Why? Explain it? :)

Especially for a question of arrangement, and we have something in hands!. While files mp3 that clearly less tempts me.

 

Edited January 14, 201411 yr by Michael2013

Exactly! ;)

 

Illegal downloaders haven't just started in the last year. They might have effected the odd album, such as the overpriced iTunes exclusive of Beyoncé's, but they haven't grown in numbers. Indeed with restrictions by internet providers they might be less of them around in the UK at least.

 

Streaming is probably killing the Radio audience, I'm not convinced it's effecting the download market in the UK. Can you even stream to an ipod?

 

A lot of people rely on radio to discover songs and then stream them though.

Last week on Amazon I download £16 worth of individual tracks! Downloading an album is much cheaper, if they are only £10. But the problem is like many people I don't want to download or buy tracks that A: I don't want. And B: that I already have.

 

Single track downloaders are tempted to download by reducing the price, mostly down to 59p. But many sites charge 99p for tracks and that's a rip off. The whole concept is still based on the album. Even the MP3 single track is presented as an album. Record companies are not going to give up on the album. If the shops won't sell them, I can see the record companies doing so. It's always baffles me why Record Companies need places like iTunes to sell them? Why don't they just bypass the middleman and sell them direct. Taking iTunes profit. Your not telling me a big company like Universal can't afford the technology to get a website and sell them?

 

I would also dispute that the digital format increased last year.

 

As for the CD it will probably make a comeback. But not anytime soon.

 

Based on the album still, but for how long. Record companies have been behind the times for ages, and have only recently just caught up with the way the world works. I think we'll eventually move away from the concept of the album, but the big artists will still have them of course. I remember Ash trying something like this a few years ago and it failed but the idea was still really an album, just marketed differently. The interest these days is cherry picking and the single, especially with the option to listen before you buy. Who is going to want to buy some random album track by Rihanna when there's a track with Rihanna featuring Lady GaGa on there. The interest is already on the latter by the media and consumer regardless of the quality.

 

The problem with the physical format is that there are so many other costs involved that I don't see it becoming profitable especially once supermarkets begin to phase it out over the next 5 years. It's not only a problem for the music industry but just look at the rise of Netflix, Kindles, Tablet computers - everyone's moving from physical to digital, and it's inevitable in the future that the costs for the physical copies will no longer become profitable. iTunes has the hold over the market. People want everything in one place. If Sony, Universal, Warner all started their own versions of iTunes selling their own artists records it would only provide confusion to the consumer. Apple is a major giant, probably the second biggest company in the world behind Google. It wouldn't be beneficial at all to challenge them in the market.

The physical format is unquestionably on an irreversible trend and that is to the moribund status that CD singles reached in 2008- the key buyers for this format now are ageing rapidly and it won't be long before stocks in supermarkets etc. disappear. I think the bigger question is "is the album format itself on its way out?"; in a digital world where it can make sense for an artist to release shorter EPs or even longer albums (if they wish) - there is no restriction on the running time of the record, so why would we still need the format (which after all came about because of the amount of recording space available on 12" vinyl).

 

Burial is a good example - keeps releasing 3-track EPs every 6-10 months, it is a faster way of engaging with a target audience.

The physical format is unquestionably on an irreversible trend and that is to the moribund status that CD singles reached in 2008- the key buyers for this format now are ageing rapidly and it won't be long before stocks in supermarkets etc. disappear. I think the bigger question is "is the album format itself on its way out?"; in a digital world where it can make sense for an artist to release shorter EPs or even longer albums (if they wish) - there is no restriction on the running time of the record, so why would we still need the format (which after all came about because of the amount of recording space available on 12" vinyl).

 

Burial is a good example - keeps releasing 3-track EPs every 6-10 months, it is a faster way of engaging with a target audience.

 

I that's something we'll eventually see as the norm too. I can't see the stadium artists moving away from the traditional album format for a long time (if ever) but it just makes logical sense.

 

The physical format is unquestionably on an irreversible trend and that is to the moribund status that CD singles reached in 2008- the key buyers for this format now are ageing rapidly and it won't be long before stocks in supermarkets etc. disappear. I think the bigger question is "is the album format itself on its way out?"; in a digital world where it can make sense for an artist to release shorter EPs or even longer albums (if they wish) - there is no restriction on the running time of the record, so why would we still need the format (which after all came about because of the amount of recording space available on 12" vinyl).

 

Burial is a good example - keeps releasing 3-track EPs every 6-10 months, it is a faster way of engaging with a target audience.

 

Yeah, I'm definitely starting to wonder if the album as a whole concept is starting to die out. I did think until recently one of the factors that was making album sales slump so badly was just because the type of music that was most popular in 2010-11, the disposable "club bangers", just didn't translate well to albums (who the hell would want to listen to a whole album of LMFAO or Flo Rida?); but the past year we've seen more album-friendly genres like rock and singer/songwriters rise up and yet album sales are STILL collapsing, which suggests there's something more fundamental going on. It's definitely a possibility now that albums for most artists are going to become obsolete.

A lot of people rely on radio to discover songs and then stream them though.

 

Ah! But can you prove that happens, where's the evidence? Especially when you consider that most Radio Stations will concentrate on the top 40 records, plus play things that that they know will be hits, such as those released in the USA or acts with a track record.

 

I myself use to use streaming services that are free, but found that the content would "drop" out. I used them to record the tracks, but it was mainly old material that I didn't want to pay 99p for. I gave up in the end since you had to name the files add the material and get the album cover. Otherwise Windows Media Player and the ipod just show a musical note. Plus if you have an "official" track in the same folder then all the other tracks carry the same picture. So if you have say a David Essex album track in with your Spotify songs, then they all show David Essex even if they are Lily Allen songs. And trying to change them is a nightmare.

A lot of people rely on radio to discover songs and then stream them though.

 

You're right, although with programs like Spotify it's easy to make yourself a perfect radio station (so to speak) in minutes. You can adjust the playlist whenever you want, choose how much variety you want, etc. You can use it to add songs you don't know that are "similar" to the ones you listen to if you want to hear new music as well. Or you can even listen to other people's playlists if you can be bothered to make your own.

 

I do wonder if when streaming properly dominates people will end up using it instead of radio tbh.

The physical format is unquestionably on an irreversible trend and that is to the moribund status that CD singles reached in 2008- the key buyers for this format now are ageing rapidly and it won't be long before stocks in supermarkets etc. disappear. I think the bigger question is "is the album format itself on its way out?"; in a digital world where it can make sense for an artist to release shorter EPs or even longer albums (if they wish) - there is no restriction on the running time of the record, so why would we still need the format (which after all came about because of the amount of recording space available on 12" vinyl).

 

Burial is a good example - keeps releasing 3-track EPs every 6-10 months, it is a faster way of engaging with a target audience.

 

I disagree that CD albums are headed the same way as CD singles. At least not for several years to come. There haven't been many examples of digital only albums by major artists yet and most albums still sell more physically than they do digitally.

I disagree that CD albums are headed the same way as CD singles. At least not for several years to come. There haven't been many examples of digital only albums by major artists yet and most albums still sell more physically than they do digitally.

 

But the market is on an inevitable decline. Be it tomorrow or five years it doesn't matter - it's going to happen. Record companies have/will be accepting it, hence why I'd expect more deals with Apple to come to fruition. As soon as the supermarkets start deciding to stop selling physical albums then the market will take a massive hit. Everyone wants big sales, but pinning hope on a broke format is not what is needed. And unfortunately these deals with Apple etc. just piss the big retailers off even more.

But the market is on an inevitable decline. Be it tomorrow or five years it doesn't matter - it's going to happen. Record companies have/will be accepting it, hence why I'd expect more deals with Apple to come to fruition. As soon as the supermarkets start deciding to stop selling physical albums then the market will take a massive hit. Everyone wants big sales, but pinning hope on a broke format is not what is needed. And unfortunately these deals with Apple etc. just piss the big retailers off even more.

 

I just don't think they will stop producing CDs altogether in the foreseeable future. There is still a market for them, particularly at Christmas. Big artists can still sell hundreds of thousands of CDs at Christmas. They aren't going to just stop producing them altogether in the space of three years like they did CD singles. Of course one day physical media will die, probably soon after we're all implanted with special computers that broadcast audio and vision direct to the brain :D but it's not any time soon.

 

I actually expect it's more likely that singles sales will go back down to 2005 levels due to streaming before they stop producing CDs altogether.

Edited January 14, 201411 yr by AcerBen

I think the cost of physical format is what puts people off. Although I'm happy/willing to support certain artists and buy the CDs on opening week, if it's priced at £4.99 on Amazon in MP3; I'll happily sacrifice owning a physical copy to save a few pounds.

There's nothing to stop anyone burning an MP3 album to a CD. Most laptops and computers can do that. I bet the market for blank CDR is not falling.

I think there will always be demand for the physical cd album. I prefer the cd and have never downloaded an entire album and never will unless its the only way of buying an album. I know loads of people who also prefer CDs. They still account for 60% of the market but that value may fall in a bit due to changes already mentioned.

A lot of people rely on radio to discover songs and then stream them though.

I don't know much about streaming, but I do know that on my ipod, I can in effect compile my own albums

 

Yep, I'll listen to the Radio, usually in the daytime via the BBC i-player, and listen to late night Radio 3 shows that play chill out music and the like, like "World on 3" and "Late Junction". Then I'll maybe download a song or 2 that I really liked.

Edited January 16, 201411 yr by house.martin