sure most people will either download something or listen to it on a stream/Spotify so they can see what they think of it. If they like it, they'll go ahead and buy it if they were willing to in the first place. I will download/stream to see what I think and if it's poor, I'll just delete it

 

the recording industry don't like the idea of this "try before you buy" as they had it perfect in the 80s/90s when computers weren't prominent and we had to buy albums blind which sometimes meant you wasted a lot of money on rubbish. Nowadays you can find an album on a stream or Spotify if you don't want to download it

it's because most singles can be purchased for 0.99 while albums are at 7.99 as average so most people would pay 99.p but they wouldn't bother paying 7.99 for a download album that they can get for free online....

Then why would they pay for a physical album if they can just get it for free online?

 

-x-

 

Not that I think this argument is relevant as I'm of the firm opinion that Spotify is the future of paid music once the physical album dies/is dominated by Amazon, but I really see no reason why download albums couldn't take off, at all.

It's been said before in this thread but it's worth repeating. In real terms albums have never been so cheap thanks to inflation, rising wages and price decreases.

At the end of the 90's and start of the 00's when I was buying albums with more frequency than I do now I was spending £15 easily. I remember pricing up Woolies, HMV, WH Smith, Tesco Metro and Virgin on Dundee's high street seeing who was the cheapest and feeling epic when I managed to pick it up for just £12. Now you can buy two chart CD's for £15 in HMV. If you're smart and scope out the release week offers you can pick a brand new, just released CD for £7.

 

I've spent that buying CD1 and CD2 of Sugababes singles!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the price of CD's, the youth of today have a I want it all and I want it now attitude that is killing the album market because they don't have the patience to wait for music to be released nor do they know the value of money or the joy of saving your pocket money to buy a CD.

(For the record, I don't buy as many albums now as I have done because the UK music scene is shit, my music taste has changed and I like a lot more Scandinavian artists and importing their CD's requires serious saving as they are bloody expensive compared to UK prices. Plus my primary addiction has moved from CD's to DVD's)

I don't know if that's a reply to me but seeing as I'm the last person who mentioned album prices I figure it might be. I should point out that I don't think albums are actually expensive, and I do believe they can't afford to get any cheaper than they currently are. I was just saying to big mistake that raising prices (which is what he suggested) is an idiotic idea to raise the sales of a struggling product.

As a matter of interest, is there a reason you'd rather download than buy physical (and discounted) CDs? Are they still much more expensive in HMV or...?

 

I started to switch after all i was doing was buying a physical album and putting it straight on my iPhone and never touching the CD again - The only CDs i buy now are by artists who's releases i collect. With my staff discount i guess the average CD price is £5 or £7 so the same or sometimes cheaper than iTunes but iTunes wins on ease of purchase with little fuss.

 

 

 

Your obsessed with piracy, every second month you come up with your so called opinion, ignoring every other opinion that proves differently, ignoring the increasing digital sales, you only see declining album sales with a format that is at the end of its life cycle. You always prove to me ( at least) that you have no idea of commerce, economy, retail.

As a solution against piracy you can only think of sanctions but there are a lot of ways to make people buy songs. Very narrow minded :(

 

i never ignored other people's opinions, ur are only trying to prove that my theory is wrong while i can prove u it's right : statistics proved that there is 99 illegal downloads for each legal download (worldwide) and i'm sure the rate is almost as high in the UK, ok so single sales are at an all time high but i'm talking mainly about album downloads here ... they will never reach the same levels as CD sales and time will prove that... album.downloads are expensive given the quality of.the product u r getting (lower quality, no design...) while.CD albums are relatively cheap ... illegal downloads can make up for legal ones but they can't make up for physical.CD's...

It's been said before in this thread but it's worth repeating. In real terms albums have never been so cheap thanks to inflation, rising wages and price decreases.

 

Totally agree - And the other day i was going through my Spice Girl collection :kink: I have Virgin and HMV stickers still on their albums - £14.49 & £15.99!! I cant believe albums were that much and still managed to sell by the bucket load.

I don't know if that's a reply to me but seeing as I'm the last person who mentioned album prices I figure it might be. I should point out that I don't think albums are actually expensive, and I do believe they can't afford to get any cheaper than they currently are. I was just saying to big mistake that raising prices (which is what he suggested) is an idiotic idea to raise the sales of a struggling product.

Wasn't directed at you, was more of a general post to those whining about the price of albums.

 

I'd like to see them get hooked on DVD Boxsets. £10 will never look expensive again.

As a matter of interest, is there a reason you'd rather download than buy physical (and discounted) CDs? Are they still much more expensive in HMV or...?

If the government does that then the only result will be a decline in album sales because they're more expensive everywhere. I don't have the money to be buying shitloads of albums on Amazon if all the prices go up by a fiver. Deciding to raise the price of a product that much of the public can barely afford as it is is a ridiculous solution.

 

i never said the government should raise online retail prices, but i mean they should support the high street shops by lowering taxes on some products and industries to keep them.going... otherwise it will.be an inevitable demise of the high street shops... taxes shouls be equally applied to both high street and online retailers without exception...